And the Hamster is… Rob Schneider! The famous comedian was unmasked and revealed as the hilarious Hamster on the October 20 episode of The Masked Singer. While his time on The Masked Singer has come to an end, his performances will go down as some of the most fun and memorable moments.
HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Rob about why he decided to do the show, and the comedian admitted that he wanted to do something his young kids could watch. He also revealed that it was “really hot and very sweaty” inside the Hamster suit, and he went to great lengths not to overheat. The comedian even weighed in about which of his famous comedy friends would do the best on this show.
Why did you decide to do The Masked Singer? When was the moment you said, “I’m in?”
Rob Schneider: I was flipping the channels one day, and I heard about the show and I watched it. I was like, “Why haven’t they called me yet?” This is the one show I’m perfect for because it’s athletes, comedians, singers, and it’s fun. My kids love it. I’ve got little kids so they’re not able to see my movies, yet, or maybe ever. I want them to see something that I do, so it’s a nice little surprise when we see it.
How did you settle on the Hamster costume?
Rob Schneider: All the really, really scary ones were taken — the toothless baby and the dead fish. It’s funny because the producers say, “Listen, if you don’t want to get kicked off right away, do something cute.” And I went like, “Yeah, I don’t want to get kicked off right away.” As soon as you get into it, you start thinking it’s a competition at the end of the day. It’s a competition, and I want to do good. And then after a couple of times, you don’t get kicked off, your ego gets to you saying, “Maybe I can win the whole thing.” And then you see real performers, real singers like the Bull and the Pepper. My goodness, they’re amazing.
Could you move well in the Hamster costume? I know a lot of the costumes are hard to move around in, but the costume seemed agile. What was it like performing in the Hamster costume?
Rob Schneider: No one’s asked that question. It’s true that it was really hot and very sweaty. What I would do is I would literally pour water down my neck before I went out there. Literally, down my front and everything. I was completely soaked every time I was out there, and it cools you down because you need to, otherwise, it’s just too hot. You can overheat. You’re basically wearing a wetsuit. I cut the sleeves off and I’m just basically in my undies. I just pour water everywhere and just go for it — on my head and everything. I knew I had about 20 minutes before I started to overheat. This is kind of boring to talk about but it’s survival because I really have claustrophobia. I had two older brothers so they would put me in sleeping bags and in closets and stuff, so I’ve been claustrophobic my whole life. So I was just like, how do I survive? The first day and rehearsals were the toughest, and then you kind of get used to it. They’re super nice and literally between takes and everything they have people running a fan right underneath your mask. They know what they’re doing. I mean, it really is the number one show for a reason.
Was it heavy?
Rob Schneider: It was heavy. It hurt my neck a little bit, and they kind of weighted it down to like this thing in your back. But it’s a hamster outfit. It’s really heavy, and then you’ve got the giant ears with those things on it, so it’s like Dr. Dre ear stuff, and then you kind of get used to it. For half an hour, I’ve got this thing. Once you get through the song, you’re like, I can make it another five minutes. The first time in rehearsal, I was like, “I gotta get out of this. I can’t do this.” I feel sorry because some of the other people have had some similar problems, too.
For your last performance, you sang in Spanish, which was super impressive. Why did you perform that song, and how did you prepare?
Rob Schneider: My wife’s Mexican. My kids’ first language is Spanish. I wanted them to hear me sing and do something different. I thought for sure they can’t kick me off because I just sang in Spanish. Wouldn’t it be racist if they kicked me off? I was hoping for anything. I’ll grab anything, but it wasn’t to be. I got kicked off.
You also performed “Pretty Woman” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” Which performance was your favorite?
Rob Schneider: I didn’t realize “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” was such in my groove line. I’ve never sung that song in my life before, and the lyrics are really fun. I just kind of made it my own because I didn’t really listen to Freddie Mercury’s version. I just made it my own and played with it. I’d heard it, but I never really listened to it, like all the lyrics. It’s really a classic. It’s one of those songs that’s going to play forever because it’s just a great song. Until you perform something, you don’t really get the essence of it, but then you do it about 40 or 50 times in rehearsal and you go okay, it really is some universal fun. I thought that was really fun and the Spanish song was difficult because of the lyrics and everything. I don’t want to screw it up in front of national TV and everything. That was the most tense one, but it’s fun. The whole thing is fun. I’ve never worked on a TV show where the producers just go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. They’re just terrific people.
You have many famous friends in the industry. Is there one of them that you think would do really well on this show?
Rob Schneider: I think Kevin James would be perfect because he could actually dance. He’s very physical. He can dance, and you need to dance on the show. That was my mistake, not moving enough. But I think Kevin James would kill it. I really do. And I think he’d have fun because Kevin’s about having a good time. He is just great at anything, so I think he would be perfect for that. David Spade not so much because he’s more claustrophobic than me. [Adam] Sandler? Claustrophobic. Chris Rock can’t sing at all.