Four teams, nine disciplines, much excitement for the grand EC Trophy! Welcome to an absolute world premiere. This is the WAGO Electricals Championship. What exactly is the Electricals Championship? Well, for one, it's our desire to pay respect to a guild that now and then gets an unfair break - something that is completely unjustified and this is our way of expressing our thanks to all electricians out there. And how are we doing this? With a wonderful show, with a wonderful event, with a great deal of fun and excitement, in short a high-voltage event. Four teams will step up to compete against one another, but in the the end there will be only one winner, who will of course win boundless fame and glory. And what would an event like this be without a great winner's trophy? The WAGO Electricals Championship Trophy! This is it. This is what all the competitors wish to ultimately raise to the sky in the end. And how can a team accomplish this? We've prepared nine disciplines that demand quite a lot. Above all, brainpower, strength and certainly teamwork. And this brings us to our actual subject. We at WAGO also prefer teamwork and that's why I'm looking forward to great support in this show. Here is the sports host Annett Sattler and Germany's most popular, best and surely the best looking electrician. Here is Michael Bogorell. Fantastic - hello to both of you. Annett, you and I have covered many, many sports battles together. But never – which is logical since this is a premiere – did we meet at the WAGO Electricals Championship. Are you all set and ready to go? Of course not, Buschi! You've known me for 20 years and know that I never have the feeling that I'm all set to go and well prepared. That comes with being a perfectionist I guess. We'll most likely also experience that a few times tonight with the contestants. But this is really a double premiere for both of us, for I never thought that we would both cover a sporting event that you know less than I do about. True, even though there are many people who say that I don't know anything about any sporting event. And so it will continue this evening in this show. Michael, that's exactly why you are here. So that you can lay things out for us. Like I said before, we have a variety of really interesting tasks and disciplines for our contestant teams. And you know all about everything. We can count on that. At least I hope so. And here are the ones who really matter tonight. Here are our electricians. The WAGO Electricals Championship 2021. Well, we're not here to have a chitchat, were almost ready now to present the first competition. And competition 1 at the WAGO EC is Installing. And the question here is What is Installing all about Michael? Blasting outlets into the wall. No, Buschi. Installing hollow-wall boxes properly and correctly, and installing more than the other team. The teams all play at the same time. Right? And the team that has installed the most wins. It's that simple. Annett can explain more about this in the rules. But first, let's take a closer look at the teams who will be battling against one another in this competition. And we start with the team in Trier with Julian and Juliane. They are both excellent electricians, no doubt about that. They are both extremely conscious of safety in their job, which everyone in this job should be. And yet, there were sparks between these two. Because they are married. My name is Julian Kröschel and I'm Juliane Kröschel. Together we run a family-owned electrical company in Trier. And when you're married that working together can have its good and bad points. We renovate old buildings. We effectively work with our customer from the very onset of the construction phase. We advise our customers from the very beginning up until the very end and deal with all with all the trades involved ourselves. Working together with them is no problem at all for us. It turned out that things work out quite well. Jule did her apprenticeship later, and now she's out with me at the job site and in the office. We see each other almost 24 hours a day, but that has never been a problem for us. It just works for us. Above all, in the evening we can talk over some problems that occurred during the day and can sometimes resolve them more quickly and more efficiently maybe than if we were not married and not together most of the time. And our private lives... Well, that's a different story. We don't actually have that much time. We have three children at home: Annabel, Natalie and our youngest, who is five, Felina, oh, and our dog. When we can we like to go bike riding. Mountainbike riding. We complement each other perfectly. I would say that Julian likes to discuss things and contemplates a lot of things. I'm more of the type who says “OK, let's start now”. I think the others should watch out for us, because we complement each other so perfectly. We're going to win because we know each other inside out. Juliane and Julian, our first pair of competitors here at the WAGO Electricals Championship. And what I personally find most interesting is that, honestly you are together almost 24 hours a day and you're still married. How do you do it? No idea! What's the secret to getting along? Others would have been divorced long ago. It was a perfect match from the very beginning. Do you talk about other things in your free time, besides the company? Oh yes! Well that's reassuring. For you too, Buschi, right? Oh yes, that is also reassuring for us. But we're not here at some tabloid. I believe these two, like we saw in the introduction clip, these two have things well under control. Just like with us. We get along well whenever we get together. Well, the fact of the matter is that we said that only married couples can compete againe each other in this first discipline, which, of course means that the opponents who will be shortly facing the Kröschels in the hollow-wall box installation competition are also a seasoned couple - a couple for more than 40 years. Welcome, Thomas and Richard. Hello, my name is Richard Schildgen. I'm a master electrician