Huntress

Looks like ProSieben has already buried "Die Cooking Academy". The linear primetime run ends this week – after only 20 episodes – and the remaining, already completed episodes will only air early in the morning and via streaming on JOYN (and Disney+). They had originally planned 120 episodes, but it doesn’t look like there’ll be any more than that. On linear TV, the soap had a lousy market share of 2-3 % and about 120,000 viewers. Meanwhile, UU has done a bit of cast cleanup: Diego Carlos Seyfarth (David Junker), Julius Dombrinck (Theo Wolters), and Floriane Eichhorn (Nadine Pfeiffer) have all been written out over the past few weeks. Seyfarth and Dombrinck had been around since 2022, and Eichhorn since 2023. In exchange, Nadine Menz (ex-Ayla, GZSZ) will be joining in December as Britta’s sister Naomi, and Guido Broscheit (who’s been in countless TV formats over the past 20 years) started last week as Jori Jansen. Viola Wedekind (another veteran actress) will debut as Dana Gülek soon. This week on GZSZ: "Behind the Scenes" of the hostage situation:

I remember watching the first few episodes back in ~ 2010, when someone first uploaded the whole series to YouTube. I think I made it to episode six before I lost interest. During the pandemic I thought, "Alright, let’s give this another try," but honestly, it still felt like a slog to get through. I can’t even pinpoint the main issue. The cast wasn’t that bad, and a few of the characters were actually pretty entertaining to watch. But the central couples were dull and completely lacked chemistry, most of the backstories were weak or barely developed, and bringing in Jennie Garth as a "vixen" didn’t work either, since she only interacted with two characters: her love interest and her brother. On top of that, they’d already thrown another blonde troublemaker (Bridget?) into the mix right after the pilot, and by then it felt like the writers had painted themselves into a corner with too many storylines before the show even had a chance to take off. Jennie Garth looked stunning, though, and it was good seeing her step into a role so different from Kelly Taylor (The $treet only aired a couple of months after 90210's cancellation).

ProSieben is back in the soap business: "Die Cooking-Academy" (The Cooking Academy) will debut on October 6th, 2025 and will air weekdays at 6 pm. Among the cast are some well-known faces, such as Simone Hanselmann (ex-GZSZ), Lea Marlen Woitack (ex-GZSZ, ex-RR), and Matthias Brüggenolte (ex-AWZ). Official synopsis: Friendship, intrigue, love, rivalry, family ties, performance pressure, passion – and of course, a hunger for more – shape everyday life at the prestigious Cooking Academy "Culinary Arts by Alexander Eichen" (Matthias Brüggenolte), located on the German-French border. At the academy, top chefs train the culinary talents of tomorrow for the world of haute cuisine – under intense pressure. Who will make it to the culinary Olympus? And what must be left behind to get there ...? At the heart of the series is young chef Irini (Lara Kimpel). She’s accepted into the academy, only to find herself facing fierce competition. And as if that weren’t enough, Chris (Brian Rosenkranz) and Rafael (Louis J. Wagenbrenner) both turn her world upside down. This is ProSieben's 3rd attempt at establishing a new soap opera. From 1999 to 2000, the channel – which belongs to the ProSiebenSat.1 Media group – aired "Mallorca – Suche nach dem Paradies", and from 2006 to 2007, the telenovela "Lotta in Love" ran for a total of 130 episodes. Both shows were utter failures. So, in October the German soap line-up will look like this: 2.10 pm: Rote Rosen (ARD) 3.15 pm: Sturm der Liebe (ARD) 5.30 pm: Unter uns (RTL) 6.00 pm: Die Cooking-Academy (Pro7) 7.00 pm: Die Landarzt-Praxis / Die Spreewald-Klinik (Sat.1) (alternating) 7.05 pm: Alles was zählt (RTL) 7:30 pm: Dahoam is Dahoam (BR) 7.40 pm: Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten (RTL)

