Maarten van Rossem admits that even The Smartest Human is not always as authentic as it appears. He sometimes delivers certain statements on command. “Then I know: a-há, they want to hear it again.”
The statements that Maarten van Rossem makes as a member of the jury of De Slimste Mens are sometimes much discussed. For example, he not only lashed out at Martien Meiland on Monday, but also wished Johnny Depp dead. That has come under quite a lot of criticism. But how real are all those interludes with Maarten?
Staged
Maarten confesses that many things in the TV world are staged. During shooting on location, for example, he is regularly asked to repeat a certain joke or a certain cynical remark, but on camera. “Yes, yes. That happens very regularly. I have no problem with that at all,” he says in his podcast.
Does that also happen at De Slimste Mens? “Yes, but in a very different way. At De Slimste, I always know that if I’ve said something they like, but can’t use in the editing of that episode, that question will always be repeated in the next broadcast. Then I know: a-há, they want to hear it again.”
play
Then it’s like a play that Maarten performs. “I like to do my best for that.”
It’s just television, explains Maarten. He just finished recording in the United States. “In principle, about ten times as much material is turned as is actually used. That is not exceptional. That was exactly the case with the program with my brother and sister.”
“One disk is not yet full or the next one is already full. That is really unbelievable.”