The final season of the Dutch quiz show De Slimste Mens was set to feature journalist Mats Akkerman and comedian Claudia de Breij among 35 candidates competing for the title of smartest person in the Netherlands. The season comprised 30 episodes and hundreds of games and was described as the last one with juror Paulien Cornelisse, who had died the previous month from cancer.

The final week was expected to be marked by both smiles and sadness, with De Breij saying she missed Cornelisse. Cornelisse had been a member of the jury during the programme’s final season.