I think they're afraid to bring Anna back because of the two failed recasts. Janis Rattenni (the first Anna) literally grew up on the screens, and when she had finished high school and wanted to work in a different field, they had no choice to recast. Kathleen Fiedler looked the part, but she was too wooden (I still wonder how she lasted 4 full years). Then Marylu-Saskia Poolman took over, and we all remember that Anna's face was destroyed in an explosion to explain the recast. Poolman wasn't too bad, but I remember that TPTB weren't happy with her performance, and she was let go in early 2014. Also, I think that Anna getting married to her cousin Paco (and even being pregnant by him) was a really tacky storyline and destroyed the character. In the end of her run, they'd really ran out of ideas for Anna and paired her off with Rufus of all people. They'd have to recast Anna a 3rd time, and I don't think they'll do that (same reason why they probably won't bring back Till back anytime soon). I liked the Chris recast, but yeah, the Corinna recast just wasn't Corinna. I mean, of course people can change over time, but the first Corinna was a very seductive, feisty, and sometimes hysterical woman, always involved in some drama. The recast was just a bland stay-at-home mom. It wasn't even the actress's fault – she just wasn't given any good material. The writers also didn't care much about Aunt Lulu (why she was even introduced in the first place?). Chris and Jenny should have stayed on the show and should have become the new Weigel core family. I mean, they really made an effort with fleshing out Cilly's character and establishing her as a legacy character (she's great, btw), so why couldn't they have done the same with her parents and Jenny?

Episodes 7800 to 7844 have recently been released on DVD in Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0F2XD369X In 2011, the first box sets were released, starting with episode 1. After 10 sets, the series was put on hold for a while. In 2024, a new edition was released, followed by Box Vol. 12 in February 2025, featuring episodes 250 to 300. The older episodes are now labeled "Wie alles begann" (How It All Began), while this new box is called "Eine neue Ära" (A New Era), because they stopped showing B&B in 2011. In 2023, a different channel bought new episodes and skipped several years in the process. Nobody watched the newer episodes so the show was canceled once again.

To be honest: I rather watch the classic episodes on RTL+ than the current ones 🤣 Another soft relaunch is in the works at AWZ – for what feels like the umpteenth time. Kaja Schmidt-Tychsen, one of the show's flagship stars, is leaving the soap. Her final appearance will be on July 4, 2025. Schmidt-Tychsen took on the role of Jennifer (aka "Jenny") Steinkamp, the eldest Steinkamp daughter, in December 2011. The role was previously played by Christiane Klimt (2006–2008), Silvia Maleen (2008–2010), and Sophie Lutz (2011, in a video message). After years of scheming, heartbreak, and failed marriages (including with Julian, David, Erik, Veit, Deniz, and Justus), Jenny finally finds true love with Ingo. The couple emigrates together to Mallorca. This also marks another exit: Original cast member André Dietz (Ingo) is leaving the show once more. He only returned in December 2024 after nearly four years away. However, both actors have stated they are open to returning for guest appearances in the future. Two weeks later, a brand-new sport is being introduced to the show: After figure skating, dancing, soccer, artistic gymnastics, and more figure skating, tennis is now taking center stage. Alongside this comes another surprise addition to the ever-expanding Steinkamp family tree: Original character Simone Steinkamp (played by Tatjana Clasing) learns that, back in her youth in Argentina, she not only gave birth to Maximilian (a fact revealed in 2007), but also to his twin sister Gabriella. Gabriella's daughter, Joana, is a celebrated tennis star who travels to Essen due to medical issues – where she encounters her biological family. Joana will be portrayed by Josephine Martz, while Gabriella will be played by Bianca Hein. Both actresses bring prior soap experience to the table: Martz appeared in the short-lived Sat.1 soap "Alles oder nichts", and Hein was a main cast member on UU (as Meike Wagner from 2000 to 2002). Hein also had a leading role in the telenovela "Verliebt in Berlin" and has appeared in numerous crime series. Meanwhile, it's still unclear whether the figure skating storylines will continue or if they'll be dropped once again. Currently, two figure skaters – Valea and Charlie – are still on the canvas, with Deniz working as their coach.

