"Herzblatt" is Playing Matchmaker Again: Show Starts on February 14th
"Herzblatt" is returning to ORF in a new guise. Tina Ritschl, known as the voice of Ö3, hosts the show in which singles are looking for a partner. "I am Cupid and a taxi driver," said the Viennese woman in an APA interview on Thursday. Because the "partner search" takes place in an E-Bus. "We drive through Austria and match people," says Ritschl.
The first episode of "Herzblatt Taxi" will be shown as a special on ORF 1 on Valentine's Day (February 14th). Another eight episodes will then be available weekly on the streaming platform ORF ON, with the premiere already 24 hours before the TV broadcast.
Partner Search in the E-Bus
"Herzblatt" originally ran from 1987 to 2005, hosted by Rudi Carrell and Rainhard Fendrich among others. The episodes were recorded in the studio at the time. Why is the partner search now taking place in a vehicle? "The situation in a car is very special," Ritschl replied. "People talk differently, the atmosphere is intimate, but there is still enough distance. In our case, there is a partition. The candidates in the back can't see the single person in the front seat. They can only hear each other, which adds a very special charm."
Candidates are Picked Up at Taxi Stations
The Viennese woman with roots in Vorarlberg and Lower Austria picks up the respective candidates from Herzblatt taxi stations all over Austria. In the first episode, they come from Lower Austria and Carinthia. "The goal of each taxi ride is a wonderful date at a special place in Austria," Ritschl said. Instead of the "Herzblatt" helicopter, as in the past, the taxi takes them to the rendezvous. "But we are only there for a few minutes and film what it looks like, then we completely withdraw."
Ritschl on First TV Job: "Multitasking Deluxe"
Driving a taxi, moderating, listening - it was "multitasking deluxe", Ritschl chuckled. "I pushed my limits a bit. Also, I had a button in my ear. When director's instructions came, multitasking was over, I had to stop the conversations in the taxi. But I always found the destination, even if slopes or narrow alleys posed additional challenges during the drive."
Her first TV job was a great experience: "I was excited and always wondered who would match with whom and if they would get together." It was also exciting to work with a team. "On the radio, you're usually alone in the studio," said Ritschl, who can "well imagine" continuing to work in front of the camera in the future. "But I'm not planning anything. I'm just curious about what's coming and what life brings." However, she does not want to leave her beloved radio under any circumstances.
Anecdotes and Romance
When asked for anecdotes from the shooting time for "Heartleaf Taxi", Ritschl doesn't have to think long: "One who was not chosen for the date asked the team if there might be a single woman among them and if he would have a chance. And one candidate said that the taxi was a new experience for her, because usually she had her blind dates always in a sauna."
Only remains to clarify whether the new "Heartleaf" hostess is herself romantically inclined. "More than I would admit," she laughed. In the past, she didn't think much of "cuddling, love letters and kitschy things". "Now I'm in a relationship and I realize that I actually quite like it."
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.