in Cologne. And I'm Thomas Schorn, also a master electrician. We both have our specialty areas. He knows where his expertise ends and where mine begins and vice versa. And we both challenge each other to exercise our own expertise. It's not a biting at the heels, not a tooth and nail battle, but we merely complement each other. And ultimately, when the customer is satisfied, then we did everything right. In our profession you have to have trust. If I hear a voice out of the corner saying that I can start working, that the power has been switched off, I know I can count on him having taken care of everything, as otherwise my life would be in danger. We are both inspectors in the electrician's guild in Cologne. And I think we both enjoy our work there. The other teams should watch out for our spontaneity. I believe we are both very quick thinkers. We grasp a situation very quickly, we both have a great sense of humor and pack everything in a good joke. Me, I'm the type of person who would rather go without friends than without a good joke. These days, riding a motorcycle is a substitute for freedom, if I may say so. For me, riding a motorcycle is indeed freedom, but also because you have to concentrate so much while you're riding; when you're taking a curve and concentrating on taking it quickly and briskly, all you can think about is you and the curve - there's no room then for other thoughts in your mind. And that's how I clear my head. I would like to take on Mr. Buschmann and show him how it's done. Just because he said a few bad things about the 1st FC Cologne soccer team. I didn't agree with that at all. Mr. Buschmann, come on down! Well, that's not possible right now. So, Thomas and Richard from Cologne, our second team at the WAGO Electrical Championship. And that's something we have to clarify right here and now. What did Buschi have to say about your beloved 1st FC Cologne team? Well, he made a derogatory remark about them. You know, something like they don't belong in the first league, or something like that. Could he be right about that? No! Well, maybe - OK! I see that you are not always of the same opinion. Have you forgiven him since then? Yes, of course. This competition here is like the FC team - it's not whether you win or lose, but being there, playing and enjoying the atmosphere. And yes, it's all OK, all is well. And from a sports perspective you have to admit that he's right. The 1st FC Cologne this season with Steffen Baumgart, that's a heck of a team. Well, let it be known that my evaluation always depends on what they actually achieve in the end. The nerve of them to serve that up to me right now. Absolutely! Richard, did you two meet at work, or did you know each other already? We met through our job, and came closer together through our work with the electrician's guild. Right, we have a partnership based on trust, us two. And that's why we also work together. It just works well. But we're not married! Final word, Buschi! They are the favorites to win, due to their experience for the competition, for the discipline now, or maybe even for the entire show? For they've seen it all, of course, and have experienced it all. Well, I wouldn't say the favorites. But they do have a mountain of experience, which could help them in some of the competitions I guess. Who knows? But first, they, like their opponents and like you at home, want to know: How does this work? This discipline of installing. Annett has the rules. For the Installing discipline, you must install hollow-wall boxes in this wall. Only one player from each team will be playing in the end and you can decide whether you take two hollow-wall boxes or tools with you when you go to the table. We'll stick the box that hasn't been screwed in yet into here. That's neither the proper way, nor the correct way, but that's not what I'm here for. You can use your own boxes to press out the boxes that have not been fastened from the other side. But, if a box has already been screwed in then you lose your own box at that time. Just drop that box. That box may not be used again, and the player who has properly and correctly installed more boxes after three minutes is the winner. Understood? Yes! Do you have any questions? No! Which one of you is competing? And who will be watching? Julian. OK, Julian, take your position on the right next to the table. Juliane, you're behind him. How does it look with you two? I'll be playing. OK, Thomas on the right next to the table, and Richard behind him to cheer him on. So, no we're ready. Let's start discipline number 1. It's called Installing. The clock will run down from 3 minutes. One short other bit of information before we start: At the very beginning of the round you may not push out your opponent's hollow-wall boxes. OK, now anything is possible. From the second round on. There we can see that one is being screwed in already. And one has already been punched out by Julian. The countdown is at the bottom left - 3 minutes total. So, who correctly screwed in more hollow-wall boxes? That person will win the first discipline here at the WAGO EC Well, with everything that was going on with these two Thomas and Richard both in the introduction clip and just now with Annett. Just look at that, you can see that they are hot as flowing lava. It's plain to see that, excuse the expression, they don't want to let anyone steal the show from them. How true, Buschi! So, what's important here Micha? Important? First of all, speed is vital - along with some tactics. First you put boxes 3, 4, 5 in there and then start to screw them in. And now another one has been pushed out. Julian just pushed one in there. That was plain to see. So, and now, and 2 more, 2 more. And I was kind of hoping that exactly that would happen, that they are like lizards who nip and attack each other. Look at that! Just so they don't start punching each other out, those two. That's wild. An excellent match. Those are two ..., and especially how they vary things, first put a few nice rows in and then screw them in. And then look real