No shortage of strong candidates in The smartest person in the world , butwe were still slightly impressed by the flexibility with which Bart Cannaertsgot through the quiz rounds. That is not entirely surprising, because thecomedian was the only person in the world to hold all positions in Thesmartest person : he was a jury member dozens of times, he was a presenterfor two episodes and now he is working on his third series as a candidate. Thequestion arises: which place is the best?
Joris BellwinkelSeptember 27, 202215:00
Bart Cannaerts: “This place. I like to play games, and _The smartest person_is a very fun game to play.”
The fun is visible.
“The first two episodes I was very nervous, but as a jury member I am everytime. Then you feel the pressure: I have to be funny now. By the way,presenting was also very intense and exciting, because I wanted Erik (VanLooy, ed.) and don’t disappoint the editors. As a candidate it is a lot morecomfortable, the only pressure is the pressure you put on yourself.”
Do you put a lot of pressure on yourself?
“Not very consciously, but I am competitive. I can handle my loss very well,but winning is a little bit more fun. Especially because I know: if I win, Ican come back.”
As a child you already designed your own quizzes. That love has never goneaway.
“No, I think participating in quizzes as well as inventing them is keitof. Inthe past year I have worked behind the scenes on four TV quizzes. Putting itall together, coming up with the right questions, it’s a bit nerdy of course,but I like it all very much.”
You are gradually becoming the quiz expert in Belgium.
“ (laughs) That is quite a difference with when I started ten years ago Thesmartest person took part: I had never participated in a quiz at the time.Hopefully the experience will give me an advantage this time.
“I already notice that I can see through the quiz maker mechanics faster whileplaying. That I have to list five keywords for a certain writer and I canquickly get to the essence: they are still looking for the title of that onebook anyway and I don’t know it, so I’m not going to list all the other thingsI know about that writer.”
I note: it is a beginner’s mistake to immediately display all your knowledge.
“Yes, you should not be distracted by everything you know about a subject, butthink about what the quiz makers want to hear. Especially in the final, everysecond is crucial, so you have to talk as little as possible and shout ‘stop’as soon as possible.”
That’s what Erik meant when he said before your participation: ‘Bart knows thetricks of the trade.’ Are there still gaps in your general knowledge?
“I’m now over 40, so I’m not completely up to date with what young people aredoing. When you are 30, you go to parties more often, you go to the cinemamore often, you know the popular music.
“Last spring I spent five weeks Today I was allowed to make, then I learneda lot from current events. Then I heard that Rihanna had a child with A$APRocky and I thought: ah yes, now I know A$AP Rocky. I work for that programwith a very young editors and that also keeps me young. (blows) Now I soundvery old, don’t I?”
Image Play4
As a quiz maker, you undoubtedly look at many other quizzes. Which one do youlook up to?
“I am a big fan of pointless on the BBC. Then a hundred Britons are asked toname a Greek god, for example, and you as a participant must then name a Greekgod who has never or as little as possible been said. That’s such awonderfully quizzical thing: wanting to know something that nobody knows. Itis often completely pointless knowledge, but that is exactly what is rewardedin that quiz.”
During your first participation in The smartest person , in 2008, you playedPhilippe Geubels home after just one episode. To do this, you had to loweryourself for 40 seconds in the final game. 40 long seconds, because Geubelskept calling ‘ what a loser’ you were.
“ (laughs) Yes, there you saw how completely different we approached ourparticipation: the difference between a player who really wants to win and thecomedian who is just his funny self. My only plan was: I just have to win thatgame here, because who knows, maybe I can reach more comedy fans this way. Iwas only doing quizzes and nothing else. In the meantime, Geubels was mainlybeing himself and everything that came out of his mouth was hilarious. He didwhat a comedian should do: joke. And he did it in a legendary way.
“I stayed in it for four episodes myself, never been funny at all and it hashad no impact on my career. Four years later I was allowed to participateagain because nobody really remembered my passage. (laughs) ”
After the final, Geubels said that he wished a ‘comedian on his way’ thevictory. But look, fourteen years later you are more famous than ever, withyour own quiz on One, participation in The smartest person and on TheMasked Singer.
“I have become more known in the broadest sense. Thanks to The Masked Singer_children suddenly know me. On holiday by the sea, the number of selfies withchildren went from zero to a hundred last summer. (laughs)_
“My participation in The Masked Singer and the fact that I was allowed toreplace Erik twice as presenter of The smartest person may have led me tomore top of mind was with the bosses. That because of that I was asked to gofor One Today and then suddenly came up with my head on TV every day.
“I wouldn’t call this the pinnacle of my career, but it’s probably thepinnacle of my fame.”
This year it has been fifteen years since you humors Comedy Cup won. Did youspend a lot of time on career planning during that time?
“No, there was never a clever plan behind it, I especially had the incrediblechance that everything overtook me or came my way. Of course I signed up for_humors_ Comedy Cup because you know it opens doors when you win. That turnedout to be the case: I was soon asked to work for television. A little laterTom Lenaerts called me: ‘Do you want to The Pappenheimers present?’ Well,yes. At one point he asked: ‘Do you want to set up a production house withme?’ Well, yes. VTM asked if I wanted to participate in _The Masked Singer_The Sound House asked if I wanted to write a radio play… Well, yes.
“They weren’t big dreams or things I was desperately waiting for, but Ithought each and every one of them was super cool to do. The lump of butter Ifell into is huge.”
Are you not only at the height of your fame, but also at the height of yourhappiness?
“I’m doing well, but I don’t often ask myself: how happy am I now? And is thathappier than last week? Happiness is in many things, isn’t it? Can you reallymeasure that?
“I just took my 6-year-old daughter to school, she’s now going to first gradeand a few friends immediately ran up to her to play together. The realizationthat my daughter likes to go to school, has friends and is healthy, we haveall the luck in the world in that area too. Yes, I can tell you that I cycledhome this morning with a big smile on my face.”
The smartest person in the world Monday to Thursday at 9 p.m. on Play4.