Natasja Froger has ended up in a rather nasty talk show row for the first time in her career. She was severely attacked by a somewhat ill-mannered Theo Hiddema. “With your Santa hat!”
The forgotten radio campaign Serious Request was accompanied last week by a daily talk show from broadcaster PowNed, presented by a certain Nellie Benner, with Rutger Castricum at her side. While he did a great job on Today Inside, he turned out to be really annoying in this program. The victim? Natasha Froger.
Failing Rutger
To the talk show in question, entitled A House Full of Glasses, you could see that Rutger at VI is quite kept in check by the men at the table. Without a counterbalance in a program – Nellie was clearly seen by Rutger as a kind of intern – the presenter feels completely like the man. And that leads to cringeworthy television.
While the talk show was intended to draw attention to the charity – in this case the ALS Foundation – Rutger used it as a kind of playground. He tried to clean the entire table rule; everything had to revolve around Rutger and his political rebellion. And that went especially wrong in Thursday’s broadcast. The result? Major inconvenience to all guests.
PVV voters
In that broadcast, Rutger sits opposite Theo Hiddema and asks if he wants to join a PVV cabinet. Then Rutger only wants to talk about that party – everyone at the table has to say what they think of Geert Wilders. But that’s not what the show is about at all. The guests present are clearly turned off by that attitude.
The rebellious presenter to the members of the band Chef’Special: “Do you know that you are sitting at the table with the new Minister of Justice? From the PVV.”
Lead singer Joshua Nolet: “I hope not… Back to our performance!”
‘How so?!’
Rutger is not satisfied with that. “What do you mean ‘I hope not’? Didn’t you vote PVV?”
Joshua: “No, I did not vote for the PVV.”
Rutger: “And why not?”
Joshua: “Oh my god, are we really going to do this now?”
Rutger: “Yes, why not?”
Just at that moment, Natasja Froger starts making excuses in the background with her husband René. She is clear not amused. Joshua: “I think it’s a terrible match and I also think Wilders is a terrible man. Yeah, no, that’s definitely not someone I would ever vote for in my entire life, no.”
‘You’re excluding venues!’
When Rutger also forces Joshua’s band members to speak out about the PVV, and they do not appear to vote for that party either, he sneers: “Then you are excluding quite a few venues now.”
Then Natasja turns her face away in the background. She then no longer watches the conversation at the table. She spent all day on the square of the Glass House advocating for ALS patients, only to end up in an accompanying talk show in the evening where the only issue is whether the guests at the table vote for the PVV or not.
‘Why now?!’
The presenter on duty, that is Nellie, clearly does not have the upper hand, but eventually intervenes: “Why do you have to talk about this again? What’s interesting about this? They are my guests. In my cafe! This is Serious Request and I want to know how you had it.”
Mark Baanders, who has an eye on what Natasja and René are saying to each other, then starts shouting from behind the bar: “Rutger, pay attention, right? We shouldn’t just talk about politics, otherwise you’ll just leave the pub!”
Natasha intervenes
When Natasja and René are allowed to sit at the table, there is first a short polite conversation about Christmas in the Froger house. Then Rutger starts talking about his former program House of Ibiza and how drunk he got there with René. Nellie: “I just can’t get through those guys. Natas, he’s not listening. I sit back. You’re welcome to roll those credits!”
Then Natasha intervenes. “But we’re not going to the credits at all! Then I’m going to intervene, because I just want to talk about ALS, because that’s what we’re here for. That’s what this is about. No, but listen, that’s all well and good, that nonsense, but we are here for a serious reason and that is to draw attention to the ALS Foundation.”
Theo attacks
Theo is apparently pissed off and attacks her harshly: “You draw attention to the cornerstone of society! The little family! Is this a sermon? What is this all about here?”
Natasja: “Well, maybe you should read up a little bit about people with ALS.”
Theo: “She is here portraying the cornerstone of society, the happy family. ‘Oh, we’re so nice, what a crowd,’ you’re sitting there wearing a Santa hat.”
Natasja: “With all due respect: have you ever looked into what happens to people with ALS?”
Theo: “I only see people who are not doing so well.”
Grumble
Natasja tries to calm things down. “People with ALS are not doing well at all and that is why we are here, to draw attention to it, and they deserve that.”
Theo continues arguing: “I understand all that, but you were just talking about your family, which was very happy and very satisfied and very joyful.”
Natasja: “That’s right.”
Theo: “Those ALS people will find that funny.”
Natasja: “Yes, we share it with them too, yes. Sorry, we’re not just sitting at home complaining.”
Grim
The program ends very grimly and one thing is certain: we will not see the celebrities in that broadcast – from Kraantje Pappie to Joshua Nolet to Natasja Froger – again in a PowNed broadcast anytime soon.
An anonymous source states in a letter submitted: “Behind the scenes, the editor-in-chief resigned/fired because of this (…) and the entire team got into a huge argument. Natasja and René Froger left furious. (…) Castricum is completely concerned with himself and wants to be so rebellious forcibly.”
Totally wrong tone
PowNed appears not to be suitable for this type of television at all, according to the source. “It’s completely the wrong tone, even though the NPO really paid a lot of money for this. Absolutely bizarre.”
Rutger’s broadcaster contributed to Serious Request with two programs; the other program was the butchered Serious Christmas, with C stars such as Sem van Dijk. “Two very expensive programs from PowNed that flopped and missed the mark. That money would have been better donated to the ALS Foundation.”