Linda de Mol does not like or sympathize when her television flop Briljante Breinen is called a flop. According to her, that wasn’t it at all. “It was just a matter of doubt.”
You win some, you lose some. But that is not possible with Linda de Mol. Nowadays, the fallen TV queen only lives on old successes, because her new material does not score. This was also evident last year with Briljante Brainen. Not only a disappointment in terms of viewing figures, but also an outright flop in terms of content.
Hand in your own bosom
When you think of the title Brilliant Brains, you think of a knowledge quiz in which candidates have to answer really complicated questions or complete difficult assignments, but in teams with ridiculous names like ‘apple’ and ‘pear’ they had to answer questions about — how can I make this about me? — Answer Gooische Vrouwen or Queen Máxima.
The format was just as failed as Linda’s attitude during the Voice riot, but a hand in your own bosom? They don’t do that in the De Mol house. And certainly not her sweetheart Jeroen Rietbergen. Literal. The TV queen emphasizes in an interview with Veronica Super guide that we really can’t call it a flop.
In the Ring
Linda is going to try again tonight, because she will debut with a new show, namely the Postcode Lottery-sponsored In de Ring on SBS 6. Is she looking for revenge after the failure of Briljante Breinen? “Not at all,” she answers, almost offended. “If you have that, you are not suitable for commercial TV.”
She continues: “Sometimes you have to accept your loss. Although I do so with a heavy heart, because it was great fun to make. And it was not a flop, because we reached an average of more than 650,000 viewers per episode – including deferred viewing -, including many young people.”
Doubtful case
Eh, with that number of viewers at prime time on RTL 4, it’s just a flop, isn’t it? “Well, it was a questionable case, because it was also expensive. Then you have to balance the costs against the benefits. Simple. That’s how television works.”
Linda thinks it is a shame that the channel top did not grant her a second season. “I hear myself say it, but it used to be more fun. Back then you could often do some fine-tuning after a season. What needs to be done differently? How can it be better? Should we sit at a different time?”
‘It has to be done immediately!’
Linda would actually have liked to tinker with it a little more, but: “Unfortunately, those times are no longer there. You can afford very little as a TV maker now. It has to score immediately.”
Finally: how does she think daughter Noa Vahle is doing on TV? “A copy of me. She works very hard, wants to do everything perfectly and is mainly concerned with keeping all the balls in the air. I recognize that very much. Everything is fun at that age.”