closely. Oh, now look - what's he doing over there? Now both of them are fastening them in place. I can't really tell if anyone is clearly in the lead. And now we're counting down the last minute. The last minute is ticking away. Number one in two disciplines. Right now we're in the Installing discipline - I really can't tell at all who is in the lead right now. Well, the ones that we see installed there, on Thomas' side, those are his and these are the ones for Julian. And here they come flying back. And back the same way! So who's going to win? Julian or Thomas? I think Julian is slightly out front. But it is difficult to tell from here .... You can check later up front with Annett. Only the boxes that are tightly screwed in count. That's the winning point. Just being pushed in doesn't count. They have to be tightly screwed and horizontal or vertical, but not quickly shoved in diagonally skewed. Those kind don't count. You're learning as we go, Buschi. The winner gets two points, and the second place contender gets one point for his team. These will be the first points in the show. That's right. Discipline one, and that's it! It's over, and I have no idea, of who really won the competition here. Annett is briskly approaching both teams. And you can go up front, too, Michael. I will. And I'll check things out. . And remember Micheal, only those that are securely tightened. There's no cutting corners! Thank you, Buschi. And installed properly and correctly. That's important. First we'll count the boxes for Julian and Juliane. Here we go. We don't want to be overly picky. But that one just barely made it. That one's OK. This one too. What exactly are you checking there, Michael? Whether the brackets are installed neatly in a horizontal or vertical position and that both are completely tightened. That one I can't accept. So, I have to go to the other side now. Oh wait, so, this one's OK like it is. So, I think we have them all. There's one more down there, right. Aslo tight. It's OK like it is. OK, so step back a bit. And we'll count how many you thought were OK. From Julian and Juliane! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight – eight boxes for Julian and Juliane. So now let's go over to the other side. OK, I'll start down here. Right. And look at that Michael, we also have eight boxes. So now it all depends on whether all eight have been properly and correctly installed - and are they all securely tightened? If so, we have a tie. That's alright, that's completely OK. That would really be a let-down for me with you two as inspectors. You should know how it works. Michael, excuse me. I'm not finished yet. Oh, sorry. Ummm .... We've got two, four, six. Then we have a winner. Six boxes for Thomas and Richard, eight for Julian and Juliane, which means the first two points in the Electricals Championship go to our married couple. Congratulations! So, come over to me for a second. What do you think went wrong? Uh, well, I think our stamina dwindled a bit. Do I hear a bit of criticism there of your partner? Not a bit of criticism! A lot? Very good, that's how we like it. Yes, they were just in better shape. We did well and worked accurately. Aggressive method was great. That's what I wanted to ask. So, you two from the electrician's guild, you're both responsible for things like this - would you give these two an A+ with a star? I'd hire them both. Yes, right now! Well, that was sort of a miniature fight between you two. You laid down the line and said: “Nope, this is my turf!” Yeah, sure. How important is physical fitness for your job, since the other two brought that aspect up, that you just in better shape than they were? In this field, it's fairly important. That's right, because at the job site you have to carry and lift a lot of heavy things. And often up to the fifth floor. Like, you carry your toolbox all the way up and then back down, and electricians always have a load of smaller tools and equipment. So, we always have quite a bit to carry up and back down. Also, everything has to be taken away again. So we, for us physical fitness is a must. Now I'm even more excited, because I can promise you that it will get even tougher over the course of this Electrical Championship. You'll need your every bit of your fitness. Super! And now back to Buschi and Michael. Right, and we'll be continuing calmy and relaxed here so that Thomas and Richard can follow us while we take our first short look at the standings. This is like after the first day in the German soccer league. The information is there, but it's all sparse and fairly straightforward. But Annett mentioned this earlier. The first two points go to Juliane and Julian, and one point, for a job well done, goes to Thomas and Richard. That was the last praise that those two will get from me this evening. But seriously. That was discipline number one. Installing here at the WAGO Electricals Championship. And wasn't that a great start, like we said it would be, to the WAGO EC, and we don't want to talk too much here go on right away to competition number two - Cable Harness. Michael, we can see some lights. Yes, we can see ..... but what is that on the brown plates? What's that? The WINSTA® pluggable connection system. Yes, those are complete cables with plugs. They are used, for example in grocery stores for fast and more efficient installation. And what do the competitors have to do here? Use this system to make all the lights light up? That's right! And whoever does that first, is the winner, is how I would put it. OK so now we have a rough idea of what's behind the Cable Harness competition. We'll go over the rules later. But first, we want to look at the two teams that will be competing. Now we're going up north to present Aiske and Aike our brother and sister team from Schortens on the water's edge and let them introduce themselves. I'm Aike Reelfs, 24 years old, from Schortens and I'm a master electrician. And I'm Aiske, 26 years old, also from Schortens, I'm an electrician and studying to be a business engineer. Working together as a brother and