Weaver's Week 2025-07-27

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Last month, we looked at 99 to Beat and found that its winner won their prize through being lucky, more than any other individual skill. We promised to take a look at the Dutch original series, and see what skills are tested there. And we're going to deliver on our promises.

De Alleskunner

For this exercise, we're watching series 3, which first aired on commercial channel SBS at the start of 2022. It was filmed during the previous autumn, and each episode begins with a small notice that it was filmed with regard to the health situation at the time.

Prize for the series is € 50.000, described as "one year free" – it's somewhat more than the average pre-tax wage.

All 100 candidates. The alleskunner - the winner - can be found in there, somewhere. (Talpa TV)

Voiceover for the show is Frank Lammers: clear and relatively friendly, with good intonation of his voice. He also does commentary on the games – no need for a separate Pat 'n' Pete, The Voice does it all.

As we did for the ITV version, we'll briefly describe each game, then put it into one of eight categories: social, scares, physical, dexterity, co-ordination, memory, mental, fortune. We might have a few other notes, but won't list the number of appearances the contestant made.

How we're dividing tasks into categories. (UKGameshows)

Game	Description	Category	Notes
100	Catch a velcro ball on each of two oversized hands	Dexterity
99	Cook popcorn from kernels, foil, matches, and tealights	Mental	Seemed to be a lot of contestants looking at what others did
98	Make a freestanding tower from plastic straws at least 1,70m tall	Co-ordination	Marshals had sticks 1,70m long
97	Stand on a yoga block on one leg; first to touch the floor loses	Dexterity
96	Add up the numbers on dogs that go through an obstacle course	Mental
95	Musical chairs	Physical	Can the last contestants run in the right direction?
94	How many peas in the jar	Mental	Similar to the game on ITV
93	Find the flag with your name on it	Fortune
92	Balance an egg on the underside of a pan, walk it a few metres, tip it into a glass	Dexterity	First of a number of games that were split into two groups, last player in each group went through to a superfinal.
91	Algebra puzzle: pop a balloon with an incorrect answer	Mental	91 different balloons with 91 different answers

When first broadcast in 2022, the opening episode was a double-length episode, which we found a slog. Everything else was 41 minutes of action in a commercial hour – when we take out the chatter, about as much as ITV gives us.

The alleskunner can find a seat. (Talpa TV)

Game	Description	Category	Notes
90	Throw balls to knock over a pyramid of tin cans	Co-ordination	Another two groups and superfinal game.
89	Calculation game: worst answer to three questions goes to superfinal	Mental
88	Catch a red feather in a butterfly net	Co-ordination	We saw this on ITV much later in the series.
87	Flip a slipper as far as possible	Co-ordination	Flip-off between the two whose slipper went backwards.
86	Flip a bottle so it lands flat	Co-ordination	Played on ITV with traffic cones, a much harder variant.
85	Phones out: first to ring loses	Fortune	Took over 20 minutes for anyone to call someone.
84	Cut 64 perfect cucumber circles	Dexterity	About a dozen needed a second cucumber and had the target reduced to 50 in total. ITV played a similar challenge with onions.
83	Fire a shuttlecock over the net	Co-ordination	First one-by-one challenge
82	Total weight of a garden gnome, 56 pancakes, a vase of flowers, an ornate chair, and the model demonstrating them	Mental
81	Teams: float a ball up a tube by moving water in tiny buckets	Dexterity	Whittle from teams of 27 to 9 to 3 to 1. The cups and tube got smaller and smaller each time, and – yes – the solo players had to move water from one teeny cup to another.

The alleskunner can use teeny-tiny cups. (Talpa TV)

For game 89, the questions were:

How long is the Great Wall of China (21 196km);
What is the world record for the longest fingernails on one hand (909,6cm);
What was the total market value of the Dutch team in Euro 2020? (€¬ 637mn).

Furthest from each answer was asked for the total age of the 89 remaining candidates (3163; just like on ITV, there were a lot of twentysomethings).

