Per Seconde Wijzer (The Second Hand) takes its roots from a French show called Pas une seconde à perdre (Not a Second to Lose) from 1967. It ran for three years before being revived in 1988 by VARA, which broadcasts the show on Thursday nights (although is currently out of season). Journalist Kees Driehuis has been fronting it for 25 years.
Two contestants play each episode, but they’re not playing against each other in the main, they play an individual game and come back on a weekly basis (not unlike The $64,000 Question with Bob Monkhouse).
Each contestant picks one of five categories their round will be played on (modern times, history, art, science or sport). Each round consists of four questions, and each question nine answers. Simply the contestant must match the nine given clues to each answer. Each clue fits one answer. Simply match the clue to the answer when they come up. They can change answers if they like but must do it from memory – if they use an answer a second time then that blanks out the first clue they use it for unless they remember to declare the swap before they stop. They are up against the clock, they have 200 seconds to get through all four questions.
In the first week they must get five or more correct answers for every question, each one worth €20. Week two six at €25, week three seven at €30 and the final week they must get every single question right at €35 each which if successful will also double their entire pot. They can walk away after a successful week with the money won, if they fail they leave with a lovely clock and museum vouchers. To help them they have jokers. They begin with two and earn an extra one every time they get nine out of nine. They can be deployed after they’ve finished the round but before any answers are revealed, doing so will correct a wrong answer if they have any but also knock 16 seconds off the clock. For the final week the contestant gets any left over time from previous weeks as well.
Finally to guarantee some money gets won on an episode, the two players take part in a buzzer quiz. The pot starts at €10 for every correct answer given during the show. Both players are shown nine answers and must buzz in when they think they know which one fits the clue. Again each answer is used only once. At the end of the round each player is scored the pot +€50 for each right answer given, but -€50 for each wrong one. Whoever has the most money takes it home.
Here’s an episode from 1989! They don’t play the final game here.
It’s out of season but you can watch more modern episodes here, and here is the official website.