Germany seeks the superstar
Michael Wendler was cut out with these effects
"DSDS" jury member Maite Kelly eagerly listens to a performance
© TVNOW / Stefan Gregorowius
RTL cuts Michael Wendler from the already wacky "DSDS" episodes. How the broadcaster manages this could be seen on Saturday.
On January 6, RTL announced that it would cut Michael Wendler (48) out of the already wacky episodes of the casting show "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" (also on TVNow). On Saturday evening (January 9th) "DSDS" ran for the first time without the former juror. The broadcaster had previously stated that it would "clearly and unambiguously distance itself from Michael Wendler's current statements", in which he placed the newly defined corona lockdown measures "in a national-socialist context". There was also another statement when the show was broadcast.
A statement was faded in stating: "The following broadcast was recorded in September 2020. After the filming was over, a juror spread conspiracy theories and we ended our further collaboration. When the first episode of 'DSDS' was broadcast, the juror again publicly disseminated completely unsustainable statements. That is why we decided to cut him out of the casting series. We condemn all forms of anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination in the strongest possible terms. "
"We accept these 'picture errors'"
Removing Wendler from the episodes already recorded means that "there will be significant, sometimes dramaturgical breaks," explains RTL; "Above all, however, there are also visual 'errors' that do not meet our standards and our requirements," says RTL managing director Jörg Graf (54). "We apologize for this to all 'DSDS' fans. We accept these 'picture errors', however. First and foremost, the juror who publicly expressed himself with conspiracies and derailments after the recording of 'DSDS' , no longer gets a forum and can no longer be seen in a program that only stands for a good mood. "
In the show, the ex-jury member disappeared with the help of light effects or speech bubbles, other Wendler scenes were cut away. When the jury took close-ups, only a section with Dieter Bohlen (66), Maite Kelly (41) and Mike Singer (20) was shown. When a candidate performed a song by Michael Wendler, the vocals were played over.