When Daniel Hartwich announced his end of the jungle camp last year, there was a great fear of not finding a worthy successor. His footsteps looked huge. After a few months, Jan Köppen was presented as his successor. Let’s wait and see how he fares, that’s the somewhat skeptical attitude of most “Ibes” fans.
In fact, you could read Köppen’s excitement in the face of the first episode of the jungle camp. The “Top Dog” presenter was not only reminiscent of Hartwich with his flashy shirts, but also with his moderation. It almost seemed as if Köppen didn’t want to do anything wrong, just didn’t want to attract negative attention. This was particularly noticeable when he strictly followed the script.
But just like the jungle campers around the campfire, the moderator also went through an amazing development. With each passing day, the 39-year-old became more relaxed and settled into his new role. He was particularly brilliant when he not only followed the script correctly and brought a little more spontaneity to his moderation. You could tell that he too – just like Sonja Zietlow – has his favorites in the camp. That he, too, sympathizes with the sometimes oblique figures. This empathy, which Hartwich lacked in places, could be Köppen’s big pound in the future. As a result, however, the presenters’ “good cop, bad cop” roles aren’t as clearly divided as they were before when Hartwich played the bad cop. In the end, it’s probably a matter of taste as to whether this distribution of roles is absolutely necessary.
There is almost unanimity on this on the internet – a fact that is surprising in itself, after all, agreement on Twitter is as rare as vegetarian menus in jungle camp exams. “I find Jan’s questions, his empathy, his intelligence and his humor to be an absolute enrichment. It’s good that he’s here now,” wrote a user. “Jan Köppen has developed tremendously in just a few episodes – aggressively takes part in every absurd nonsense and brings the gags to the point,” was the verdict of one user.
After 18 days in the jungle, one thing is certain: RTL has found a worthy Hartwich successor in Köppen. After initial problems, he felt more and more comfortable in his role. His humor and enjoyment of the format spread to the viewers, who rewarded it in return. May he finally break away from his predecessor in the coming year and strengthen his own tone. Because what’s the saying? You can’t overtake someone by following in their footsteps.
