One more big show – Gottschalk’s “Wetten, dass…?” farewell
Published: Sunday, Nov 26th 2023, 12:50
Updated At: Sunday, Nov 26th 2023, 12:53
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So now it really is to be the end. Thomas Gottschalk has hosted "Wetten, dass...?" for the last time. On Saturday, he stands on a wheel loader - huge construction vehicles are a must for the show classic - and is driven out of the hall in Offenburg waving at the end of the three-hour show. Will ZDF continue "Wetten, dass...? The public broadcaster does not want to announce this until "the appropriate time", leaving plenty of room for speculation.
12.13 million viewers watched Gottschalk's last "Wetten, dass...?" appearance - a market share of 45.3 percent. He had already bid farewell to "Wetten, dass...?" in 2011. The first revival show from Nuremberg then attracted 13.8 million viewers in 2021. The second edition from Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance attracted around 10.1 million. So many people still have that campfire feeling. But that's also a matter of opinion. Some younger people may wonder what it's all about.
"We had a good time together," the 73-year-old Gottschalk called out to the 2,000 or so people in the hall as he took his leave surprisingly punctually. Normally, one of his trademarks was to overstay his welcome.
In terms of its schedule, the show once again offered everything that brings back memories for many viewers: world-class pop stars walking through the audience and then having to catch a plane. Actors and celebrity couples on the big couch. People presenting crazy bets and sharing the stage with celebrities for a very brief moment. In between, presenter Thomas Gottschalk with his relaxed, flippant manner. He was dressed comparatively modestly: he wore a suit in bright cardinal red and velvet slippers.
Former co-host Michelle Hunziker was not present this time. Gottschalk already said in the summer that he wanted to do the show alone and show that he didn't need any help.
The contestants prove that even after 40 years of "Wetten, dass...?" there are still new ideas that are as nonsensical as they are remarkable. One man recognized roosters by their crowing. Eight men pulled a seven-ton cable car ten meters uphill in the outdoor bet in Switzerland. The queen of the competition was a woman who was able to recognize previous bets on the show classic by means of colourful barcodes.
Frank Elstner, who once invented the show and hosted it himself, summed up who is at the center of "Wetten, dass...?" at the end: "The person that nobody knows and who suddenly becomes a star on Saturday night, (...) Horst with his roosters, I will never forget him. These are the moments that the show has always brought," he said as a guest of the show in the front row of the audience.
On the nation's most famous TV sofa, Gottschalk welcomed actor Matthias Schweighöfer and ex-athletes Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ana Ivanovic, among others. Even the Rolling Stones bid farewell to Gottschalk in a video message.
The presenter was well prepared - after the last edition there was criticism that only Hunziker had the show under control. Nevertheless, there were still some slip-ups - for example, Gottschalk called Schweighöfer "Schweinsteiger". Former professional footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger was then introduced as "Bastian Schweigsteiger". Gottschalk flirted with his promises: If he lost his bet, he wanted to say Bastian Schweinsteiger ten times in a row. Schweighöfer and Schweinsteiger later joked in an Instagram video, swapping their first names and wishing each other a "Merry Christmas". Under a photo, Schweighöfer wrote: "Your favorite show baller".
There was also music, of course. British band Take That performed their cult hit "Back for Good" and later handed out homemade candy floss to the audience. Singers Helene Fischer and Shirin David performed Fischer's hit song "Atemlos" together, which was first released ten years ago. Gottschalk then slipped into a discussion with Shirin David on the celebrity couch about feminism and influencers. The singer countered. Gottschalk came up with typical sponge-over sentences such as: "Let me babble here."
Finally, the entertainer explained once again what prompted him to finally put an end to "Wetten, dass...?": For one thing, he didn't want "people to have to explain my guests to me". Secondly, he always said on television what he said at home. He now speaks differently on television than he does at home - because he fears that he could create a "shitstorm".
You can also imagine what he might mean by that on this evening of the show. For example, the way he talks to a young contestant about being in a wheelchair.
Gottschalk also said as he said goodbye to the audience with his grand gestures and outstretched arms: "I am not in despair, my life goes on and I am looking forward to everything that is to come." He thanked his audience, without whom "none of this would have made sense". Elstner hugged Gottschalk goodbye and said: "I am grateful that you have held out for so long."
©Keystone/SDA
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