Nicolai presented the quiz show Rat van Fortuin for broadcasting association BNN in 2006 and 2007.[6] In 2007, he was nominated for the Zilveren Televizier-Ster award but he did not win.[7] From 2008 to 2012, Nicolai and Sophie Hilbrand presented the show Ruben vs. Sophie in which they compete against each other in various challenges.[8][9] In 2009, he won the Zilveren Televizier-Ster award for best presenter.[10][11]
He was a presenter in several seasons of the show Try Before You Die.[12][13] For the show, Nicolai took part in various activities and challenges, including playing a role in a 2006 episode of the American soap opera As the World Turns.[14][15] He was one of the presenters of the 2009 television show Budget TV.[16][17] The show ended after ten episodes due to disappointing viewing figures.[18] In the same year, Nicolai and Karoline Kamosi presented the fourth season of the show 71° Noord in which contestants travel through Norway.[19][20]
In 2010, he presented the television show Gehaktdag in which a Dutch celebrity was satirically critiqued by two teams.[21][22] In January 2011, Nicolai switched from AVRO to work for his previous employer BNN.[22][23] In 2011 and 2012, he presented the television quiz show Doe Maar Normaal.[24] He also presented the 2011 show Topmanager gezocht, a show similar to the The Apprentice.[25] He presented the 2013 television show Golden Oldies in which an elderly choir sings rock songs.[26]
Nicolai presented De allerslechtste echtgenoot van Nederland, a 2013 show in which husbands compete against each other.[26][27] A few months later, he competed against Katja Schuurman in various challenges in the television show Ruben vs Katja.[28][29] In 2014, he competed against Geraldine Kemper in the show Ruben vs Geraldine.[30] Nicolai and Sophie Hilbrand presented the 2015 edition of De Nationale IQ Test.[31][32] At the end of March 2015, Nicolai left BNNVARA, the broadcasting association which formed in January 2014 as a merger of BNN and VARA.[33][34] He began working for RTL in 2015.[35][36]
In 2015, Nicolai presented the game show Vijf tegen Vijf, a game show based on the original American format of Family Feud.[37][38] He was also a contestant in a 2015 episode of the game show De Jongens tegen de Meisjes. Nicolai is also the presenter of the game show Beste Kijkers which first aired in 2015.[38] In the same year, he was co-host in one episode of the show Carlo's TV Café presented by Carlo Boszhard.[39] In 2016, Nicolai presented the second season of Grillmasters, a barbeque cooking show.[40][41] He presented the television show Staatsloterij: Puur Geluk in 2016.[42][43]
Nicolai presented Idols 5 (2016) and Idols 6 (2017) of the Idols television series together with Lieke van Lexmond.[38][44] In 2016, Nicolai and Wendy van Dijk presented the quiz show De Nationale Gezondheidstest with questions about health.[45][46] They both also presented the health show RTL Gezondheidstest in 2018.[47][48] Nicolai became one of the presenters of RTL Boulevard in 2016.[49][50] He renewed his contract with RTL in 2018 and again in 2020.[36][51]
Nicolai and Tijl Beckand also presented Professor Nicolai & Dr. Beckand, a quiz and game show with small scientific experiments and questions about science.[38][52] In the show, science journalist and presenter Diederik Jekel helps to explain the scientific concepts and experiments. Since 2017, he is one of the team captains in the television show Oh, wat een jaar!, a show in which contestants revisit a particular year.[53][54] In 2018, Nicolai and Olcay Gulsen presented the boxing television show Boxing Stars.[55][56] In the same year, Nicolai and Tijl Beckand became team captains in the show Wie ben ik?.[57][58] He was also team captain for Team Holland in several seasons of the show Holland-België in which Dutch contestants compete against Flemish contestants.[59][60]
Since 2019, Nicolai presents the quiz show Ik weet er alles van! which serves as replacement for the soap opera Goede tijden, slechte tijden during its summer break.[61][62] He also presents Ik weet er alles van! VIPS with celebrities and Ik weet er alles van! Junior with children. Since 2019, he presents the Dutch version of The Masked Singer.[63][64] In 2020, Nicolai and Belgian actor and presenter Kürt Rogiers presented the television show Lego Masters in which teams from the Netherlands and Flanders compete to build the best constructions using Lego.[65][66] The show returned in 2021 for its second season.[65][67]
In 2022, Nicolai presented the show Volg je me nog? in which two teams answer questions about online media.[68] The team captains were Tijl Beckand and Nynke de Jong.[68] He presented the television show Domino Challenge in which duos compete to create and topple the best domino patterns.[69] He also presented The Big Show met Ruben Nicolai, a television show similar to Michael McIntyre's Big Show hosted by British comedian Michael McIntyre.[70][71]
He presented the television show Doet-ie 't of doet-ie 't niet in 2024.[72][73] Gerard Joling and Ruben Nicolai presented the television show Te land, ter zee en in de lucht.[74][75] As of February 2024[update], Nicolai and Kürt Rogiers are scheduled to present the fourth season of Lego Masters.[76][77] He also presents the television show De Erfgenaam.[78][79]
As of November 2024[update], he is scheduled to present the 2025 television show Pandora's Box.[80]
Personal life
Nicolai studied theatre, film and television studies in Utrecht, Netherlands.[13] He is father of two daughters.[23][81]
^Willemsen, Jef (23 December 2020). "Nieuw op televisie in januari 2021" [New on television in January 2021]. Televizier (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 December 2024.
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