I've been watching both The Masked Singer and American Idol since season 1, and I think that The Masked Singer is the better of the two reality singing competition series. The Masked Singer premiered in January 2019, and has aired for 13 seasons so far, while American Idol debuted in June 2002 and is now in season 23. Over the years, I've become obsessed with both shows because of their phenomenal performances and high entertainment values, but I've come to enjoy The Masked Singer better than American Idol in recent seasons.

The Masked Singer and American Idol have completely different concepts. The former is a mystery celebrity singing competition series, while the latter is a show that searches for the next music superstar. However, at their hearts, they're both singing competition shows, with many of the same elements. As The Masked Singer season 13 and American Idol season 23 currently air, I've come to realize that I'm enjoying The Masked Singer much more for several reasons, and it's the better show.

1 The Masked Singer Has Better Songs Than American Idol

The Masked Singer Feels Fresh & New

As I've been watching American Idol season 23, I've been very frustrated by watching teenagers and people in their early 20s singing songs that are over fifty years old. They might be iconic songs, but they don't prove that they can compete in today's pop music scene. Songs such as "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" by James Brown, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," and tunes by Stevie Wonder are classics, but I believe that they're too old to be so overused on American Idol. In addition, many of these songs have been heard on the show since season 1, so I don't understand why the show isn't looking for more modern music after two decades on the air.

On the other hand, The Masked Singer consistently features newer songs that make the show feel current and fresh. Songs such as Mad Scientist Monster's "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" by Shawn Mendes and Boogie Woogie's "Unsteady" by X Ambassadors are exciting to hear because they were originally released in the last decade. As Space Ranger, Flavor Flav's version of "Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift was a real treat because she's so popular right now. American Idol should take a page from The Masked Singer's song catalog and feature more current hits.

2 The Masked Singer Doesn't Repeat Songs Like American Idol

American Idol Gets Very Boring

After watching American Idol for 23 seasons, I've noticed that certain songs have become staples of the show. This is because they showcase the contestants' vocal ranges and their ability to make songs their own, but it gets very boring hearing them again and again. While I love the old classics, I'm so tired of hearing them on American Idol.

We've already heard two American Idol season 23 contestants, Isaiah Misailegalu and Ché, sing full versions of "A Song For You" by Donny Hathaway, which is an iconic song, but it's been so overdone. I roll my eyes every time someone auditions with judge Lionel Richie's classic "Hello" because there's nothing innovative about it because it's been done so much on the show, and no one will ever top season 7 winner David Cook's rock version.

Unlike American Idol, The Masked Singer doesn't allow repeat songs. This is why every episode feels so fresh and unique. By allowing each song to be sung only once, The Masked Singer is always thrilling and not repetitive. While this would be much more difficult on a show such as American Idol because there are so many more contestants, I feel that perhaps certain overdone songs should be retired from the show for a while to give viewers a break from hearing them.

3 The Masked Singer Has Better Theme Nights Than American Idol

The Masked Singer Is Much More Unique & Creative

Both American Idol and The Masked Singer feature theme nights, but The Masked Singer has the better themes by far. While American Idol relies mostly on themes that feature genres such as rock, country, and the songs of faith and inspiration, The Masked Singer gets much more specific and interesting. I've loved their theme nights dedicated to certain artists, such as Andrew Lloyd Webber, ABBA, Billy Joel, Elton John, Miley Cyrus, and Queen.

In addition, theme nights dedicated to specific movies such as The Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter, Trolls, Footloose, Shrek, and Ghostbusters have brought back so many memories with their nostalgic songs. Also, other creative themes such as TV Theme, Muppets, Sesame Street, New York, NFL, Girl Group, Boy Band, Rat Pat Tribute, and Voices of Olympus: Unmasking of the Gods Nights, among others, have been so much fun to watch.

The fact that The Masked Singer doesn't repeat themes makes their theme nights so much more thrilling (with the exception of Soundtrack of My Life Night, which is always different because of the contestants' personal stories), unlike American Idol which presents Disney Night every year, and has featured "You've Got a Friend In Me" from Toy Story in five out of its seven nights dedicated to the Happiest Place on Earth.

4 The Masked Singer ists Are Better Than The American Idol Judges

Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Ken Jeong, & Rita Ora Have A Better Rapport

For American Idol season 23, the show added Carrie Underwood to its judging to replace Katy Perry and to Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, which has had mixed reviews. It was hard for Carrie to replace Katy, and she's struggled a bit with finding her footing as a judge. She's fallen into the same pattern as Lionel and Luke, in which they don't judge the contestants or offer them any , but instead serve as cheerleaders for them. In addition, I feel that their antics at the judging table, such as singing along or making jokes, have sometimes overshadowed the contestants.

