Drake Bell Reveals How Masked Singer Helped Him Step ‘Out’ of His ‘Element’ After Incredibly ‘Rough Year’ (Exclusive)

TooFab spoke to the Drake & Josh alum after he was unmasked on The Masked Singer Wednesday, where he shared how the show helped him step out of his comfort zone after the media storm that followed with the release of the gut-wrenching doc, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which exposed the dark side of Nickelodeon.

“I was fortunate enough to have the experience of doing The Masked Singer: Mexico. And so when The Masked Singer America called, I was like, ‘Oh, absolutely.’ I had such a blast on the other version that it was… you know, a no brainer to come in and join it,” Bell said of what made him say yes to the show a second time. “And I think it’s something that, it’s fun. You get to play along.”

He continued, “When you watch shows like this, you think there must be some smoke and mirrors, a little bit of Hollywood, like the contestants probably know who the other contestants are. It’s not as fast paced as they make it seem like, ‘Oh, learn a song, learn the choreography, get on stage, perform it.’ And it really is.”

Calling the process fast-paced and fun, when it came to the main differences between THS Mexico and the U.S. version, the singer-actor said the U.S. production was “a little bit more rigorous.”

“It blew my mind looking at their schedule, because I mean, they have it down to the minute. I mean, they’re like, okay nine o’clock to 9:18 you’re in vocal rehearsal. Then from 9:18 to 9:32, you’re in dance rehearsal. Then from nine, I’m like, ‘Can it just be like from like nine to 9:15 to 9:30 to 9:20,” Bell quipped. “They’re like, ‘No, it has to be on.’ And they made it on those times.”

“I mean, I was in dance rehearsal. I was like looking at the time and I’m like, ‘You guys have this down to a science, you know?'” he continued. “And so it’s really a lot more rigorous. Handed a song the night before, rehearsing, trying to learn the lyrics, trying to remember — then you go into dance rehearsal, then you got to remember the choreography and then you go into… so, I mean, I think it’s a much more rigorous experience.”

While Bell said he was hyped up by the show’s team and crew backstage, he also got that energy from the audience and the judges, who lauded his performances without having a clue about who he was — they even called him a rockstar.

“That was a really freeing experience, you know, because I’m singing songs that I haven’t sang before or would never sing. And I don’t do choreography on stage. I can’t find the guitar. And so it gave me the opportunity to really just lose myself in the character and actually feel like this, Ice King,” Bell said of the cathartic experience of being able to sing and dance with true anonymity. “Having all the production and the smoke and the snow and all the confetti and everything, it really just gave me the opportunity to just lose myself in the character.”

It was also equally exciting to hear the judges guess who he could be. And as a fan of the panel, it was flattering, too, when Jenny McCarthy nailed it on the head.

“It was really cool to hear them guessing people like Joe Jonas or Pete Wentz, like these other musicians — I was like, ‘Really?’ And you always wonder… I grew up on the panel. I mean, I watched them all growing up, I’m fans of them, and you always think, ‘Do they even know who I am? I mean, there’s no way,'” the former Nickelodeon star recounted.

“Jenny McCarthy guessed my name and I was like, ‘You know who I am?! I crossed your mind before? I watched Singled Out when I was a kid… I’ve been a fan of you forever, and the fact that you even guessed my name just blew my mind,'” he added.

Bell continued, “I was literally sitting behind the mask like, ‘Did Jenny McCarthy just say my name? Like, no way. That is so cool.'”

As for their reactions after he got unmasked, Bell said that was unexpected.

“That was really surprising, too,” he shared. “They had really kind things to say. And the audience reaction was awesome, too. They were all cheering, and as I was walking off, all just like high-fiving me and like, ‘No way.’ So it’s really nice to to be unmasked and and have that kind of reception. It’s cool.”

While many fans of Bell and viewers of the show have already guessed him as the Ice King, he’s hopeful for a positive reaction from them, too, after they see his final bow as the character.

“I don’t know, because I didn’t get to have that experience, because the Mexico version didn’t air in the United States, so I didn’t get to have that experience,” Bell admitted, feeling cautiously optimistic of the reception he’ll receive once fans see him get unmasked. “What I was really surprised about is, I’m looking at the comments and people were already guessing. I mean, it’s literally — my name.”

“They’re putting together pictures of the Ice King, me performing as the Ice King and then me performing on stage when I don’t have my guitar,” he continued. “And people are saying like, ‘No, look, when he– when he sings without his guitar, look at his hand here and look at his hand here.’ And I’m like, ‘You guys are detectives, bro.'”

Bell’s unmasking will also serve as a fun moment for him to connect with fellow Drake & Josh alum, Yvette Nicole Brown, who was unmasked as Showbird back in Week 2 of this season.

“It’ll be fun to be able to tell Yvette, who played Helen on Drake & Josh, because I could only congratulate her on being on the show. I couldn’t tell her, like, ‘Oh, that’s so rad. You were on the show, too? So I think she’ll be pretty surprised, like, ‘No way, Drake, you did the same season as me? That’s so cool. That’ll be fun too, for sure.'”

Competing on The Masked Singer for the second time has also served as a bit of a release for Bell, especially after sharing his story on Quiet on Set. In the traumatic ID doc, Bell revealed that he was the previously unidentified child star who came forward with allegations of sexual abuse against Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck.

“To be able to, you know, do something again that’s so out of my element, that’s just a fun game and is a competition… you’re so out of your element that — I am competitive, but at the end of the day, you’re just there to have fun and play and so it’s it is really nice to be able to get into doing something like that after such a rough year,” Bell told TooFab. “And then having, you know, being able to go from there to go on tour and really just release an album and get back to what I love to do. It’s, it’s, it’s a really beautiful thing.”

When asked if he’d give it a go a third time, Bell said without a doubt.

“I’d be on it,” Bell exclaimed. “It’s a rigorous and tough experience, but at the same time, you’re having so much fun that you’re like, ‘Yeah, I’m exhausted and yeah, I got to do it, but it’s just so fun.’ You’re like, ‘Yeah, it’s a lot of work, but you’re having a blast while doing it.”

The Masked Singer shifts to Thursday for next week’s Thanksgiving Peanuts Extravaganza (and Group C Finals) at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.