Overview
- Winario listed “Sophie G.” as the 100,000-euro finale prize winner after RTL cited a verification delay and difficulty reaching the person before publication.
- Gil Ofarim remains the confirmed 2026 winner with about 67% of the final vote, as RTL reiterates that the viewer voting is run and audited by external provider ONCE GmbH.
- Ofarim’s lawyer Alexander Stevens repeated assertions about missing seconds in one surveillance clip and a witness who said the Star of David was visible, while noting the Leipzig case was closed after Ofarim’s court statements and payment.
- Co-host Jan Köppen described stepping back from social media due to the intensity of the fallout and later said he should have corrected some of Ofarim’s in-camp statements, drawing mixed reaction from viewers.
- Sonja Zietlow faces renewed backlash over perceived partisanship, and former contestants claimed on Instagram Live that parts of the Nachspiel broadcast—including elements of Köppen’s remarks—were edited, which RTL has not independently addressed.