sister can be a lot of fun and at the same time rather annoying, because sometimes siblings get along well and other times, well, you know what I mean. And what are your strong points? Speaking up, as you can see, perfectionism! OK, any weak points? One thing I have problems with is ..... moaning and groaning! Yes! It's definitely an advantage to work together as brother and sister, because we are familiar with each other's strengths and weaknesses. This job basically runs in the family, from our parents and grandparents. It's nice for us to have a family-run company, as they are becoming rare these days. In our leisure time we both like to downhill ski. But if you know the geography in the north you'll know that downhill skiing isn't possible there. So we travel to the mountains in the winter. So until we travel, it's more or less “wait and see”. Why are we a good team? We're like cats and dogs. Sometimes we get along well, sometimes we don't. And today we want to get along well and beat the other teams. So, Aiske and Aike from way up north, our first team for the Cable Harness competition. But I'd like to briefly ask you about your names. What was going on in your parents' head when they gave you those names? Your honest opinion. Well, I think the idea behind our names was to simply call out simply one name in our apartment, and everyone hears it and answers and come running. I think that was basically the brainstorm behind our names. And how often did the wrong person come running? Every time! You also have to know that it's not only us two. We have two other brothers. I cant wait for this! Their names are Aiko and Arne. And our father's name is Arno. OK, well that's always pretty easy. Right, especially easy for your mother. Just call one name and the whole family comes running. A clever move by your mother, without a doubt. Getting back to what you said, like cats and dogs. Which one of you is the cat and which one the dog? Ì'm the cat. We both agree on that. How challenging is it to work for your younger brother who is the boss? It's an interesting constellation I have to say. That's right. It's OK, like we said, sometimes have your scuffles and there are times when we don't always agree. But in the end we always work it out somehow. Even if there's a mean word dropped now and then, we still forgive each other. OK, then thank you both. OK, Buschi, now let's take a look at our second team, I'd say. That's right. Now we're heading down to where the two we just heard from like to go skiing, that is from up north to the south, where we meet Stefan and Christian. They keep the power running to keep the white sausage hot and the beer cold. I'm Stefan, 28 years old and am a master craftsman in electrical engineering. My name is Christian Baumgartner and am 20 years old. I completed my apprenticeship training about one year ago. He'll be giving his best, because we also get along great outside of work. And because we always worked together at job sites, we know exactly how we both work. We work together hand in hand. The one knows what the other is thinking. The bottom line is that we almost share the same mind, because the one knows what the other is doing and how he's doing it. I enjoy being an electrician, because the profession is full of variety. And it is fun. Stefan sort of trained me, from day one I was with him on the job and you get to know someone quite well that way. You know a person's strengths and weaknesses, where we both ended up when we were getting to know new work. Then it's simple, fast and clear-cut. Bavarians are so well-regarded because our attitude is crystal clear: Always give 100 percent. Anything under 100 percent is not acceptable. We make a clear distinction between work and leisure time and that alone is a huge strength. In our free time we enjoy riding motocycles. But us Bavarians have a cliché to live up to. Here at the WAGO show, what I'm looking forward to the most is meeting Buschmann. That's the honest truth. But of course I'm looking forward to the challenge as well. I don't know yet what's coming our way, but I'm curious and hoping it will be a lot of fun. Christian and Stefan are here with us and will be competing in the Cable Harness duel. One important question first: What can the smaller one do that the bigger one can't? The bigger one is nearsighted and I am farsighted. Do you miss not seeing each other when you're not together on the job? Sure, quite a bit. I'd say, during his training we almost always worked together. Then I went to master school and that's the first time that I really noticed how it really was to work together and since I also take care of office work and planning, I enjoy it even more when we get to work together out in the field on the job. I can't help but feel that you're both ...... you should have been brothers, the way you get along. Oh God, we've really gotten used to each other because we are together so often. I know Christian better than my best friend. The perfect picture of a perfect marriage, that's these two next to me, right Buschi? Well, whenever we talk about teamwork it's what matters, especially in the electrician profession. We've seen that time and again. I've learned a lot about electricians in the meantime. That will play a big role today. You have to work as a team. Team spirit is an absolute must. And it's also important to follow the rules. That is very important. Now, so that all of you who are competing, and of course you at home know how the competition works, here are the rules from Annett. Buschi and Michael mentioned it already. To be successful in the Cable Harness competition teamwork is the most important thing, for your task as a team is to connect a total of eight lamps using the WINSTA® pluggable connection system. And there is a clear distribution of tasks for this. One team member must stand there and read the diagram. The other team member will be down here in the field and must follow the instructions given by the team member up on the podium. The team member who will be inserting the cables down here on the