Nicole Scherzinger Reveals What It's Like To Be A 'Masked Singer' Judge

Nicole Scherzinger has been a judge on Fox's musical guessing game show "The Masked Singer" since the show first debuted on January 2, 2019.

The show has maintained a consistent panel of judges over the course of the past six seasons, including "Blurred Lines" singer Robin Thicke, talk show host Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, and "Community" actor Ken Jeong.

The show had also been hosted by Nick Cannon for the past six seasons, although comedian Niecy Nash filled in for him during season 5 after he had to delay filming due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.

Scherzinger recently revealed that although the show goes to great lengths to hide the identities of celebrity contestants, the judges have to go through just as much secrecy behind the scenes.

In an interview with Tiffany Haddish, who was subbing in for Ellen DeGeneres, Scherzinger revealed that they "don’t even let you leave your room, you don’t get to have personnel, you don’t get to have anybody on your team there."

She added, "They take you to your room away from everything in another building and they just lock down, and then they will bring you and escort you to the stage and you don’t get to go nowhere else, maybe the bathroom."

Previous contestants have also remarked about how tight the security is back stage. When being interviewed outside their costumes, all costumes are given shielded face masks and baggy black hoodies that say "Don't Talk To Me" to make sure their identity doesn't get spoiled before their official unmasking.

Despite the extra security backstage, Scherzinger says that filming the show "is the best."

Referring to her other judges, she explained, "We're such a tight family, we’ve all been together since season one, we had no idea we continue this far and it just gets better and better."

She also added that "the caliber of talent" of the contestants in season 6 is "stratospheric."

Season 6 has eliminated legendary talents such as "Un-Break My Heart" singer Tori Braxton and RuthPointer of "The Pointer Sisters."

It has also revealed other secret singing talents, such as Rob Schneider serenading his wife in a giant Hamster costume and Larry the Cable Guy singing an operatic version of "Meet the Flintstones" while dressed as a giant baby.

In one of the first unmaskings of the season, judge Ken Jeong was sure that Haddish was behind the Mother Nature costume.

However, Mother Nature was actually "Independence Day" actress Vivica A. Fox.

Scherzinger admitted that she temporarily thought it could be Haddish, but quickly changed her mind.

"It wasn't me, I can sing but that wasn't me," Haddish joked before she revealed that every season she gets text messages from friends and family thinking that she has appeared on the show.

Maybe one day!