In just two hours, 78,000 people registered for the ticket lottery for the upcoming edition of “Wetten, dass..?”—the most ever. ZDF shared the figure on Instagram, making clear whose record it is: the Kaulitz twins, Bill and Tom (37), who will host the iconic show live from Halle (Saale) on December 5 at 8:15 p.m. If you still want to participate, you can sign up for the drawing through Friday, October 23, at 10:00 a.m. This is the first edition of “Wetten, dass..?” in three years.
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“Now we really have to do this”
The twins are currently booking back-to-back commitments. Their album “Encore” has just been released, and a tour kicks off at the end of October. What had seemed distant when the hosting gig was announced now feels concrete, Bill said at the show’s press day: “Now we really have to do this.” And further: “I’m actually getting pretty excited, slowly.”
Tom sees the packed weeks more as an advantage, he explained. The numerous concerts are the perfect training: “We’ve got about 18, 19 shows and then ‘Wetten, dass..?’ That means we’re already prepared for an audience.”
Bill doesn’t quit on Travis Kelce
The ZDF editorial team says they involve the brothers completely in the creative process. “We sit down together regularly, discuss our dream guests or guests we don’t really want,” Bill explained. To persuade stars, the duo even pulls out their private phone: “With some guests we’ve stuck with it so hard because we want them on so badly that we actually pull out the phone and nudge them until they agree to come.”
Not always successful. Travis Kelce isn’t coming, Tom said. Bill, however, added that he hasn’t given up yet.
“Teleprompter doesn’t work at all”
The Kaulitz brothers want to grill Hollywood stars with questions no one else asks. They also lean on a light touch and self-deprecation. “Of course we need things to be a bit spontaneous because we’re not great at memorizing lines. And Bill can’t read very well, so the teleprompter doesn’t work,” Tom joked.
In some of the contestants, Bill says he’s already fallen in love. The audition videos are “totally sweet.” Tom summed up the planning status: “Everything sounds totally fantastic.”
Liverwurst sandwiches and pajamas
For the brothers, the show harks back to childhood TV nights, specifically “little liverwurst sandwiches and wearing pajamas in front of the TV,” Tom said. Their mother was especially moved by the project; she used to watch “Wetten, dass..?” as a young girl with her grandmother. The idea that her children would host the show someday never crossed her mind. “In that moment I realized how crazy this is for our family,” Bill said.
