Psst...can you keep a secret? OK, good because we have a confession: We're totally obsessed with The Masked Singer.
Fine, that's not really a secret, given that Fox's reality hit, which is based on a South Korean series called King of Mask Singer, has become a full-blown pop culture obsession, with everyone at home playing armchair detective, desperately trying to figure out which famous faces are underneath the ridiculously beautiful (and sometimes beautifully ridiculous) masks.
And the numbers don't lie, as Fox boasted that The Masked Singer is the highest-rated unscripted debut on any network in more than seven years, attracting more than 17 million viewers across multiple platforms. Of course, given that it's the No. 1 new series of the season, the network officially announced The Masked Singer has been renewed for a second season on Wednesday, promising it will be "even more fun, weird and wonderful" than its debut outing.
While showrunner Izzie Pick Ibarra initially wasn't sure how the show, which is a massive hit in South Korea, would play for U.S. viewers, she's been blown away by the response. And she has a theory as to why it's resonating with its audience.
"I think it's really good fun, it doesn't have a bad bone in its body. We're not trying to destroy anyone's careers and we're not trying to tear anyone down," she explained to E! News over the phone, "and it's the extraordinary guessing game that you get to play along at home with, which I really think is one of the major things that makes the show so fun. You can sit at home and start shouting at the TV, you can have arguments with your family about who you think is under that mask."
And it turns out only a very small group of people were allowed to know who the celebrity contestants were during production, with security measures in place that would definitely impress the FBI.
Despite most of its secrets being guarded more heavily than the Sorcerer's Stone at Hogwarts, we were able to get Ibirra to spill some classified information about the casting process, the costumes, assembling their dream panel and plans for season two...
The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Fox.