However, The Masked Singer ists--Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Ken Jeong, and Rita Ora--are phenomenal at what they do. Unlike the American Idol judges, they're not there to critique the contestants, but rather to put together the vocals and the clues in order to guess who they are, which they're superb at. They're entertaining without being overpowering, which I believe is a delicate balance that they've mastered beautifully.

In addition, when Rita replaced beloved original ist Nicole Scherzinger, it was a much more seamless transition than when Carrie ed American Idol. I also love watching them perform together on the show, like when they sang "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls in season 11. The Masked Singer ists are the perfect example of what a celebrity judging should be.

5 The Masked Singer Has Shorter Episodes Than American Idol

American Idol Has Become Too Much

I've been a huge American Idol fan since season 1. I couldn't get enough. I voted hundreds of times for Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Katharine Mhee, went to the American Idols Live! concerts and waited outside to meet the contestants at the tour buses, and woke up early to buy the winners' singles at the record store on the mornings after the finales. However, I now allow episodes of American Idol to pile up on my DVR because I just don't have the time or desire to sit through two two-hour episodes of the show a week, or, worse, a three-hour episode on Easter Sunday.

I feel that, in recent years, American Idol has become a lumbering mess of a show that's mostly filler with a few bright spots. However, The Masked Singer is the exact opposite. Because it's only an hour long, there's no time for filler, so it's fast-paced excitement from beginning to end, with clue packages, performances, and the reveal. The season 13 Lucky 6 episode was especially jam-packed as six contestants--Boogie Woogie, Coral, Mad Scientist Monster, Nessy, Paparazzo, and Pearl--performed in one episode.

I believe that, if American Idol shortened its episodes, it wouldn't be so tedious and boring to watch. American Idol's supersized format is ruining the show, while The Masked Singer is thriving with shorter episodes. The thought of watching two two-hour episodes of American Idol two nights in a row is just too much for me sometimes. The Masked Singer leaves me wanting more, while, lately, American Idol just makes me want to leave.

6 The Masked Singer Has Much More Satisfying Reveals

American Idol Is Anticlimactic

The Masked Singer's reveals are so much more satisfying than American Idol's, and I'm not talking about the fact that it unmasks celebrities while the other gives results about unknown singers. American Idol has too much build-up to its results, which makes them feel anticlimactic, especially when it seems obvious who's going home based on the performances and the popularity of the contestants. I think that host Ryan Seacrest draws things out too much on American Idol, while The Masked Singer's Nick gets straight to the point.

This goes back to the fact that American Idol has too much filler, but it's also disrespectful to the contestants. In the FOX era of the show, eliminated contestants' best moments were shown in a package on the screen after they were told they were going home, and they had the chance to sing one last time, like the triumphant unmasked performances of The Masked Singer contestants. In the ABC era of the show, the American Idol contestants are eliminated at the last moment, and there's no time for them to be honored in any way. This makes the reveal of who's going home very unsatisfying compared to The Masked Singer, which gives great respect to its eliminated contestants.

7 The Masked Singer Has Better Twists

American Idol's Twists Make Things More Challenging For The Contestants

The Masked Singer has had several twists over the years. One of my favorites is the Ding Dong Keep It On Bell, which allows the ists to save a contestant from being unmasked. I also enjoyed the season 12 Masked Ambassadors, who were alums of the show who gave clues about the new contestants; season 5's Cluedle-Doo and season 13's Lucky Duck, zany characters who gave out clues; and how the show's format changes every so often, adding Wild Cards, or switching up the groups.

On the other hand, I feel that American Idol's twists haven't been as successful. The platinum ticket was introduced in season 20, and allows its recipients to skip the first round of Hollywood Week, automatically advancing to the next round. However, it's backfired at times as it puts undue pressure on the contestants who receive it, and gives them one less performance to be judged on.

In addition, American Idol season 23's new Head-to-Head round was greatly criticized because of how challenging and unfair it was that the contestants' final performance before the Top 24 depended on another person. Also, the judges made their decisions before hearing every contestant sing. Many people felt that there should've been a Top 25 instead of a Top 24 because there were other contestants who deserved a place in the next round. The Masked Singer's twists help their contestants, while American Idol's only make things more challenging for them, and I find this to be very frustrating to watch.

I love The Masked Singer and American Idol, but I think that The Masked Singer is the better show. It keeps getting better and better, while American Idol has slowly been going downhill for the past few years. I hope that American Idol improves by following The Masked Singer's example. I think that both shows are wonderful, but, right now, The Masked Singer is better than American Idol.

The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on FOX.

American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.

Sources: The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube, The Masked Singer/YouTube