Overview
- Aired on December 30 on ARD’s Das Erste, the special brought Elton back as a guest after more than a decade on the show and his April 2025 exit.
- Viewers on X (formerly Twitter) responded immediately with largely positive, nostalgic comments about his comeback.
- Elton faced Oliver Welke with support from Bernhard Hoëcker, while current captain Wotan Wilke Möhring continued in the role after an October debut that drew mixed reactions.
- The show retained its three-round charity format culminating in a €50,000 final and added the Heavytones live band, in-studio experiments and animal guests.
- Ratings edged up versus the previous XXL edition to 4.68 million viewers and a 21.6% share, including 14.6% among younger viewers, according to Quotenmeter figures cited by Promipool.