Ne-Yo said that his winning performance on The Masked Singer included a startling extra makeover.
After an astonishing succession of performances, the Because of You singer was unveiled as the Cow and immediately proclaimed champion in the season 10 finale on Wednesday.
In a star-studded programme, he defeated the Donut, aka John Schneider, and Janel Parrish’s Gazelle to win the championship.
Speaking about his efforts, the musician said that there was a significant disadvantage to his costume, as it caused him to sweat heavily the whole time.
‘First and foremost, I easily lost about 20lbs wearing the costume because it did not breathe at all,’ he told HollywoodLife.
‘I’m under all that padding sweating bullets. It was crazy. They were on standby with fans. Every time they cut or break, they ran out with the fans because they knew that I was under there dying.’
Ne-Yo also revealed that the design of the feminine cow costume meant that he was barely able to dance, or even see, throughout his performances, which makes his win even more iconic.
‘The lips of the cow head were where my eyes were. I basically couldn’t see pretty much at all,’ he added of his busty cow costume.
‘It was really, really difficult to see, which made walking up and down steps, which some of the performances required, that much more difficult. There were actually a few times where I stumbled. I don’t know if they edited it out.’
Although he struggled with the weight of the garment, Ne-Yo is no stranger to sporting outrageous outfits on stage.
In actuality, he competed in the UK edition of the competition in 2021 and finished second as Badger.
Joss Stone, disguised as a Sausage, defeated him for the title.
‘The secrecy at filming was, to say the least, extreme. I doubt Fort Knox has more security,’ he said of his experience at the time.
‘Aside from it being terribly hot, I loved my mask and costume! The Rock n’ Roll Badger has become a part of my life and will forever hold a special place in my heart!
‘It was so hard not to laugh at some of the panel’s guesses. They really had no clue who I was and I loved it!’
Maybe he’ll give The Masked Dancer a go next…
Source My Celebrity Life.