The alleskunner can cut cucumber. (Talpa TV)

Game	Description	Category	Notes
80	Pairs game: hold spaghetti in your mouths, pass it through the ringpull of a can, then move it a few metres and set it down on a table.	Social	Players get to pick their own pairs. Each of the last two from both groups picks a safe player to help in the final.
79	After hearing a story, give the meanings of certain dialect words	Memory	Story read by the famous actor Pieter Embrechts, the local equivalent of Justin Edwards.
78	One by one, re-stack the bottom from a tower of plastic cups to the top until the golden cup emerges	Dexterity
77	Solve the yellow face of a 2x2x2 Rubik's cube	Mental
76	Beerpong	Co-ordination	Played with water and no drinking. Two groups, the final was first to make a line of three on a 3x3 grid.
75	Link groups with elastic bands, then shake and manoeuvre to get a hula hoop from one end to the other	Dexterity	Whittle: 3 groups of 25, then 5 of 5, then 5 solo players
The alleskunner can pass a hoop down the line. (Talpa TV)
74	Get a euro coin out of a piggybank with only a paperclip	Co-ordination	As seen on ITV.
73	Curl up a slinkie on the forehead	Dexterity	Once the slinkie's in place, it must stay there. Dutch for "slinkie" is "olifantslurf".
72	Bounce a pencil into a pot	Dexterity	Third straight game we saw on ITV.
71	Rebuses on five different delivery tuktuks that pass before your eyes, solve them to make a sensible phrase	Mental

For this series, all pieces to camera are done in the arena, which is a large sportshall with some natural light from the windows. There are no cutaways to just outside, as we saw on ITV.

The alleskunner can find their way to the studio. (Talpa TV)

Game	Description	Category	Notes
70	Throw a cardboard box so it lands on another cardboard box	Co-ordination	Boxes are cubes about 1m across, spaced about 2m apart.
69	Pack sticky tape in a lunchbox	Dexterity	Another one we saw on ITV.
68	Basketball in pairs: one to throw, one to catch in a hoop around the waist	Co-ordination	Pick your own partner; last pair pick from safe players.
67	Remember and reproduce a sequence of 15 colours	Memory	First error loses
66	Make and throw a paper aeroplane through a cardboard hoop of fire	Co-ordination
65	Observation quiz about drag queens' costumes	Memory	Runaround style, last to get one right loses
64	Count the dimples on a golf ball	Mental
63	Float a tower of five cans in a bowl of water	Dexterity
62	Music quiz: is it a Dutch song or an international cover?	Memory	Wave a flag for a Dutch song, a suitcase for a cover.
61	Extend a tape measure then retract it to pick up a pencil	Co-ordination	ITV had a simpler and fussier version

They don't particularly care for continuity, contestants change outfits part-way through an episode.

The alleskunner can throw a box. (Talpa TV)

Game	Description	Category	Notes
60	Twerk to transfer a cd along a coiled rope	Physical	Pairs game, worst couple pick a partner
59	Kick a football over a washing line and into a basket you can't see	Fortune	Four groups, worst in each play again
58	Float a ball out of a bottle using milk from a coconut	Physical	Hardest part seemed to be opening the coconuts
57	Drink exactly 1 litre from a 1,5 litre bottle while blindfolded	Physical	Player who emptied her bottle lost
56	Quiz on pets and animal	Memory	Runaround style again, last to get one right loses
55	Kicks from the penalty mark against an undefended goal	Co-ordination	Loser goes on to manage England (sub: please check)
54	Pairs: wind 25m of rope from one to the other	Physical	Variant seen on ITV
53	Remove tools and nuts on a long metal rod	Dexterity
52	Pick up and carry plastic cutlery in a washing-up bowl	Dexterity
51	Dirty cash: two volunteers step forward, by chance one leaves with money, other stays in the game and gets gunged	Social	Dutch auction of rising money – one player took € 550.

In this episode, they made a claim that does not stand up to scrutiny. "Average Dutch household has three pets" factoid actualy just statistical error. Average Dutch household has zero pets. Huisdieren Henrik, who lives on a hill in Flevoland and has 24 million pet fleas, is an outlier adn should not have been counted.

