Der Schwächste fliegt! is the German version of the game show The Weakest Link, literally meaning The Weakest one flies. It was first broadcast on 19 March 2001, on RTL. The show premiered weekdays at 15:00 and was hosted by Sonja Zietlow. Just like the British version, the show pitted nine contestants against each other for a pot of DM 50,000. But by September of that year, the show was sinking fast in ratings, so in order to gain ratings, Sonja treated the contestants with more respect. Previously, Sonja bullied the contestants with insults such as "Da wollen wir doch mal sehen, wer unsere kostbare Studioluft lang genug weggeatmet hat!" The change in Sonja's behaviour did not sufficiently revive the show, and it was cancelled in December. In February 2002, the show was given another chance in the late-night Saturday slot, this time with a newly revamped studio, that now featured an audience, and a higher prize of € 50,000. This version lasted for only two months.