Cast changes in 2025 (so far, not much has happened): GZSZ Pauline Afaja (Flo Kästner) departed on March 10th, 2025. She had only been on the show for about a year. Flo as a character never really clicked with the audience. Her final storyline involved her catching feelings for the much older Nina Reichelt Klee Ahrens Navarro out of the blue – while she was in a relationship with the wheelchair-bound Jonas Seefeld. Onno Buß joined the cast as Julian Kaltenbach on January 31st, 2025. Julian is Matilda's twin brother ... and another illegitimate child of Jo Gerner. Charlott Reschke, who had played Johanna Flemming on a recurring basis from 2015 to 2024, returned at the end of May. The 20-year old actress has now been placed on contract. Last week on GZSZ: This week on GZSZ: Current Contract Cast (as of 06/2025): With images: https://www.soapsworld.de/gute-zeiten-schlechte-zeiten-gzsz/besetzung/ Wolfgang BAHRO – Dr. Jo Gerner (1993-present) Lennart BORCHERT – Moritz Bode (2020-present) Josefin BRESSEL – Alicia Bäumler (2023-present) Onno BUSS – Julian Kaltenbach (2025-present) Felix van DEVENTER – Jonas Seefeld (2014-present) Nina ENSMANN – Jessica Reichelt (2022-present) Anna Katharina FECHER – Matilda Kaltenbach (2024-present) Patrick FERNANDEZ – Carlos Lopes (2022-present) Ulrike FRANK – Katrin Flemming (2004-present; recurring previously) Patrick HEINRICH – Erik Fritsche (2019-present; recurring previously) Felix von JASCHEROFF – John Bachmann (2001-2014; 2015-present) Chryssanthi KAVAZI – Laura Bachmann (2017-present) Jan KITTMANN – Tobias Evers (2020-present) Olivia MAREI – Toni Ahrens (2018-present) Anne MENDEN – Emily Wiedmann (2004-present) Niklas OSTERLOH – Paul Wiedmann (2016-present) Lars PAPE – Michi Bode (2022-present; recurring previously) Charlott RESCHKE – Johanna Flemming (2025-present; recurring previously) Eva Mona RODEKIRCHEN – Maren Seefeld (2010-2022; 2023-present) Jörn SCHLÖNVOIGT – Dr. Philip Höfer (2004-present) Laura Dandelion SEIBERT – Zoe Vogt (2024-present; recurring previously) Iris Mareike STEEN – Lilly Seefeld (2010-present) Timur ÜLKER – Nihat Güney (2018-present) Maria WEDIG – Nina Reichelt (2017-present) Gisa ZACH – Yvonne Bode (2019-present) AWZ Matthias Brüggenolte departed the show on January 8th, 2025, when his character Justus Albrecht was killed off after being injured in a fire. Brüggenolte had joined AWZ in 2020. Original cast member Julia Augustin returned as Vanessa Steinkamp on May 21st, 2025. She was last seen in 2021. Florian Thunemann joined AWZ on May 26th, 2025 as Dragan Petrovic, a man from Daniela's past. Current Contract Cast (as of 06/2025): With images: https://www.soapsworld.de/alles-was-zaehlt-awz/besetzung/ Suri ABBASSI – Leyla Öztürk (2021-present) Riccardo ANGELINI – Matteo Borazio (2024-present) Berrit ARNOLD – Daniela Bremer (2021-present; recurring previously) Julia AUGUSTIN – Vanessa Steinkamp (2006-2009; 2010-2012; 2013; 2014-2021; 2025-present) Stefan BOCKELMANN – Henning Ziegler (2021-present) Tatjana CLASING – Simone Steinkamp (2006-present) André DIETZ – Ingo Zadek (2006-2020; 2024-present) Igor DOLGATSCHEW – Deniz Öztürk (2007-present) Marc DUMITRU – Kilian Reichenbach (2022-present) Shaolyn FERNANDEZ – Charlie Beer (2024-present) Amrei HAARDT – Nathalie von Altenburg (2019-2020; 2021-2023; 2024-present) Antonia KOLANO – Valea Borazio (2024-present) Féréba KONÉ – Imani Okana (2022-present) Silvan-Pierre LEIRICH – Richard Steinkamp (2006-present) Ania NIEDIECK – Isabelle Reichenbach (2010-present) Jörg ROHDE – Ben Steinkamp (2009-present) Sarah Victoria SCHALOW – Hanna Kern (2023-present) Kaja SCHMIDT-TYCHSEN – Jenny Steinkamp #4 (2011-present) Florian THUNEMANN – Dragan Petrovic (2025-present) Julia WIEDEMANN – Lucie Ziegler (2020-2023; 2023-present) UU In December 2024, Mehmet Kucak joined the show as Ferhat Gülek, Esma and Baris's father and Nuray's son. Roughly four months later, the character was recast with Harun Yildirim, who first appeared on March 27th, 2025. Kucak reportedly left the show for "personal reasons". Maxim Agné (Henry Gerlach) departed the show on May 5th, 2025. Current Contract Cast (as of 06/2025): With images: https://www.soapsworld.de/unter-uns-uu/besetzung/ Timothy BOLDT – Ringo Huber (2012-present) Özge DELIOGLAN – Esma Gülek (2024-present) Metehan DEMIRÖZ – Baris Gülek (2024-present) Julius DOMBRINK – Theo Wolters #2 (2022-present) Floriane EICHHORN – Nadine Pfeiffer (2023-present) Jens HAJEK – Benedikt Huber (2016-present) Benjamin HEINRICH – Benno "Bambi" Hirschberger (2013-present) Isabell HERTEL – Ute Huber (1995-present) Tabea HEYNIG – Britta Schönfeld-Küpper (2010-present) Lilay HUSER – Nuray Gülek (2024-present) Carina KOLLER – Cecilia Weigel (2021-present) Miriam LAHNSTEIN – Patrizia Neumann-Goldberg (2023-present) Bettine LANGEHEIN – Stella Richter (2022-present) Patrick MÜLLER – Tobias Lassner (2006-present) Valea SCALABRINO – Sina Hirschberger (2010-present) Diego Carlos SEYFARTH – David Junker (2022-present) Lars STEINHÖFEL – Easy Winter (2005-present) Theresa TRASER – Ronja Pfeiffer (2023-present) Milos VUKOVIC – Paco Weigel (2000-present) Harun YILDIRIM – Ferhat Gülek #2 (2025-present)

