Mark Keller has to give up “Let’s Dance” for health reasons.Image: IMAGO/Future Image
Opinion
In the current season, “Let’s Dance” is more exciting than it has been in years. While last year Anna Ermakova dominated at will from the start, this year it feels like a different celebrity has come out on top in every show. Everything seems to be open. However, the format has to contend with other problems.
On May 7th it was announced that Mark Keller was the second celebrity to be leaving for health reasons. Previously, Tony Bauer made the difficult decision to leave early. These recent developments should give RTL pause: Is the station burning its celebrities?
RTL takes the easiest route
Tony Bauer has lived with short bowel syndrome since childhood and has to wear a backpack that feeds him artificially for 16 hours a day. After a few weeks, the daily training for “Let’s Dance” pushed him to his limits.
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“The energy, vitamins, nutrients and minerals that I now need for complete dance training can no longer be covered by parenteral nutrition alone,” he explained in an Instagram video. The comedian has to “reduce the load so as not to permanently endanger anything.”
Joachim Llambi also became emotional when he said goodbye to Tony Bauer.Image: IMAGO/Panama Pictures
And now Mark Keller has also been hit. An acute injury to the Achilles tendon is causing problems for the “Bergdoktor” actor and even means that he is out of the show. He had previously appeared on stage with a damaged thumb.
When it comes to replacements, RTL makes it easy: in both cases, the celebrity who was actually eliminated the previous week moves up. Ann-Kathrin Bendixen and Lulu unexpectedly get a second chance.
Is “Let’s Dance” too hard for the stars?
RTL receives a lot of criticism for this – and rightly so. Ultimately, the audience made it clear that they no longer wanted to see the current replacements. The fairer solution would be for no one to be eliminated, but that would of course make the show less explosive, in the end “Let’s Dance” is a competition…
…which may go a bit too far. The (untrained) stars train with the professionals for up to nine hours a day, and they only have a week to learn new choreographies. On the one hand, the display of sweaty shirts and (minor) injuries is grateful social media content for the participants, but RTL should slowly ask itself whether the program is not too tight.
Of course: An injury like Mark Keller’s can always happen during a physically demanding show like “Let’s Dance” and Tony Bauer knew before the start of the season what risk he was exposing himself to. Nevertheless, the broadcaster could easily do its part to make things a little easier for the celebrities. And to avoid involuntary show exits.
“Let’s Dance”: frustration for celebrities and fans
What can quickly be overlooked is that it’s not just celebrities who suffer when their health no longer cooperates. The situation is also unfortunate for the professionals assigned to them.
Anastasia Stan became a fan favorite alongside Tony Bauer.Image: dpa / Rolf Vennenbernd
Tony Bauer’s dance partner Anastasia Stan celebrated her “Let’s Dance” premiere this season and immediately thrilled fans. Kathrin Menzinger, who danced with Mark Keller, was even more impressive than usual with her choreographies. She is perfect at tailoring a dance to her partner’s strengths and weaknesses. The two dancers are a massive loss, but they can’t help their exit any more than “their” celebrity men.
RTL should do everything in its power to avoid such situations in the future. There are several conceivable solutions for this.
“Let’s Dance” goes on for far too long
A season of “Let’s Dance” lasts around three months. That’s a hell of a long time, especially considering the daily training. The professionals and celebrities can’t do much else during this time; the physical and mental challenge is enormous.
Joachim Llambi is known for his harsh judgments.Image: IMAGO/Panama Pictures
Nobody wants to get a slap from Joachim Llambi on Friday evening and then be put down on social media. Everyone sees a step or posture error on the floor, but not the entire effort behind the performance. In this respect, it is easier to lose than win on “Let’s Dance”.
A “Let’s Dance” season that only lasts a month and a half would, on the one hand, cost RTL guaranteed ratings hits in the spring, but on the other hand, it would be a blessing from a star perspective. The jungle camp in January is perhaps so successful precisely because it takes place in a short and crisp two weeks – every day, but the end is already foreseeable from the start, so fans accept the shorter nights.
The other option: A “Let’s Dance” live show only every two weeks. This would give the participants more space to regenerate and exits like Mark Keller’s could possibly be avoided. In addition, a little pressure would be relieved as more time would be available for the development and implementation of the choreographies. Of course, even then a reduction in the number of episodes per season would be necessary so that the show doesn’t drag on to infinity.
Instead, the following applies to the current season: Whoever wins, it will feel somehow wrong – because both Mark Keller and Tony Bauer had realistic chances of winning the title “Dancing Star”. The hardcore strain may make the show, but it also gets in the way. This has never been clearer than now.
With “Who knows something like that?” In the issue of May 6th there was a marriage duel: Annemarie and Wayne Carpendale played against each other. While the presenter formed a team with Elton, the former “Unter Uns” star tried his luck alongside Bernhard Hoëcker.