TV Review | What Do You Really Know About… The Smartest Person?

Facts come to you whether you like them or not. They come in all shapes and sizes, through every conceivable avenue: you read a cute background article about humpback whales in the paper, or you hear the latest Taylor Swift update from that enthusiastic coworker, or you discover a new baking tip on the back of your breadcrumb box. Some of that knowledge lingers somewhere in your memory—sometimes sharp and tangible, sometimes muddled into an incorrect version of what it once was, like a vague remnant of second-grade textbook knowledge.

However, there are bright minds who remember all these facts, and always (even to the point of frustration) have the right general knowledge at hand. And there is a special program for this category of people. Now I am curious: what do you actually know about… smartest person (KRO-NCRV)?

It’s a hard subject for viewers to forget, perhaps (something!)? That it started again last Monday (something!)? And that this is the last season with presenter Philip Freriksz and solo jury Martin van Rossem, and Freriksz’s successor Herman van der Zandt already taking part as a participant (ding ding ding!)?

The latter can call himself the smartest on Monday, as he won by a wide margin over his competitors: singer Faye Lovesky and TikToker Appie Mussa. It was also an almost unfair battle. Van der Zandt has been giving the trick and knowledge test for years. with knife on the table (Max) – He knows how to gather facts and how to use them with poise under pressure. You could leave him to list the characteristics of a cheese soufflé with a straight face, which he did with gusto.

In the studio, it was much harder than it was for the viewers at home on the couch, Van der Zandt confirmed after he and his fellow candidates struggled to come up with the name of attorney Inez Weskey, until Moses finally gave the definitive answer. But for some viewers—and I’ll be honest, for this one—those moments are the most fun to watch: Even the most squeamish viewers sometimes forget whether Inez’s name is Westin or Watsky or Weskey, or even where exactly she’s known. That’s a small comfort if you’re the type of person who can introduce yourself to the same person four times, each time convinced you’ve never met them before.

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Give that absent-minded viewer something, too. Don’t make the person who worked quietly during the first episode the next host – pick the first person to go home to fill that role. That’s something to talk about. In this case it was Moses, and that would have been an excellent choice: recognisable (during the final round: “I’m dying here, dude”), sympathetic (to Lovski, when she just beat him to it: “Great job, really”) and succinct (at his quick departure: “TikToks are always short, so I’m used to it”). And then also cheerful enough to serve as a counterpoint to whoever Martin van Rossem might replace.

But of course the cards have already been shuffled. Van der Zandt will be in Frerik’s place in 2025. It was also known that he had advanced to the second episode: In the previously shared parts, Van der Zandt wore two different costumes, which the RTL Boulevard presenters pointed out on Sunday, then left the viewer to draw their own conclusions. Attractive. Some facts come to you – whether you want them or not.

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