Overview

• The jubilee run adds the special “Der direkte Weg ins Finale,” sending the top four from each preliminary plus the best woman to vie for ten direct final tickets.
• Direct final tickets let qualifiers bypass the semifinals, with remaining spots determined through the standard rounds into late‑November and early‑December finals.
• RTL airs the 12‑episode season on Fridays in prime time, with seven preliminaries leading into the November special, two semifinals and a two‑part finale.
• Frank Buschmann appears with Jan Köppen and Laura Wontorra this season before departing the show afterward.
• BILD and regional coverage list dates and early rosters for the first seven heats, highlighting returning names such as René Casselly and Moritz Hans.