The alleskunner can kick a ball into a laundry basket. (Talpa TV)

Game	Description	Category	Notes
50	Knock a football along a course, using a tennis ball in a stocking hanging from your head	Co-ordination	Variant on ITV. Five heats of ten, worst played again, and perhaps cut too short.
49	Break down cardboard boxes to fit into one box	Physical
The alleskunner can crush an eggbox. (Talpa TV)
48	Plant a painted egg in a detailed scene, first egg to be found is out	Fortune
47	Roll a ping-pong ball on a slanted table so it lands in a net	Dexterity
46	Get over a hurdle some distance away while blindfolded	Dexterity	Ends up as a test of direction
45	Use a balloon to move plastic cups from one table to another	Dexterity
44	Assemble a stepladder from flat-pack furniture and no instructions	Mental
43	Drop a coin into a glass in a tank of water	Co-ordination
42	Quiz about animal noises: is it an animal or not?	Mental	As they say in Dutch: Dier of no dier
41	Make a chain of sausage balloons to stretch 10m	Mental	Players are provided with inflating pumps, it's not a test of lung capacity. Loser looped his balloons around like a chain, everyone else tied them end to end.

Number estimation challenges tend to pick three people out – one is very low, one is very high, one is spot on. Adds to the tension, especially amongst contestants who will have chatted while their numbers are marked. And for the viewer, it's an extra moment of tension.

Marcel, a calculator. Did not go out on a numbers round. (Talpa TV)

Game	Description	Category	Notes
40	Hammer a nail into a plank to hang a picture – while wearing boxing gloves	Dexterity
39	Make your way through a maze while blindfolded	Mental
38	Duos: throw and catch a rabbit in the hole in a top hat	Co-ordination	Worst pair pick new partners
37	Knock down three pens so they remain beneath the lip of a bottle	Co-ordination
36	Put a loose chain back on a bike, then ride it 20m	Memory	All about knowing the technique
35	Sharpen pencils to red and blue halves	Physical	Another ITV game
34	Throw a reel of toilet roll over a bar, then stretch it back to tie on a rope	Dexterity	Two heats, losers play again
33	Stack about twenty tin cans into one pile	Dexterity	Went to video review, decided by about half a second.
32	Volleyball whittle	Physical	As seen on ITV.
31	Clear lengths of marking tape off the floor	Physical

The alleskunner can can stack. (Talpa TV)

Every episode begins with the same spiel: "Best candidates, you are now 94 – but not for much longer! The next game is simple..."

The circle of players remains even through the show, just further spaced out. There's none of the stand on a specific spot and have your light turn red as we saw on ITV.

The alleskunner can stand in a ring of 69. Prettig. (Talpa TV)

Game	Description	Category	Notes
30	You're given a right slipper; find its pair in a large ball pool	Fortune	Poor television; grown people scrabbling for something they – and we – cannot see
29	Logoquiz: see 15 logos for a few seconds, say what they're for	Memory	A pen and paper quiz, play along at home. Seemed to be bad for the older players. [This column got 9/15]
28	Hold a hook on a chain in your mouth, use it to life a crab out of an aquarium filled with water	Dexterity	Arguably scares, as players are expected to dunk their faces below water
27	Cycle along a narrow path to ring a bell – and don't fall off!	Co-ordination	One-by-one challenge, with a Hotseat for the worst performer so far
26	Questions about the nineties; popular Dutch culture	Mental	With deejay Paul Elstak, later the writer and producer of "Europapa". Remember, many contestants weren't even born in the 90s.
25	Hook a duck – must be yellow, no other colour is good	Co-ordination	Guttering arranged in a square, ducks float round
24	Pull a string using your mouth to get a point close enough to pop a balloon	Physical	Test is mostly getting 3m of string into your mouth
23	Sort red, white, and blue pins from a pinboard to make the Dutch flag	Mental
22	Work in pairs to move magnetic letters and spell "ALLESKUNNER"; one can see, one is beneath the table with a magnet	Social	Totally a test of communication
21	Two large plastic water containers make an eggtimer, with balls inside. Shake the containers so all the balls fall down	Physical

Music choices are very on point, appropriate for the leaving contestant, and used during the contest to set the mood. Possibly a little less predictable than ITV's picks, but not by much.

