“I also do it to entertain myself”: Stefan Raab’s new show comes on Wednesday

He disappeared from the scene for almost a decade: Stefan Raab is back on German television. “I thought: I'll do shows again,” said the entertainer on Saturday evening on RTL live in front of almost six million viewers and viewers in the camera. He had agreed on a five-year contract with RTL. “What would you do if someone told you: you could be number two after the 'Bachelor'?” joked the 57-year-old, who had actually been retired since 2015.

This is what he looks like now: six-pack and white hair

The new show will be called “You won't win the million here with Stefan Raab” and will be broadcast on Wednesday at 8:10 p.m. on the streaming service RTL+. Raab said it was “the world's first entertainment quiz competition hybrid show”. Everything he knows how to do will be shown in it. Among other things, he will also dissect the events of the week. There will be a million euros to win every week. That sounds a bit like a mixture of “TV total” and “Beat the Raab”, two of his old formats from his earlier days on television. Raab surprised many fans with his new look: in good shape with muscles and a six-pack, but now with white hair.

“A philosophy that matches RTL”

“I also do it a little bit (…) to entertain myself,” said the experienced show creator, who first made a career at Viva and then at ProSieben before retiring to production in 2015. Raab indicated that he does not allow himself to be limited in the way he produces and spends money on new shows.

He made it clear to RTL during the negotiations: “I want to have the certain freedom that I need to do this.” And today, everything on television is being cut back and reinterpreted. And everything has to be smaller. Nobody is going to make big shows anymore.” However, he said he had found a “consistent philosophy” with RTL on this issue.

Frontal attack on one's own creation

Until Saturday evening it was unclear whether his exhibition fight against former boxing world champion Regina Halmich in Düsseldorf was to be a one-off return from a break from the screen. It was not until around 11.30 p.m. that it was clear: the fight, in which the Cologne native suffered a clear defeat against the Karlsruhe native for the third time, was just the high-rating supporting program for his rebirth as an entertainer in front of the camera. At the same time, it overshadowed all other TV channels. More than half of the young audience (14 to 49 years old) was there. At its peak, up to 7.54 million people (up to 36.9 percent market share) tuned in to Raab.

Raab – who for years shaped competitor ProSieben with his shows – will now be a permanent face of RTL. The five-year contract includes, among other things, “various sensational primetime shows,” RTL announced.

The broadcast day of his new show also has a certain explosiveness, even though Raab will now be seen online. Wednesday evening is also the broadcast slot for “TV total” on ProSieben – Raab's own invention and former hit show, now hosted by Sebastian Pufpaff.

Raab descends from the stairway to heaven to his disciples

For this return, the presenter and his team had dramaturgically designed one of the most sophisticated PR campaigns that German TV has ever seen. Around Easter, Raab had hinted at the comeback in small Internet clips and explained that he wanted to box against Halmich again – as he had done in 2001 and 2007. In 2001, Halmich broke his nose. This time, Raab complained of “minor rib damage” after the fight.

The “Raabinator” also took his time on Saturday. Shortly after 10 p.m. and after plenty of flashbacks to old Raab shows, the time had come – and the former butcher's apprentice was received by his audience almost in faith. After a countdown, a show staircase rose from the high ceiling of the hall, which seemed to lead down from heaven. Then fitness influencer Pamela Reif floated over the audience as an angel on ropes and sang the anthem: “Stefan Raab is back.”

The Mett is ordered

Raab himself then slowly and leisurely descended the eternally long ladder to heaven in a white suit and white cape to pathetic music and seemed to have the light in the room under godlike control. He sang his new boxing song “Pa aufs Maul” with the two rappers Sido and Ski Aggu. Halmich probably interpreted this as an invitation: she won the fight, in which Raab was sometimes quite out of breath, clearly on points. He is said to have been the last one between the two.

“I lost ten kilos, I only ate chicken and salad – but I already bought minced meat for tomorrow morning,” said Raab about his preparations. He also “trained hard.” “Basically, I only trained on my sack for the first four months.” And there was plenty of hide-and-seek. Because of course, if anyone had seen him beforehand or even filmed him, the whole magic would have been gone. “I didn't go out much,” said Raab. He only moved between the company and the places he had to go to now and again. “But of course I didn't go to the supermarket.”

: Service provider: Christof Bock and Jonas-Erik Schmidt, dpa

background

Inga Leschek, CCO of RTL Germany, explained: “We are making television history: number 1 at number 1! Stefan Raab's boxing match against Regina Halmich was just the start of a much bigger mission: Stefan Raab's return to the limelight! And that will be starting next week on Germany's leading streaming service RTL+ with a weekly format. We are very proud to have agreed a five-year collaboration with Stefan Raab, in which he will appear in front of the camera exclusively for RTL Germany by and with the exceptional creative genius. Welcome back!

“You won’t win the million with Stefan Raab” is produced by Raab Entertainment on behalf of RTL+. The editorial responsibility at RTL lies with Dörte vom Berg (Executive Producer), Alexander Wüster (Executive Producer) and Sandra Wächtershäuser (Head of Producers) under the direction of Markus Küttner (Head of Entertainment RTL).

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