'The Masked Singer' premieres with Antonio Brown unmasked as first eliminated celebrity

The Masked Singer unmasked its first singer during Wednesday night's premiere of the new Fox singing competition, revealing NFL football star Antonio Brown was the celebrity inside the show's Hippo costume.


"Antonio Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers!" The Masked Singer host Nick Cannon said when Brown removed his costume's head after being eliminated from the singing competition.

Brown had performed Bobby Brown's "Your Prerogative" during his singing performance.

"From the NFL to 'Your Prerogative' right here on this stage," Cannon remarked.

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"You've been to a Super Bowl before, how does this compare?" Cannon asked Brown, who has also previously competed on ABC's Dancing with the Stars.

"Well it was a challenge. You know, it was a challenge being able to stay on beat, but it was exciting.  I was glad to be a part of it and I had a good time today," Brown replied.

What is The Masked Singer's format?

The Masked Singer features 12 celebrities competing in a singing competition while wearing elaborate costumes that hide their identities.

Six celebrities competed on The Masked Singer's premiere and were dubbed Peacock, Hippo, Monster, Unicorn, Deer, and Lion based on the costumes they wore.

Each celebrity was paired in a face-off against another celebrity, and the studio audience then voted to decide the face-off's winner.


Peacock, Unicorn, and Lion won their respective face-offs against Hippo, Monster, and Deer.

The Masked Singer panelists Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger, and Robin Thicke then voted to determine which one of Hippo, Monster, and Deer would be eliminated from the singing competition.

Peacock had performed Hugh Jackman's "The Greatest Show" during his face-off with Hippo.

Given the athleticism he exhibited during his performance, The Masked Singer's panelists had speculated Hippo was New York Giants football star Odell Beckham Jr., retired NFL player Deion Sanders, or retired NBA basketball star Allen Iverson.

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"Who are all these singers?" Cannon had teased on the premiere. 

"We have Grammy winners, Emmy winners, Hall of Fame players and some real comedians. Each week one of them will lose the mask and we'll all see who they really are."

The Masked Singer's second episode will air Wednesday, January 9 at 9PM ET/PT on Fox.






About The Author: Steven Rogers