field may only run onto the field with one single cable at a time. When you think you have connected everything correctly then flip the main switch. For you that is the one on the right, and for you the one on the left here on the large column. Of course, the plug must be connected first. An important point, so don't forget! The team that lights up its half of the cable harness first is the winner. Do you all understand? Yes! How will you be dividing up your team tasks? Who will be the one doing the work? Who will be the one giving the commands? I've got a pretty good idea. As the boss he can give the orders. So, up to the podium with you, and you stay in the field. And how does it look with you two? I'll go up to the podium and Stefan will be on the field. OK, then up to the podium you go, and you stay here. Buschi, we're ready. Does anyone have any questions? Not yet. Some may come up during the competition. Absolutely! Well, then - let's go! Here is discipline 2 - here is Cable Harness. They are nervous, but that's understandable. Their job is electrician. They are not normally in the spotlight in front of cameras, and thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands are not watching them online while they work. And they're not Bogorell, as the expert, as electrician of the year from 2001 to 2021, who will be professionally assessing their work. So, what do they, what can you tell us about what they are doing Michael? Well, we can already see two different strategies. The one team is starting from the back, from the lamps, and the other team from the front, from the power supply feed-in. And they just, do they just plug them in? They've got ready-to-use plugs that can only be inserted in one direction. Once inserted, the connection is made. So that means you know what you need to connect and how and where you need to connect them. I could even do that myself. You could also do it if I were giving the commands. Yes, so you also need to be in shape a bit for this and have the right skill and dexterity. Right, at least for the competitors on the field, the other team member must read the diagram. It illustrates where exactly the different cables must be connected. The ones on the field have to run, run, run. Well, I think when you look at both teams you can tell that they are team players, no doubt about that, and then the wild ride starts and she's running already, Aiske. Right, I can't really tell who's out front. To reiterate, the first team to correctly connect everything and make their half of the cable light up, and stay lit, that's the winner. The winner of this competition receives two points. The second-place team, if it has made all the connections correctly, will get one. It's still early in the WAGO Electricals Championship - there's a total of nine competitions. This is competition number 2, and a lot is going on, a lot going on. The way I see it, blue is at the moment out front by a micrometer, but the others started with the trunk down here, Aiske and Aike, if I see that correctly. Stefan and Christian started at the top on the harness, up in the leaves, so to speak. So, it looks .... I believe Christian and Stefan are slightly in the lead. They've got … I'm looking at the cables that they still have left. There's only a few. Aiske and Aike have a few more. And now we're gradually coming to the home stretch of this competition. Like we said, the Bavarians are slightly in the lead. That will be the last cable now - right, the last one is now – now he's got it. Now just plug it in the right way. Right, now he just has to make the connection to the column. That's a slight lead for our guys from the south. And now, plug it into the outlet. Press the button. Yes, excellent. The victory goes to Christian and to Stefan. Here we can see the entire thing and from our angle the right half is lit up, meaning they correctly accomplished their tasks. That was a brisk pace for those two, abut of course they deserve a complement for a job well done. Hopefully there's not any irritation between the siblings, they're sort of giving each other the look, the first nasty looks, That was great work from both of you. To be sure. And now, the first two points for Christian and Stefan. OK, there we can see again, you both ...... I was watching from over there - you were, you were talking. Come in a bit closer here. You were talking to each other. You two did not say a word to one another, you simply handed him the equipment. And you knew right away what to do with it. Right, one mind! Absolutely! Aiske, you seem to be quite out of breath. Yeah, the heat in the studio does make it a bit more strenuous. Was it ultimately the familiar bit of luck, that one little centimeter, that was simply missing? You were tied for a long time. Yes, I think it has a bit to do with all the excitement and then you try and want to push it in a bit more and then you can't get it right. And also, at some point you feel the excitement. Team Blue is elated over their first two points. Now it's full speed ahead to victory, right? You bet. Great! Yes, but it was actually a really close race. One cable was missing on the other side. It could have ended quite differently. But I do have to confess here that I might not have been as bright as these lights here. As we were talking I got a little nudge from Michael. Because a light shines, it doesn't burn, like I mistakenly said. So don't be suprised at home when your lights don't burn. That's actually a good sign! They should shine instead. Just ask your nearest electrician. Now we've completed two competitions here at the WAGO EC. All four teams had the opportunity to collect points. And here are the intermediate results. Julian and Juliane have two points. The same goes for the other winners of the first two disciplines, for Christian and Stefan, Thomas and Richard, the eldest couple in this show and Aiske and Aike, also with one point. But things are far from over. We've only had two competitions so far. Can you believe how fast things are going here? Now we come to discipline 3. Black