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''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' (''DSDS''; "Germany is looking for the Superstar") is a German
reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, r ...
talent show A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather ...
. Part of the ''Idol'' franchise, it was created by British
media mogul A media proprietor, media mogul or media tycoon refers to a entrepreneur who controls, through personal ownership or via a dominant position in any media-related company or enterprise, media consumed by many individuals. Those with significant co ...
Simon Fuller Simon Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British entrepreneur, artist manager, and film and television producer renowned for nurturing and inspiring world class entertainment talent. He is the creator of the ''Idols'' TV format, including the UK s ...
as a spin-off from the British show ''
Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and par ...
'', of which two series were broadcast between the years of 2001 and 2003. Debuting to mediocre ratings in November 2002 on the RTL network, the show has since become one of the most successful shows on German television. The program aims to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nationwide auditions in which viewer voting determines the winner. Voting is done through phone and SMS text voting. In July 2022, RTL announced that the show would discontinue after the conclusion of the 20th season in 2023.


Season summaries


Season 1

The first season 2002–2003 of ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' debuted without much hype in November 2002 on the RTL network. The show's co-hosts were Swiss actress
Michelle Hunziker Michelle Yvonne Hunziker (Swiss , ; born 24 January 1977) is a Swiss-Italian television presenter and former model. Early life Hunziker was born in Sorengo, Lugano, in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Her mother Ineke is Dutch and ...
and former
soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
actor Carsten Spengemann, while the jury consisted of music producer
Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen, 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous German a ...
, radio host Thomas Bug, British music journalist
Shona Fraser Shona Kathryn Fraser (born 9 July 1975 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle, England) is a music journalist in Germany, the United Kingdom, and France, having worked for the BBC, MTV, and Westdeutscher Rundfunk, WDR.Kralicek, Thomas (2008)Was macht e ...
, and then-president of BMG Germany, Thomas M. Stein. Through word of mouth generated by the appeal of its contestants and the presence of Bohlen's acid-tongued commentary, the show grew into a phenomenon ending with a finale viewed by an estimated twelve million viewers in March 2003. Winner
Alexander Klaws Alexander Klaws (born 3 September 1983) is a German singer, songwriter, actor, and host. He rose to fame in 2003 after winning the debut season of the television series ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'', the German ''Idol'' series adaptation. ...
signed a recording contract with BMG, the label in partnership with ''DSDS''. Immediately post-finale, Klaws released three singles, most notably the coronation song "Take Me Tonight" which was written by Bohlen and debuted on top of the
German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...
, eventually becoming the second biggest-selling single of 2003 – only losing to "
We Have a Dream "We Have A Dream" was a special single released as the official song of the Scotland national football team for their 1982 World Cup Campaign. When first released, it reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart. 2008 version The single was re-relea ...
", the pre-released recording of all ten finalists. Klaws has subsequently had three albums and several hit singles mostly from his more successful first album. While his debut, ''Take Your Chance'' (2003), and its follow-up, ''Here I Am'' (2004), saw nationwide success and garnered him several
ECHO Award Echo Music Prize (stylised as ECHO, ) was an accolade by the , an association of recording companies of Germany to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The first ECHO Awards ceremony was held in 1992, and it was set up to hono ...
nominations, his independent 2006 release, ''
Attention! ''Attention!'' is the third studio album by German singer Alexander Klaws. It was released by Sony BMG on Hansa Records on 10 March 2006 in German-speaking Europe. Recorded after a short-living hiatus, it marked a departure from Klaws' previous ...
'' failed to link on previous sales figures. He has since established a secondary career as an actor on the Sat.1
telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...
''
Anna und die Liebe Anna und die Liebe (''Anna and (the) Love'') is the eleventh Telenovela made in Germany. It has aired since 25 August 2008 on German channel Sat.1 and Austrian Channel ORF 1. Summary In its first season, Anna Polauke is extremely shy. In fron ...
'' and appeared in leading roles on musicals such as '' Dance of the Vampires'' and ''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
''. Besides Klaws, all ten finalists with the exception of then-pregnant Andrea Josten signed record deals with various record companies. Runner-up
Juliette Schoppmann Juliette Schoppmann (born 18 March 1980) is a German singer, songwriter and vocal coach who came to fame as the runner-up of the debut season of the television series ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'', the German ''Idol'' series adaptation. ...
also signed with BMG, but in contrast to public expectations she declined working with Bohlen. Instead, she released three singles of which two entered the top ten and a solo album, ''Unique'', which eventually debuted in 2004. Due to moderate sales BMG dropped her shortly after its release. She has since made herself a name as professional songwriter. Third-placed Daniel Küblböck also expanded his nationwide but extremely polarising popularity with a contract with BMG. Until June 2004 he released four major succeeded hit singles and a number-one album, titled ''Positive Energien'' (2003). However, further efforts failed on the charts after a controversial participations in the German versions of ''
I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' is a British reality TV series in which a number of celebrities live together in a jungle environment for a number of weeks, competing to be crowned "King" or "Queen of the Jungle". The show was or ...
'' and '' Big Brother'' and the release of his flopped motion picture '' Daniel – Der Zauberer'' (2004). Vanessa Struhler became the protégé of hip hop producer
DJ Tomekk Tomasz Kuklicz (born 11 October 1975), known professionally as DJ Tomekk, is a Polish-born German-based hip hop DJ and record producer. Rappers who have featured in his songs include Ice-T, Fatman Scoop, Khia, Xzibit, Fler, Sido, Kurupt, Li ...
and saw solid commercial success with her first album, ''Ride with Me'' (2003).
Gracia Baur Gracia Arabella Baur (born 18 November 1982) is a German singer and songwriter. She rose to fame as a finalist on the debut season of the television series ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'', the German ''Idol'' series adaptation, placing fifth ...
also was signed to BMG, but was dropped after her moderate succeeded rock debut ''Intoxicated'' (2003). She then signed with Bros Music and was selected to represent Germany in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2005 The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following the country's victory at the with the song "Wild Dances" by Ruslana. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (E ...
with the song " Run & Hide", where it placed last in a field of 24. Judith Lefeber,
Daniel Lopes Daniel Lopes (born 12 November 1976) is a German-Brazilian singer and songwriter. He came to fame as a contestant on the debut season of the television series '' Deutschland sucht den Superstar'', the German ''Idol'' series adaptation. Early ...
, and Nektarios Bamiatzis also scored mediocre to little success after the show with their own releases.