The alleskunner can hook a duck. (Talpa TV)

Game	Description	Category	Notes
20	Lick a window with your tongue, and follow the instructions on it	Physical	Done while blindfolded; candidate chose to remove their blindfold rather than throw up. Don't expect to see this on ITV.
19	Scoop a plastic fish out of a paddling pool and drop it into an aquarium. Do this while wearing glasses to turn the world upside down	Co-ordination	Again, this could class as "scares".
18	Hold a spoon with an egg on in your mouth while a comedian tells jokes. First to laugh loses.	Dexterity	Star guest tells jokes for about 40 seconds.
17	Spelling bee	Memory	Played while other candidates enjoyed a silent disco.
16	Pass a water balloon down your team: last person throws at a plastic flamingo, and team to knock it off is safe	Co-ordination	Whittle with teams of 8, 4, 2, 1.
15	Untangle 15m of extension cables	Mental
14	Make wind with a little plastic fan to propel a sailboat down some guttering	Physical
13	Roll a marble down a narrow path; one that goes least far is out	Co-ordination
12	Pour cups of water to fill a tube; stick matches into the holes in the tube otherwise all the water will drain out	Mental	You don't need to plug all the gaps, just enough to keep the ball rising
11	Which family member goes with which of the 11 remaining candidates?	Memory	This gets a very long edit – almost 7 minutes

The alleskunner can raise a ball as water comes crashing out. (Talpa TV)

A lot of contestants came in couples. First ep introduced us to Rosé and Dick, The Married Couple; and to Michen and Dion, The Twins; both of those had one contestant make the later shows. Second half of that episode brought us Sonja and Nick, mother and son; and Maartje and Rosa, The Younger Couple, but they were introduced only to be split up.

Pieces to camera are very short – rarely more than a sentence. It's difficult to get to know anyone until much later in the series, when we've seen them a lot. Only the last two contenders get any sort of serious pieces to camera.

Game	Description	Category	Notes
10	Navigate a course from memory, without knocking over china, while blindfolded	Physical	First to knock over some china loses; very unlikely that all ten would finish
9	"Who am I?" – ask yes/no questions about a name on your forehead	Memory	After forty minutes of play, with the three remaining contestants stuck, a hint – first two letters of the forename
8	Stack eight hexagonal nuts on top of each other (edge to edge) using chopsticks	Dexterity
The alleskunner can stack their nuts. (Talpa TV)
7	Drive a radio-controlled car through a course	Co-ordination	Very Crystal Maze.
6	Balance a ball on a plate atop a long thin pole, carry it across the hall to a magnet dangling from the ceiling	Dexterity
5	All candidates throw at a dart board showing everyone's face. First candidate with five darts in their sector is out.	Social	Actively seeking to eliminate someone? Ouch!
4	Bring blocks to a tilting table while holding a rope keeping the table flat	Co-ordination	When a block falls, must drop any you're carrying and correct it. Think they had something similar on Crystal Maze and nobody won it.
3	Stop the clock at precisely 3 minutes	Mental
2	Set wooden blocks on a large tower that leans with the added weight. Any that fall on your turn are added to your pile; first player to place all their blocks wins.	Dexterity	Place blocks on levels according to dice rolls.
1	Wins € 50.000		All of the eliminated contestants invited back to see the final.

So let's crunch the numbers.

Category	Count
Social	4
Scares	0
Physical	14
Dexterity	24
Co-ordination	24
Memory	10
Mental	17
Fortune	5

That does feel more balanced than ITV's 99 to Beat: fortune plays a role, but it's not the main determinant of who wins the show. We're comfortable with about half the show being in the dexterity and co-ordination space, and the problem-solving tasks – where there are often a lot of possible ways to complete – are particularly entertaining. A quiz most weeks – but not every week – seems enough.

For comparison, 13 of the 99 challenges were also used on 99 to Beat. That leaves us with 185 distinct little mini-games from these series – and we've not examined four other Dutch series, or the celebrity spin-offs, or the German show.....