box. But no further explanation at the moment, except that, and this is something new in this show, and the first time at the WAGO EC in this third discipline – that all four teams will be competing at the same time, over to you Annett. That's right. In this third discipline, all the teams will be competing at the same time against one another, with each team having five boxes on the tables, so let's take a closer look at these boxes, you can all come along. OK, so you have 5 boxes in front of you and, as you can see, cables are going into this side and quite a few cables are coming out the other side. But only 3 conductors pass through the box. All the other cables are dead. Your task is to use this test device to first find out which cables must be connected. And of course, also in the correct order. Here we can see the pattern. From one to the 2. over to 3, to 4 and to 5; the 5 must then be connected to the lamp. And at the end – very, very important, to even establish contact with the column – you also have the connection again which must be tested. When you think you have connected everything correctly then go as a team – and this is really important – go as a team together to the main switch, to the column and flip the main switch. You'll then see whether the lamp lights up or not. But it's not the end of the game when one team has flipped the switch, because it's also about speed. The fastest team receives three points, the second-fastest two points. Then one point for the next team and the last-place team gets 0 points. Then, I'd say let's get started, Buschi. So, what's important here? And don't say speed. No, actually testing, or measuring, until the cows come home, so that you can find the right cables to connect so that the lamp lights up later. I can work with that: measure, measure, measure. Let's play Black Box. There's the starting signal and yes, now I'm curious how you will explain to me why or how someone is doing something right. Of course, it's a bit more difficult in the first few seconds. They all start by zapping the lines. And that is very, very, how should I put it, difficult. What is zapping? What does it mean? Well, they have to find out where the three conductors that go in the front, where they come out at the back because at the back in the first box are, I can't say for sure 30 conductors and they must match these, brown to brown, and then the green-yellow to the green-yellow, blue to blue. If I've understood correctly, our sibling team Aiske and Aike has already finished. How many boxes? Five? Right, five. OK, measure, measure and measure. Zap and beep - the most zapping I'ver ever seen in a show. You can always count on Michael's old gentlemen's humor! Oh, yes, here and there I see a few old acquaintances in the competition and the 221 Series inline splicing connector with lever. That's right! Back then, that was quite a thing when it came to new products at WAGO - and now they've even topped that. Yes, I remember. Oh yeah, I put a lot into investigative journalism and in the end we revealed everything and now look, the things are being used here and, as we see, it's just part of everyday electrician's work. Absolutely! Always do troubleshooting! You have to measure and test. And, the daily bread of us electricians! Whoever is thinking right now “What are they talking about?”, Investigative journalism WAGO 221 Series go the WAGO website, there you can read all about the pranks that went on in the past about electricals. It all comes out here at this WAGO Electricals Championship and we're still a long way from the end. There we have Richard and Thomas. That looks very, very good right now, says the layperson here. Yes, it does look real good. They're communicating. You know, like, go over there, you have to talk to each other. Aiske and Aike too. There is the siblings team and there the couple. There we have – right, there it is, there it is – yes sir. The 2-2-1 Series They don't see or hear anything else right now. They're so focused – and you have to be focused, because if you don't watch out you'll have the wrong conductor and nothing works later. And they all want to win. So, wait a minute. Stefan and Christian are a bit behind. But what about our old hands, Thomas and Richard? I can't really tell from here. It seems as if they are on number 4 now. Between 3 and 4. So, now we can see. Julian and Juliane, if that doesn't work, if there is an error then they're not done at all and they won't get any points. Now it's about inserting and working carefully. Do the wiring, close the cover and press the button. Hope dies last! The lamp will light up if they did everything right. OK, well they have the lead. That is obvious here. And now the question is: Did they do everything right? We'll see when they push the button – I'm not sure, but I can I cannot make that out. They're quickly wiring the box. The connecting line. Now close the cover. They are working in an orderly fashion. Of course! So now, let's look - we turn it and - light, yes! That's three points for Juliane and Julian. That was great. And now we move on to the next team – that's Stefan and Christian, our friends from Bavaria. And if they've done their work right, they'll have a good chance of getting two points here. It's like they know it from back to front. Click, click. So, that should normally do. And now the question again, in, cover on, and turn. Yes, that's two points! Yes, they worked very, very well and briskly. Oh, and now we've got a head to head race. Right, and there, they're closing the cover already. Here we have the two old hands. Uh oh. Aike seems to be in doubt. And the one point goes to Aiske and Aike. And of course our team from Cologne works until the end. And they too worked carefully and well, but come away without any points. No worries! All four teams were impressive - and here an update real quick: Three points go to Juliane and Julian, two points to Christian and Stefan, one point to Aiske and Aike. Annett, gather them around you and off you go. That's what's exciting! I was keeping an eye on things and noticed the completely different approaches and tactics used by the teams. The one team started immediately with connecting, the others started testing and laying some cables from A to B and to the side. I lost track a long time ago. Your tactic was obviously the most successful. Juliane, how did you do it? What was your plan? Well, we worked from the front to the back, and tested; one person tested and the other inserted the wires. Three points for your team! You two are putting on a convincing show so far. So far, that is. And here we have a bit of sibling arguing going on at my right. Just a bit of sibling disagreement. “What do want from me, anyway?