NRK's Maskorama began its seventh season on Saturday, 24 October 2026, with eight masked contestants and a changed format, according to VG. Four of the masks performed in the premiere broadcast, while the remaining four are scheduled to appear the following Saturday. The show is now recorded in Drammen rather than at Fornebu, VG reports.
The first figure to take the stage was Piraten, who sang "What's Up" by People R Ugly. Riksløven followed with George Ezra's "Shotgun".
Why it matters
The restructuring gives each masked singer more airtime but also a faster route to elimination. NRK executive producer Pia Basberg told the broadcaster that the aim is to let viewers become more familiar with each character.
"We want to give the audience the opportunity to build curiosity, expectation and get to know each of the masks even better," Basberg said, according to VG's account. "We get two songs from each mask and the chance to pick up more hints about who is hiding behind them."
NRK notes that the new setup doubles the risk of being voted out, since each mask appears in fewer broadcasts before the field narrows.
Clues, guesses and a new face on the panel
A figure will still be eliminated every Saturday. The six remaining masks will meet in the same broadcast from the third show onward.
The premiere offered early hints for the guessing game. In Piraten's introduction video, a can of energy drink appeared, which led Tone Damli to suggest the character could be a gamer. Leo Ajkic offered a different theory.
"I thought Northug before I heard him sing. He has won a lot of gold medals, and pirates like gold," Ajkic said on air, as reported by VG.
Riksløven's introduction video was set on a campsite and showed crime novels, which viewers may read as a nod toward an author.
Ajkic is new to the detective panel this season, replacing Robert Stoltenberg. He described his approach to the role during the live broadcast.
"My biggest strengths as a detective are that I often get people to open up to me. Maybe someone will trust me so much that they reveal who they are themselves," he said, according to VG.
What to watch
The four masks yet to perform will appear in next Saturday's broadcast, when the first elimination result will also shape the rest of the season.
