Walter Grootaers

Do we still sing the praises of folly like Erasmus, or is it trendy again to be smart? And if so, who is the smartest? Who can talk about the medals won at the Olympic Games in London, but at the same time knows who Captain Haddock is? Who knows whether Lacan was a hair growth product or a psychoanalyst and can also program their own digital television? Who has déjà vu when leafing through the Encyclopedia Britannica and when reading the interviews with the new Miss Waregem Koerse? Who, oh who, is the smartest person in Flanders, Belgium, Europe, and by extension, the world? That is determined by a fierce battle between three fellow human beings. Every day, someone is eliminated, someone who may not be the smartest, but who is perhaps cherished in their family circle because of their many other talents. The others advance and are joined by a new challenger every day.

In the original Belgian version, 100 contestants compete over the course of an entire season, going head-to-head in a series of ability challenges, with the rule that the person that comes last in the challenge is out of the game show.

Buiten De Zone (translated as "Out of the Zone") is a Flemish youth series (1994-1996) about five volunteers at the Jongerenfoon, a helpline that rarely receives calls. Out of boredom, they fantasize about absurd and humorous situations, where reality and fiction constantly blur. Each episode revolves around a theme such as love, fear, or fame. The series is known for its humor, satire, and social criticism and has become a cult classic.

The story centers on Jean (François Beukelaers)—an ex-colonial and former mercenary—and his girlfriend Nadia, who together run the tavern. The bar serves as a gloomy crossroads where three different generations of patrons intersect. As these lonely individuals drink and collide, they confront each other's unfulfilled dreams, romantic illusions, hidden desires, and sudden outbursts of aggression. Trapped between their past actions and what could have been, the characters struggle with profound miscommunication. The film blends dark melancholy with sharp injections of humor, tracking a complex web of human relationships where everyone is simultaneously the hunter and the prey.