“ But in the end, I have to say Aike, totally self-critical. He said, “Oh man, that's my bad.” I bet you don't hear that from him too often. Or do you? No! And you were a little annoyed at yourself? Yeah, I was looking into space the whole time until I noticed that that was the lamp that I had tested the entire time. A completely dumb mistake, but what can you do? That's why the Blue team finished just a few seconds before us. It's just that old familiar tunnel vision. Alright, here are the times for this competition. What was your strategy? Actually, the same as Team 1. But they were probably just luckier to find the conductors faster than we did. You were testing from the right side. Luck does play a part, whether you hit the right one right off the bat. Right, and that was the luck they had. So, Thomas and Richard, our fourth-place competitors in this round, what was the sticking point for you two? We wanted to be absolutely sure and also tested the wires that didn't go through to make sure that they didn't go through. 100 percent safe, so to speak. We wouldn't want any to get killed. That is an excellent approach. Thank you for your foresightedness. Absolutely, it's good that you are here. So thank you all. You have to look at the facts here: Those two have played extremely cleverly in our three rounds. And you get rewarded for that here. You're clearly at the very end of the standings, with one point. Otherwise, two points for Aiske and Aike after three rounds. We've got four points for Christian and Stefan and five points for Juliane and Julian. But nothing has been decided yet. We'll see how things go from here. The Black Box competition had much to offer. It was a good performance by everyone and at top speed, very impressive. You're right, absolutely impressive. I didn't think it would be over so quickly. I kind of thought it would turn out that way. I should have seen that coming. So, let's move on to the next competition. It's called Wire Stripping. There's a story for electricians. We're making a competition out of it, as no one likes it. What do you mean? Wire stripping? That's a job where you say, “Is that really necessary?”. But it is necessary. It is absolutely necessary. Right, because you have to get to the conductor, but not 30, 40 or 50 of them. We have here an interesting duel, for this competition will place two teams against each other. And here on the one side we have Aiske and Aike, and on the other Juliane and Julian. These are our leaders at the moment in the show at the WAGO EC, Anett. In the Wire Stripping competition, the name says it all, but let's take a look together to see how it works. So, come with me. Here you see 40 cables. The insulation has to be stripped from these 40 cables and the cables connected using plug-in terminal blocks. The necessary tools are here for you to use. And to finish, you of course then have to flip the main switch together. It's completely up to you who performs what task. You can also switch tasks at any time during the competition. And at the end, when you have connected the cable to the column and the lamp that you see back there lights up, then you've done everything right and have won this round. The winner gets two points. The second-place team gets one point. OK, so, let's go to our places. Aiske and Aike, there is your table. Juliane and Julian, your is over there. Buschi and Michael, are you both ready? Yes, yes. I trust that everything is also OK with Michael. I've never seen him look so good. I sense that you're having a good time at this event. What's more important here? Strength or technique? Both. And team spirit. I have to talk about this beforehand. Who's doing what? Right, and then, of course, also looking when I'm done, to see who continues again using the wire stripper and so on. I know you don't want to hear it, but that's the way it is. No, no, I love listening to you. Well, there's just a pleasant feeling. And that will change real soon with the two teams in the competition. It's a very, very strenuous task. Let's start discipline number four. It's called Wire Stripping. Let's see, Aiske and Aike got one point in the last round that gives them a total of two points up to now in the standings, and there are our leaders in the standings, our couple, our actual married couple, Juliane and Julian. What do notice here at the very start? There are a total of, how many do they have to do? Strip 40 cables, you're kidding? But just look how fast Juliane is. That's unreal! And over here, that looks, yes it looks so slow by comparison. Well, I wouldn't say that, but it is a different procedure. Yeah, but just look at that, that's Speedy Gonzales. My goodness, Juliane, lightning fast. And also excellent work. So, yes, those are different techniques, different procedures. The others have already connected it at the back. Just a note for all you who are sitting in front of your computer and saying: “What in the world are they doing? I can do better than that!”