Season 2

In the second series of ''DSDS'' 2003–2004, co-hosts Hunziker and Spengemann and all four jury members reprised their engagements in the show. Following the success of the first installment, the second season was aired to a higher profile during 2003 fall schedule, including an increased number of episodes, budgets and charges for commercial spots. In contrast to the first season, however, the second soon found its main audience but never reached the overwhelming hype and demand which the first season had captured. This fact was underscored by decreasing phone votes and ratings, which were released after the show's final. This time, teacher
Elli Erl Elisabeth Maria Erl (born 25 May 1979) is a German singer-songwriter. She came to fame as the winner of the second season of the television show '' Deutschland sucht den Superstar'', the German ''Idol'' series adaptation. With ''DSDS'', Erl ...
emerged as the winner. Though Erl agreed to release the Bohlen-produced coronation song "This Is My Life" in a remixed edition, she declined collaborating with him on her debut album ''In My Dreams'' due to musical differences. While the debut single still reached the top three of the
German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...
, the album, released in October 2004, reached number thirty-three on the
German Albums Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustr ...
and spawned another two singles of which none became a commercial hit, making Erl the lowest-selling ''DSDS'' winner to date. Her following two albums ''Moving Out'' (2007) and ''Human'' (2009) failed to chart anywhere. Unlike in season one, the other finalists hit on major problems when they watched out for record deals. While runner-up Denise Tillmanns never signed a recording contract, third-place finisher
Philippe Bühler Philippe Bühler (born 29 November 1981) a.k.a. Philippe Heithier (named after his mother's birth name) is a German singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer and manager. He came to fame as a contestant on the second season of '' Deutschland ...
established himself as a professional songwriter and released two R&B-influenced singles, entitled "Warum?" (2005) and "Ich kann dich lieben" (2006), both of which entered the top forty of the German Singles Chart. Anke Wagner signed with independent label Perleberg, but neither her debut single nor her album magaged to enter any chart. Benjamin Martell was signed to BMG, but was dropped when he demanded to write the album by himself. Fifth-place finisher Gunther Göbbel became part of the R&B duo Lemon Ice, whose cover single " Stand by Me" entered the German top twenty in fall 2006. Lorenzo Woodard participated in several prominent reality shows such as ''Die Alm'' and ''
Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus! ''Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!'', also known colloquially as the ''Dschungelcamp'' (''Jungle Camp''), is a German reality television show, based on the British reality television show '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!''. The ...
'' and has since enjoyed media attention under his transsexual identity "
Lorielle London Lorielle London (born Lorenzo Woodard'';'' 24 December 1983 in Birkenfeld, West Germany) is a German television personality and transgender entertainer. Biography Early life London was born in 1983 in Birkenfeld to a German fashion seamstress ...
".


Season 3

After an absence of one year (2004–2005), the third season 2005–2006 introduced several new elements. Neither Hunziker nor Spengemann were asked back as the show's hosts as the studio wanted a new complexion on the season. They were replaced with Marco Schreyl and Dutch co-host Tooske Ragas. The jury cast also went through radical changes;
Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen, 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous German a ...
remained the only original member, and was eventually joined by music producer Sylvia Kollek and former manager Heinz Henn.


Season 4

The fourth season of ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' was aired on German channel RTL from January to May 2007. Mark Medlock, this season's winner, was awarded a contract with Sony BMG. The judges in this season were
Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen, 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous German a ...
, Heinz Henn and Anja Lukaseder. It was hosted by Marco Schreyl and Tooske Ragas. The viewers chose the contestant's fates as they were able to call for their favorite contestant. The voting results were published on May 7, 2007.


