The Masked Singer Australia halted production over the weekend after seven staff at the show’s Melbourne studio tested positive for COVID-19. The show had previously been granted an exemption to continue filming despite the city’s Stage 4 lockdowns. The entire production staff, including host Osher Günsberg and the show’s judging panel, have since gone into self-isolation.
Last night, Günsberg went on The Project to discuss the outbreak and give an update on the show’s status. The host explained that they were literally two hours away from filming the show’s grand finale on Friday when a dancer on the team said they were feeling ill – they later tested positive for COVID-19.
“This person was so brave. This young person put their hand up and said ‘Hang on, guys. I’m not feeling so great, I should probably let you know this’. They were brave enough to pull the emergency brake on this freight train,” said Günsberg.
“We hit stop and everything shut down, because nothing is as important as everyone’s safety. I really hope we can see them as an example for knowing that if you don’t feel great, put your hand up, because it’s just not worth it.”
When asked about protocols around safety on the show, Günsberg said he wouldn’t be on a show that didn’t have stringent COVID-safe procedures in place. “I’ve never been on a stricter set, on a more segregated set. Everyone was working in little pods, no people crossed over.”
Moving forward, the show’s set will be adhering to Victoria’s procedures around COVID outbreaks in a workplace and undergoing a deep clean. With all other episodes already filmed, there are three more weeks’ worth of the show ready to be screened as per normal.
Günsberg commented that the team were working to make a grand finale eventually happen. “I’m pretty sure we’ll figure out a way to pull it off.”
The reality singing competition/guess-the-identity contest is in its second season, and sees a range of celebrities performing in extravagant costumes. This year’s judging panel includes the likes of Danni Minogue and Dave Hughes.
Watch Günsberg’s full interview on The Project below.
