Joel Dommett Endures Painful Forfeit After Losing Bet to Ben Shephard
ITV presenter Joel Dommett was left screaming 'I absolutely hate it!' as he underwent a nipple piercing, a painful consequence of losing a wager with fellow host Ben Shephard. The bet centred on which television personality could secure more votes in a male skincare survey for their joint podcast, The Business Men, and skincare brand, Joel And Ben For Skin.
A Piercing Punishment for the Masked Singer Star
In a revealing clip, the 40-year-old Masked Singer host is seen lying down while a professional piercer works on his left nipple. Despite bravely proceeding with the forfeit, Dommett made no secret of his discomfort. As the metal bar was inserted, he exclaimed loudly about his hatred for the experience. By contrast, Shephard, 51, watched with evident amusement, joking about creating 'a little baby bar' during the procedure.
When Shephard inquired about the sensation afterwards, Dommett retorted sharply: 'I feel we’d better have a f***ing successful skincare brand.' The survey that decided their fate allowed participants to vote for which presenter should receive the piercing, with Shephard narrowly avoiding the ordeal by a mere 2% margin.
Masked Singer Secrets and Family Revelations
This incident follows Shephard's surprising revelation as Conkers on The Masked Singer finale, where he finished as runner-up to Keisha Buchanan's Moth. The disclosure shocked viewers and judges alike, particularly since Shephard had appeared as a guest judge earlier in the series without performing. Reflecting on the deception required to maintain secrecy, Shephard admitted: 'As a rule, I think I’m pretty straight down the line, and the fact I got to do something so underhand...'
Dommett further complicated matters when he shared baby monitor footage showing his two-year-old son, Wilde, proudly announcing 'Ben Shephard is Conker' before the official unveiling. The comedian captioned the Instagram post: 'Don’t tell a 2 year old secrets', adding humorously that even a non-disclosure agreement couldn't prevent the toddler's slip. Shephard responded in comments, quipping: 'I told him in secret I promise'.
Behind the Scenes of Television Secrecy
The elaborate measures to preserve The Masked Singer secrets extend beyond family members. Joel Dommett previously explained on Sunday Brunch that live audiences are removed before unmaskings to prevent leaks, stating: 'We record the whole show and then they get to the bit where they go "take it off, take it off", they go to take off the mask and that's the point where... we then get rid of the audience so they can then keep it a secret.'
Audience members must sign strict NDAs and surrender their phones during recordings, though judges like Dommett learn contestants' identities months before broadcast. This combination of professional bets and television secrecy has created an entertaining saga of pain, deception, and unexpected revelations between the two ITV personalities.