Season 5

Because of the success of season four RTL decided to create a fifth season in 2008. This was announced just before the fourth season final show was shown on TV. There were several changes:
Marco Schreyl Marco Schreyl (born 1 January 1974) is a German television and radio host. Television career In 1997, Schreyl began his television host career at MDR television. On 2 October 2000, he went to ZDF and was the presenter of the television mag ...
became the sole host of the show, without the assistance of Tooske Ragas. Due to some arguments with
Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen, 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous German a ...
, Heinz Henn was replaced in the jury by Andreas "Bär" Läsker. Läsker discovered and is the manager of
Die Fantastischen Vier Die Fantastischen Vier (, "The Fantastic Four"), often shortened to Fanta 4, is a German hip hop band from Stuttgart. The members are Michael Schmidt (Smudo), Andreas Rieke, Thomas Dürr, ''janitor''), and Michi Beck. They were, together with ...
(The Fantastic Four), and joined existing jury members Bohlen and Anja Lukaseder. The last substantial change concerns only one semi-final shows ("Top 15 shows") with the name ''Jetzt oder nie'' (Now or Never): So far the 10 best candidates had been determined by telephone and
SMS Short Message/Messaging Service, commonly abbreviated as SMS, is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet and mobile device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols that let mobile devices exchange short text ...
voting. Instead the jury selected the Top 10 live in front of 1,000 spectators. The five contestants with the highest number of votes from the public went through to the motto shows. The judges picked five more contestants of the remaining 10 to join them. Later, the candidates enter the final shows with public voting as in the earlier series. With the new rules, the producers hope to increase the excitement and to prevent good candidates from being knocked out too early. The auditions started in August on Mallorca and for the first time ever on Ibiza. From September on the casting crew toured throughout Germany. The first show, ''Now or never – Jetzt oder nie'', aired on March 8, 2008.


Season 6

The sixth season of ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' was aired on German channel RTL from January to May 2009. The season's winner,
Daniel Schuhmacher Daniel Schuhmacher (born 19 April 1987) is a German singer and songwriter. In 2009, he rose to fame after winning the sixth season of '' Deutschland sucht den Superstar'', the German edition of ''Pop Idol''. His debut album ''The Album'' was rel ...
, was awarded a contract with Sony BMG. The judges in this season were
Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen, 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous German a ...
, Nina Eichinger, and
Volker Neumüller Volker Neumüller (born 18 October 1969) is a German music manager and was known for being a judge on ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar''. Career Born in Cuxhaven, Neumüller has been involved in the music industry since 1987. In 1991, he bec ...
. It was hosted by
Marco Schreyl Marco Schreyl (born 1 January 1974) is a German television and radio host. Television career In 1997, Schreyl began his television host career at MDR television. On 2 October 2000, he went to ZDF and was the presenter of the television mag ...
. The viewers chose the contestant's fates as they were able to call for their favorite contestant. As with season 5, the "Top 10" was created by the Top 5 contestants with the most telephone and
SMS Short Message/Messaging Service, commonly abbreviated as SMS, is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet and mobile device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols that let mobile devices exchange short text ...
voting and the other five were selected by the jury.


Season 7

The seventh season of ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' was aired on German channel RTL from 6 January to 17 April 2010. The season marked a new national record with more than 35,000 participants. The season's winner was
Mehrzad Marashi Mehrzad Marashi (born 20 September 1980) is a German singer of Iranian descent and the winner of ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' season 7. Early life Born in Tehran, Iran where his father was in the military profession during the Shah's r ...
.


Public votes

Mehrzad Marahsi won the show. Second was Menowin Fröhlich and on third place Manuel Hoffmann. Menowin has won every liveshow but lost against Mehrzad who won the final with 56,04%. Manuel Hoffmann was eliminated in the 5th show, but he came back after Helmut Orosz was expelled from the show. Manuel came back and reached the semi-final, so that he was the first one who was eliminated and has survived more than one show again. Thomas Karaoglan, who reached the 5th place was known as ''der Checker'' and Kim Debkowski has made some advertisement during her video previous her performance with some beauty tips on ''Kim Gloss Tv''. The live-shows began with the Top-15 show to determine the contestants that would make up the Top 10 in the mottoshows. As done in the previous seasons, the Top 10 were contestants put through from the public vote and the jury's vote. However, 7 (instead of 5) contestants were put through with the public votes and 3 (instead of 5) would be put through by the jury; which ultimately became the contestants that ranked with the next three largest number of votes. In the first live show, Steffi Landerer, who was known for her sex appeal, was eliminated. Marcel Pluschke, who was eliminated on the second live-show, did not perceive an excellent audience respect because of his weak voice and country music roots (which was a first in DSDS). Though criticized for his song selection in the third live show, Nelson Sangaré was surprisingly eliminated after ranking as one of the top contestants throughout the first and second live-shows. After being in the bottom groups every week, Ines Redjeb was eventually eliminated in the fourth live-show. Though proving to be a favorite in the competition despite ranking in the bottom half of the voting, Manuel Hoffmann was eliminated in the fifth show against Helmut Orosz. Orosz, who was a Top 50 contestant in the second season, became criticized for his problems with singing correct texts; immediately after Hoffmann's elimination, the producers of DSDS had found a video of Orosz with a friend using cocaine recently, to which Orosz confessed. Because of this, Orosz was disqualified from the contest and Hoffmann returned to the live-shows surpassing crowd favorite Thomas Karaoglan in the sixth-live show and Kim Debkowski in the seventh live-show. However, Hoffmann's journey ended in the semi-final leaving the finale in the hands of the season's front-runners Menowin Fröhlich and Mehrzad Marashi. Fröhlich, a local DJ, successfully auditioned for the show in the third season making it to the Top-20 live-shows; he later became disqualified due to battery and fraud. Both friends throughout the recall, tensions rose throughout the competition between fans and themselves. After the final vote, Marashi won though only ranking in first place in the Top-15 and the finale as Fröhlich ranked first every week.