The alleskunner can place blocks on a teetering tower. (Talpa TV)

As a television entertainment, De Alleskunner works for the Dutch market: it's fast, it's skilfully edited, and if you don't like one challenge there will be another along in a moment. Every elimination is earned, absolutely nobody leaves through someone else's fault.

Had they tried to replicate De Alleskunner in this precise format on ITV, it would surely have sunk without trace. ITV were right to concentrate on some characters, bring out the human relationships between the players – whether established before going into the show, or found during the recording process. Because we heard something about the players' lives, we could empathise more with them. And because we were left to remember about 25 people from one week to the next, they gave us reason to care, some of the people we liked this week have survived and we are interested to see how they get on.

That's not to say ITV got everything right: we still think there were far too many team challenges where everyone left, too many people got into the second half of the series without talking to us, and it's simply bizarre not to hear from the winner at all until the semi-final. But even amongst the early departures, the ITV show built firm narratives about the people playing; De Alleskunner never really spoke to life outside the playing arena. De Alleskunner was wholly about the challenges, 99 to Beat was also about the people, and we respect the difference.

We hear that Fox Television (a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Rupert Murdoch media empire) has made a version of 99 to Beat, and increased its prize to USD 1 million (after taxes, about € 535.000, £464,000). It's been made at the same location – and possibly using some of the same challenges – as ITV's programme.

The alleskunner can be named as Yonni! (Talpa TV)

In other news

The BBC has decided what to do with those Masterchef Goes Large episodes featuring the sex pest and the foul mouth. The episodes will go out on BBC1, and may be re-edited to reduce the amount of time the disgraced hosts are on screen.

Quizzy Mondays

David Ford was the winner on Mastermind; he trailed after his specialist round on LS Lowry, but knocked out a superb general knowledge score of 16 – it'll be one of the highest of the heats. Dennis Wang scored thirteen on the men's Euros, but a few flubs in the second round cost him the victory. Another contestant took Gilmore Girls, and this column's proud to have got four right, so half the contender's score. And we wonder how Nemo is getting on with their unbreakable Eurovision prize of Gilmore Girls series three, the best series.

Whitley Baes took the opening victory on Only Connect, beating the Caraxians (fans of Leos Carax, the film director). Best get was at the start of the show, picking up the link "Rocket" from a snooker player and a furry raccoon. Sad to see the walls proving the great leveller, as in both teams failing to make a single connection, we think for the first time in 21 series.

A frantic University Challenge saw UCL beat SOAS by 210-170. Right from the first buzz (a penalty), UCL were never headed, though their neighbours always kept very close. The chaotic final minutes had all sorts of fouls: two contestants answering simultaneously, a penalty assessed but not announced, and starters dropped like cabbages.

UCL's overall accuracy of 64% is as good as last year's side; the bonus rate of 77% matched last year's squad's top performance which was the highest of the last series. And it's not even the highest bonus conversion rate of the night, because SOAS struck 79% on their bonuses. We expect to see both sides again.

We managed to miss The Traitors Prom (Radio 3, yesterday). Apparently we're to come for Claudia Winkleman, stay for Linda earning her Gielgud Award nomination, and Alexander auditioning to be the new Petroc Trelawney.

They've trailed it for months, and finally BBC1 gets around to showing Destination X (Wed and Thu). Where has Rob Brydon led his guests this time? Speaking of great things from Wales, there's a celebrity edition of Am Dro! around Wrexham (S4C, Thu).

We find the winners of Bake Off The Professionals (C4, Tue), and Game On, Grandparents! (CBBC, Thu). New episode of Dragons' Den (BBC1, Thu) and The Bidding Room (BBC1, from Mon). Pointless marks its 2000th edition with an all-star celebrity edition: Shaun Williamson, Steve Pemberton, Charlie Higson, and Cariad Lloyd are all in the same room.

For various reasons, we're taking an unusual publishing schedule, so watch out for the return of Cooking With the Stars (ITV, Sunday 3 August) and The Fortune Hotel (ITV, Wednesday 6 August). Masterchef Goes Large has also crept back on the schedules (BBC1, from Wednesday 6 August). We'll be back on or about 8 August, with something of a European travel theme.

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