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This season of "The Masked Singer" has been plagued with security issues ... and with the season finale approaching, the team is doing everything it can to keep a lid on the show's best-kept secrets.

Our sources say fans and paparazzi have been outside the studio, trying to snap pics through cracks in the fence -- some have even climbed on top of cars to get shots over the barricade.

We're told the studio has seen an increased swarm of people at the entry gate, and it's creating headaches for producers as they try to deal with everyone trying to sneak a peek.

To avoid leaks, the set designers stepped up in a big way ... they worked closely with the 'MS' security team and used set pieces from past performances to build a makeshift barricade outside the studio!

Sounds like lugging giant sets outside and repurposing them as a blockade was an exhausting ordeal, but ended up being worth the effort. Producers were worried that one open sliver would give photogs the shots they were after ... but luckily no pics made it to the light of day.

A Massachusetts family was awarded almost $5 MILLION after their home -- which sits on a country club -- was trashed after it was repeatedly hit with golf balls, smashing 26 windows ... the family's attorney confirmed to TMZ Sports.

The Tenczar family lives near the fairway of the 15th hole of the Indian Pond Country Club in Kingston, MA. They've lived there for about 4 years.

And, it's been an absolute disaster, according to the family lawyer, Robert Galvin, who tells us the home has been pelted with nearly 700 golf balls.

The damage? Galvin says 26 windows needed replacement ... in addition to the entire siding of the home.

"It's really a safety issue for them," Galvin told us. "They're literally sitting inside their home and golf balls are smashing through their windows."

The family eventually decided to go to court and won BIG.

A Plymouth County judge ultimately awarded the family $100K in damages ... and $3.4 million for distress.

Indian Ponds argued it wasn't their fault ... essentially believing the Tenczar family should've known living on a golf course came with certain hazards.

But, the judge clearly wasn't buying that argument ... and the family was awarded a fortune.

Howie Mandel's happy to be out of his quarantine after getting COVID ... but says his time locked away drove him insane, and thinks being vulnerable about your mental health is important now more than ever.

Howie was on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to talk about his new show "Bullsh*t the Game Show" ... but before pitching his show, he opened up about his intense struggle with the virus ... which he contracted during his first public outing -- the Kids' Choice Awards.

He makes it clear ... the physical symptoms weren't bad, but the collateral damage to his mental health was real. Howie's a big proponent of talking about these struggles ... it definitely has helped him navigate troubled waters.

As for his new Netflix game show, Howie says he's been offered a bunch of game show hosting gigs, but this one checks all the boxes. It's not only fun, contestants can win a million bucks!

Blac Chyna is getting some serious law enforcement protection as she battles the Kardashian family in court ... getting a personal escort from Sheriff's Deputies as she navigates the courthouse.

Check out the video, you see Chyna and her team surrounded by at least 3 deputies during a courtroom break Wednesday. Our law enforcement sources tell us it's standard for all parties involved in high-profile cases to be provided security during their trials.

This means the Kardashians have the same protections as Chyna -- including a private room they are taken to during breaks -- and armed security that stand outside the door. There were reports only the family had protections, which clearly isn't the case.

Wednesday's testimony hasn't been as explosive as other days, Corey Gamble and Chyna's former attorney, Walter Mosley, have taken the stand so far.

"Selling Sunset" has been hit with another COVID setback, star Maya Vander tells us she's tested positive and has given her castmates a heads-up that it's possible they could've been exposed during the show's reunion.

Maya says she tested negative on Friday for the show's reunion taping on Sunday. She tells us she began to feel ill on Tuesday, and has now tested positive. Out of a precaution, Maya says she let her castmates who were filming with her Sunday that she has COVID, just in case there was a chance of exposure.

However, Vander traveled from L.A. back to Florida Sunday after the filming, so she believes there's a chance she got it on the plane ... as she never had any symptoms prior to Tuesday.

Luckily, Maya says she's feeling ok and just has some body aches. She says everyone else on the cast is feeling fine.

