Review

  • Like "The Masked Singer", this show features hidden celebrities. But on "The Masked Singer", the singers compete against each other; there are no contestants. "We Are Family" has an audience of 100 contestants and they compete for money. Also like "The Masked Singer", the hidden celebrities are not all Grammy-winning singers, and clues to their identities are provided.

    Anthony Anderson hosts this show with the assistance of his mother, of course, where $150,000 is awarded each episode. In two rounds, relatives of celebrities sing alone and then in duet with their famous relatives. During this process, clues are given as to who is hidden behind a "super sphere", which sometimes reveals a silhouette of the celeb. In each round, contestants get two guesses.

    At the end of round one, the contestants who guess correctly split $20,000. Those who guess correctly after round two split $30,000. The contestant who correctly guesses the fastest (in both rounds) becomes the "star player", who then plays alone trying to guess the identity of a final celebrity as he/she sings with a relative and five clues are given. The prize for guessing correctly after the first clue is $100,000. Lesser amounts are awarded after subsequent clues. An incorrect guess yields zero dollars. The audience remains the same over multiple episodes, so the contestants try to rack up money over the course of the season.

    Two suggestions for viewers: 1) If you read the cast listing, there are spoilers and 2) some of the comments by the relatives could be red herrings.

    This is an entertaining show. The vocal performances vary in quality, but they are mostly enjoyable. There are also some touching moments between family members. Along the way, Anderson solicits guesses from audience members, and some of them are plain stupid.