The annual “Summer House of the Stars” is apparently not enough drama for RTL. The broadcaster has announced an offshoot for non-celebrity couples for its in-house streaming service RTL. “Summer house of normal people” is the working title of the project. A start date is not yet known.

The application process for the VIP-exempt spin-off has already been set. Interested couples can apply to move into the “Häuschen Elend” near Bocholt on the website castingfueralle.de. A total of eight couples are being sought.

A current couple photo and an introduction video are mandatory. There is also the option of providing links to channels on YouTube and TikTok. The makers seem to expect a certain affinity for public observation.

If you're basically interested but don't really know what to expect - this is how the show works: Since 2016, RTL has been inviting more or less well-known people to a rocky holiday home. In the first four seasons it was in Portugal near Lisbon, and since 2019 it has been at a farm in Bocholt-Barlo in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The couples face various challenges. Whoever wins is safe from being nominated by fellow campers. They have to or want to eliminate the least popular or strongest sporting duo from their midst.

There is regular drama not only between the couples, but also within the couples. A number of celebrity relationships broke up after taking part in the show; in the industry it is referred to as the so-called summer house curse. Around 30 couples separated during eight seasons - more or less immediately after filming. Of the eight winning couples, only three are still together, including the defending champions Serkan Yavuz (31) and Samira Klampf (30). So normal couples should know what they're getting into...