Der heiße Stuhl, the hot seat, first ran on RTL on 15 January 1989 and was produced until 1994. Each episode began with one guest and his or her usually very provocative thesis. The guest sat on the hot seat, facing five people who held a completely different opinion. The source that describes the show also notes its weakness. Oft wurde die sachliche Diskussionsebene schnell verlassen und es wurde laut, polemisch und zum Teil auch persönlich. The discussion often left the factual level quickly and became loud, polemical and partly personal.