Supertalent in Vlaanderen

Supertalent in Vlaanderen was the Flemish adaptation of Simon Cowell's Got Talent franchise. It was produced by Fremantle Belgium and aired on VT4 (later rebranded VIER/Play4) in spring 2007. The series premiered on 15 March 2007 and concluded in May 2007. The show followed the standard Got Talent format: open auditions before a live studio audience, judges with buzzers to stop poor acts, followed by semi-finals and a televised finale. Episodes featured a wide variety of acts (singers, dancers, magicians, etc.), each given two minutes to impress a three-member jury.

Production, Network, Hosts and Judges

Supertalent in Vlaanderen was created under license from the international Got Talent format. It was produced by Fremantle (Belgium) and aired on VT4, the Flemish-language channel (later renamed VIER). The show was co-presented by Flemish TV personalities Dré "Felice" Steemans and Ann Van Elsen. The judging panel comprised veteran Belgian media figures Paul Jambers, Martine Prenen, and Gert Verhulst. (Each judge had a red "buzzer" to stop a performance deemed unworthy.) These hosts and judges were consistent throughout the only season.

Season 1 (2007): Episodes and Results

The inaugural (and only) season ran for nine weeks in 2007. During early April 2007, the program held four audition episodes, selecting semifinalists by judges' votes (with public input after the semis). The live final aired on Friday 11 May 2007. In that finale, the singing trio Triple E (sisters Tillia, Lori and Demi Eestermans from Roeselare) was crowned winner, earning the €50,000 top prize. The runners-up were the S&L Demo Team and a percussion act called Percussive. According to contemporary reports, the final drew about 422,617 viewers (a 22% market share). – a solid performance for VT4. (FrontView Magazine summarized the outcome: "Felice en Ann Van Elsen kronen Triple E tot 'Supertalent in Vlaanderen'" and noted the audience peak and prize money.)

Broadcast and Ratings

By all accounts, Supertalent Season 1 performed respectably in its slot. Media reporting confirms the dates and viewership: FrontView Magazine noted the finale's ratings peak (422,617 viewers, 22% share). No official weekly ratings summary is published online, but the final's figures suggest the show was moderately successful for VT4. (VT4 was a smaller commercial channel; a 22% share indicates strong interest.).

Contestants and Notable Acts

Triple E's win was the highlight of the season. They went on to sign a management and recording deal after the show (reports indicate they signed with The Castle Company, which managed other Belgian acts). Other semifinalists gained brief local fame, but none became national stars. (For example, a Belgian news article later noted that the Eestermans sisters were offered a record contract after their win.) In addition to the winners and top three, the series showcased a variety of local talent – from dance crews to magicians – though no contestant achieved international notoriety.

Controversies and Media Reaction

The only major behind-the-scenes incident involved the semifinals. After the first week of eliminations, Supertalent producers received backlash from contestants. VT4 and Fremantle Belgium announced that six acts previously dropped by the judges would be reinstated into the semifinals to appease participants and viewers. The VT4 network manager apologized for "poor communication" and allowed all 38 semifinalists to stay on until the public vote in the finale.

Aside from that, media commentary was generally light. Flemish press noted the show's variety and entertainment value, and some reviews quipped on the judges' blunt styles (for instance, articles commented that Martine Prenen was more polite to contestants than the others). However, no major scandals or controversies are documented beyond the semifinal reinstatement. The show was treated as a straightforward new talent contest in the Flemish TV landscape.

Cancellation and Planned Revival

At season's end, VT4 publicly announced plans for a second edition. In May 2007, FrontView noted that "In 2008 komt er alvast een nieuw seizoen van Supertalent" and that candidates could already apply. Indeed, by April 2008 VT4 was marketing a second Supertalent. Audtions were planned for a fall 2008 second season.

However, despite these announcements, the second season never actually aired. No episodes of Supertalent appeared after 2007. VT4 (rebranded VIER in 2012) quietly dropped the franchise. No official explanation was given; it was likely due to shifting priorities and the launch of newer talent formats on Flemish TV (e.g. The Voice van Vlaanderen premiered in 2011). In any case, the Supertalent series was effectively cancelled after its inaugural run, with all plans for 2008 abandoned. (By late 2008, VT4's schedule contained other programming instead.)

Revivals and Spin-offs

While Supertalent in Vlaanderen was discontinued, the Got Talent concept resurfaced in Belgium years later. In autumn 2012 the format returned on Flemish television as "Belgium's Got Talent" on VTM. The new series, also produced by Fremantle, was hosted by Koen Wauters (with later co-host Laura Tesoro) and featured a new panel of judges. (Belgium's Got Talent ran multi-year seasons starting in 2012, effectively filling the vacuum left by Supertalent.) Meanwhile, French-speaking Belgium launched its own adaptation called La Belgique a du talent on RTL-TVI in 2012. Both of these shows share the Simon Cowell franchise lineage with Supertalent, but there are no direct spin-offs or junior editions of Supertalent itself. No revival of Supertalent in Vlaanderen has been announced; the brand remains a single-season curiosity.

Cultural Impact and Legacy

n Flanders, Supertalent in Vlaanderen occupies a small niche in TV history. It was one of the first Got Talent adaptations in Continental Europe, predating many similar shows. As such, it briefly introduced Flemish audiences to the now-familiar talent-show format of quick auditions and buzzer judges. However, its cultural impact was limited. The winning group Triple E enjoyed short-term success (a recording contract) but did not become international stars. By the time Belgium's own long-running Got Talent series debuted in 2012, Supertalent was largely forgotten.

In the broader context, the show demonstrated Flanders' appetite for variety talent contests, helping pave the way for later franchises (Idol, X Factor, The Voice, etc.). Its legacy survives mostly in Wikipedia entries and media retrospectives marking its 15th anniversary Ultimately, Supertalent in Vlaanderen was a one-off experiment that fit into the global mid-2000s craze for televised talent hunts. played a modest role in Belgium's TV talent-show landscape, serving as a forerunner to the country's later Got Talent series, but it left few lasting traces beyond archival footage and contestant memories.