Bridget Maasland is not convinced of Herman van der Zandt and Paulien Cornelisse as the new permanent duo of De Slimste Mens. “It seems like they sometimes miss the connection a bit.”
Herman van der Zandt and Paulien Cornelisse have been on their way for a while as successors to the legendary duo Philip Freriks and Maarten van Rossem, but they have not yet managed to convince Bridget Maasland as the new duo of De Slimste Mens. She asks RTL Boulevard whether her colleague Rob Goossens enjoys watching the current season.
Bridget critical
TV expert Rob says yes. “Yes, thanks to the candidates. Last season was of course Herman and Paulien’s first season together. I didn’t necessarily expect much from it, but I thought those two were a real breath of fresh air. This season I think they are a bit less as a presentation duo.”
Bridget critically: “But crazy, right? What is that? I noticed that too. I really like them both and I also really liked them together last season, but it seems like they sometimes miss the connection with each other a bit.”
Adrenaline
Rob also has that feeling. “Yes, that’s it. Maybe they just did a great job on the adrenaline that first season and it went so well that it now started to feel more like work or something.”
He continues: “But fortunately… I thought Frank van Leeuwen was not only smart, but also a very nice candidate. If there are good candidates in the seats, things will get going and then you see that Herman also has the self-mockery and then Paulien has something to respond to.”
Hype over
Luuk Ikink has the feeling that the hype around The Smartest Human is a bit over. “I have the idea: three or four years ago everyone was talking about the new season of De Slimste Mens. Everyone knew which candidates were in it, but now it passes us by more silently.”
Rob: “Yes, that’s just something to get used to. We now know that there is a surprise every year and if it isn’t there, then it’s disappointing. You can’t control it.”
Time
According to Bridget, the new time doesn’t help either. “When they were sitting earlier in the evening I would sit in front of it and now I fall in like that more often. You are less likely to sit in front of it.”
Rob concludes: “The previous season has proven that it is possible, but I completely agree with you: when it starts at 8.40 p.m., it is more like: well, what are we going to do tonight? Watch The Smartest Person! But if it starts forty minutes later, then you have to spend your evening and see if you still have time for it.”