Season 8

''Deutschland sucht den Superstar Season 8'' is the eighth season of the
Idol series ''Idol'' (also known as ''SuperStar'' in some countries) is a reality television singing competition format created by British television producer Simon Fuller and developed by Fremantle. The format began in 2001 with the British television se ...
in Germany began airing on RTL on 8 January 2011. The winner will get a recording contract with
Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
. 34,956 people auditioned throughout the 35 cities that hosted auditions. Nina Eichinger and
Volker Neumüller Volker Neumüller (born 18 October 1969) is a German music manager and was known for being a judge on ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar''. Career Born in Cuxhaven, Neumüller has been involved in the music industry since 1987. In 1991, he bec ...
were removed from the panel. Their successors are Swiss singer
Patrick Nuo Patrick Nuo (born 31 August 1982) is a Swiss singer. Early life Nuo was born and raised in Lucerne, Switzerland, where he lived till the age of 17. His mother is Swiss and his father is an ethnic Albanian from Kosovo. He has a younger brother, ...
and singer/dancer
Fernanda Brandão Fernanda Brandão Gonçalves da Silva (born 3 May 1983) is a Brazilian singer and dancer based in Munich, Germany. She became famous under her stage name Laava, then with Latin pop trio, . Early life Brandão was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, ...
.
Marco Schreyl Marco Schreyl (born 1 January 1974) is a German television and radio host. Television career In 1997, Schreyl began his television host career at MDR television. On 2 October 2000, he went to ZDF and was the presenter of the television mag ...
returned as the host. DSDS has extended participation privileges to Austria and Switzerland. The Top 35 will be going to the
Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
. The final aired on 7 May 2011, and the winner was Pietro Lombardi. This season reintroduced the contestants singing with backing tracks as opposed to a live band.


Controversies

The ''
Hamburger Morgenpost The ''Hamburger Morgenpost'' (Hamburg Morning Post) (also known as Mopo) is a daily German newspaper published in Hamburg in tabloid format. As of 2006 the ''Hamburger Morgenpost'' was the second-largest newspaper in Hamburg after '' Bild Zeitu ...
'' questioned whether RTL misquoted DSDS Top 10 candidate Anna-Carina Woitschack. In an interview, Anna-Carina was quoted as saying "It was cut together all wrong. I never said that I hate Sarah – but on the contrary, I do not hate Sarah Engels. That is what I said. But it was cut this way by RTL, because it looks good for the show." RTL received a statement from the Office of Public Safety stating that Sebastian Wurth was not allowed to participate after 10 PM. RTL was also fined 15,000 Euro for the incident. The ''
Hamburger Morgenpost The ''Hamburger Morgenpost'' (Hamburg Morning Post) (also known as Mopo) is a daily German newspaper published in Hamburg in tabloid format. As of 2006 the ''Hamburger Morgenpost'' was the second-largest newspaper in Hamburg after '' Bild Zeitu ...
'' questioned whether the liveshows were actually live broadcast. In the 3rd Mottoshow, Marco Angelini slipped up in his performance and forgot to sing at the correct time. Pietro Lombardi's brother posted nude picture of Sarah Engels after she used Pietro's cell phone to talk to girls. The hardcore fans of Pietro Lombardi told his brother Marco about this and he wasn't happy about this. So, he decided to take "revenge." Pietro's brother also wrote "Everyone knows how cheap Sarah Engels is. She is sneaky. A liar." DSDS host
Marco Schreyl Marco Schreyl (born 1 January 1974) is a German television and radio host. Television career In 1997, Schreyl began his television host career at MDR television. On 2 October 2000, he went to ZDF and was the presenter of the television mag ...
mixed up the phone numbers for candidates Zazou Mall and Marco Angelini. A camera shot of Marco Angelini showed him enraged towards the lens. A reporter for the
Hamburger Morgenpost The ''Hamburger Morgenpost'' (Hamburg Morning Post) (also known as Mopo) is a daily German newspaper published in Hamburg in tabloid format. As of 2006 the ''Hamburger Morgenpost'' was the second-largest newspaper in Hamburg after '' Bild Zeitu ...
, who was present, reported there were chaotic scenes shortly before the end of the recording.
Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen, 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous German a ...
mentioned the mistake and Marco Schreyl replied that "It could be made easier for the host". RTL decided that no candidate would be eliminated and the final show was pushed back a week. On the 6th mottoshow, Sarah Engels had two wardrobe incidents, when dancing to "Walking on Sunshine", where she began dancing too close to one of the cameras, causing two upskirts. This was eventually shown to the studio audience during the recap of her performance and was noted by the judges.


