It took twelve years: While other Austrian cities like Vienna and Salzburg were seen several times on VOX's popular show “Shopping Queen,” the famous pink bus from the show drove through Graz only with the first-time candidates last time. August. From today, Monday, it's time: episodes of Mur City will be shown on TV and in broadcast (RTL+). A very special slogan was chosen for the city of Graz: “Same but different”. In line with Valentine's Day, not only are five women competing, but their life partners have also become nominees. The winner is the couple who gets the best outfit for a given theme within four hours – it's about finding a common element and creating different looks.

Day 1: “Super couple” Victoria and Florian wear white sneakers

To get Victoria's clothes, the two go to the Reitschulgasse, to Dr. The Bottle – The former liquor store has long since become a boutique with a large selection of decor and clothing (“What an exciting store!” comments Kretschmer). The choice falls on a tight petrol-colored cotton dress with cutouts. The two buy the white sneakers they've been waiting for from Görtz at Kastner & Öhler — which is practical, because you can find some of the accessories on your way out of the department store. The finishing touches are done with styling at the Zeitgeist hair salon in Giradigasse before stepping out onto the catwalk.

How was your shopping performance? The same shoes are “probably the lightest thing,” Kretschmer says, still pretty in the morning and glamorous in the evening. The competition, which is allowed to evaluate the two on the spot, finds the slogan “definitely validating”, but there is criticism of Victoria's bag (“It's not my favourite,” says Tamara) and the fact that the eye-catching dress somewhat overshadows Florian's outfit steals the show. But the rating is high: there are two, eight and nine points, that is, the total is 34 out of a possible 40 points.

Kretschmer is excited: “Maybe I'll move there!”

Filming took place in private apartments, in shops (including Kastner & Öhler, Citypark, Knilli…) and hair salons. But of course impressions from Graz are also on display – star designer Guido Maria Kretschmer, who comments on the events and gives the decisive points of the weekend in Hamburg, actually inspires: “Oh my God! I have already decided that I will definitely go to Graz. Maybe I will move there!” “Look at that, how beautiful it is,” he says.

Viktoria and Florian from West Styria, who live in Graz, will be the first to venture onto the podium (created in a soap factory) on Monday. The other candidates for the title of the first shopping queen from Graz are Tamara and Harald, Lisa and Dominique, Charlotte and Thomas, Christina and Alexander.

Of course, who will win in the end has been decided for a long time, but is currently kept top secret.

The first photos of the shopping queen in Graz

Impossible cuisine also comes from Styria

Another VOX show from Styria can also be seen on TV in the next few weeks: the cooking show “Kitchen Impossible” filmed again at Richard Rauch in Trautmannsdorf. Rauch's sister restaurant actually appeared in a 2017 episode, when Tim Mälzer had to recreate without a recipe one of Rauch's 2017 dishes, “Styrian scallops” (bull testicles) with cow udders. Now Rauch himself became Malzer's opponent, sending him to Braga in Portugal and to Brussels. And in Styria, Malzer has to bake not only Klachlsuppe with Heidensterz, but also – of all things, a family dish, the “Kardinalschnitte” from Richard's beloved aunt Herta. It can be seen at the beginning of Season 9 on February 25 on VOX and RTL+.