Of course, Maya's positive test comes on the heels of COVID controversy with "Selling Sunset" villain Christine Quinn. Quinn skipped out on the show reunion after her rep told us she tested positive for COVID on Saturday.

That positive test became much more interesting when TMZ obtained photos of Quinn at a photoshoot from Tuesday -- just 3 days after her alleged positive COVID result -- and leading many to believe she faked having COVID to avoid confrontation at the reunion.

The CDC recommends someone who tests positive should remain in isolation for at least 5 days following a positive test.

There's new buzz President Biden is seriously mulling a move with huge consequences for college grads -- canceling student debt ... something Rep. Rashida Tlaib is totally behind.

The Michigan congresswoman gave us her 2 cents Wednesday on Capitol Hill -- this amid new reports suggesting Biden has signaled to different caucus leaders this week he might, in fact, be ready to nix a significant amount of Dept. of Education loans for millions of Americans ... and as you can see, she's more than ready to see that happen.

Rep. Tlaib says she appreciates the Biden administration having pushed back the repayment start date for folks time and again throughout the pandemic -- the goal post was moved yet again earlier this year for payments to begin in August -- but she says that's not good enough.

She describes how scores of young people who are bogged down with thousands upon thousands in loans feel like they can't even begin to climb out of that hole ... and that if the prez helps 'em out, it will be a major relief that'll allow them to get ahead in life.

In the same breath, she takes some shots at billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos -- who've reportedly made even more money these past 2 years -- by claiming they don't do enough for society ... but rather, are more interested in building their own wealth.

That, of course, is up for debate ... but the Representative thinks erasing these loans is a great first step for ordinary citizens. Sen. Bernie Sanders agrees -- he, too, was out championing the push to cancel student debt ... and has some youthful backing behind him.

Travis Scott is officially hitting the big stage once again ... headlining his first music festival since the Astroworld tragedy where he will perform in front of more than 100,000 people.

The Primavera Sound festival will span across Brazil, Chile and Argentina and will feature names like Travis, Lorde, Arctic Monkeys and Jack White. It's the festival's first time in South America -- in the past, it's been held in Barcelona -- and upwards of 200,000 people have attended.

Travis will hit the stage in November and will play 3 shows total, in Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Santiago, Chile. Our sources say the festival is just one of many TS has on the horizon for this summer and will be announcing 3 U.S. festival performances soon.

As we've reported, Travis has hit a couple private parties in the last couple months, performing behind a DJ booth ... he's also set to host a club show in Miami in May.

Of course, those gigs will pale in comparison to the Primavera Sound show -- a massive festival -- even bigger than his Astroworld crowd.

Police are investigating the alleged attempt to poison a college baseball team by spiking their water jug with paint thinner ... and now cops are trying to get to the bottom of the wild claims.

In police docs we obtained, Kansas Wesleyan University filed an incident report with Lindsborg PD in Kansas ... where multiple unnamed people from the school are listed as victims.

In the report, several offenses are listed: criminal threat; contaminated food/water sources, battery; knowing/recklessly causing bodily harm, criminal damage to property.

On Sunday, a Twitter account (not affiliated with Kansas Wesleyan University or Barstool Sports) posted a picture of a water cooler that appears to show an unknown substance.

"Putting PAINT THINNER in our water coolers to get our baseball players sick and still getting toasted by 31 runs is WILD. Stay classy! Glad all our players are okay #buckfethany," the tweet read.

Important to note ... Bethany College, nor anyone from the school, is named in the police report.

DaBaby's legal team says folks are wrong for jumping to conclusions over a recently surfaced video of the rapper shooting and killing a man at a Walmart ... they say it actually supports the rapper's defense.

Here's the deal ... Rolling Stone published surveillance footage Sunday from the 2018 fatal shooting in North Carolina, and the article appeared to question DaBaby's self-defense narrative.

DaBaby's lawyers, Drew Findling and Marissa Goldberg, tell TMZ ... the video was reviewed by prosecutors back in 2018  ... and they concluded DaBaby acted in self-defense and therefore was not prosecuted for homicide.

