It was the shock of the evening for many viewers of “Deutschland sucht den Superstar” – and for everyone who commented on the show online, it was the highlight of the evening! On Saturday, RTL broadcast the grand finale of the current season of the casting show – and in the middle of it, presenter Laura Wontorra made a very special joke. She announced: Dieter Bohlen is leaving the jury for “DSDS”! But only briefly, because the pop titan treated himself to an appearance on the stage of “Deutschland sucht den Superstar”. And it was torn apart by the spectators.
Laura Wontorra shocks DSDS viewers: Dieter Bohlen leaves the jury!
Laura Wontorra’s little joke caught some viewers of the show off guard. The reason: Nothing is impossible with “Germany is looking for the superstar”! Only in the last few days have headlines about jury member Pietro Lombardi caused a stir. After the scandal surrounding a police operation involving him and his fiancée Laura Maria Rypa, it became public that he would no longer be on the jury in the upcoming season of “DSDS”. Instead, rapper Bushido becomes the new judge. The saying that Dieter Bohlen was leaving the jury hit some viewers right in the heart.
What Laura Wontorra meant: The juror should briefly leave the jury stand to appear on the “DSDS stage” himself. After a commercial break, the pop titan actually stood there, singing Modern Talking’s classic “Cheri Cheri Lady.” With dancers, plenty of show and stage design – and apparently also with a good portion of playback! Bohlen apparently didn’t want to show his real voice on the show, which focuses on singing talent…
Dieter Bohlen and Pietro Lombardi in the final of “Deutschland sucht den Superstar”.Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
Viewers quickly noticed this and commented caustically on the appearance on the short message service X (formerly Twitter). “Oof. Why do you need that now?” wrote one. Another: “You can’t expect Dieter to sing live anymore.” A commentator wrote: “Wait a minute, I just have to get the bucket.” And a viewer convicted Bohlen of the playback. “Yes Dieter, hold the microphone further away so that it becomes even more obvious that you are using playback,” she wrote.
Nasty comments against Dieter Bohlen: Fans tear up the pop titan’s performance on DSDS!
And: The list of nasty comments against Bohlen never ends. “Old Falter, what a horrible performance,” writes one viewer. One post says: “So Dieter: The tone of the song doesn’t suit you at all!” An allusion to the jury boss’s criticism of the candidates in “Deutschland sucht den Superstar”. One user writes: “Everything Dieter does always looks so contrived and exaggerated.” And one post says: “Dieter is once again showing the boys how NOT to do it.”
Interestingly, although the use of playback in the show was obvious, Bohlen sounded quite hoarse after the performance when he announced his upcoming tour in September and October 2025. The bill arrives promptly: “I have to miss Dieter’s tour!” says a posting on X. Another user writes: “Unfortunately I don’t have time in September/October 2025.”
In the 21st season of the music casting show, the jury consisted of Dieter Bohlen, Pietro Lombardi – both of whom are friends -, Beatrice Egli and Loredana. “Bild” first reported that there could be some changes to the jury line-up next season. The newspaper brought the name Bushido into play as a new face. Bohlen is still set, but Lombardi is not. ■
