Overview
- Season 22 opened Saturday, April 4, with a record‑low 0.36 million viewers in the key demo, then drew a larger audience on Tuesday’s second episode, according to DWDL.
- Viewers blasted Bushido’s appointment over past lyrics and ties to the Berlin clan milieu, with many posts accusing RTL of presenting him without sufficient critique.
- On‑air friction surfaced when Dieter Bohlen snapped “Du kannst mich mal. Kreuzweise” after Bushido teased him during a Sing‑Off segment that decides who advances from the Golden Room.
- The format now parks strong singers in a Golden Room, replaces paper recall slips with Recall Tickets, and removes the Golden CD wildcard to force end‑of‑day decisions.
- Menderes Bağci will host the live shows, and RTL+ will launch a ten‑episode DSDS Reality companion series on April 21 that follows contestants’ training and shared house life.