Richard Groenendijk made his debut as a quizmaster, not in the cold. After the first recording day of the new knowledge quiz Hard Games the 47-year-old comedian was completely exhausted.
“I really felt like I had been run over by a train,” he told NU.nl last Wednesday, when the first two episodes were being recorded. “It’s such a different discipline. You have to ask the questions, pay attention to the score, have conversations with the candidates. Everything is going at a killer pace. And then you have to try to be kind of funny.”
Groenendijk did not immediately say yes when he was asked to present the humorous knowledge quiz, which can be seen on NPO1 from 9:20 pm on Saturday. “I indicated that I only wanted to do it if not all Dutch celebrities started to compete again. When I was zapping on New Year’s Eve, I saw myself on two channels at the same time playing games. I got tired of it once. Fortunately, this quiz is about unknown people. “
In the game show, four candidates are tested on the knowledge about their favorite subject. In addition, with a good answer to a question about one of the competitors’ specialism, they can score extra points. In addition, each episode quizmaster Groenendijk himself contributes a subject with which he has a lot of affinity.
“Like the comedy series Golden Girls. Or garden ponds, I used to have lectures about that at school. So maybe I would have been a good candidate for this program myself, although I have to admit that I never perform so well under pressure.”
Even the most flawless candidates will not get rich from their participation. Just like in the original Australian format, the winner will only take home an ugly cup. “I like that too. There is no half a ton to win, no travel, no car. We only play for the honor and a wimpy mug. And yet people come to it.”
‘Blood irritant that it must be right immediately’
Where Groenendijk is used to doing try-outs in the theater and then slowly casting the show into a final form, it is completely different on TV. Only three days after the first recordings, the program will be broadcast on prime time at BNNVARA on Saturday evening.
“Everything has to be right immediately and it is about the viewing figures right away. There is no freewheeling. In that respect, that is diametrically opposed to my profession. It does not put any extra pressure on me, but it is very annoying.”
His first steps as a quizmaster certainly taste for more. “Although I do not want to be too important about it. It is just entertainment on Saturday evening. I really do not think that I will win the Sonja Barend Award with this. But it is very fun to do. And intensive, though hopefully more episodes will creep in after more episodes. “
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