Swiss schlager singer Vincent Gross won the 13th season of the German edition of "The Masked Singer" on October 21, 2026. Gross had competed throughout the season hidden inside the costume "Fernando El Toro," a bull figure with a flowing mane and golden horns, according to reports by t-online and the Abendzeitung München.
The finale aired on ProSieben and was pre-recorded in Cologne rather than broadcast live, t-online reported. Gross was unmasked as the winner after performing in front of the show's jury and studio audience.
How the finale unfolded
Second place went to singer Anna-Carina Woitschack, who performed as "Wild Thing," while entertainer Joey Heindle, competing as "P.S.," finished third, according to abendzeitung-muenchen.de and t-online. Two further contestants were unmasked during the episode: actress and cabaret performer Gisa Flake, who had performed as "Yeti Cat," and actress Jasmin Schwiers, who appeared as "Professor Dr. Dr. Schweinstein," freenet.de reported.
Host Matthias Opdenhövel accidentally damaged the winner's trophy shortly before announcing the result, breaking off the small golden mask attached between its two handles while moving it aside, according to freenet.de. The Abendzeitung München reported that Opdenhövel was left holding part of the broken trophy during the on-air celebration.
Panelist Chris Tall had named Vincent Gross as his guess for the identity behind "Fernando El Toro" early in the season and stuck with that guess throughout, according to t-online and freenet.de. Gross said the experience felt like "Kindergeburtstag für Große" — a children's birthday party for grown-ups — according to freenet.de.
Season format and panel
The season featured 16 masked contestants in total, more than in earlier seasons, according to freenet.de and abendzeitung-muenchen.de. The judging panel for the finale included comedian Chris Tall and entertainer Verona Pooth, alongside host Matthias Opdenhövel, according to the Abendzeitung München.
Declining viewership
The season's ratings had been falling in the weeks before the finale. Industry outlet DWDL.de reported that the episode broadcast on October 16, 2026 — one week before the finale — drew 850,000 total viewers nationwide, with a 7.1 percent market share among viewers aged 14 to 49 (190,000 viewers in that group). Freenet.de described the season's overall viewership as historically low for the format despite the larger cast and higher number of celebrity reveals.
Top three of the 2026 German "Masked Singer" finale| Place | Performer | Costume |
|---|
| 1st | Vincent Gross | Fernando El Toro (bull) |
|---|
| 2nd | Anna-Carina Woitschack | Wild Thing |
|---|
| 3rd | Joey Heindle | P.S. |
|---|
"The Masked Singer" Germany is a celebrity singing competition in which contestants perform in elaborate full-body costumes while a panel and the audience try to guess their identities; contestants are eliminated through audience voting until a winner is unmasked in the finale.
Questions
- Who won The Masked Singer Germany in 2026?
- Swiss schlager singer Vincent Gross won the 13th season, performing under the costume "Fernando El Toro."
- Who finished second and third in the 2026 finale?
- Anna-Carina Woitschack, who performed as "Wild Thing," finished second, and Joey Heindle, who performed as "P.S.," finished third, according to t-online and the Abendzeitung München.
- What happened to the trophy during the finale?
- Host Matthias Opdenhövel accidentally broke a small golden mask piece off the winner's trophy while setting it aside just before the result was announced, freenet.de reported.
- How many contestants competed in the 2026 season?
- The season featured 16 masked contestants in total, according to freenet.de and the Abendzeitung München.
- Did the finale get good TV ratings?
- No figures for the finale itself were reported in the sources reviewed, but DWDL.de reported that the episode one week earlier drew 850,000 total viewers and a 7.1 percent market share among 14- to 49-year-olds, continuing a season-long ratings decline.
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