Season 9

For the ninth season of ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'', jury members
Fernanda Brandão Fernanda Brandão Gonçalves da Silva (born 3 May 1983) is a Brazilian singer and dancer based in Munich, Germany. She became famous under her stage name Laava, then with Latin pop trio, . Early life Brandão was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, ...
and
Patrick Nuo Patrick Nuo (born 31 August 1982) is a Swiss singer. Early life Nuo was born and raised in Lucerne, Switzerland, where he lived till the age of 17. His mother is Swiss and his father is an ethnic Albanian from Kosovo. He has a younger brother, ...
were replaced by
Bruce Darnell Bruce Darnell (born July 19, 1957) is an American choreographer, model and television personality based in Germany. Darnell was born and grew up in Colorado. After studying sociology, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served six years as a par ...
and
Cascada Cascada (, Spanish for "Waterfall", stylized as CASCADA, CASC''A''DA and cascada) is a German dance music act founded in 2004 by singer Natalie Horler and DJs/producers DJ Manian and DJ Yanou. They are best known for their hit singles " Every ...
's
Natalie Horler Natalie Christine Horler (born 23 September 1981) is a German-English singer and television presenter, best known for being the lead singer of the Eurodance group Cascada. Early life and family Natalie Horler was born in Bonn, West Germany, ...
. The winner will receive a recording contract with
Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
and €500,000. Participants must be between the ages of 16 and 30 and living in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. The auditions stage had 34 audition events in 33 cities across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 35.401 participants auditioned for season 9. RTL decided to have a "Top 16" instead of a "Top 15". Unlike previous seasons, participants sung in a duet.
Luca Hänni Luca Hänni (born 8 October 1994) is a Swiss pop singer and television personality. He rose to fame in 2012 after winning the ninth season of ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'', the German version of the ''Idol'' franchise. He was the first n ...
won season 9. At age 17, Luca is the youngest winner-to-date. The Cologne district government wants to enforce a law that protect minors. The law will not allow minors to participate on stage after 10 PM. The issue started last season when this law was enforced for Sebastian Wurth. RTL received a 15,000 Euro fine for the incident. The candidates that this would affect are Daniele Negroni, age 16; Luca Hänni, age 17; Vanessa Krasniqi, age 17 and Fabienne Rothe, age 16. RTL decided to cancel the results show for 7, 14 and 21 April due to the minor protection law.
Hamburger Morgenpost The ''Hamburger Morgenpost'' (Hamburg Morning Post) (also known as Mopo) is a daily German newspaper published in Hamburg in tabloid format. As of 2006 the ''Hamburger Morgenpost'' was the second-largest newspaper in Hamburg after '' Bild Zeitu ...
hinted that Thomas Pegram's elimination was expected because of some of his statistics on
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
. He has the fewest people who clicked the "like" button only 4.105 people and received only 813 comments after the official DSDS Facebook fanpage put up his photo. Hamburger Morgenpost continued this when Silvia Amaru was eliminated restating how the lowest "like" total showed who was going to be eliminated before the final decision. Silvia Amaru's photo had 4.761 "like" while the competition was at around 10.000 on Sunday 11 March at 10:15 CET. Hamburger Morgenpost stated that it should be "clear" for RTL that "Facebook is a power killer" for ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar''. In the Top 8, Kristof had the fews likes for his photo and was not voted out of the show. Kristof Hering suffered verbal and death threats during his participation during season 9 due to his homosexuality. People were writing stuff like "You are sooo gay to .."; "I'll cut your eggs"; "Get out of DSDS, if you value your life" and "I stab you up". RTL filed charges against unknown persons because of the threats. TV ratings for season 9 have been disappointing. None of the mottoshows have reached 5 million viewers.
season 1 Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) * Season 4 (disambiguati ...
averaged 8.09 million viewers and
season 8 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
averaged 6.32 million viewers in the show's key demographic (ages 14 to 49). Only 4.71 million people watch the final show of season 9. This is the lowest viewership in the history of all the final shows of DSDS. RTL stated they want to continue with the show declining rates.


Season 10

On 30 April 2012, RTL announced that the show will return for a tenth season, in spite of declining ratings in Season 9. It was also announced that previous judges Natalie Horler and Bruce Darnell as well as host Marco Schreyl will be replaced. Furthermore, a "female quota" will be introduced in order to have an equal balance of male and female contestants. According to reports, the show was supposed to have a live band accompanying the contestants in the live shows, which has been absent since season 8. However, the first motto show of the season did not feature a live band and contestants sounded to be singing to pre-recorded tracks. On 14 September 2012, RTL announced Tom and Bill Kaulitz from the MTV Video Music Awards winning band
Tokio Hotel Tokio Hotel is a German pop rock band, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer, and bassist Georg Listing. Their sound encompasses multiple genres, including pop rock, alternative rock, and electro ...
and Mateo Jaschik founding member of the German dancehall band Culcha Candela as the replacements for Natalie Horler and Bruce Darnell in the jury. This is the first time since season 2 that the jury consisted of four judges. The first episode attracted 5.18 Mio. viewers, which marks the lowest season premiere rating since
season 1 Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) * Season 4 (disambiguati ...
, which has not been broadcast on the primetime slot on 8.15pm. Despite this, the show was renewed for an eleventh season for 2014. Only 4,63 Mio. viewers watched the final, a major low record. The winner of the tenth season was Beatrice Egli. She became the first female winner since season 2 and the first German Schlager singer to win the competition. The season featured a female finale which has happened only twice so far in the history of the show. Furthermore, this is the first time that three women reached the final four.


