While the main attractions of The Masked Singer are the competing celebrities, the panel of judges contributes quite a bit to the show. Jenny McCarthy, Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong, and Nicole Scherzinger offer a diverse set of experiences and connections to celebrities that the viewers do not have. A lot of the commentary they give though, are repeated phrases that may not solely mean what they sound like.
As the show has progressed over time though, viewers have caught onto exactly what they mean by these commonly used terms. Some of them are fairly clear, but others are not as obvious and only long time viewers of the show would be able to know the full meaning.
"You Have A Seasoned Voice."= I Think You Are Older
Kids are taught from a young age not to ask people their age or insinuate they think someone is old, and it seems like the judges of The Masked Singer really took this to heart. If a contestant comes up who they believe has the voice of an older person, they will very rarely say they think the singer is old. Saying they have a "seasoned" voice though, is completely on the table.
Any contestant who has a raspy voice or sings in an old-timey style is a candidate to be described as "seasoned." This is almost always followed by the judges guessing celebrities who could qualify for senior discounts, so it is quite clear what they are really saying when they say seasoned.
"Could This Person Be From Queer Eye/Drag Race?"= I Think This Person Is A Part Of The LGBTQ+ Community
The show's casting has done a good job at having proper representation, consistently featuring contestants who identified as LGBTQ+. The judges have caught onto some contestants gender identity or sexual orientation before their unmasking due to the clues given to them, and there is always one common thread.
Rather than flatly saying that they think the contestant is apart of that community, they will often instead speculate that they could be someone who appeared on either Queer Eye, considered to be one of the best LGBTQ+ shows on Netflix, or the legendary RuPaul's Drag Race. The judges can say they think the contestant is from one of those shoes as opposed to flatly saying they are assuming they are a part of that community, which could be seen as a bit strange.
"You Sound Soulful/Southern."= I Think You Are A Black Celebrity
Similarly to the Queer Eye/Drag Race references, the judges oftentimes will strongly insinuate someone's race with some comments. When they say someone sounds soulful and/or southern, they will follow that up with a guess of a black celebrity in the overwhelming majority of situations.
Plenty of black contestants have found great success on the show, with four of them going on to win their respective seasons. Most of these, especially some of the more old-timey singers, have been referred to as either soulful or southern by the befuddled judges. While sounding southern and soulful are very real traits, the majority of times they are discussed, the guesses are mainly black singers.
"We Have A Legend In The Building!"= This Person Was Most Famous A While Ago
While plenty of truly legendary and famous contestants have competed on the show, the word "legendary" is used in specific situations by the judges. Being at the peak of your fame forty or more years ago isn't exactly a prerequisite for being legendary, but with the way the judges talk, you would think it is.
Anytime a judge describes a contestant as legendary, they almost always mean they sound old (or more appropriately "seasoned") and that they were most well known prior to the 1980's. Plenty of people who could be considered modern legends have appeared on the show, but the word "legend" is almost never used for them.
"You Haven't Been Traditionally Trained In Singing."= You Are Not A Good Or Professional Singer
Since The Masked Singer is a show for all celebrities and not solely singers, this show is the first time singing in front of an audience for many of the contestants. Rather than flatly say that someone is not a singer, the judges opt for the gentler statement of saying someone is not a trained singer.
It would be rather embarrassing for a judge to say someone is not a professional singer, only for them to later find out that they are. Especially in today's music landscape which features more unique and unorthodox voices than ever before, saying someone is not traditionally trained is the much safer route. These contestants are not even at a disadvantage, as numerous professional singers have flopped on the show.
"I Think This Is Jamie Foxx"= You Have A Great Deep Voice, But I Don't Know Who You Are
Jamie Foxx is one of the most guessed celebrities, seemingly coming up at least once or twice every season. He is an extremely talented and successful vocalist, so whenever a contestant is misidentified as him, it is at least quite the compliment.
Guessing Foxx is an easy way out for the judges when they hear a strong, deep, male-sounding voice that they can't totally identify. Considering how often they use him, and how the voices they guess as him oftentimes do not sound totally alike, it is safe to assume whenever he is guessed it's just because they think the contestant has a good voice that also happens to be low pitched.
"You're More Of A Performer Than A Singer."= You Can't Sing Well, But You Can Dance And Energize A Crowd Well
As mentioned earlier, not all of the celebrities appearing on The Masked Singer are trained singers, so there is oftentimes a clear talent gap. It would be quite rude to flat out say a contestant can't sing, so the judges are always finding ways to sugarcoat statements that pretty much mean that.
One of their go to euphemisms is saying contestants are better performers than they are singers. Plenty of memorable performers, such as White Tiger, had fun moments on stage without having a traditionally accepted singing voice. It certainly isn't an insult as there is more to a performance than just singing, and the show does have a good balance of different kinds of performers when it is at its best.
"That Was One Of The Best Performances In Masked Singer History!"= That Was A Good Performance
Despite it's lighthearted and even goofy aesthetics, The Masked Singer is considered one of the best singing competition series currently on TV. It commonly features show-stopping performances, and the judges do not hold back with their profusive praise after they occur. While the contestants certainly deserve this, to say dozens of performances are among the best ever is a bit dramatic.
Part of the judges role on the show is to generate excitement, but it seems mathematically impossible to consider such a large number performances among the greatest of all time. Every time they say it, it is in reference to a great performance, but most of the time it probably isn't one of the best ever.
"Good Guess!"= That Guess Is Definitely Wrong
Similarly to a parent telling their young child how good of an artist they are and hanging their work on the fridge, the judges certainly have to tell each other white lies. Oftentimes when a judge makes an iffy guess, the only response they get is a quick and awkward "good guess!" from their fellow panelists.
While Ken is often times the butt of jokes revolving around his off the wall guesses, the other three judges are much more professional to each other. They rarely openly ridicule each others guesses on camera, so this phrase is a good way to avoid controversy.
"I Know EXACTLY Who This Is!"=I Have No Idea Who This Is
Possibly the most recognizable saying from the show, Ken is oftentimes quite confident in his guesses. The show's shtick of Ken being an overconfident, but usually terrible, guesser is one of the more humorous aspects of each episode. There are some who have the unpopular opinion of thinking it isn't particularly funny, but it does land for the most part.
Most viewers probably have figured this out by now, but Ken saying he knows exactly who it is really means he has absolutely no clue. He has gotten his guaranteed guesses right once in a blue moon, but when he makes them so often, he's bound to be right at least sometimes.