Wetten Dass...? - Germany

Anyone see it tonight?

Always good for a Saturday night laugh is this show. Always the same I end up commenting on the
women's low cut dresses and my wife tells me to shut up. Tonight my 2 year old was copying the conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra by waving her arms about.

Catherine Zeta Jones and Antonio Banderas were on to plug their new Zorro movie. Bets were a bit boring on the whole, except for the kick boxer at the end.

The host Thomas Gottschalk I really like. He is liked by everyone young and old, German and non-German. Totally down to earth and unpretentious, he has real charisma.

Anyone know when Deutschland Sucht Den Superstar is coming back?

Roll on shouting at the German telly on a Saturday autumn night!

I am starting to remember why we don't have a television now...

On the other hand, I played (German junior) scrabble tonight with a four year old who can't spell, and his 8 year old brother (who obviously can) - and am now appreciating the merits of low cost wine... especially since the 4-year old won...

where are the Karma Buttons for both of you?

I only caught a few minutes of it, which was the blind lady who could tell the colour of a fabric from it's feel. That was pretty amazing.

I caught part of it too - Catherine Zeta Jones is looking a bit flabby these days. Antonio - as hot as ever.

And, Good God, who dresses Thomas Gottschalk? Those silver shoes were awful!

His wife. Seriously. She's a designer and makes most of his clothes.

These ZDF Saturday night shows are like a stain of red wine: an embarrassing nuisance you just don't ever get rid of.

'Wetten dass' is one of the longer running ones, yet no less embarrassing than others ('Dalli-Dalli', 'Einer wird gewinnen', 'Verstehen Sie Spaß', 'Nase vorn' etc. This remarkably low form of German entertainment (they call it 'leichte Unterhaltung') has been around since television began here and the concept is always the same: rent a large enough hall in some German town to obtain a 'typical German' live audience, then have a showmaster who is supposed to represent the nation's heart and therefore must seem funny, witty, good looking, kind, intelligent, concerned and what not, because the idea is to tie everyone to the screen for the entire Saturday evening, including toddlers, teens, adults, doters... i.e. there is no target audience, this is supposed to be perfect for everybody. Then come up with something 'entertaining', like the Wetten, and most importantly invite plenty of real stars that suit the idea of being 'everybody's darling'.

This concept doesn't work and never has done, nonetheless these shows are still around - when will it stop? As a German, I feel embarrassed having to put up with it and ashamed of some of Gottschalk's (and consorted fellows from other shows) remarks which resemble the lowest form of wit. If it weren't for the GEZ I'm sure these 'ZDF Gala-Abende' would be long gone.

I prefer the krimis and sport studio

@ oli

it's not THAT bad, actually. it surely is nothing to be ashamed of. that's a little harsh, don't u think?
apparently it's one of the most popular shows on tv ever, so there must be something to it.

p.

Agree with what What Oli said, except the GEZ bit cos the private stations make shite TV too.

I HATE Gottschalk and I HATE this show!

the concept's a bit old-fashioned, fair enough, but the guy rocks! he's by far the best german host.
there's gotta be something, he wouldn't be the nation's darling otherwise.

p.

I can't stand most German TV. This is the only show I can really watch. I do not in the slightest take it seriously. Best is when Hollywood stars come on and jabber away about their film etc. When German Prominente come on I usually go to the beer crate and then the PC then my wife shouts when someone pretty in a tasty dress comes on.

there's loads of crap on german tv, i agree with you, but i bet any other country's got just as much crap as we do, i.e. the us.

Wetten, dass...is an institution, an icon of public broadcasting in Germany (and Austria and Switzerland). As such it has to be held separate from the other dross that is or has died a deserved death. It's almost a cult. Without Gottschalk it would be gone by now.
If you think this kind of Saturday night TV entertainment is crap you ought to see the stuff they serve up in Italy.

another reason why gottschalk is the only guy who can make wetten dass work is that he usually invites the "big ones" all by himself. he convinces most of the clooneys, winslets and smiths, cause he lives in l.a. (next to pierce brosnan)and gets in touch with them. they all know him, he used to take brosnans son along on vacation, for example.

p.