Season 11

On 13 March 2013 RTL announced, that there will be an eleventh season. The judges from the previous season, with the exception of
Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen, 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous German a ...
, were replaced by rapper Kay One, the singer ''Mieze Katz'' of the band MIA., and the Schlager singer
Marianne Rosenberg Marianne Rosenberg (born 10 March 1955) is a German Schlager music singer and songwriter. Personal background Rosenberg is of Roma and Sinti background. Her father, Otto, an Auschwitz death camp survivor, was an activist on Roma and Sinti ...
.
Nazan Eckes Nazan Khol ( Üngör; born 9 May 1976), better known as Nazan Eckes, is a German television presenter. Career Eckes, daughter of Turkish immigrants from Eskişehir, completed her ''Abitur'' high school diploma in 1995 in Leverkusen, where her f ...
returned as the host of the eleventh season, however without Raúl Richter. The season started on Wednesday, 8 January 2014 on RTL. The top 30, which consisted of 15 female and 15 male contestants, were brought to Cuba for the further competition. In the top 20 round, the judges chose the top ten to compete in the live shows. Five of the ten eliminated contestants were given a wild card by the judges and made available for public voting. The two with the highest votes by the viewers will be joining the top 10. The season premiere attracted 2,70 Mil. viewers, which makes it the least-watched season premiere in the history of ''Deutschland such den Superstar''. However, ratings improved up to 3,33 Mil. viewers by episode three, which makes it the most watched episode of the season so far within the demographics between ages 14–49. Overall, this season showed the lowest ratings in the history of the show. For the second year in a row this season featured a female final top two and producing a female Superstar for the third time in the history of the show. Aneta Sablik was announced as the winner on 3 May 2014.


Season 12

During the live-shows of season 11, it was announced that the castings for season 12 will start in August 2014. RTL's Head of Programm Frank Hoffmann stated in April 2014 that he wants to keep the series for the years the come, although the ratings continued to fall, especially in the live shows. He further explained that the live-shows will be cut to an "absolut minimum". In Fall 2014, RTL gave closer details to the changes of Season 12. The liveshows are replaced with pre-recorded concerts in clubs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Only the announcement of the results will be broadcast live. In contrary to the seasons before the final will not take place in a TV studio in
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
, but in the
ÖVB Arena ÖVB Arena (originally Stadthalle Bremen, formerly Bremen-Arena and AWD-Dome) is the largest indoor arena in Bremen, Germany. It is used for concerts, sports and trade fairs. History The arena was designed and built by the Austrian architect ...
in Bremen. For the first time, auditions will be held in the Czech Republic, Poland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium. In October 2014, RTL announced that Marianne Rosenberg, Mietze Katz and Kay One won't return for the twelfth season. The new jury consists of
Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen, 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous German a ...
, Swiss discjockey
DJ Antoine Antoine Konrad (born 23 June 1975), better known as DJ Antoine, is a Swiss house DJ and record producer from Basel. He has a number of successful single and album releases in Western Europe, in particular Switzerland, Germany and France. Musi ...
, Schlager singer
Heino Heinz Georg Kramm (born 13 December 1938), known professionally as Heino, is a German singer of Schlager music, Schlager and traditional Volksmusik. Having sold a total of over 50 million records, he is one of the most successful German musici ...
and singer
Mandy Capristo Mandy Grace Capristo (born 21 March 1990), also known mononymously as Mandy, is a German singer and songwriter. Born in Mannheim and raised in Bürstadt, Capristo was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions in 2001, when she won '' ...
. The winner of the Deutschland sucht den Superstar 2015 was announced as Severino Seeger with Viviana Grisafi finishing as the runner-up. The winner song entitled ''Hero of My Heart'' was produced and written by juror
Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen, 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous German a ...
.


Season 13

In the first event show of the twelfth season, Oliver Geissen announced that 2016 should be a season for which you should be able to apply for now. 5In the final betrayed Dieter Bohlen that for this season all previous limits such as the age restriction are repealed. Accordingly, the motto of the squadron "No Limits" is. In June 2015, RTL announced that Oliver Geissen will host the Final Shows in 2016 again. On October 1, 2015 RTL announced that next Dieter Bohlen also
H.P. Baxxter Hans Peter Geerdes (born 16 March 1964), professionally known by his stage name H.P. Baxxter, is a German musician who is best known as the lead vocalist of the German techno band Scooter. He founded Scooter with his friend Rick J. Jordan in 1 ...
,
Vanessa Mai Vanessa Marija Else Ferber (' Mandekić, born 2 May 1992), known professionally as Vanessa Mai, is a German singer. She was first known as a member of Schlager band Wolkenfrei and later began working as a solo artist following the band's spli ...
and Michelle are on the jury. During the auditions, each judge has the option to send a Golden CD a candidate directly in the foreign-Recall. was implemented along the Golden Turd, with the judges can distinguish particularly poor performances. The foreign-Recall took place on Jamaica. Prince Damien Ritzinger was the winner of the Deutschland sucht den Superstar 2016 with Laura van den Elzen finishing as the runner-up. The winner song is entitled "Glücksmoment".


