‘The Masked Singer’ Taps Rita Ora to Fill In for Nicole Scherzinger as a Season 11 Panelist

As “The Masked Singer” panelist Nicole Scherzinger returns to London’s West End this month, starring as Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard, the show has found a suitable substitute: Singer/songwriter Rita Ora. Ora, who is no stranger to the format as a panelist for “The Masked Singer UK,” will take the U.S. “Masked Singer” panelist chair alongside Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg and Robin Thicke throughout Season 11, now shooting (and set to air in midseason).

Of course, Scherzinger will still be seen this fall on Season 10 of “The Masked Singer,” which taped earlier this year and returned with a special episode this past Sunday (featuring the unmasking of Demi Lovato). “The Masked Singer” returns for its regular Season 10 on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. ET.

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Ora is known for performing four No. 1 UK singles and holds the UK record for the most Top 10 singles for a British female artist (with a total of 13). Her latest album, “You & I,” features the singles “Praising You (feat. Fatboy Slim)” and “You Only Love Me.” On screen, Ora has been seen in the “Fifty Shades of Grey” franchise, as well as “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu” and “Twist.” And besides “The Masked Singer UK,” her reality show bonafides include “The Voice Australia” and “The X-Factor UK.” She’ll next be seen opposite Jamie Foxx and Robert De Niro in the film “Tin Soldier” and with Brandy in “The Descendants” sequel “The Rise of Red.”

“The Masked Singer” will include a new format this season, with three groups followed by Battle Royale semi-final episodes. The season also includes the return of Wild Card contestants, with one Wild Card introduced to each group, and the “Ding Dong Keep It On Bell” is back in the Battle Royale semi-final episodes, where the judges can choose to save one contestant from elimination and move them directly to the finale.

With sixteen total celebrity singers, Season 10 features new costumes including “Donut,” “Anteater,” “Hawk,” “Hibiscus,” “Diver,” “Gazelle,” “Royal Hen” and a life-size “S’More.” Also returning to mark the show’s 10th are celebrities who have been previously unmasked since the show began.

The season’s themed episodes will include a tribute to Elton John; a “Trolls Night” tied to the November release of DreamWorks Animation’s “Trolls Band Together”; a “Harry Potter Night” airing the week of Halloween; “NFL Night”; “One Hit Wonders”; “Disco”; “2000s Night”; “I Wanna Rock”; and “Soundtrack of My Life.”

“The Masked Singer” is produced by Fox Alternative Entertainment, with James Breen (who is also showrunner), Craig Plestis and Cannon as executive producers. Here’s a preview of this season:

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