Joko Winterscheidt (41) and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf (36) do not seem to shy away from any absurdity. For the past eight years, the two moderators have faced one crazy challenge after the next. These are actions that leave many TV viewers speechless. So last Tuesday, too, when Heufer-Umlauf in "Joko and Klaas against ProSieben" suffered agony on a stretching bench, while Winterscheidt was unintentionally responsible for it. If the 41-year-old wanted to solve his task, he had to do meters – and thus increase the tension on the stretching ropes.
Impossible? Not for Joko and Klaas. The two entertainers mastered the torture game that their employer had devised for them with flying colors. Thank you for your years of practice in coping with exceptional situations. These are the most blatant actions of past years.
Klaas Heufer-Umlauf and the "Bagelhead"
In 2012, "Joko and Klaas – The Duel Around the World" was awesome. In Tokyo, Heufer-Umlauf was given the task of "becoming the biggest freak in a Japanese city". How should he do it? TV colleague Winterscheidt had organized everything. In an underground club, Heufer-Umlauf was injected with saline under the forehead. The skin puffed up and was pressed into the shape of a donut. So the task was over and Heufer-Umlauf got rid of the so-called "bagelhead" after a day.
Joko Winterscheidts rendezvous with an alligator
Right at the beginning of the TV format, an apparently impossible task was waiting for Winterscheidt. Heufer-Umlauf sent him to Florida in 2012 to kiss an alligator on site. The precarious: The animal first had to be caught and tamed with bare hands. A real challenge, which the 41-year-old was able to master after a long hesitation.
Klaas Heufer-Umlauf spits on the volcano
Climbing an active volcano requires a lot from the human body. Heufer-Umlauf had to learn that the hard way in 2013. Dressed in Frodo costume, he made his way to the crater on the South Sea island of Tanna to throw a ring in there. In the end he actually triumphed – and poured victory on his stomach contents. The sulfur fumes were visibly difficult for the moderator.
Joko Winterscheidt laughs
"The following program is not suitable for young people under the age of 16", it said before the broadcast of the following scene: In 2013 Winterscheidt lay under the knife in Vancouver, Canada – or rather, under the needle. In order to pass the task set by Heufer-Umlauf, he had a "body modification artist" sew his mouth on without anesthesia – a total of six stitches. Afterwards he performed the song "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by the crash test dummies.
Klaas Heufer-Umlauf plays with death
Get shot at close range and survive. Heufer-Umlauf was faced with this task in the Colombian capital Bogotá in 2014. No fun, as the moderator should find out a short time later. The shot was fired at just 20 centimeters between him and a loaded weapon. The moderator got away with the horror: the bulletproof vest he was wearing caught the projectile.
Joko Winterscheidt and the blood sausage
A culinary challenge awaited Winterscheidt in China in 2017: preparing and eating blood sausage. So far, so good, if it hadn't been for that crucial catch. The meat product should contain autologous blood. A no-go for the moderator who voluntarily gave up the country point. Was that so clever? Winterscheidt had already been served and consumed a piece of blood sausage at the start of the trip. To this day it is unclear whether Heufer-Umlauf did not allow himself to have fun and whether this piece of Winterscheidt's blood could have been from a previous health check.