The "Stars' Summer Retreat" commences with an exhilarating beginning.
What a chaotic beginning! Carnivores and vegetarians butting heads, Sam Dylan dropping the word "prostitution", and RTL's beeper going wild more often than usual! Tears are already falling in the inaugural episode of "The Summerhouse". But at least there are still the "classic housewives" and dating advice aplenty! So, Diggis: "Relax!"
What a spectacle! What a headline-grabbing drama! The "Summerhouse in the Stars" is back, and it's like the pixelated TV highlight of the season. Picture an old cassette recorder with Beethoven symphonies playing, but then some TV whiz kid from RTL+ cleans up the static. No smooth crescendo or grand finale! Just noise, thunder, and chaos right from the start!
Eight couples, known from various reality TV gigs, descend onto the countryside for three weeks to drop F-bombs at each other through sports, games, and fun. The first to arrive at the idyllic farm getaway are Theresia Fischer and her boyfriend Stefan Kleiser. The two seem to get along okay, with the age difference being the least of their concerns. When the model isn't "switching between her personalities", she's either laughing ridiculously loud or complaining about the musty smell that takes her back to her grandmother's hut.
We don't need to list all the couples in detail. If you're lucky, even as a trashy TV enthusiast, you won't recognize some of them. For the first episode, it's enough to know that the tensions have risen immediately. On one side, there are meat-eaters like a true hunter and a certain Gloria Glumac, who feels "incomplete" without meat in her belly. On the other side, there are animal lovers Tessa Bergmeier and her boyfriend Jakob, both natural vegans who are eager to educate.
While it's mission impossible for Tessa to save animals worldwide and advocate for better treatment of living beings, she meets with rolling eyes from her housemates. Sam Dylan, who enters the shared house like a Hollywood premiere, says he "didn't expect the vegan chick" and that "she's nuts, she can only be friends with people who are vegan."
Dylan brings along his on-again, off-again "gem", Rafi Rachek, also known as the man "with a short fuse". An added detail: Rafi's "lack of stardom". You'll find the same sentiment regarding Alessia Herren, who moves in with her husband Can. But, the daughter of the late TV star Willi Herren is not as unsympathetic as a "natural housewife" as she was a few years ago on "Promi Big Brother". And, hey, Diggis: "Relax!"
Raúl Richter, the actor who "plays the piano – for a long time", is also part of the new cast. With him, the 37-year-old brings along his girlfriend Vanessa. The two met in a very usual way, namely when Raúl "slid into Vanessa's DMs" on Instagram. He was unfaithful to his beloved only once. But it was because he "felt like a change".
While Gloria craves a "juicy steak", Tessa is excited about the shared living arrangement starting with a vegetarian week. The key is to ensure no "vegan dictatorship" moves in. So, at first, they tactfully play nice, exchanging kisses left and right, saying cheesy lines like "Who are you again?"
The Most Hated Woman and First Tears
Partners are introduced these days like this: "Hey, he's 'well-endowed,' it would be a shame if it were otherwise." That's what Emma Fernl, whom Gloria calls "the most hated woman," says about her partner, influencer Umut Tekin.
The two met on a TV show. Or, as Sam Dylan puts it: "Well, that was a little like prostitution!" Sam's questioning quickly rattles the blonde, making her feel "degraded" and leaving her with "Digga" running circles in the kitchen, unable to help. But she holds her own against the bullying.
From the first episode, we also learn that Sarah Kern is moving into the country house with her 17-year-younger partner, Tobias Pankow. The man who "goes deer hunting" looks ten years older to Sam. They weigh and measure, and their relationship is like a game of Parcheesi, with the players considering themselves chess grandmasters. Or, as Umut Tekin puts it: "I'm the kind of person with a lot of emotional wisdom."
Otherwise, the first episode delivers the usual noise. Here's something from Raúl Richter's rap sheet: "Lift the skirt, insert the stake!" He says that, teasing poor Emma, who feels cornered by Sam's relentless harassment. But after the first night, the shine wears off. Some need their own "space" urgently, others move at the level of the "bottom drawer." And while RTL harshly exposes certain personalities, we hear from Gloria that she once "played the trumpet for farmer Patrick." For her, it was "a simple farm job." But she fails miserably in the relationship game.
In the emotion reading, Sam, Rafi, Tessa with her Jakob, and the Bambi savior, all rank lowest. "Secure" are "DM interactors" Raül and Vanessa. They were the only ones who triumphed in the relationship contest. Preview for episode 2: Has Rafi's temper exploded yet? How far will Sam push his mental mind games with Emma? Also, is Sarah Kern genuinely present, or has our RTL cleverly combined some jungle camp clips?
The RTL crew struggles to keep up with the chaos, their beeper going off more frequently than usual due to the high-drama unfolding in 'The Summerhouse'. despite the RTL+ team's best efforts to clean up the static, the first episode is filled with noise, thunder, and chaos.
As the contestants settle into their shared living arrangement, RTL viewers and RTL+ editors alike will have to contend with the ongoing dispute between carnivores and vegans, with Tessa and her vegan beliefs frequently butt heads with meat-lovers like Gloria.
