15 surprising things you didn't know about the bizarre competition show 'The Masked Singer'

• "The Masked Singer" is the buzzy new singing competition show on Fox.
• On the show, the singers have secret identities and they perform while wearing costumes. 
• The series is based on a South Korean game show. 

"The Masked Singer" is Fox's new singing competition show that has celebrities conducting over-the-top musical performances complete with back-up dancers, choreography, and special lighting each week. The catch is that the competitors are dressed in elaborate costumes that hide their true identities, which will only be revealed when they are eliminated from the competition and are unmasked.

And it seems the over-the-top show has had people interested from the very first episode — it debuted to an audience of 9.37 million viewers, according to an Associated Press report.

Whether you've tuned in every week or haven't seen a single episode, here are 15 things you probably didn't know about "The Masked Singer."

It's based on a South Korean show.

The viral competition series isn't an American original — it's based off of on the South Korean show, "King of Masked Singer," which premiered in 2015. The American series dresses contestants in full-body costumes whereas the South Korean series relies mostly on masks and oversized clothing.

The show was such a hit in South Korea that it has also been recreated in China, Vietnam, and Thailand, according to Fox.

Actor Ryan Reynolds was on the South Korean version of the show.

In 2018, as a part of his promotional circuit for "Deadpool 2," Ryan Reynolds made an appearance on the Korean version of the show. Dressed in a unicorn mask and cape, Reynolds sang "Tomorrow" from the musical "Annie." Of course, fans seemed to be really shocked when he took off the mask and revealed who he was.

Some staffers who used to work on "Dancing with the Stars" now work on "The Masked Singer."

Perhaps part of the reason for the show's pizzazz is that two "Dancing with the Stars" alumnus help bring it to life. Izzie Patrick Ibarra, an executive producer for "Masked Singer," used to be an executive producer for "Dancing with the Stars."Alex Rudzinski, who also works on the masked competition series, used to be a director for "Dancing with the Stars."