"My mother cried" The 5 most blatant self-experiments by Jenke von Wilmsdorff
What does permanent isolation do to a person? How does it feel to be in prison? Jenke von Wilmsdorff wants to find out - and experience it for himself. These are his most intense experiments.
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- Journalist Jenke von Wilmsdorff shoots TV documentaries in which he takes on extreme challenges.
- Initially, the 60-year-old did this as part of the RTL program "Extra", then with his own format "Das Jenke-Experiment", and since 2020 on ProSieben with "Jenke".
- This week, von Wilmsdorff launched a new self-experiment: "The dream of fast money - How do I get rich?"
For more than 13 years, German journalist Jenke von Wilmsdorff has been making TV documentaries in which he subjects himself to sometimes brutally tough self-experiments.
"We always make a selection beforehand: is it socially relevant?" said von Wilmsdorff on the MDR talk show "Riverboat" in May 2022.
He was happy to push the boundaries of most of his experiments "because they gave me a lot of insight into myself and the topic in question", the journalist said at an earlier point in time
When Jenke von Wilmsdorff slips into the role of homeless people or care cases, however, he is aware that, despite the stark experiences, he is only ever getting a taste of the problem. "I get relatively close, but I can never speak from the life and everyday life of someone who is really affected."
Of course he has limits, "and I wouldn't do everything". But his previous self-experiments are impressive enough. Here are the five most spectacular experiments:
5th place: "The climate experiment: can we still be saved?"
Germany in 2050, as predicted by the Alfred Wegener Institute: extreme heat, storms, heavy rain and new, more dangerous insects from warmer climes. What is life like in such an environment?
Jenke von Wilmsdorff moved into a tiny house in a climate hall in Belgium in the fall of 2022 to find out. Among other things, he was exposed to a fierce plague of insects.
800 tiger mosquitoes kept him penetrating company. "I was exposed to their attacks for 24 hours." Storms and heavy rain shook Jenke's mini-domicile and gave him a sense of what might lie ahead.
Especially as his research with the LobbyControl association in Berlin does not bode well. "It is frightening to see how huge the influence of lobbyists in Berlin is, who have been successfully working for decades to slow down the necessary climate change," says Jenke
4th place: "What is it like to live as an old person in Germany?"
What is life like as an old person in Germany? What special challenges does an ageing body bring, and how high is the level of acceptance in society?
To find out more, Jenke von Wilmsdorff temporarily moved into a retirement home in Solingen in spring 2013. Specifically, in a 20-square-meter apartment with a bathroom.
Special effects professionals transformed him almost beyond recognition into an elderly pensioner. But that's not all: a special old-age suit simulated typical frailties such as trembling, sluggish joints and poor eyesight and hearing. Eating and drinking? A whole new challenge thanks to the special clothing.
Not to mention the social isolation. In shared accommodation, but far away from family and friends who don't drop in every day.
Finally, there is the "street test": What do people say when an old couple simulates a third spring in public, kisses and caresses included? Enthusiasm was the exception rather than the rule.
3rd place: "Loving animals and eating animals - how much meat do you need?"
Many people are unwilling to give up sausage or fillet steak. This is probably because they can usually buy the meat in portions and in good packaging without having to look the animal in the eye while it is still alive. What would it be like otherwise? And what does eating meat do to our bodies?
The master of self-experimentation wanted to find out. For two weeks in spring 2020, he ate almost exclusively meat, after which he went vegan for 14 days.
Part two of the experiment: he lived in the farm animal ark in Hamm for four weeks. Under one roof with Elsa and Schmali, two fattening pigs. mucked out their stall, fed and trained them.
And in the end, Jenke von Wilmsdorff was faced with the question: slaughter Elsa and Schmali or let them live? After his "shared flat experience", he was certain: his flatmates should live on.
2nd place: "Alcohol"
An alcohol level of one per mille around the clock for four weeks? That's intense. Not too heavy for Jenke von Wilmsdorff, however. It all started with a heavy drinking party for his 47th birthday in 2013, including a drunken stupor.
In the weeks that followed, high-proof spirits became a staple. His morning cornflakes were eaten with red wine and eggnog replaced his omelette.
His physical and mental decline set in faster than he would have liked. After one and a half to two weeks of drinking, "you realize that you can't cope so easily without alcohol". Looking back, he is glad that he was under constant medical supervision and was also closely monitored by his production team.
He described the after-effects of the experiment in "Riverboat" in 2022: In the end, "I had the preliminary stages of an addiction. I had to go into withdrawal for three months".
1st place: "The beauty experiment"
Look 20 years younger in 100 days: Is that possible? Jenke von Wilmsdorff tried it out. Initially only on the right side of his face. He had the left side "only cosmetically treated with everything on the market".
There were 60 procedures in total from spring 2020: bags under the eyes removed, eyelid lifting, autologous fat injections and much more. "Most viewers were really shocked, and my mother cried in front of the TV," the journalist revealed on "Riverboat".
There was some fierce criticism on social media. "He has no life left in his face," said one Facebook user. Four weeks later, however, the left side was also due.
This self-experiment had already made waves beforehand. "Now he's having his entire face restored at the station's expense," was a typical comment, according to Jenke. Was it also vanity that prompted him to make the attempt?
He is at least satisfied with the result afterwards. "The wrinkles are gone, it no longer hangs. That's wonderful. How far does that go?" he asked himself. "The surgeon says: 'I can make you 10, 15 years younger'. Who would say no to that?"
Nevertheless, the social relevance is crucial: "Look at the figures, look at the stories. A 14-year-old girl wants a new nose for Christmas." It is simply an issue that affects many people.
