“Who wants to be a millionaire”: Günther Jauch starts the “3 million euro week” on RTL

Smartass wanted
Günther Jauch starts the 3 million euro week

By Kai Butterweck
03.09.2024, 00:04

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After the long summer break, Günther Jauch is going all out. The popular 3 million euro week is coming up: four couch know-it-alls can finally prove that they have what it takes to be a guessing star.

The holidays are coming to an end, Bundesliga football is back on the road and Günther Jauch has also recharged his quizmaster batteries. Yes, it’s finally time to join in on the guessing game in front of the screens when the call goes: “Welcome to ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’!” And because all the fans have had to wait so long, the format is now ready to start with the popular “3 million euro week” version. On three consecutive evenings, candidates have chosen the option of winning a set sum (16,000 euros) to qualify for the grand finale on September 5th, where a whopping three million euros are at stake.

“To start with, we’ve chosen a few smart-asses who probably always know everything better when they’re at home on the couch,” Günther Jauch opens the evening. The first smart-ass doesn’t take long to arrive. Niclas Schell comes from Remagen in the Palatinate and is no stranger. The 33-year-old is the current “extra joker” record holder. Niclas Schell has already taken part in the audience joker five times in recent years – each time successfully. Now the father of a daughter is sitting in the coveted guessing chair himself. But he doesn’t seem particularly experienced or confident.

By hanging and choking 16,000 euros

The visibly nervous candidate climbs the guessing stairs rather laboriously, and in the end he only manages to get a ticket to the final. He can’t win more than 16,000 euros. Unfortunately, Niclas Schell is not familiar with the related history of the “Bahlsen-Lorenz” biscuit empire. So he can only hope that the smallest possible sum that is permitted to take part in the grand finale will be enough for a second invitation to the limelight.

Katharina Schwerke from Berlin is also keen to get a ticket to the final. The TV production coordinator has not only held a real Oscar in her hand, but also knows how much strain it can be on your feet when you decide to go on a long walk along the Way of St. James: “I was totally unprepared and at some point I overtook the grannies with their walking sticks,” the woman from the capital recalls.

During the guessing game with Günther Jauch, Katharina Schwerke marched forward at a remarkable pace. The candidate not only knows the language of young people, but also knows the name of the successor to the legendary ESC commentator Peter Urban (Thorsten Schorn) and in which sport the two brothers Equanimeous Tristan Imhotep and Amon-Ra Julian Heru J. St. Brown have become quite successful (American football). A whopping 32,000 euros and the coveted ticket to the final are the reward for concentrated guessing.

With the Chancellor on the toilet

Next up is a former Vice-Miss Germany. Jutta Engel comes from Starnberg in Bavaria and has seen and experienced a lot in her life. The current management consultant not only managed to get Thomas Gottschalk to speak at BMW’s 100th anniversary celebrations, but also met Angela Merkel in the toilet. But the glamorous memories don’t give her an extra boost under the glittering spotlight. Fortunately, the extra joker in the audience knows the history of the theory of relativity. In the end, at least the 16,000 euros needed to qualify for the final are raised.

47-year-old Holger Rohm quickly got the hang of it without much outside help. The likeable Bavarian, whose ex-wife was allowed to play under the WWM logo a few years ago, has a vacuum robot called “Günther” in his cupboard at home. The quizmaster’s eyes light up, but like those of a small child in a ball pit.

The ice is quickly broken. And so Holger Rohm skilfully winds his way through the labyrinth of questions. German island studies for 16,000 euros, the additional joker in the area of ​​political history, and the former newcomers as telephone jokers with sufficient Hollywood knowledge: Shortly before the Siren Ball, the Bavarian quite rightly raises his fists and is happy about 64,000 euros and the coveted ticket to the final.