I Can See Your Voice is a German television mystery music game show series based on
the South Korean programme of the same name. Since the show's two-night pilot premiere on 18 and 19 August 2020,[1][2][3] it has aired three seasons on
RTL.
Gameplay
Format
Presented with a group of "mystery singers"[a] identified only by their occupation, a guest artist and contestant(s)[a] must attempt to eliminate bad singers from the group without ever hearing them sing, assisted by clues and a celebrity panel over the course of several rounds.[a] At the end of the game, the last remaining mystery singer is revealed as either good or bad by means of a duet between them and one of the guest artists.
From first to second season, if the singer is good, the contestant wins €10,000; if the singer is bad, the same amount is given to the bad singer instead.
For the third season, the contestants must eliminate one mystery singer at the end of each round, receiving €2,500 if they eliminate a bad singer. At the end of the game, the contestants may either end the game and keep the money they had won in previous rounds, or risk it for a chance to win €25,000 by correctly guessing whether the last remaining mystery singer is good or bad.
Rounds
Visual rounds
First impression (German: Erster Eindruck)
The guest artist and contestant(s) are given some time to observe and examine each mystery singer based on their appearance.[b][c]
Tune it up! (German: 3, 2, 1... Ton an!)
A muted video of each mystery singer that reveals only 0.3 seconds of their singing voice is played as an additional hint.[d]
Lip sync rounds
Lip sync (German: Das Playback)
Each mystery singer performs a lip sync to a song. Good singers mime to a recording of their own performance, while bad singers mime to a recording by someone else.[b][c]
Full playback (German: Vollplayback)
The mystery singer lip syncs to the good singer's recording, then a bad singer's recording comes in the middle of the performance.[d]
Evidence round
Fact or fake? (German: Fakt oder Fake?)
The guest artist and contestant(s) are presented with a video package in which one of the mystery singers discusses their life and musical qualifications.[b][c][d]
Rehearsal round
Secret studio (German: Soundcheck)
The guest artist and contestant(s) are presented with video from a recording session by one of the mystery singers, but pitch-shifted to obscure their actual vocals.[c]
Interrogation round
Cross-examination (German: Kreuzverhör)
The guest artist and contestant(s) may ask questions to the remaining mystery singers. Good singers are required to give truthful responses, while the bad singers must lie.[b][c][d]
Notes
^
abcFor the show's gameplay changes, based on playing time of an episode:[4][5]
The number of mystery singers are set to seven (from 1st to 2nd season) or eight (for the 3rd season).
The number of contestants are set to one (from 1st to 2nd season) or a group of two (for the 3rd season).
The number of rounds are set to four (for the 1st and 3rd seasons) or five (for the 2nd season).
A press release from CJ ENM first reported mentioning Germany to have a local adaptation of I Can See Your Voice, at the time of broadcasting its recently aired
(South Korean) sixth season in March 2019;[6] this was subsequently confirmed by
RTL Deutschland in June 2020,[7] including with production duties assigned by Tresor Television.[8][9]
Naming
For the third season, the show was renamed in German as Zeig uns Deine Stimme! (English: Show us your voice!) that comes from a catchphrase by Hartwich himself.[10][11]
Filming
Filming of the show took place at MMC Studios in
Ehrenfeld,
Cologne.[12][13] During the
COVID-19 pandemic, it was made under implementing health and safety protocols only in the second season.
Production in the first season was halted immediately due to being "unpreparedness" on the COVID-19 pandemic; Tresor Television spokesperson Jovan Evermann also responded on the issue that the federal health department guidelines are followed properly.[14][15]
Broadcast history
I Can See Your Voice debuted as a two-night premiere[16][17] on 18 and 19 August 2020.[1][2][3] After the pilot airings, RTL renewed the series for a second season[18][19] that premiered on 30 March 2021,[20][21] a week after the
fourth season finale of
ProSieben's
rival showThe Masked Singer.[22] Under its German title Zeig uns Deine Stimme!,[10][11] the third season began airing at
prime time block on 24 July 2022, but it was prematurely ended on 7 August 2022, before resuming to
late night block on 20 August 2022.[a]
Cast
The series has a panel of celebrities who assist the guest artist(s) to decipher mystery singers' identities throughout the game. Alongside with mainstays, guest panelists also appear since the first season. Overall, 5 different members have been assigned, with the original lineup being
Evelyn Burdecki [
de],
Jorge González [
de],
Thomas Hermanns,
Tim Mälzer, and
Judith Rakers.[30]
Daniel Hartwich hosted the show entirely for two seasons, but appointed the third season premiere only.[b]
^The 3rd season has initial air dates for the second half episodes on 14, 21 and 28 August 2022.[23][24] However, poor reception[25][26] forced the show to end the season immediately,[27] and was later rescheduled to 20, 27 August and 3 September 2022.[28][29]
^
abcIt refers to the total number of guest artists having played the game, based on its first appearance. Also, returning guest artists (highlighted in italics) are not counted.
^These are the list of foreign guest artist(s) having played for the show:
Netherlands — Ilse DeLange (of The Common Linnets) (s3 ep. 5)