She tried to find out who was hiding behind the “stuffed animals” of Mask Singer. This is the name used by Chantal Ladesou, one of the new investigators of the show, to designate the costumes which parade on the stage of the program which launches its fourth season this Tuesday August 23 (yes yes, a Tuesday) on TF1. The actress is not the only new personality to sit at the jury table this year. At his side are Vitaa, Jeff Panacloc and Kev Adams, the only survivor of the original cast.
“From the first quarter of an hour, it was a winning bet”
These three new faces are the main upheaval that the show is experiencing. We could even increase the number of jurors to four and a half, since the puppet Jean-Marc will obviously be there. “The first day, I was stressed not knowing who I was going to work with, confides its owner Jeff Panacloc. I told myself that I would have shot a pilot to be sure that it worked. But in fact, after three minutes, we knew it. With their busy schedule, it was impossible to test the quartet’s chemistry before filming the first episode. “From the first quarter of an hour, we thought it was a winning bet, adds producer Anthony Meunier. We laugh just as much as before, we investigate even more.
Among the newcomers, Jeff Panacloc seems to stand out for his ability to recognize personalities very quickly. “We had not expected that it was going to be so strong”, even says the producer. An asset that Chantal Ladesou probably does not have. “I had a problem when I was offered the show because I don’t already recognize anyone without a mask,” she laughs. Even if she still manages to find certain names, the actress admits “cheating a little bit on [ses] comrades”, in particular on Kev Adams who granted himself the role of “big brother” of the season.
Vitaa was chosen for her singer’s ear. “I try to help my colleagues by telling them if he’s a professional singer or not,” she says. But the stars of the song should not be numerous on the stage of Mask Singer. “The investigation would go much too quickly with singers, their voice is better known”, justifies the host Camille Combal.
A mix of old and new mechanics
Like every year, the public (and especially children) will be able to discover new costumes. On the program: a 2m50 baby, a drag-queen Dalmatian, a gingerbread, a pharaoh or even a monkey, the very one who was injured at the start of the third season and who could not take take part in the competition. The teams also worked on evolving costumes that the bride will wear, for example, with a different dress each week.
Among the mechanics that worked well in the previous season, the new edition will again bring two international stars to the set, but also two guest investigators who will come in disguise and then, once discovered, will join the investigators’ table to help them in their investigations. . The raven will no longer be part of the cast but will be replaced by a spy, embodied by a celebrity whose identity will also have to be guessed.
Finally, one last character will join the official competition along the way. “He had to fight, he found himself on waivers several times in the episode to win his place or be unmasked instantly” in the event of defeat, underlines Anthony Meunier. In all, eighteen celebrities are to be found over the contest, a record since the creation of the show. No name has leaked but the producer ensures that a level has been crossed thanks to “a rich cast, and not just on one or two names”. To find out, we will have to wait until the final.