Yeah, as you wrote, an Israeli win would have been a political disaster. Congratulations to Austria. 0 points from the televoting to Switzerland was a disgrace. Other than that, I really enjoyed the show ... but I'm also glad that Eurovision season is over 😂 Full results: Recap of the Grand Final:

In the 2nd semi-final, I enjoyed Denmark and Luxembourg (plus France) the most. I was also positively surprised by Germany's performance, because usually our performances are ... well, lackluster, to put it nicely. The one country I did not expect to qualify was Armenia, but yeah, the staging probably helped a lot, because the song itself is just noise in my ears. I thought Serbia would make it instead. None of the Ex-Yugo countries made it to the Grand Final (first time since 2013), while all the Nordics and Baltics qualified. Recap of the 2nd semi-final:

Portugal qualifying was the only shocker. I'm really happy for Iceland. IMO, the automatic finalists – Spain, Switzerland and Italy – had the best performances. I love the studio version of Azerbaijan, but on stage, it was a disaster.

All 37 songs from this year's competition: My current Top 10 before the rehearsals: 01 pt – Italy 02 pts – Germany 03 pts – Azerbaijan 04 pts – Luxembourg 05 pts – Finland 06 pts – The Netherlands 07 pts – Iceland 08 pts – France 10 pts – Sweden 12 pts – Denmark

This year's line-up is almost complete ... we're only still waiting for the songs from Cyprus, France, and Georgia. Czechia 2025: Adonxs / "Kiss Kiss Goodbye" Language: English Israel 2025: Yuval Raphael / "New Day Will Rise" Language: English, French & Hebrew Portugal 2025: NAPA / "Deslocado" Language: Portuguese San Marino 2025: Gabry Ponte / "Tutta L'Italia" Language: Italian Switzerland 2025: Zoe Me / "Voyage" Language: French Ukraine 2025: Ziferblat / "Bird of Pray" Language: English, Ukrainian United Kingdom 2025: Remember Monday / "What the Hell Just Happened?" Language: English

She was actually sick during the National Final. The performance in the semi-final was much better. --- Next few entries: Austria is bombastic, but also quite weird. I guess the juries will love this. Italy is nice and understated. Serbia is quite boring, and Croatia ... well 😂 Austria 2025: JJ / "Wasted Love" Language: English Croatia 2025: Marko Boŝnjak / "Poison Cake" Language: English Italy 2025: Lucio Corsi / "Volevo essere un duro" Language: Italian Serbia 2025: Princ / "Mila" Language: Serbian

Sweden should send "Bara bada bastu", that's a great song and performance. Next few entries ... Denmark, Germany, Iceland, and The Netherlands are actually quite good IMO. Australia 2025: Go-Jo / "Milkshake Man" Language: English Denmark 2025: Sissal / "Hallucination" Language: English Germany 2025: Abor & Tynna / "Baller" Language: German (first time Germany will be sending a song in German since 2007) Iceland 2025: Væb / "Róa" Language: Icelandic The Netherlands 2025: Claude / "C'est la vie" Language: English & French

Next few entries ... I don't think we've heard or seen the winner yet 😂 Armenia 2025: Parg / "Survivor" Language: English Azerbaijan 2025: Mamagama / "Run with U" Language: English Lithuania 2025: Katarsis / "Tavo akys" Language: Lithuanian Norway 2025: Kyle Alessandro / "Lighter" Language: English Poland 2025: Justyna Steczkowska / "Gaja" Language: Polish & English Justyna already represented Poland in the 1995 Contest – 30 years ago. Back then, she finished in 18th place. Can she do better this time?