In The Connection Pieter Derks looked for connections, he was previously an answer in Two for Twelve

Fortunately, Game Insight is not an admission requirement for television critics. I don’t know what it is, but regardless of which game to play, halfway through the explanation of the rules I already gave up. Thus I have the deeper layers of Who is the mole? never understood, the punch line escapes me The Traitorsand also increase the process of bidding and bets at the quiz With the knife on the table is a bit too ambitious.

So it was quite a difficult weekend, with three new quizzes on television. Starting with Friday night Think Inside The Box, with Richard Groenendijk as presenter. Saturday we had on NPO1 The Connection with quizmaster Matthijs van Nieuwkerk. The same evening an hour later there was the 1% Quiz, presented by Tijl Beckand. By the way, next week a fourth new quiz will start, with Sander Lantinga as the presenter: four is too much†

One program is more of a guessing game, the other a kind of Cito test for adults, the third more a real quiz – the difficulty level increased considerably over the weekend.

Think Inside The Box is of a clear entry level. A combination of Which of the three? and the yes/no game you used to play out of hysterical boredom during long car rides. Guess four rounds, twice there was a human in the big LED lit box on the stage, twice a thing. This time the council team included Britt Dekker (permanent panel member at Which of the three?) and Sander Lantinga (who is also quizmaster of four is too much† And then questions like, “Does it fit in your mouth?” (shuffleboard in the box) and “It will stay intact if you throw it from the tenth floor.” (caravan in the box). The less the team asked, the more money there was to distribute among the 100-strong crowd.

The Connection is the only quiz with one answer, explained Matthijs van Nieuwkerk. That will be, but the road to that one concept or word is paved with questions about knowledge and facts, which the three candidates, under time pressure, have to dig up from their memories while they have to make connections between all the answers given and in the meantime listen to Van Nieuwkerk who explains the rules. Three comedians were the players this time, including Pieter Derks, who – oh coincidence – was again the answer to one of the twelve questions in the regular Friday evening quiz. Two to twelve. But with such a fact you gain nothing.

And then came the Cito test called 1% Quiz. I was already done with the practice question. The same reflex as with the story sums in primary school: after two numbers in two sentences, I lose track and all enthusiasm for thinking disappears. So my ship’s rope ladder was no longer twenty, but only four inches above the water when the water rose four inches. Wrong, moron. The water naturally also pushes the ship ten centimeters higher.

The worst part is that the makers of this quiz threaten that they are not testing book knowledge, but your “common sense”.

The questions increase in pre-tested difficulty. Starting with the question that 100% of the respondents answered correctly, and ending with a question that 1% knew. Another hundred people in the audience, this time too there is cash to be made. Everyone starts with a balance of 500 euros. You lose it if you get it wrong or pass. The money goes into the pot and goes to the winner if they can answer the last 1% question. Four men made it to the last question, but got the answer wrong. No winner. Too bad.

I was already killed at the 60% question. Something with left, right and upside down. No chance. It’s weekend, yes. Leave me alone.