Overview
- RTL launches a Warm-Up-Show on Jan. 18 with live connections to Australia, hosted from Cologne by Angela Finger-Erben and Olivia Jones, before nightly broadcasts begin.
- The 19th season airs daily on RTL and RTL+ from Jan. 23, with a finale on Feb. 8, followed by Die Stunde danach after each episode and reunion specials in February.
- Entertainment chief Markus Küttner says about 90 percent of trials are new, with a larger change teased for the first live show.
- The 12-person lineup includes Gil Ofarim, Simone Ballack, Samira Yavuz, Patrick Romer, Umut Tekin, Mirja du Mont, Nicole Belstler-Boettcher, Stephen Dürr, Eva Benetatou, Hubert Fella, Ariel and Hardy Krüger Jr., with multiple contestants already departing via Frankfurt for Australia.
- Ofarim’s participation draws online backlash and criticism from some peers, as RTL defends the casting by noting his legal accountability and invites viewers to assess his conduct on-screen from Jan. 23.