The Masked Singer undergoes major cast shake-up as panelist Nicole Scherzinger replaced for Season 11 in shocking move
THE MASKED Singer has undergone a major shake-up as one of the judges has been replaced.
The singing competition will return for its 11th season next year – along with a new panelist.
Judge Nicole Scherzinger has been replaced by Rita Ora for the upcoming season.
The Pussycat Dolls singer will temporarily be out as she will be performing on London’s West End.
However, the star will continue to be on Season 10 of The Masked Singer.
The show returns to FOX on Wednesday, September 27, at 8pm EST.
FELLOW JUDGES
Throughout the many seasons of the reality TV show, everyone from Kandi Burruss to LeAnn Rimes has tried to thrill The Masked Singer judges.
Next year, Rita will be joined by:
Ken Jeong – who is an actor, stand-up comedian, producer, and a licensed physician.
He quickly rose to fame after his role as Leslie Chow in The Hangover trilogy.
Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg – an actress, model, and TV personality.
She was crowned Playmate of the Year after posing for Playboy in the early 1990s.
Robin Thicke – who is a singer, songwriter, and record producer.
His 2013 single, Blurred Lines, became a massive hit.
Nick Cannon is the current host of the show.
MORE ABOUT RITA
Rita was born on November 25, 1990, in Pristina, Yugoslavia (now Kosovo), with both parents being of Albanian descent.
She is a singer, actress, and TV personality.
Rita has an impressive TV and film history including being featured on The Voice: Australia, The X-Factor UK, and The Masked Singer UK.
The star has over 13million monthly listeners on Spotify with three albums under her belt: ORA, Phoenix, and her newest project titled You & I that released this year.
Her new single is titled Praising You featuring Fatboy Slim, and already has over 31million streams.
SEASON 9 WINNER
Back in May, Bishop Briggs was crowned the winner of The Masked Singer Season Nine.
The British singer was dressed as Medusa.
During the season’s final episode, the panel tried to predict which star was underneath the costume.
However, Nicole was the only judge to correctly guess who was under the mask.
The singer shared with EW: “You know, I’m not competitive with others but I’m very competitive with myself.
“And so I was really, really, really, really wanting to win. And when I had that moment with Nicole ringing the [Ding Dong Keep It On] bell, and I really saw my journey flash before my eyes, I felt so defeated and deflated.
“You learn in those moments how much you really want something.
“And because I was having time away from my son to be on the show, it made me even more determined and even more hungry, and just the thought of being able to show him the trophy made me so excited.”