"There Will Come a Time When Television Will Forcefully Retire Me"

Presenter Carlos Sobera (Barakaldo, Bizkaia, 64 years old) does not enjoy receiving surprises but loves giving them. He hosts the show 'Todos por ti' on Telecinco (Wednesdays at 11:00 PM), where participants arrive at the set under false pretenses and are met by their loved ones, who pay tribute to them and help them win money. The Basque communicator will also have a dual presence this summer on Mediaset's main channel with 'First Dates', which moves from Cuatro to Telecinco during the summer period.

-Do you like receiving surprises?

-When they are given to me, no. Giving them, yes, but when they are given to me, I do not like them at all. Surprises make me very nervous. You never know what is going to happen. What is the need? In this show, the surprise moment is very beautiful because everyone, without exception, breaks down, as you do not expect your family to be waiting and supporting you. Then, there are family members they may not have seen for many years, and suddenly, because of the show, they reconnect.

-Did you enjoy the emotional aspect of the show?

-Very much. I remember when we did 'Hay una cosa que te quiero decir'. There was a tremendous emotional part of surprise and, above all, raw emotion, which, in many cases, were very traumatic moments with very tough stories. I have cried several times on that show inevitably. I like emotion, and I am like the audience; I increasingly need more real, more authentic things, with less filter, even if they are wild.

-Do you prefer dealing with ordinary people or celebrities on your shows?

-Sometimes you meet ordinary people, and you think: 'Why did you leave your house this morning?' With well-known people, there is little capacity for surprise. You know what they are like and what they will answer, but ordinary people can surprise you. They can be truthful, outrageous, or sentimental. That cannot be replaced on television by anything.

-You say you do not like 'professional' contestants.

-I do not like them because one of the beautiful elements of contests is that they are democratic and allow access to anyone, regardless of their cultural, political, or social condition. When contestants know everything, not because they are smart, but because they have studied it, it seems artificial to me, I do not believe it. Forgive me, but it does not seem truthful. I want ordinary people answering ordinary questions. Someone who is on 'Saber y ganar', studying a syllabus for a week, I do not care. I deeply hate the professional contestant. This will cost me my job (laughs).

-But do you think authenticity is being lost on television?

-Unfortunately. I do not understand the new trend that the contestant must last at least three years in a contest, which creates more loyalty than the presenter or the mechanics. We are losing freshness. 'Todos por ti' may be liked more or less, but it does offer that. It is the overcoming and democratization of television participation.

-You are turning 65, the retirement age.

-The number scares me because it sounds like retirement. I will never retire. I am a theatre animal. There will come a time when television will be the one to retire me forcefully, but theatre, as long as I am physically and mentally able, no. Television will leave me before; theatre never does. Television has an expiration date; there comes a time when you lack physical and mental agility, or the argument that you have to make way for new people and your time has passed.

-How do you like to unwind in the summer?

-By doing nothing, I unwind. I am a man; I have that ease of not thinking about anything (laughs). I love to travel above all. That is where I disconnect in a brutal way. And I must admit that despite the demanding schedules, because 'First Dates' is recorded every day, but every six or seven weeks we stop to do casting, I take advantage and leave. This year I have been to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Dubai. I take breaks, and that is where I disconnect.