We're told the video was even viewed by a Mecklenburg County judge in connection with a misdemeanor charge for not having the proper permits for his gun.

As for the self-defense part, DaBaby told cops the victim and another accomplice were following him around the Walmart store, and allegedly threatened him and flashed a gun ... causing him to feel the need to protect himself.

Lizzo put on a show Tuesday night, celebrating her 34th birthday with her boyfriend, and she was in the mood to clown her fans and paparazzi.

The "Rumors" singer hit up Craig's in WeHo and left on a party bus with friends. She was all smiles as she walked hand-in-hand with her man.

She's hilarious as she gets on the bus, first talking seriously about what she wants for her birthday, and then cracking an off-color joke ... well, maybe it's not a joke!!!

ICYMI, during an interview with Andy Cohen, she confirmed last week she was off the market.

Lizzo has yet to ID her boyfriend ... but the Shade Room says it's Myke Wright, an actor. She's making it clear they are very much together.

This is not a super new relationship ... Lizzo and Myke were spotted back in February ... enjoying a dinner for Valentine's Day together.

Her birthday is April 27, so she got a jump on the festivities. BTW ... she's gearing up to release her 4th studio album on July 15.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the set of "Rust," was completely beside herself after the fatal on-set shooting that killed Halyna Hutchins ... this according to her attorney.

Hannah's lawyer, Jason Bowles, tells TMZ ... one of the first things she asked Lt. Benavides after the shooting is "Are they okay?" and "Is she okay?"

Hannah's in the body cam footage ... pretty clearly distraught and breathing heavily as she speaks to the lieutenant. Hannah talks to another crew member as she looks like she's panicking and grabbing her hair, telling them she's been yelled at several times already ... unclear what about.

A cart containing the rounds is wheeled up to Hannah ... as she attempts to show the lieutenant the rounds in question, she says she's "so scared" while seemingly hyperventilating. She then starts to cry while apologizing for what happened.

Other footage shows Hannah calling the event the worst day of her life.

At one point, she asked to be taken to a squad car away from her coworkers, saying, "I just want to get the f*** out of here and never show my face in this industry again."

As we reported, the footage is among hours released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff on Monday, including the body cam taken of Alec Baldwin concerned for Halyna Hutchins.

Kylie Jenner is making a move to expand her makeup empire ... it looks like she now wants her cosmetics line to cover magic potions for eyes.

Kylie's company filed trademark docs to lock up the rights to a name for her potential new revenue stream ... "KYLASH."

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kylie is looking to use "KYLASH" in her growing makeup line to include more products ... including extension fibers, cosmetic preparations, tints and serums for eyelashes.

The docs make it look like Kylie also wants to slap the name on eye makeup remover and mascara. So, she's covering all her bases.

Travis Scott is going from dipping his toe in the performance pool to getting in waist deep -- the guy's first public show is booked ... and it's going down in Miami next month.

The rapper is scheduled to host on Saturday, May 7 at hotspot E11EVEN -- where he appears to be the headlining act for Race Week. There's a Formula 1 Grand Prix that'll be going down around the same time ... so it's gonna be popping in and around the city.

According to promotional flyers and E11EVEN's own website ... tickets are on sale now at a price point of $150 to $250, depending on whether you're a man or woman. Ladies get in cheaper, obviously. Page Six was first to notice the event. We have been told that it's almost sold out ... and demand is sky-high.

VIP tables are also available for reservation as well ... and those can go for a pretty penny, reportedly upwards of $100k depending on what's happening. Considering this will be Travis' first foray, musically, before a large crowd ... ya gotta imagine the cost will be higher.

This certainly isn't the first time TS has grabbed a mic since the Astroworld Fest tragedy in November, when 10 people died. He's been dabbling in smaller performances in the months thereafter -- including a limited set at a pre-Oscars party, ditto for a Coachella afterparty.

At both events, there seemed to be some enthusiasm around his presence ... but time will tell if a club like E11EVEN can muster a large crowd. The jury's sorta out on how people feel about him these days.