Season 14

During the live-shows of season 13, it was announced that the castings for season 14 will start in August 2016. In Fall 2016, RTL gave closer details to the changes of Season 14. This season's the foreign-Recall was in
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
and the contestants were performing in the desert, on the helipad of the Burj Al Arab, in front of the world's tallest free-standing-structure, the Burj Khalifa. The pre-recorded concerts in clubs in Germany were replaced by the mottoshows (theme shows) which were used from season 1 to 10. In 2016, RTL announced that H.P. Baxxter, Michelle and Dieter Bohlen would return, while
Vanessa Mai Vanessa Marija Else Ferber (' Mandekić, born 2 May 1992), known professionally as Vanessa Mai, is a German singer. She was first known as a member of Schlager band Wolkenfrei and later began working as a solo artist following the band's spli ...
was replaced by YouTuber
Shirin David Barbara Shirin Davidavičius (born 11 April 1995), known professionally as Shirin David, is a German rapper, singer and former YouTuber. Early life Shirin David was born in Hamburg, Germany, to an Iranian father and Lithuanian mother and has ...
.
Oliver Geissen Oliver Geissen (born 21 August 1969) is a German television presenter. He was born in Hamburg. From 1999 to 2009, he was talk show host in ''Die Oliver Geissen Show'' on German broadcaster RTL. He also presents the music show ''Die ultimative C ...
returned as the host of the live shows. This season marked an all-time high because there was a final 14 which was the highest amount of mottoshow contestants ever. Also for the first time, a wild card voting was introduced where the public voted Alphonso Williams who was eliminated just before the mottoshows back in the competition. Alphonso Williams was announced the winner on 6 May followed by Alexander Jahnke, Maria Voskania and Duygu Goenel. With 54 years Williams is the oldest winner to date.


Season 15

For Season 15, Dieter Bohlen announced a new jury that consists of Carolin Niemczyk, Ella Endlich and Mousse T. The winner was the 16 years old Marie Wegener. She is the youngest winner ever and only the fourth woman to win the show and the first to win against a male in the top two. Michel Truog was the Runner-Up and Michael Rauscher reached the third Place.


Season 16

For Season 16, RTL and Dieter Bohlen engaged German soul singer
Xavier Naidoo Xavier Kurt Naidoo (German: kseːviɐ naɪˈduː born 2 October 1971) is a German soul and R&B singer, songwriter and record producer. He is a founding member of German band Söhne Mannheims, and started two record labels, Beats Around the ...
,
Season 8 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
's winner Pietro Lombardi and professional dancer Oana Nechiti to be a judges on Deutschland sucht den Superstar. 20 year old
Davin Herbrüggen Davin Herbrüggen (born 25 August 1998) is a German singer who won the sixteenth season of '' Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' (the German version of ''Pop Idol'' and ''American Idol''). His winning song "The River" was produced by Madizin. L ...
was the winner, where Nick Feretti and Joana Kesenci came in second and third pace.


Season 17

For the start of Season 17, the judges stayed as they are. The season premiered on 4 January 2020. Xavier Naidoo was subsequently excluded from the jury and replaced by
Florian Silbereisen Florian Silbereisen (born 4 August 1981) is a German Schlager singer and show host. Since February 2004, Silbereisen has been a television presenter of the show ''Feste der Volksmusik'' on German broadcaster ARD. He was in a relationship with ...
. The winner was Ramon Roselly, Chiara Dꞌamico reached 2nd, Joshua Tappe 3rd and Paulina Wagner the 4th place. For the second time the winner was a singer of german Schlager and the first male to do so. He reached the highest percentage of voting in the show's history.


Season 18

The eighteenth season will begin airing on 2021. On 13 August 2020, it was announced that next to the judge
Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen, 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous German a ...
will seat
Mike Singer Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
and
Michael Wendler Michael Wendler (born Michael Skowronek, 22 June 1972; legal name after his marriage in 2009 Michael Norberg; also known as ''Der Wendler'') is a German pop singer and television personality. Since his breakthrough in 1998, he has won several awa ...
. On 16 August 2020, it was announced Maite Kelly as the fourth judge. Due to his public belief in conspiracy theories and other statements, Michael Wendler was completely cut out of the show. The season will be the last season with Dieter Bohlen as a judge.
Thomas Gottschalk Thomas Johannes Gottschalk (born 18 May 1950) is a German radio and television host and entertainer. He is best known for hosting '' Wetten, dass..?'', for many years Europe's biggest television show, which he steered to huge success in Germany, ...
replaced Bohlen in the live shows since he was unable to participate because of an illness. For the first time there were only two live shows and also it was the first Top four to just consist of male contestants. Jan-Marten Block was the winner of the season and Karl Jeroboan came in the second place.


