In November there was one last big Saturday evening show “Wetten,dass..?” with Thomas Gottschalk (73). What will happen next with the format is uncertain. The only thing that is certain is that showmaster and actor Florian Silbereisen (42) definitely does not want to succeed Gottschalk. He revealed this in an interview with “Bild am Sonntag”.
“Absolutely not!”, Silbereisen answers firmly when asked whether he might host the cult show in the future. And there’s a good reason for that, as he explains: “Anyone these days who even thinks about being the successor to Thomas Gottschalk at ‘Wetten, dass…?’ To take over must be megalomaniacal.”
Gottschalk said goodbye with a final issue at the end of November. In front of the eyes of “Wetten,dass..?” inventor Frank Elstner (81), who was sitting in the audience, the moderator once again welcomed betting candidates and stars such as Take That, actor Matthias Schweighöfer (42), music icon Cher ( 77), pop queen Helene Fischer (39) and rapper Shirin David (28).
But will the show actually continue at some point? ZDF boss Norbert Himmler (52) just explained to “Bild”: “That was a big, nostalgic moment that we experienced. It showed the strength and power of the format once again. Now we’re taking a break for thought , based on the James Bond title: ‘Never say never’.” The broadcaster had previously told the news agency spot on news upon request: “ZDF will decide in due course what will happen next with the format.”
“In real life, however, I prefer happy endings,” says Silbereisen elsewhere in the current interview, in which he also reveals that he is planning “a few breaks” for 2024 in addition to all his professional tasks. Who knows, maybe he’ll change his mind and his fans will get a “Wetten, dass…?” happy ending.
