Günther Jauch criticizes Wer wird Millionär editorial team over question

The Unsolvable Keyboard Selection Question

The broadcast hit an immediate roadblock during the opening round when contestants faced a technical task regarding German computer layouts. The challenge required contestants to understand the prompt, visualize a standard German keyboard layout where the sharp S sits next to the zero, and quickly input the correct sequence of symbols. As the countdown clock ran down, no participant managed to enter a correct answer, leaving all Namenspanels unlit on the studio monitors. Moderator Günther Jauch expressed immediate frustration while reading the prompt aloud on air. Das kann nicht sein. Leute, das kriegt doch niemand hin, Jauch stated, before adding, Das weiss doch keine Sau! The correct solution required recognizing that the shift key combined with those specific numbers yields the percentage, ampersand, equals, and question mark symbols.

A Rapid Recovery With a Familiar Nursery Rhyme

Following the failure of all contestants to master the keyboard challenge, the production team introduced a replacement question. Jauch transitioned to a much simpler task based on a traditional children’s hiding game rhyme. The prompt asked contestants to complete the lines Eins, zwei, drei, vier, Eckstein … by putting the four words from the following phrase into the correct order. Unlike the computer layout puzzle, the nursery rhyme prompt triggered an immediate response across the podiums. Jauch described the influx of correct inputs as a Kaskade der richtigen Antworten after multiple participants successfully registered their sequences. While several players answered correctly, speed determined the winner of the round. Giuseppe Russo logged the correct sequence in just 2.14 seconds, securing his place in the hot seat opposite Jauch to compete for the main cash prize.

Precedent for Host Frustration Over Complex Prompts

The September incident follows a similar clash between the host and the editorial department earlier in the year. During the 3-Millionen-Woche broadcast in January 2026, contestants faced a convoluted literary puzzle involving animals hidden inside everyday terms. None of the contestants managed to solve the January puzzle within the time limit. Jauch expressed open outrage at the complexity of that task as well, threatening at the time to halt the broadcast if the editorial team introduced similar hurdles in future episodes.