Season 19

The 19th season started on January 22, 2022 and was won by Harry Marcello Laffontien while his younger brother Gianni Laffontien finished fourth. This was the first time in the show that two brothers reached a seasons final. The Jury consists of
Florian Silbereisen Florian Silbereisen (born 4 August 1981) is a German Schlager singer and show host. Since February 2004, Silbereisen has been a television presenter of the show ''Feste der Volksmusik'' on German broadcaster ARD. He was in a relationship with ...
,
Toby Gad Tobias "Toby" Gad (born 28 March 1968) is a Los Angeles-based German music producer/songwriter, best known for co-writing John Legend's biggest hit, " All of Me," the fifth-highest certified single in RIAA history, and for co-writing and produc ...
and Ilse Delange.


Criticisms and controversies

The German Cultural Council accused RTL "malicious disregard" for humanity after a 17-year-old had a nervous breakdown during his audition. The ''Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz'' opened a review procedure against Deutschland sucht den Superstar and KJM boss Wolf-Dieter Ring stated that "the manner in which contestants are humiliated on the show could have detrimental effects on young viewers."
Elli Erl Elisabeth Maria Erl (born 25 May 1979) is a German singer-songwriter. She came to fame as the winner of the second season of the television show '' Deutschland sucht den Superstar'', the German ''Idol'' series adaptation. With ''DSDS'', Erl ...
, the winner of
season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * '' 2econd Season'' See also

* {{disambig ...
, confirmed that RTL asked for fake stories when she participated in the show. Again, in season 8, RTL created fake stories. RTL misquoted DSDS
season 8 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
candidate Anna-Carina Woitschack. In an interview, Anna-Carina was quoted as saying "It was cut together all wrong. I never said that I hate Sarah – but on the contrary, I do not hate Sarah Engels. That is what I said. But it was cut this way by RTL, because it looks good for the show."


''DSDS Kids''

On 13 March 2012, RTL announced that there will be a kids edition of DSDS. The ages will be from 4 to 14. The participants will get training scholarship and prize money.
Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen, 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous German a ...
,
Michelle Hunziker Michelle Yvonne Hunziker (Swiss , ; born 24 January 1977) is a Swiss-Italian television presenter and former model. Early life Hunziker was born in Sorengo, Lugano, in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Her mother Ineke is Dutch and ...
and
Dana Schweiger Dana Schweiger ( Carlsen; born February 29, 1968) is an American television personality, entrepreneur and a former model. Early life Dana Schweiger was born in Seattle, Washington. She grew up there with her sister and her uncle. Career Sc ...
were named to the jury for
season 1 Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) * Season 4 (disambiguati ...
. There were 38.664 applications for season 1 of the show. German child protection association president Heinz Hilgers advised parents not to apply for the show. He claimed that the adult version "was based on humiliation and embarrassment". The association's director, Paula Honkanen-Schoberth, stated that "Casting shows are geared towards making one person successful" and also claimed "The message for the rest is, 'you're no good.'" However, RTL stated that this is a family show and it wants to encourage the children.


Season details


Formats


Judges and hosts


Judges


''DSDS''

Annotations * 1
Max von Thun Maximilian Romedio Johann-Ernst Graf von Thun und Hohenstein (born 21 February 1977 in Munich, Germany), commonly known as Max von Thun, is an Austrian actor and television presenter. He is the son of actor, Count Friedrich von Thun und Hohenste ...
was replaced by Volker Neumüller during the auditions of season 6. * 2 Sylvie Meis stepped in for Nina Eichinger in the final of season 7. * 3 Andrea Berg was a guest judge on the seventh "Mottoshow" of season 10. * 4 Florian Silbereisen replaced Xavier Naidoo from the second "Liveshow" until the final of season 17. * 5 After the filming the auditions of the 18th season,
Michael Wendler Michael Wendler (born Michael Skowronek, 22 June 1972; legal name after his marriage in 2009 Michael Norberg; also known as ''Der Wendler'') is a German pop singer and television personality. Since his breakthrough in 1998, he has won several awa ...
decided to leave the jury. * 6
Thomas Gottschalk Thomas Johannes Gottschalk (born 18 May 1950) is a German radio and television host and entertainer. He is best known for hosting '' Wetten, dass..?'', for many years Europe's biggest television show, which he steered to huge success in Germany, ...
replaced Dieter Bohlen in the "Liveshows" of season 18. * 7 There were different guest judges on the season 19 "Liveshows":
Thomas Anders Bernd Weidung (born 1 March 1963), known by his stage name Thomas Anders, is a German singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the pop duo Modern Talking. Starting his singing career while still in school ...
on the first show, Sarah Engels on the second show, and Joachim Llambi in the semi-final and final.


''DSDS Kids''


Presenters


''DSDS''

Annotations * 1
Yvonne Catterfeld Yvonne Catterfeld (born 2 December 1979) is a German singer, actress, and television personality. Born and raised in Erfurt, Thuringia, she later moved to Leipzig to pursue her career in music. In 2000, she participated in the debut season of the ...
stepped in for Michelle Hunziker in the third "Top-50-Show" of season 2. * 2 Daniel Hartwich stepped in for Nazan Eckes in the semi-final of season 11.


''DSDS Kids''


References


External links


''DSDS'' official website''DSDS'' video clips''DSDS'' Portal''DSDS'' Superstar''DSDS'' Finale''DSDS'' page
on
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
* {{Idol series 2010s German television series 2020s German television series RTL (German TV channel) original programming Television series by Fremantle (company) German television series based on British television series