Face of Flanders: Adil El Arbi

El Arbi, 26, was born in Edegem, Antwerp province, and studied film at Sint-Lukas art academy in Brussels. It’s there where he met Bilall Fallah, with whom he made his first film, the thriller Image, currently showing in cinemas. His age in fact also makes El Arbi the youngest winner of De slimste mens ever. 

El Arbi said that he was reluctant to accept the invitation from producers to take part in the quiz show because he was sure his memory would freeze under the pressure. His progress through the first rounds, however, proved that was not to be the case.

In the final, though, he could hardly have been more unlucky. He was up against confirmed quizzer Bart De Pauw (who wrote and starred in the TV series Quiz Me Quick about the world of amateur quiz contestants), who was taking part in the show for the second time around. He had also faced Gert Verhulst, boss of the media conglomerate Studio 100, who had set a new record of 11 consecutive appearances before the final week.

In the end, De Pauw went into the final round with a deficit of 87 points, and El Arbi took the final with a question on the Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton. “I never expected this. I can’t believe it myself,” he told the VRT later. “The final round was really tense, like a boxing match. We were very close, and it could have gone either way.”

On the effect of his situation as newly minted BV: “I live in Brussels, so there’s not much difference. In Flanders, though, it’s enormous. A huge number of people have come up to me lately wishing me good luck. That’s really great.”

Photo courtesy: Johan Jacobs/De Standaard