The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett recently confessed he plunged the filming of the ITV Christmas special into total pandemonium after he inadvertently blurted out a celebrity’s real name.
After all, the presenter admitted the blunder landed him on the "naughty step" with producers.
The festive episode, which viewers will see on Boxing Day, features four celebrity contestants disguised as Santa’s Sack, Mistletoe, a Goose A-Laying, and Figgy Pudding.
Joel Dommett caused the chaotic moment after a contestant in the Mistletoe costume chuckled.
However, he instantly recognized the distinctive sound of the person’s laugh.
“I can’t believe I did it. This person was chuckling in the costume and it’s a chuckle I know well, and I said their name,” Joel told The Sun. “It just came out. Their actual name!”
He said he quickly realized his mistake and "sank to the floor" in response.
He also reassured fans that the panel—Jonathan Ross, Maya Jama, Davina McCall, and Mo Gilligan—had already "pretty much guessed who it was," minimizing the damage.
Despite the panel's successful guessing, producers sternly reminded Joel Dommett that he must not repeat the action, putting him on the "naughty step."
The I’m A Celebrity Unpacked presenter, who returns to host the full series of the popular ITV contest in the new year, presides over a show built entirely on watertight secrecy, making his slip-up a severe breach of protocol.
However, the show goes to extreme lengths to protect the celebrity identities, even asking the studio audience to leave during the unmasking reveal.
Furthermore, the upcoming Christmas special, which airs before the full series, also features a festive pantomime element, with icons like Su Pollard as Fairy Godmother and Christopher Biggins as the Dame making appearances to drop clues for the panel.