Masked Singer accidents - electrocution, vocal cord bleeds and tumbles
Things are hotting up in this year's contest of The Masked Singer. The ITV show sees mystery celebs perform each week in bizarre costumes while judges Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Rita Ora and Mo Gilligan - plus guest judges including Jennifer Saunders, Olly Murs and Charlie Simpson - attempt to work out who is behind each mask.
Based on South Korean show, King of Mask Singer, the series launched in the US in 2019 before heading to Blighty by popular demand. So far this series, breakfast TV queen Lorraine Kelly has been revealed to be Owl and Dionne Warwick, Alexander Armstrong, Shirley Ballas and Julia Sawalha have also been revealed.
But the over-the-top costumes and sets haven't been without their problems over the course of the UK's five series and the show's international counterparts. In series two, TV choirmaster Gareth Malone's appearance on the programme was put in jeopardy when the exhausted contestant fell down a set of stairs when he arrived home from a day of rehearsals as Cactus.
"It was physically tiring and I had a bad night," said the classical musician, who admitted it was "touch and go" if he could continue filming. "We've got five little steps into the kitchen and I fell down the stairs and I twisted my ankle. It went black and purple and green. Immediately I was like: 'Oh no!' and did ice and elevation. I had a plethora of straps and harnesses on."
In the US in 2022, the series seven premiere got off to a calamitous start when contestant McTerrier took a tumble and the head of their costume accidentally fell off following their performance. With the judges, including singer Nicole Scherzinger, doing their best to look away the owner of the mishap was later fully revealed to be pastry chef Duff Goldman.
Three new celebrities are set to join The Masked Singer panel this weekendBack in the UK in 2020, judge Jonathan Ross and host Joel Dommett both expressed concerns about the Octopus outfit which weighed in at a staggering 20kg - making it the competition's heaviest. It was too heavy for singer Katherine Jenkins to wear for any period of time and bosses were forced to rework it by building in a supportive platform.
Across the pond in 2019, former Destiny's Child star Michelle Williams came a cropper when she was electrocuted live on stage. Dressed as Butterfly in the US version, the singer was practicing Livin' On A Prayer by Bon Jovi when the smoke machine short-circuited and shocked her.
“During dress rehearsal, I’m standing on the platform and they’re trying to have CO2 smoke come out,” she told Entertainment Tonight. All I know [is] I looked down at my shoe and the thing could talk,” she said of her boot which had split completely open.
The same year, TV star Dr Drew Pinksy experienced his own health crisis he suffered a serious vocal injury in rehearsals. "Immediately when I started training, I realised there was something wrong with my voice," the star who played Eagle said. "And it turns out I had a bleed on my [vocal] cords."
While not strictly an accident linked to The Masked Singer, Carol Vorderman made the panel giggle with one of her clues in last year's Christmas special. The former Countdown star, who was revealed as Reindeer, explained: "I had a bit of an accident on a treadmill. I was training for a half marathon and I got a bit hot so I took all my clothes off, got back on the treadmill and it went 'phew' and I got trapped at the bottom of the treadmill… naked."
Watch The Masked Singer tonight at 7pm on ITV1 and ITVX