'The Masked Singer' bosses have ordered a social media crackdown for this year's contestants.
Ne-Yo risked blowing his Masked Singer cover
Producers have warned the stars taking part in the upcoming series of the mystery singing competition to take care about what they post online to stop their identities being revealed early after previous seasons have seen American acts including Dita Von Teese and Ne-Yo offer clues to fans with posts tagged in London.
Executive producer Daniel Nettleton told The Daily Star Sunday newspaper: “We had Ne-Yo posting a picture of himself in London on Instagram around the time we were filming the second series. And Dita Von Teese was pictured in London at the time of filming.
“People picked those things up and it was discussed on all the forums. It’s that kind of thing we have to keep a lid on.
“We tell them, ‘If you’re over here from another country, stop posting on Instagram!’”
The producer insisted it's essential to the appeal of the show to keep the contestants' identities a secret.
He added: “With shows like 'I’m A Celebrity', people want to know which celebs will be doing it.
“But with 'Masked Singer' the whole purpose is that it’s a guessing game. So if someone ruins that, they won’t be popular.”
'The Masked Singer' - which originated in Korea - sees celebrities conceal their identities and perform hit songs for a panel of judges and an audience, who are tasked with working out who is underneath the mask.
The show has so far been won by Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts, 35, who performed as Queen Bee, and singer Joss Stone, 34, who was dressed as a sausage.
'Masked Singer' judge Jonathan Ross recently spoke of his excitement for the third series and admitted he loves trying to guess who the stars are.
He said: “I’m looking forward to doing it because it’s a fun way to spend the evening.
"On 'The Masked Singer', I’m as much a viewer as a participant, for part of the evening.”
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