31/08/2024
Herman van der Zandt is looking forward to presenting De slimste mens after next season and wants to do so with his “own twist”. The brand new winner of the 24th season told ANP.
“I have gained appreciation for Philip’s craftsmanship, because behind the scenes you see how good he is,” says Van der Zandt about presenter Philip Freriks, who he saw at work during the recordings of this year’s episodes. “And I am looking forward to trying to continue what he does with my own twist. It will take some getting used to for everyone, including me. But I still have some time.”
He admits that he was paying special attention this season, when he was a candidate among the other participants. “When you’re there, you look at where all the cameras are, how everything is going. You try to see how the makers do it when it’s still. But you’re also playing that game, so you can’t get too distracted. The people I was working with will be my colleagues next year, which is nice, but I also had to keep my mind on the competition.”
What Van der Zandt remembers most about his participation is “that it is a very optimistic program”. “Candidates are having an incredible time. The atmosphere is very nice”, he says. “I hope I can maintain that atmosphere, because that makes candidates feel comfortable and give nice answers.”
The new Maarten
An important part of that atmosphere at the KRO-NCRV program is provided by the presenter he will succeed, but also by one-man jury Maarten van Rossem. He too will stop after the coming winter season. “The chemistry between Philip and Maarten is very important,” says Van der Zandt. “So whoever ends up in Maarten’s chair, that chemistry has to be there. And that has of course grown, but you have to build on that.”
And that is what he intends to do, even though he does not yet know who will fill Van Rossem’s seat. “No, that is not yet known, we are still working on that. It has become a kind of parlour game, ‘who will be the new Maarten?’. There are also people who come to me on the street with suggestions. I saw Sonja Barend pass by. Arjen Lubach is mentioned again. Not that they are going around with us, but I read that. We are working on the selection, but that is still very embryonic. Maarten is going to make another season with Philip first, so we still have some time.”
