Impossible to ignore the debut of the golden boy of Rai: dozens of commercials for days, today a segment on Tg1 at 1 PM announcing the start of the new edition of Affari tuoi on Rai 1 and the presence of Stefano De Martino – none other than – in the 8 PM news edition. “Don’t miss the start of the program,” urges Emma D’Aquino right from the headlines of the news, in case anyone has been distracted.
“I trained all summer, I can’t wait to start,” says the host to Tg1. “We’ve brought back the old cardboard boxes, my phone with the receiver, and the doctor is still fierce. The contestants are returning from the previous edition, they are the ones who were supposed to play. I’ve met them and they are very excited: it’s great because that excitement and adrenaline also become mine.”
His adrenaline, however, does not show. Here he is at work, the young man, a former student of Amici, who has become, for public service, the man to bet on (four-year contract, Sanremo Festival included), sealed in a white shirt, black tie, in the studio that saw Amadeus triumph. With a charming demeanor, he is quite self-assured. For a month, when asked if Arianna Meloni, the first sister, is behind his irresistible rise, he repeats that he doesn’t know her. Someone will, the skeptics whisper: Affari tuoi is the vault of ratings, a decisive driver of access time. But at Rai, they had no doubts, and they immediately bet on him.
Affari tuoi is always the same, to innovate, they look to the past: vintage red phone, the old cardboard boxes. First contestant Monica from Veneto, accompanied by her partner Edoardo, chooses box number 20. Away goes 200,000 euros (“But there are still 300,000,” says De Martino); then she chooses the box containing 300,000 euros (“But there are still 100,000 euros,” explains the host, who zooms in on the horn worn by the contestant on her ankle). “Dig, but don’t open,” said Paolo Bonolis, De Martino chose “Spacchetti.” He calls the doctor (Pasquale Romano), “Pasqualo.” The usual gags on the phone about offers/box changes, jokes with the contestants (“What do you call each other intimately?”, “How did you win over her son Riccardo?”). De Martino has done his homework, directing the traffic. They must have told him not to overdo it, as he has toned down the joker side. He’s serious, a bit lacking in empathy. The finale features two boxes for 30,000 and 100,000 euros. The doctor’s offer: 60,000 euros. The lively Monica, a brave girl, refuses. And she wins 100,000 euros. Group hug, De Martino cheers: “Hooray for love.” And if he says it…