According to reports, a new game show in the Netherlands features failed asylum seekers competing against one another in hopes of winning cash for their deportation.
Weg van Nederland has asylum claimants, who have been denied entry to the Netherlands, answering questions about Dutch culture in an effort to secure prize money amounting to £3,500.
This financial reward, intended to ease the distress of their upcoming deportation, is awarded to the contestant who demonstrates the greatest understanding of Dutch life during their stay in the country.
Glamorous assistants clad in air hostess attire pose questions aimed at testing the asylum seekers’ knowledge of the Dutch language, as well as the nation’s history and geography.
Thus far, participants on the VPRO channel’s show have included an aeronautical engineer who was ultimately returned to Cameroon, along with a Slavic student facing deportation to Chechnya.
VPRO chief Frank Wiering expressed, “My initial thought was that this concept was dreadful,” regarding the show, which offers consolation prizes like tulip bulbs and bullet-proof vests.
“However, I soon understood that the program is not intended to ridicule asylum seekers but rather to shed light on their struggles through humor.
“The candidates are not staged performers; they are real, unsuccessful asylum seekers who must leave this country within a month or two.
“While the program’s premise is troubling, let’s be honest—the truth is also disturbing.”
