First came The Masked Singer, and all we could do was behold Robin Thicke giving standing O’s to furries every week. Then came The Masked Dancer, and Ken Jeong’s weekly hour of broadcast horrors twerked ever onward and upward. On Friday, Fox announced that a new series with a newer gimmick will join its Earth-Two singing competition lineup, doing away with precious analog costume design in favor of an all-digital avatar cast.
Fox describes the show, called Alter Ego, in a press release, saying contestants will “be given the chance to show how they’ve always wanted to be seen, creating their dream avatar ALTER EGO to reinvent themselves while showcasing their unique performance style via motion capture technology. In ALTER EGO, talent and technology come together to create a singing competition unlike anything the world has ever seen.†So it looks like they’re stuffing the contestants in mo-cap suits and giving them a Sims customization screen. At least that’s the vibe we’re getting from the teaser trailer.
What makes this something we actually want to tune in for is the judging panel, made up of Alanis Morissette, Nick Lachey, will.i.am., Rocsi Diaz, and Grimes, who may finally reveal that she herself is a rogue avatar that gained super-sentience and hacked the Musknet. We predict X Æ A-12 will win it all.