Behind the scenes of his TV program De Avondshow, Arjen Lubach is confronted with fairly frugal catering. For example, there are fake Twixes backstage. “That’s disrespectful.”
It is important for television stars to go into their TV broadcast with a full stomach and that is why there is behind the scenes you can always find a snack table, with some snacks and drinks on it. Arjen Lubach also has one of these, but the presenter is not exactly pleased with it.
Fake Twixes
Arjen complains in his backstage vlog about the fact that that snack table is full of house brands. “I just walked to the snack table and what do I come across? C-brand, fake… This is a fake Twix, this is a fake Snickers, this is a fake Milky Way. Why are we as a premium program, the number one of the late evening, cutting back on mini-Marsjes?”
It is obvious that Arjen means this mockingly, but deep down he seems to mean it a bit. “They are house brand Jumbo, I see now,” complains the VPRO presenter.
Snack table
Victor Vlam, opinion maker and media connoisseur, points out in his podcast The Communicados on the importance of a good snack table. “He is always behind the scenes on TV programmes. Of course you want the stars of the program to feel well cared for. You don’t want them to go on the channel grumpy because they haven’t eaten enough.”
It is bizarre that so little attention is paid to Arjen’s snack table, he thinks. “There are Twixjes on that snack table, but not real Twixjes, but Jumbo private label Twixjes. And that’s what Arjen Lubach complained about. And yes, I found it striking, because I do think to myself: boy-young-young-young.”
Cozy
Why does Victor think ‘boy-young-young-young’? “It says something about the cosiness of Dutch showbiz. I saw at one point that there is a snack table. You have here the best-watched program of the late evening of NPO 1, more than a million people are watching and he is currently the biggest star of that channel.
“And the NPO thought: well, on an annual basis we can save a few tenners by replacing the real Twixjes on the snack table with Jumbo private label Twixjes.”
Disrespectful
You can’t do this according to Victor. “It is not an earth-shattering problem, of course. I say it a little bit mockingly, but there is a serious undertone behind it. I think it’s a little bit that I think: boy-young-young, this is a bit disrespectful to Arjen Lubach from the NPO. This is really not possible.”
He continues: “Just give him decent, real Twixes. It’s just a way to show that you appreciate someone. By cutting back on things like that… Yes, I know it’s all taxpayers’ money, guys, but this is really about a few bucks on an annual basis. And then you have to eat a lot of Twixes before you get there.”
Private label variants of Twix, or other products, are often made to offer consumers a cheaper option. In general, the taste of private label Twix is comparable to that of a real Twix.
Backstage vlog
The relevant passage from Arjen’s backstage vlog (from minute 04:50):