On Saturday, March 15, 2025, television audiences witnessed yet another thrilling chapter of the rivalry between Stefan Raab and Michael "Bully" Herbig as they faced off against 26-year-old physicist Konstantin on their show, "Stefan und Bully gegen ein bisschen Schnulli" ("Subgis"). For the second time, Raab and Herbig were unable to claim victory against their challenger, marking yet another frustrating defeat following their first loss during the show’s debut episode back in December 2024.
This latest showdown was broadcast during key primetime hours, where both RTL's "Subgis" and ProSieben's "Schlag den Star" aired concurrently, drawing similar audiences. According to viewer data from DWDL, the two shows’ overlapping target demographics prompted frequent channel switching, with viewers jumping to either show during commercial breaks. Many remained loyal to their chosen show, indicating fierce competition between the two network giants as ratings fluctuated throughout the night.
Despite this intense competition, it was Raab and Herbig’s RTL offering, which attracted 1.38 million viewers outpacing ProSieben's "Schlag den Star," which garnered just 740,000 viewers—its lowest rating ever. Raab and Herbig's show achieved a market share of 13.5 percent, leaving the rival show, which managed only 10.6 percent, at a significant disadvantage.
This episode of "Subgis" saw Konstantin, who had already demonstrated impressive prowess by defeating his first competitor, Julia, step forward as a formidable challenger. Konstantin, described as highly gifted, brought not just his hobbyist knowledge of memory techniques but impressive academic credentials; he could read, write, and calculate by four, was enrolled in the second grade by five, and at nine, had earned titles as both the German Children's Memory Champion and Children's Memory World Champion. Viewers learned he could memorize the entire sequence of shuffled playing cards within an astonishing 45 seconds.
During the show, air tension mounted as Raab and Herbig tried to undermine the young physicist with jokes surrounding his intellect and expertise. Raab made several remarks implying Konstantin owed his success to memory tricks, stating, "Ask the gifted; he will explain it" and "It's also kind of sad we have to give the gifted points." The reaction from the audience suggested mixed feelings about the treatment of their challenger.
Commentator Frank Buschmann intervened, emphasizing his support for Konstantin, emphatically stating, "Here, no one has to be offended just because they do things well" after seeing the undue ridicule leveled at their talented contestant.
Despite the self-deprecations and light-hearted ribbing, Konstantin maintained his composure, undeterred by Raab’s barrage of questions and occasionally weird rules about the games they played—particularly during the final segment of the evening, titled “Einschlitzen.”
How the game was structured set the stage for high-stakes competition, culminating after over five hours of challenges, questions, and tests of memory. The ultimate showdown saw Raab needing to score to match Konstantin’s final points—a challenge when faced with the prospects of losing yet again. Unfortunately for Raab, he missed his target, and as such, 250,000 Euros were awarded to Konstantin.
With this win, Konstantin has become not only the champion of this episode but also highlighted the severe capabilities of younger generations—but Raab and Herbig are not down for the count yet. After the match concluded, Raab humorously told viewers, "You two did not work again," acknowledging the hiccup as he and Bully look to advantageously rebound from their setbacks.
Despite this loss, confidence remained high as Raab and Herbig have pledged to study their opponents closely, indicating future confrontations would likely be even more thrilling than this last encounter—but for now, the excitement of victory rests squarely with Konstantin.