At first, there was a lot of anger directed at him ... as some felt he continued the show despite seemingly obvious signs folks were in distress -- but in the wake of all that, there's been different evidence suggesting he may have, in fact, been in the dark on the severity.

Still, he's in the middle of several lawsuits that have named him as a defendant ... and that'll take years to work through the court system. In the meantime, he's making a comeback -- or trying to, anyway.

A flight on its way to Egypt ended in a fatal crash back in 2016, and a new investigation reveals it all came down to one cigarette.

The report, viewed exclusively by Italian news organization Corriere Della Sera, concludes Pilot, Ali Ali Shoukair, lit a cigarette in the cockpit of an EgyptAir flight, causing oxygen that was leaking from an emergency mask to burst into flames.

Egyptian pilots smoked frequently in the cockpit, and it wasn't banned 6 years ago, at the time of the crash.

Egyptian authorities claimed at the time the plane was brought down in a terrorist attack ... however, no group claimed responsibility.

It was also claimed explosives were found on the bodies of the crash victims, although that was late discredited.

All 66 passengers and crew on board died when the Airbus A320 -- traveling from Paris to Cairo -- crashed into the Mediterranean Sea ... the plane violently swerved back and forth before spiraling downward.

Among the dead was also 40-year-old Richard Osman, whose second daughter had been born just three weeks before the crash.

Julie Heslouin, who lost her father and brother from the crash, responded to the new report, saying "We have been waiting since 2016 to understand why we lost our loved ones and officially no one told us anything."

In 2018, France's Civil Aviation Accident Bureau claimed it was likely a fire that started in the cockpit ... there was no mention of oxygen leaks or cigarettes.

A candlelight vigil was held in Cairo for the victims after their death.

Elon Musk's making more history -- SpaceX just sent the first Black woman to the International Space Station for an extended period of time.

Jessica Watkins is one of four astronauts who were hurled into orbit early Wednesday morning -- part of a mission called Crew-4, which was using yet another Dragon rocket to make their daylong ascent.

The team went up around 1 AM PT, and they're expected to dock at the ISS later today, at about 5 PM PT. Crew-4 will stay up there for 5 months, before returning in September.

Like we said ... Watkins is the 1st woman of color who'll have been in space for an extended period of time. Guion Bluford was the first Black person to go up into space, period, back in 1983 -- and since then, more than a dozen African-Americans, in general, have gone up.

Now, as for what they're going to be doing at the ISS ... general upkeep, maintenance and research -- something the previous team, Crew-3, has been doing since November. They're all doing a bit of a trade-off here, and Crew-3 will come back home after Crew-4 settles in.

In the past 2 years -- after SpaceX landed a major contract with NASA -- Elon has sent up 26 people into orbit in what are now seemingly just run-of-the-mill trips into space. That's actually a good thing, because as you know ... EM seems to think the future is up there.

He's said he wants to eventually colonize Mars, so the more we're up in our galaxy ... presumably, that's for the better -- as we can then start inching our way further out.

"Selling Sunset" star Christine Quinn missed the reunion show Sunday because she says she had COVID, which makes this photo of her on a film set Tuesday very interesting.

We've obtained a photo of Quinn on her phone, while crew members stand around her to prepare for a shot. What's interesting ... it's 'RHONJ' star Melissa Gorga seated next to her.

Unclear what this gig entails, but her rep told us Monday Christine had to miss the "Selling Sunset" reunion over the weekend after testing positive for COVID on Saturday.

Of course, the CDC recommends ... someone who has tested positive for COVID should isolate for at least 5 days. Quinn's obviously not doing that, and while one of the crew members is masked up, Christine isn't.

If you've followed the most recent season of "Selling Sunset," you know Christine is the show's villain -- so when TMZ broke the story she'd have to miss the reunion because her rep said she had COVID, a ton of the show's fans thought she might've been faking it to avoid confrontation with the other cast members.

At this point, we're hoping she was faking COVID, cuz showing up to work just a few days after a positive test doesn't seem to be a very safe way of doing business.