I've been hooked on The Mask since the very beginning. While seasons 1 and 2 blew me away with their creativity, subsequent seasons have started to lose their luster. Still, I just can't stop watching, and my daughter is absolutely obsessed.
We only watch it on reruns, as it's impossible to sit through all the judges' endless chatter. The first episode of season 6 lasted over 4 hours, with only 1 hour dedicated to actual performances!
xa0
SHOW DETAILS:
Country: Russia
Full name: The Mask
Season: 6
Release date: February 9, 2025
TV channel: NTV
xa0
FORMAT:
The Mask is a musical TV show, which is the Russian adaptation of the international format Masked Singer by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. On the show's stage, different celebrities perform in unusual costumes, hiding their identities.
The Mask is a music show, and it's safe to say that hardly anyone is unfamiliar with it. In a nutshell, it's a concert where stars sing, and not just professional singers, but actors, TV hosts, bloggers, and even athletes.
xa0
xa0
What sets this show apart is that all the contestants are hidden behind masks, and it's up to the audience and the judges to figure out who's who throughout the season. Each episode, one of the masks is revealed, and the audience and judges get to see who's behind it.
xa0
THE JUDGES:
The judges' panel has remained the same throughout the seasons, with one exception - the fifth judge, who changes each season, and in one season, even changed every episode.
I have to admit, the judges can be a bit much, but I've gotten used to them, and I usually just fast-forward through their chatter.
xa0
The permanent members of the judges' panel are:
ValeriaTimur RodriguezRegina TodorenkoPhilip Kirkorov (chairman)This season's fifth judge is Stas Kostyushkin, who was a contestant in the very first season and got eliminated first, but six years later, he was invited back to judge the show. In my opinion, he fit in well and brought a touch of humor and freshness to the endless discussions, but unfortunately, it didn't make me want to listen to them more.
xa0
What do the judges do? They evaluate the contestants and try to figure out who's hiding behind the mask. As it often turns out, they usually get to the truth, either guessing correctly earlier on or later on. But there have been cases where the star wasn't revealed until the final show. For example, that was the case with Alsu, who was hiding behind a bee mask.
Most of the show is spent discussing the mask, asking it questions, and making guesses. The judges also decide who will remove their mask in the episode. After the audience voting, the two masks with the fewest votes remain, and the judges have to choose between the two contestants. Of course, objectivity is out the window when they choose the one they think they've guessed correctly 100%, but that's not always the rule.
The show's host, Slava Makarov, always does a great job with his tasks. I have to admit, he's the only host who puts a smile on my face. His witty humor, concise delivery, and pleasant voice often save the show.
I was surprised that none of the masks were eliminated in the first episode of season 6, and instead got immunity, which would protect them from elimination in the next episode.
xa0
NEW MASKS:
Now, let's get to the good stuff - which masks will be joining us in season 6? To be honest, I really liked almost all of the masks. But for some reason, this time around, the 'animal' theme is dominating, with all sorts of creatures in different variations.
I'll be honest, I'm not even going to try to guess who's behind the masks, especially considering the changes in the host's voice. Plus, who's ever heard a football player or figure skater sing? It's basically impossible to recognize them.
I started with the Boxer concert. The mask is really cool, very realistic, and powerful.
xa0
At first glance, it's clear that it's a guy. Although...given the weird things that have happened on this show, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be a tiny blonde woman.xa0
The next performer was a lovely Cow, wearing a pink dress and ice skates. She sang a Britney Spears song, just like Buzova.xa0
Kapibara the rocker in her leather jacket has become a total favorite of my daughter's.
Kapibara's costume is massive - I can only imagine how tough it must be for her to perform in it. With a deep, masculine voice, she sang: "The world is not simple...not at all simple..."
She sang pretty well, but it still felt like she wasn't a real singer.What really impressed me, though, was the Utku mask.
xa0
I've got to say, the Wooden Woody in a female disguise looks super stylish - it's probably one of the coolest masks from a visual standpoint. But as for the voice, I'm still waiting for the 'wow' effect to kick in, maybe it'll develop over time. The costume for The Fish King is a bit ridiculous, but what a voice and interpretation of the song 'Queen' - it gave me goosebumps!
xa0
So far, this mask has become my favorite in the show.xa0
Of course, if there's a cow in the show, you can't go without the Bull.xa0
The mask is beautiful, unlike the cute plush cow, the bull is rugged yet refined. I'm guessing this is a professional singer, judging by the song choice, but he hasn't left a lasting impression on me yet.xa0
Next up, we've got the adorable Sheep, singing 'Oh, poor little sheep'.xa0
To be honest, the song choices for the first episode didn't exactly blow me away, but I'm hoping it gets more interesting from here.xa0
Falcon reminded me of the crow from last season.xa0
Overall, the design's a copycat, and the bird's behavior's pretty similar too. But the singer's got a beautiful, powerful voice - I think the falcon's got some surprises up its sleeve.xa0
The stunning female Cricket has a costume that's absolutely dazzling - it's like a butterfly, remember Lusya Chebotina from last season? I've gotta say, this costume is a real work of art. The performer decided to sing 'Jimmy Jimmy acha acha', which didn't exactly showcase their vocal range - I'm guessing they might not have one.xa0
At first glance, I thought it was Katerina Guseva, but I was totally off.And if the previous costumes were pretty straightforward, this one's a smoker's mask.
xa0
Then there's this enormous, utterly bizarre CUKE...I have no idea why the performer chose to hide behind this mask, but it's just plain ridiculous. Those eyes are all scrunched up, and the yellow flowers are a nice touch.xa0
Next up was this massive CHICKEN with headphones.xa0
Poor guy's gotta be struggling in that costume, and I'm not sure if it's a guy or a girl underneath - it's definitely a unisex mask. I've got to say, this Vozhd mask is a real showstopper. The attention to detail is impressive, and it's clear that a lot of thought went into its design.xa0
I was a bit confused by the Vozhd number, to be honest. It's a beautiful, ethnic design, but I'm not entirely sure what's going on - is it singing, dancing, or what?xa0
But the real standout for me is the Strus mask. The performer's responses and overall demeanor are just hilarious, and I found myself laughing out loud, especially when she decided to get sassy.xa0
I was pleasantly surprised by the Ogon mask, too. As someone who's not typically a fan of 'stretchy' masks, I was impressed by its subtlety and realism. The song choice, 'Ptitza Udochyi', was a great match for the mask's design, too.xa0
I wrapped up the show with the Dalmatian mask. And honestly, the mask itself is pretty cool – it's got the Dalmatian's face and Cruella's costume.
xa0
The Dalmatian mask is a real head-turner – it's one of the ones that visually stood out to me the most.xa0
I think the masks this season were all pretty different and interesting – they didn't quite live up to the Snake from last season, but they were still pretty good. The only thing that's really bugging me is that there are more and more of these giant puppets and fewer actual masks that are works of art.xa0
IMMUNITY:
In the first episode of this season, no one got eliminated – instead, the viewers voted for their favorite mask.
xa0
All the contestants, including me, were really impressed by the hawk, the fish king, and the ostrich. The hawk ended up with 52% of the viewer votes – I think it was well-deserved, he did sing probably the best of all.xa0
I've got to say, the fact that the falcon gets automatically saved from nomination once a season without needing a vote is a pretty sweet bonus for this bird.
xa0
THE GOOD:
The format is really interesting.The masks are super cool.The selection of songs is pretty good.The performances are totally thrilling.There's an air of mystery to the whole thing.THE BAD:
There's way too much small talk.Some of the song choices are just weird.The pacing is way too slow.Check out the New Year's episode of Maska here