On May 17, 2021, it was announced that Fox renewed the series for a sixth season, prior to the airing of the fifth season's finale on May 26. On July 26, 2021, it was announced that the season would premiere with a two-night premiere on September 22 and 23. Filming for the season began at the end of June 2021, with an expected
wrap date of August 11. During production, it was reported that 12 positive cases of
COVID-19 were confirmed at
Red Studios Hollywood, though filming was not halted. Also aided by the availability of
COVID-19 vaccines, this season features a studio audience for the first time since
season three (the last season filmed prior to the start of the
pandemic), though with a smaller size than it used to be. A new twist called the 'Take It Off Buzzer' was introduced in this season. The button can be used once for each group. If a panelist pushes it and guesses the celebrity correctly, then the contestant must take off their mask and be eliminated and the panelist will get two extra points towards their Golden Ear score. If the guess is incorrect, then the contestant keeps their mask on and stays in the competition. Ken Jeong pushed the button for Group A and incorrectly guessed that "Pepper" was
Sara Bareilles, while Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg pushed the button for Group B and incorrectly guessed that "Caterpillar" was
Jake Gyllenhaal. == Contestants ==