Winston Gerschtanowitz’s marble show started as a big hit, then did reasonably well and now scores downright disappointing. What is going on? “The celebrities are too hysterical.”
Winston Gerschtanowitz surprised friend and foe in 2021 by achieving high ratings with his marble show Marble Mania. On average, more than 1.2 million people watched marbled stars such as Wesley Sneijder, Nick & Simon, Hélène Hendriks and Wietze de Jager. A year later, in 2022, there were an average of 768 thousand.
Way too hysterical
Winston can currently be seen with the third season, but an average of 493 thousand people are currently watching it. In other words: Marble Mania is really not a hit anymore. But why?
TV connoisseur Victor Vlam does have an idea. “It’s really incredibly hysterical. There are three celebrities who participate in this per episode and every time a marble ends up in a jar, there is hugging, then cheering, then sometimes there is also singing. It is extremely high in terms of energy level,” he says The Communicados.
‘Terrible!’
Co-host Lars Duursma agrees. “There is continuous applause. Terrible!”
Victor: “It goes on throughout the broadcast, so it drives you crazy. If you hear this constantly, then at the end of the broadcast you just have a headache. You just need an aspirin. It is very busy.”
Lars: “Yes, at one point I was looking forward to the commercial break, because then there would be fewer impulses. That’s not how it should be.”
Very American
According to Victor, it is a bit American. “I also recognize it from American television. It also tends to be very busy. There is a constant high energy level. I feel that Winston Gerschtanowitz is also very much encouraging that.”
He continues: “I can also imagine behind the scenes those three Dutch celebrities were told: ‘Nice high energy level! Come on, let’s make a show of it!’ They are also completely whipped up to get this.”
Minute analysis
Why SBS 6 opts for so much hysteria? Perhaps they look too much at the minute analysis, he says. “I think their conclusion is that if you have a moment of rest in the broadcast, that is a zap moment for the viewer. But ratings are of course more of an art than a science.”
He continues: “This may indeed prevent some viewers from zapping away, but I think the downside is that the overall experience of watching this program drops, meaning viewers won’t come back for the next episode.”