Der Schwächste fliegt!
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| Der Schwächste Fliegt! | |
|---|---|
| Format | Game show |
| Created by | Fintan Coyle & Cathy Dunning |
| Starring | Sonja Zietlow |
| Country of origin |  Germany |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | RTL |
| Original run | March 19, 2001 – March 2002 |
Der Schwächste fliegt! is the German version of the game show Weakest Link. In German, The Weakest Link would translate to Das schwächste Glied, but this could also be read as The Weakest Virile Member (in a sexual sense). Consequently, this may be the reason why the show was called Der Schwächste fliegt!, meaning The Weakest Gets Booted (literally the weakest one flies).
It was first broadcast on March 19, 2001, on RTL. The show premiered weekdays at 3pm and was hosted by Sonja Zietlow (who was already known for her tough-talking styles on her self-titled talk show from previous years). Just like the British version, the show pitted nine contestants against each other for a pot of DM 50,000. But by September of that year, the show was sinking fast in ratings, so in order to gain ratings, Sonja treated the contestants with more respect. Previously, Sonja bullied the contestants with insults such as "Da wollen wir doch mal sehen, wer unsere kostbare Studioluft lang genug weggeatmet hat!" (Let's take a look, who breathed our valuable studio air too long!)
However the change in Sonja's behaviour did not sufficiently revive the show, and it was cancelled in December. However, in February 2002, the show was given another chance in the late-night Saturday slot, this time with a newly revamped studio, that now featured an audience, and a higher prize of € 50,000. But there have been rumours that after the first few episodes actors were paid to be contestants on the show, in order to attract more viewers. These changes were unsuccessful in boosting the show's ratings, and was cancelled for good in March.
