After the first season of the game show remake of “Go it all!” convinced with good ratings, the show returns again. From December 8 (Thursdays, 8:15 p.m. on Sat.1 and on Joyn), moderator Jörg Draeger (77) and colleague Daniel Boschmann (42) will present another season and three new episodes on Sat.1.
In an interview with the news agency spot on news, Draeger tells how he experienced his TV comeback, why he is relaxed about the second season and when he says “Go all out!” would stop. In addition, the moderator looks back on his year with a trip on the Way of St. James and reveals how he spends Christmas with his family.
Jörg Draeger: It was fun, but it was also hard work. The preparation time was really challenging, a Friday evening show with 110 minutes at prime time isn’t something you just shake out of your sleeve. It was a very tough job for everyone involved. But my age has advantages: I approached it calmly, the quota is no longer the decisive factor for me. In the 90s it was different. You looked at the numbers every day and worried about whether things would go on at all. It was completely gone this time. Also, I never watched my show before. Unless the director said, “You screwed up like that, please look at it so it doesn’t happen again.” Now I’ve watched the three shows of the first season in a relaxed manner with family and friends.
Draeger: We can be more than satisfied considering that there was so little time for all the preparations. In about six weeks we managed to set up the studio, get sponsors for the awards, create the games and think about what we should take over from before and what no longer corresponds to the zeitgeist. But I’m convinced that there will be a qualitative leap in the second season. We’ve had more time this time, we’ve been able to modernize and give a new coat of paint to games that I absolutely must have from the ’90s. The interaction with Daniel Boschmann has also improved. You have to imagine that we met before the first season. You can’t expect two guys to stand in an arena and play non-stop verbal ping-pong. We’ve gotten to know each other better now and are now friends, and of course that has an effect on the show.
Draeger: The kind of “Go all out!” that we have now produced was not what I had in mind, that is, an evening show that is over 90 minutes long and has two presenters. I made a compromise there, but I was free to say that I didn’t want it that way. But out of curiosity and the joy of being able to do it at all, I accepted it. And I have to say the role that Daniel is taking is sensational. He’s really great at it, I often had tears in my eyes from laughing. We made it possible for everyone to shine in their area, I take on the games, he chooses the candidates.
Draeger: If I had been solely responsible, it would have been an evening show of around 60 minutes. I would have come out and started playing and doing what I want. That used to be the case, but I also have to accept that it would no longer work today. As in many other sectors, everything has become more correct and cleaner here. It used to be that if I stumble, if I do something wrong or say something stupid, I have to get out of this dilemma myself. Not everything is perfect was exactly what viewers thought was great. But as a broadcaster or producer, you can no longer afford that. Through social media you are immediately at the mercy of criticism.
Draeger: My mother passed away peacefully about a year ago at the age of 100. She lived with us in the house, came up and down the stairs by herself. She still liked to drink her piccolo and smoke her cigarette. The night before she was still playing rummy and the next morning for breakfast I called up and she didn’t come. She actually noticed my TV return, but she didn’t really understand it when I appeared on the screen and sat next to her at the same time (laughs). Sometimes she said: “Oh look, he looks just like you.”
Draeger: I have a good relationship with him up there. He listens to me and I tried to make it clear to him that I would like to live to be 100 if it were like my mom. The worst thing about death is aging before it, when you are no longer able to do everything yourself, to manage everything yourself. It was different with my mother. For example, we went on vacation together and she made her own food. We just didn’t leave her alone in the house, just in case.
Draeger: I think it’s great how it went, I’m still hoping for a good rate, but I’m not blown away if it doesn’t work the second time. That’s no longer the most important thing for me, it’s definitely the family. When things get really rough from the outside, the family helps. For example, when I was on “Big Brother,” my wife and daughter rented a room in Cologne for three weeks and sat in the stands at the show every day. Even with the recordings for “Go to the Whole!” they were always there.
Draeger: I don’t want my wife or anyone else having to force me onto the stage. (laughs) Doing a game show at my age is daring. But I know I definitely haven’t made a fool of myself and I think I still have the strength to do a third season. Then I would probably start thinking about quitting. But I’m from “Go all out!” totally penetrated. I always have my dice with me and play non-stop with random people. This has already become my hobby, which keeps me young and will certainly never completely disappear from my life.
Draeger: I once specifically planned to do a talk show in the night program. But it quickly became clear to me: Harald Schmidt will never be topped as far as the German market is concerned. He has that grumpy sense of humor that comes across as bad verbally but doesn’t really hurt. That’s exactly what you need for a nice nightly talk show. That was all a long time ago, now I’m perfectly happy.
Draeger: It was cruel. Without knowing it, I caught Corona. But when the first signs came, I was already in Bilbao. We isolated ourselves for three or four days and when I was given the green light again, a doctor advised me to go home immediately and go to bed. But I said, “Well, I’ll show you. We’ll walk.” Then we set off and the first ten days were really tough. I ran seven or eight kilometers and couldn’t go any further. I couldn’t breathe, nothing worked anymore. But I didn’t want to give up either and tortured myself every day. In the third week we always managed about 20 kilometers and eventually we arrived in Santiago. My cardiologist in Berlin said afterwards that the pump was unfortunately affected quite badly, but everything is fine now. Next year I want to walk the full Camino de Santiago again.
Draeger: I have now run three times with my daughter and my son. It’s something unique that happens between child and father. My daughter is now 21 and studying, the son is 26 and is writing his doctoral thesis in medicine. They then spend three weeks, 24/7 with their dad. You never have this time together when you are at home, you get to know your children from a completely different side and vice versa. One walks to oneself, remains silent or talks for hours. On the second trip my daughter asked out of the blue why I love her mom. She had to give me a few minutes to find a suitable and honest answer. When I gave it my daughter cried and I knew she was right.
Draeger: Yes. The children are always at home at Christmas. My wife cooks every year and roast goose is always served. There is a Christmas tree and two Christmas stories, one of which is from my daughter and my son is playing the piano. We really celebrate it like we did 100 years ago. It will certainly be a little different without my mother, but I have already discussed with my wife that we will set the table for her. She always wanted a club, and she gets it.
