On the third episode, a Lebanese-American contestant who performs as an alter ego named Night Journey says that her intention of being on the show is proving that “a Muslim girl can be a pop star.” But her avatar kind of looks white, sporting a blonde updo unlike the contestant herself, it does not wear a hijab. They are generally taller and thinner than the contestants themselves. Beyond the neon-hued skin, they tend to align with conventional beauty standards the female ones have feline eyes and petite noses, with thin waists and fat asses.
Alter ego cosmetics skin#
The avatars have brightly-hued skin and bubble horns, hair made of tentacles and lasers shooting out of their eyes they also have terribly corny names like “Queen Dynamite” or “Bernie Burns.” (When one contestant is asked why she named her alter ego “Misty Rose,” she replies that “Misty” is the name of her cat, and “Rose” is because “I have layers.”) While the CGI creations are supposed to be inimitable manifestations of a contestant’s inner essence, they are not ultimately that distinct from each other. On that show, which airs right before Alter Ego on the same channel, every contestant is (or was) some kind of celebrity, so viewers can simply indulge in its Furby-on-drugs fever dream where the cotton candy-colored bear growling through “Baby Got Back” is former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.Īlter Ego star Kai, aka Kobe Vang (Photo © 2021 FOX Media LLC.)
It’s a fact acknowledged by The Masked Singer, which scrapped the typical promise of the American Dream in favor of absolute absurdity.
(“I felt like I was watching Rihanna or something,” Grimes commends one contestant, the “or something” grunting under the weight of such a claim.) But at this point, after umpteen seasons of American Idol, The Voice, and its ilk, we know winning singing competitions doesn’t meaningfully translate to fame. The award is $100,000 and the opportunity for mentorship from the celebrity judges, who lavish the contestants with inflationary praise. Like many other competitive singing programs, it presents itself as a meritocracy that’ll miraculously upend the life of its winner. Part of the issue is that Alter Ego is intent on being serious.