Robin Thicke & Jenny McCarthy React To Rita Ora Joining 'The Masked Singer'

It came as quite a surprise to many The Masked Singer fans when it was announced that Rita Ora was taking over Nicole Scherzinger‘s judging seat for the upcoming season.

Now, fellow judges Robin Thicke and Jenny McCarthy are opening up about the big switch, just a few days before the season debuts on Fox.

Keep reading to find out more…

Speaking to ET, Robin and Jenny are really excited to have Rita on the panel.

“Who doesn’t love Rita Ora?! She is the sweetest thing and she is the prefect person to step in for Nicole,” Jenny told the outlet, adding that while they do expect Nicole to return, it “would be devastating if Nicole wasn’t gonna come back.”

She added, “I would be going through a grieving period. It still is weird because we are such a tight family. We’ve grown into this brother and sisterhood. But Rita is the perfect person because she’s done Masked Singer U.K. She’s a lovely human being, so I love it.”

Robin says that while the panel will “miss Nicole” while she’s gone, added that “Rita’s such a talent. We’re very blessed that she could come in and fill enormous shoes as Nicole’s.”

While Nicole stepped back from the reality competition series for the moment, as she prepares to take on the lead role in Sunset Boulevard on London’s West End – Robin and Jenny also put the theory out there that Nicole would be behind one of the masks.

“I thought the same thing,” Jenny said. “Maybe they’re doing this so Nicole can be underneath the costume. Who knows? It could be! I would love nothing more than her to pop up and surprise us.”

The Masked Singer, season 10, will premiere on Wednesday, September 27 on Fox.

The first celebrity has already been unmasked!