Cottbus songwriter Hornberger takes a second chance with Jauch!

Cottbus songwriter Hornberger takes a second chance with Jauch!

On December 26, 2025, the popular quiz show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” once again their big appearance, and in Cottbus there is a very special candidate sitting in the audience bench: Günther Hornberger. The songwriter from Lusatia was looking forward to a second chance on the show, but unfortunately he realized that he lacked the necessary speed to get to the coveted candidate's chair. Despite this disappointment, he is already planning his third participation as soon as the six-month ban has expired. LR Online reports that Hornberger knew the correct answer during the test, but ultimately stayed in his seat.

Hornberger, who also runs a poetry workshop in Cottbus and enjoys making music in his “Hornbergs Salon”, emphasizes that for him it is less about the million euros and more about the fun of the game. “I have a good knack for entertaining and am happy about the opportunity to try again,” said the Cottbus native. Last year, other Cottbus candidates scored highly in “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” remarkable successes and won 32,000 euros each. This shows that gambling is very popular in the truest sense of the word.

Insights into the show

“Who wants to be a millionaire?” was first broadcast in Germany on September 3, 1999 and has since become one of the most popular quiz shows in the country. The show, which is produced in an EMG Germany GmbH studio in Hürth, offers six candidates the opportunity to win up to one million euros by answering 15 questions. These questions are associated with increasing winning amounts and are carefully developed by an external editorial team. Meanwhile, viewers often have to wait a long time for tickets, and not without reason: the show impresses with an entertaining concept that captivates viewers again and again. Further details on the history of this successful show are available here Wikipedia.

It is particularly worth mentioning that since 2006, only four celebrity candidates have appeared in the special Christmas programs to play for charity. The big audience snapshot of these programs often attracts media stars, which we saw in last year's November edition where contestants shed their hats and coats to take on the game. These editions are characterized by prominent suffering, and there has already been a record amount of over 1.6 million euros raised in a special edition in the past.

Cottbus shows shared talents

Cottbus seems to be a good place for quiz and game fans. The journalist Phillipp Manske also attracted attention in April 2025 by winning 32,000 euros. In addition, a police officer from the region, Viktor Schneider, also won 32,000 euros in January. Such successes impressively show that the people of Cottbus are very good at quizzes.

All friends of music and poetry can look forward to the next event in Hornberg's salon: the artist Anne Fischer will be a guest on February 18, 2026. With the simulation game “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” In the back of his mind and the anticipation of his next participation, Günther Hornberger is without a doubt a Cottbuser who has a lot to say and with his appearance ensures that the fun of the quiz doesn't fall by the wayside.