. Well, maybe in theory, you can say “I can do that much much faster.” But under these special conditions, they are really good. And cameras. The know that everyone is watching their hands. And that's why I have to say, up to now all four teams, electricians, at this WAGO EC, the premiere of the WAGO Electrical Championship 2021, have given us a great performance. Here we see Aiske and Aike first, but I think it was Juliane who really had already placed a lot of terminal block on top. And we see a similar technique here, and I jest heard something. She did something wrong, forgot something, forgot to strip the insulation from one. Oh well, all you have to do is get that one and do it again, right. It's like … you see that often at construction sites when you're underway, that you have to come back a second time to simply correct mistakes. I knew that your praise was like the carrot, and was that just now the stick? So, here we have Juliane and her other half, Julian. And there the siblings team – if that doesn't work this time there will be sparks flying between those two, I'm pretty sure. It's the pressure, the pressure. And I think she's the one with the temper. Well, I think so, and he has his tunnel vision on. To tell you the truth Michael, I don't have any idea who is doing better right now. Me either - no idea. Well, right now I would say that our married couple is in the lead. Did you see that pile in the background? That was a huge pile. Wrong! No, I didn't see it. A pile of connectors. They had them stashed there, a clever tactic. Buschi, as you know, parts are plugged in and not screwed in. Right, plugged in and not screwed in. That is a very important point. I stressed that all the time at the job site during my 25 years on the job. Yes, but not in life. Does that ever, when you're always snapping them into place, click, click, click, does that ever bother your wrists or lower arm? Of course. Naturally. It's like when you go climbing I would day. Would you like to try it out now? No. Around sixty times? No. Physical labor is not my thing. I thought so. So, now we've … Juliane and Julian have stripped all the wires. And now they just have to insert everything. Right, so are they in the lead? Yes, but she still has … Oh, watch out, watch out. a few to do. Exactly. But on the other hand, they have more correctly wired. Yes, and here they come. I can't say who is out front. Who's the electrician here? Who's the electrician here? Right, I am. But I really can't judge it here. Well OK. Boom, the good plug-in terminal blocks are falling down. Yes, Julian is already at the column with the cable. Separation of tasks remember, it still has to be connected. No, they are not finished yet. We can still see Juliane there with the cables. And now it's … yes, I think this is a good work sharing strategy. But they are two completely different systems. But now I think they are even. Really? Yes. Aha. OK, just a footnote here, since we are in round 4. First: If you are saying to yourself at home that, well right now only 2 are competing, and later the other 2, and we've already seen a round, a discipline in which all 4 were competing at the same time. In the end, all the teams will have the same number of disciplines and can battle for the same number of points. That is an important fact. Of course, there are no differences that may favor one team or the other. Let's make that clear. So, now we see Aike at the column. Well, I can't say who that is. Now our married couple is in the lead. Now we're in the last quarter. Meaning that the last 10 are being started with Juliane and Julian. Yes, it is, it is a slight lead for Juliane and Julian. We have to spur on Aiske and Aike a bit here and there. Yes, but they could still pull it off. Both of them now have installed the cable at the column, connected, that is. So that means that both of them now only need to run together and flip the switch and then we'll see if the lamp lights up. Everything's being checked again here. Yes, you sure don't want to overlook anything now. This is wild! It sure is! They won again. They're just walking right through. And for those two it means that their score increased from 5 to 7 points. Our married couple is making quite a statement here. And I thought the performance by Aiske and AIke was really good. Of course! They kept it close for quite a while. Yes, but that was a higher level shortly before the end. And that smile, Juliane just can't quit smiling. Unbelievable, even though she's standing next to her husband. No problem at all. Annett. Yes, well that's a classic smile of victory that we see here with Juliane and Julian. Is there anything you two can't do? Sure. New construction work. OK, explain briefly. How did you two approach this round? Because as Buschi and Michael mentioned already, there were actually two completely different approaches that we just saw here. Yes, I was stripping the wires. Julian had already worked on the conductors. Then we just started inserting them and that was it. You two started checking for errors right away I saw. You were standing together and wondering what went wrong. Did you come to a conclusion? Too slow. Right, that is self-criticism. And it was exciting to watch you show how it is done. You two then starting copying them. You connected the cable to the column even though you weren't finished here. How? So that we wouldn't get in each other's way. I was inserting like mad and Julian was getting everything ready and then he could help with inserting. Ultimately it shows you have a great deal trust, because if he would flip the switch while you were still busy inserting, it could be dangerous. Well, that's good. OK, well our married couple get the points for this round. But our second-place team also gets one point. And on we go. Juliane and Julian, after three rounds of disciplines that you have completed a you seem to have a grip on the lead in the standings. Seven points so far, and hot on your heels in second place we have Christian and Stefan. They've completed one less discipline and have four points. Then we have Aiske and Aike who now have three points and bringing up the rear a bit back, the concentrated life experience, the concentrated Cologne cheekiness. But they'll get back in the race. Yes, I'm pretty sure they will. That will be the next one. It will happen. Those are the standings at the moment. Now we've completed four rounds and still have a lot more to go - to be exact, another five disciplines.