The Masked Singer is notorious for its elaborate, difficult-to-maneuver costumes, but the S’more outfit was no match for Ashley Parker Angel.
“You’re overcoming the physicality of this large costume,” Parker Angel, 42, exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of his reveal on the Wednesday, November 29, episode. “It’s very heavy. I’m in a giant graham cracker body with giant marshmallow legs and huge fire boots, so it was a hard suit to move around in.”
As a founding member of O-Town and an experienced Broadway performer, Parker Angel is used to simultaneously singing and dancing, but the S’more costume was unlike anything he’d ever seen.
“The muscles I was using were completely different,” he explained. “I really feel like, because I’ve been so focused on fitness in the past several years, it gave me a real advantage.”
Parker Angel said that producers on the show wanted to give him a lot of choreography during his stint on the Fox competition series. He happily accepted the challenge, but he soon realized that dancing in the S’more costume was a real beast.
“I was like, ‘Yeah, give me all the choreography,’ and then I actually put on the suit,” he told Us. “I went to go do the choreography and I was like, ‘Whoa, this adds a whole different level of physical challenge to performing as the S’more.’ I’m grateful that I’ve been able to focus on fitness the way I had because I do think it gave me an advantage that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
As for why Parker Angel decided to dress as the S’more, he said the costume “chose” him. “The S’more decided it would be me,” he quipped. “He spoke to me. I think it was also just the perfect thing because I grew up in Northern California and … grew up camping outdoors, building forts, making campfires and making s’mores my whole life. I love s’mores. Who doesn’t love an awesome s’more? I’m a huge chocolate fan.”
He added that he was “blown away” by “the level of artistry” that went into making the outfit. “I loved the costume,” he said. “I do feel like I lucked out with the S’more.”
Parker Angel’s stint on The Masked Singer marked his first performance in several years. While he thinks performing “will always be a part” of who he is, for now he plans to focus on growing High Level Performance Academy, his online fitness coaching platform.
“It’s more than just a fitness community. It’s a support group,” he told Us. “Health and wellness in general plays such a big part in our mental health. When you talk about physical exercise, I don’t think a lot of people realize the benefits [you also get] for mental health.”
Parker Angel’s Instagram followers are likely well aware of how much time he spends working out, but he made it clear that exercise isn’t just about looking good.
“I fell in love with it because of the mood boost I get every single day,” he explained. “The boost to my emotional and mental health is my primary focus [and] falling in love with moving our bodies. And then if we do it with a group of people, there’s a certain joy of moving our body in a group.”
The Masked Singer airs on Fox Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
