Radio Host Barend van Deelen Accuses Linda de Mol’s Show of plagiarism
Radio personality Barend van deelen is publicly accusing Linda de Mol’s new RTL 4 show, brilliant Brains, of directly copying a segment from his NPO 3FM radio program. the dispute centers on a question-and-answer game where candidates only respond if the question is phrased as a question, testing both knowledge and memory.
Van Deelen and his team voiced their frustration on air, with sidekick Jelmer Gussinklo stating, “The new program by Linda de Mol on RTL 4 contains an item and that is stolen from us.” Van Deelen himself described the situation as “jatwerk” – Dutch for “theft” – emphasizing the lack of even minor variation in the segment’s execution, including the repeated phrasing of “Next question” followed by the answer to the previous question. He expressed disappointment, suggesting a simple request for permission would have been sufficient.
Talpa, the production company behind Brilliant Brains, responded via Instagram, claiming the game element has existed for decades, citing origins in British TV sketches from the 1970s and 1990s quiz shows. A spokesperson stated the show has added a “fresh, new twist” by featuring two candidates concurrently and is “certainly not conceived by the NPO 3FM afternoon show.”
Van Deelen shared a comparison of the two segments on Instagram, further fueling the controversy.[Instagram Embed – https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOG3QW1DKlS/?utm
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