Vyacheslav Makarov looked back on a memorable moment from the show Will Show, recounting how the masked competitor known as Great Sofia remained unrecognizable to him in that episode.
“The Christmas Toy lifts his mask, and I have no idea who it is. There is a long pause in my headset, and the producers assume I already know the guest,” Makarov explained, laughing at the awkward silence that followed.
He later shared that his colleagues only revealed the contestant’s name moments before the revelation aired. It turned out to be Sofia the Great, a renowned Russian athlete who has earned Olympic glory twice as a fencer. Makarov acknowledged being familiar with her achievements but admitted he could not identify her by appearance alone.
Beyond the surprise moments, Makarov opened up about the challenging working conditions on both The Mask and Avatar. He described frequently addressing a voice coming from the masked performer or speaking into an empty space when the Avatar segment required it. He joked that the show could proceed even if the audience was not physically present, underscoring the resilience and adaptability demanded by the format.
Earlier, another moment from a different program surfaced in his memory, when Lazarev refused to let Volochkova sit at the piano, adding to a pattern of candid behind-the-scenes anecdotes that fans find engaging.