The Unexpected Tribute: How Bickering on The Masked Singer Honored Loretta schrijver
The passing of Dutch television personality Loretta Schrijver in 2025 prompted tributes across various programs, but perhaps the most fitting – and ironically, the one she might have most disliked - unfolded during The masked Singer.While formal tributes were delivered by Ruben Nicolai and Carlo Boszhard,it was the program’s usual playful chaos that truly captured her spirit.
Schrijver, known for her preference to observe and comment on the world around her rather than be the center of attention, particularly disliked focus on her illness. as those who knew her understood, she preferred to let the story unfold and offer her outlook – whether it was identifying a celebrity in costume or celebrating the life of a remarkable pig, as she did narrating the Videoland documentary SAM: For the Love of Life. A portrait of Sam was initially withheld from broadcast following Schrijver’s death, a testament to her pride in the project.
Comparisons were drawn to the commemoration of another Dutch television icon, Dieuwertje Blok, on Sinterklaas news, which featured a more subdued tribute - a simple message accompanying a shot of waves: “For Dieuwertje.” While Blok might have appreciated this understated approach, it’s likely Schrijver would have found it uncomfortable.
Instead, the enduring spirit of Schrijver was best embodied in the familiar bickering of the The Masked Singer panel. Wiht the panel structure changed to two teams, the usual playful arguments over clues – this time centering on whether the contestant was Marga Bult – continued unabated. As one observer noted, she might have been shouting from somewhere, glass of wine in hand: “You fools, can’t you see that it’s Tall frans!”
This continuation of the program’s established dynamic, the very thing Schrijver often wryly commented on, served as a more authentic tribute than any formal speech.Marga bult,alongside Kluun,was the first contestant eliminated on Friday evening,and later shared her experience. But it was the show going on, with its characteristic energy, that truly honored the woman who so often provided the insightful, and often humorous, commentary from the sidelines.