Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Masked Singer’s Group B Semi-Finals. Read at your own risk!
The Masked Singer made it to the back half of Season 6, but not before it said goodbye to two very talented contestants in Group B. The Mallard and Caterpillar got their walking papers in the big episode, and while both were talented singers in the competition, fans wouldn’t associate that with their day jobs. Now, following their elimination, Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson (Mallard) and Queer Eye’s Bobby Berk (Caterpillar) had a lot to say about their costumes, ice vests, and reverse psychology.
The Masked Singer is a singing competition, but the costumes play just as much a part in the show as anything. Unfortunately, they aren’t always as comfortable or practical for a stage performance as competitors would like, and Willie Robertson told CinemaBlend that he learned that the hard way, as all the practicing at home didn’t quite prepare him for wearing the Mallard mask.
I really hadn’t factored in the whole mask thing. Like, that’s tough, you know, when you put that thing on it is a whole different ball game. In fact, they should just say that over and over how difficult that is. I would challenge anyone, whether you’re a great singer or not, but you put that thing on, it’s tough. It’s tough to move, and you can’t see. Yeah, it was a lot of challenges but it was really fulfilling to get up there and pull it off and not forget the words or, you know, god forbid, fall down.
Mishaps do happen on The Masked Singer, and yes, some of them are because of the use of costumes. Luckily, Willie Robertson didn’t seem to have any mishaps in the Mallard costume in spite of limited visibility, and he got around the stage about the same as many other competitors.
Bobby Berk, on the other hand, didn’t get to do much moving around as the Caterpillar. Berk told CinemaBlend his costume was actually pretty hefty, and even required a special piece of equipment to ensure he stayed cool while wearing the heavy Caterpillar suit.
It was definitely a challenge. You know, the costume weighed probably about 150 pounds. It was also about 120 degrees inside of it so we figured out that I needed to wear an ice vest each time to keep my temperature down. Obviously, there wasn’t a lot of mobility so I couldn’t swing around a lot without taking out backup dancers every time I did because of the size of the rear end. But it was so fun. Did I wish I could’ve moved around and danced more? Yes, but then on the same note, I actually love that I didn’t have to move around and dance as much.
The Masked Singer Season 5 nearly saw singer Bobby Brown pass out due to being in the suit, so it’s good to see the production team took precautions in Season 6 to make sure something similar didn’t happen with Queer Eye’s Bobby Berk. Still, I can’t imagine trying to move in a 150-pound suit regardless of what I’m wearing, so credit to him for doing all that while putting on some awesome performances.
Credit is also due to Willie Robertson who, surprisingly, went on The Masked Singer in the exact costume one would expect someone from Duck Dynasty to wear. Robertson explained the show’s reasoning behind putting him in a costume based on his successful company and brand his family cultivated.
I wasn't prepared to be the duck. They showed me the costume, and as soon as I saw it I just fell in love with it. I said ‘100%’. I was shocked they were gonna go that angle but they decided to go ahead and go that angle because they thought it would be a clue in that, it would obviously not be someone from Duck Dynasty wearing a duck.
Neither man will go on to win The Masked Singer, but that’s understandable because there’s such a talented pool of competitors still in the competition. While Bobby Berk and Willie Robertson held their own well enough, if the Queen of Hearts and other competitors are who we think they are, then they’ll be flattered they lasted as long as they did.
The Masked Singer airs on Fox on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Season 6 is marching towards its finale, though it’s still too early to say who will definitively win it all. My hope is for Bull, but can he outsing Queen of Hearts? I can’t wait to find out!
