The Masked Singer has been so great because it's so dumb

Variety

The dumb judging commentary on the hit Fox reality show used to seem like a bug, but now it's a feature, says Daniel D'Addario. "These people know as little about celebrity as, say, Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul did about live vocals, and are far nicer about it," he says. "After all, isn’t wondering if a Raven-Symoné or a Paul Shaffer is among the biggest stars on earth on the basis of stage presence a compliment? It brings to mind a recent quote by Michael Strahan, the former football player-turned-TV host. As an NFL commentator, he said, his job is 'entertainment. We are mostly just the opinion of the game. You don’t want to sit in a meeting five days a week and then on Sunday turn on the TV and feel as if you’re in another meeting when you’re watching a football show.' If the conversation between Ken Jeong, Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger, and Robin Thicke feels a little dim — well, there is something relaxing about allowing oneself a harmless moment of idiocy, and something prosocial too."