This is what a day is like in the bowels of El Hormiguero: "The key to our success is working an hour more than the person next door"

• ESTHER MUCIENTES

  @emucient

  Madrid

Updated Sunday, October 2, 2022-01:52

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El Hormiguero

is the most watched program on television in Spain, only behind the news on

, the king of

every night for years.

Few times

and

, parents of this monster, agree to talk about what is behind their success, but with the return of their particular crowd they open a window to THE WORLD to their world.

"There is a lot of work from everyone in this program," they confess.

An average of 15.6% screen share in the previous season, golden minutes day in and day out, unattainable guests for most, the jewel in the crown of

, El Hormiguero.

For 17 seasons -premiered just three weeks ago- the son of Pablo Motos and Jorge Salvador is the program of records.

A success that comforts, but that also carries with it a high personal and professional price.

Hours and hours of work, concessions that not everyone would be willing to make and all with two clear objectives: to continue to be one of the most watched programs on television and to accompany and entertain the viewer.

In these three weeks of the new season, they have cut Alcalá street to offer an impressive show with 200 drones, they have obtained the first interview in an entertainment program of the newly number one in world tennis,

-with a 19.3% share of screen- and have marked the best week in its history in audiences.

And there are still “many surprises”, according to the two parents of the creature.

They talk about the magic of El Hormiguero, but, according to their words, it is not magic, it is the opposite, a culture of effort and dedication that involves and demands the entire team.

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Jorge Salvador

and

are the architects of this success.

Through their production company,

, of which they are 50% owners, producer and presenter have managed to increase the distribution of dividends by 33% compared to 2020. As published by

,

.

It is the most pleasant part of a success that, although it generates great profits -6.1 million in 2021-, also carries with it great costs and not only economic ones.

"The greatest cost as a father of

is the hours that I have lost with my children and my wife," says

.

It's a lifetime behind and in front of the cameras conditioned by that daily success, as

explains : "My life before

was very different, I had much more free time and I went out there much more to have fun...".

If now you had to start a new project or a new Anthill, what would you repeat and what not?

.- This is a trick question.

When I started the program I didn't know the things I know now.

Even today we continue to learn every night from the mistakes we make... and every night they are different.

.- If we started a new Hormiguero, I would repeat the same thing.

I know that is the typical thing that is said, but... what if I remove something and it does not work?

Just in case, I don't touch anything.

What you see on the small screen every night is just the result of an equation with infinite variables, but with only one constant:

.

How is

made ?

How does it stay for 17 seasons to be one of the most watched shows on television?

Every night the viewer sees an interview with a current character, sees some ant puppets coming out from under a table, sees science -yes, science in

and with success-, sees collaborators from all fields and spectra, sees " the animaladas" that they do, as

calls them , to amuse the guest, he sees

in an impressive apnea challenge, he sees a car crashing, he sees a go-kart race in a prefabricated supermarket, he sees the

in Full live, he sees humor, he sees current affairs, but he does not see how much it costs for all this to go ahead.

Pablo Motos, with Carlos Latre in El Hormiguero.ANTENA 3

"When the season of El Hormiguero begins, I work from Monday to Sunday in the morning," says Pablo Motos, who confesses that he only has free time "on Friday and Sunday afternoons, after five more or less" and that the rest of time is dedicated exclusively to

"And as for the team, there are no schedules.

If they have to stay until four in the morning or learn to take augmented reality in a crash course on Saturday and Sunday, for example, they do it.

, "adds the presenter.

If you work an hour more than the one next to you, it is normal for you to do better

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That's how it is.

In order to entertain every night and keep the viewer glued to the small screen,

ceases to be a program and becomes a way of life.

Nothing escapes improvisation, although from the other side of the screen the agile rhythm of the program, the exits of the guests or the humor of the collaborators may seem so.

Every day the program is rehearsed to be performed that night at approximately 7:00 p.m.

prepares the interviews conscientiously after an enormous documentation work in which the team searches and searches for the most curious of each guest.

Everything is rehearsed, everything is controlled and done in a way that there is room for correction before the program begins.

The nerves, in the afternoon.

Before starting, calm must reign.

To all this we must add that for the program the most important thing is the guest and the viewer.

The guest, whoever they are, has to enjoy themselves to the fullest, "have fun", and, for this, they do not open doors to the field.

Whatever it costs, although, as the team has pointed out many times,

take a close look at expenses.

If you have to hire the best 3D animation team to surprise

himself, hire them.

"Without a doubt, one of the keys to the success of

is to be very careful with details. The whole team is aware that what is seen, and what is not seen, is perfect. The second is to have the courage to be authentic.

and everyone can say -really- whatever they want. And the third is to work one more hour... If you work one hour more than the one next to you, normal is that you do better than the one next door", says

.

The results are proof that the way of working and the absolute dedication of the team work.

In the second week of this season 17,

marked the best week in its entire history.

"We are very happy with the program we do. But that after 17 years we have our best audience data is a dream that we had not even dreamed of. We will do everything possible to live up to it," says the presenter.

How is this success managed both on a professional level, in front of the cameras, and on a personal level, behind the cameras?

.- I try to surround myself with good friends who trust me to let me know if things get out of hand.

Many times, it has been Jorge Salvador, for whom the key to El Hormiguero is "passion", who has revealed how little Pablo Motos likes that something escapes improvisation or that something catches him by surprise.

"He shows it right away on his face," he has stated in more than one program.

Hence, Pablo Motos literally lives for El Hormiguero and wants his team to give themselves to the program as much as he does.

There are no schedules, there are no excuses, there is a lot of work and a high personal price, which has its counterpoint not only with the success of each night in audiences but also with the interest that the program generates every day.

After so many seasons, so much work, the exposure that comes with being the presenter and father of such a television monster and so many sacrifices, the

of El Hormiguero was overtaken by the storm clouds and the intention of leaving.

But it was only a passing storm, a downpour, from which Pablo Motos managed to come out unscathed and strengthened.

A kind of resurrection from the ashes like a Phoenix Bird.

«

and at the moment my health respects me, so I would say that I am more excited than ever,» confesses Pablo Motos.

The greatest cost of 'El Hormiguero' has been the hours I have lost with my wife and children

George Salvador

In fact,

is an expert in getting out of the wells.

What for many is usually a sentence, in

they transform it into an opportunity.

It happened during the pandemic, which for

and

has been one of the best moments they have experienced in the 17 seasons of the program's life.

When the state of alarm was applied,

turned

into a table of anecdotes, which is still maintained today, of confessions, humor and closeness that worked perfectly from the beginning.

When more people sat in front of the television, when more people needed television, when television became the only tool to escape,

decided to continue at the foot of the canyon, and it was not easy.

Only the essential ones went to work and always after having carried out the appropriate tests, the rest of the team teleworked.

They adapted to change in an almost impossible time and with a lot of fear in their bodies.

"You had to help people," they assured then from the program, proud of what they did.

Jorge Salvador, in El Hormiguero.ANTENA 3

A high price was paid, sometimes very expensive for the visible face.

was involved

for becoming the nightly accompaniment in one of the worst moments in society.

His opinions on the coronavirus, his criticism of the management of the pandemic... It didn't matter, because I think the most important thing we've done is keep people company during that time... And I wouldn't erase anything .

In the program we risk a lot and therefore it is normal that we make mistakes".

There is a question that cannot be left out in order to understand how

works and why it is unbeatable: why?

«The greatest benefit, feeling that we have made a little history of television in Spain».

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