Saber y Ganar issues unprecedented statement to defend contestant Martín Escolar from online hate

An unprecedented message from a quiet institution

On 28 July 2026, the official X account of the Spanish quiz show Saber y Ganar posted a message that the programme had never issued in nearly three decades on air. The statement, published alongside an image, came after weeks of growing hostility directed at one of the show's most visible contestants.

“Although it should be evident, we remind that all kinds of opinions are allowed, but not insults and disrespect. From Saber y Ganar we support culture, entertainment and education. Therefore, we cannot allow aggressive messages and personal attacks. Whoever does not respect this way of acting will be blocked from the account. Thank you to the entire knowing community!”

The post, while not naming Martín Escolar directly, was clearly prompted by the stream of critical and insulting comments left under posts featuring him.

Martín Escolar: 65 episodes and a 400,000-strong following

Escolar, a science communicator who runs the Instagram account Píldoras Culturales with 409,000 followers, has accumulated 65 appearances on Saber y Ganar, the longest-running quiz programme on Spanish television (first broadcast in 1997 on La 2). He has become the participant with the most wins in the current season.

Some viewers have accused the show of giving him an unfair advantage. The allegations, widely aired on X, claim that the questions he receives are easier, that his opponents are deliberately weaker, and that he is allowed to promote his social media channels. Comments included statements that the show was "benefiting him programme after programme" and that it had opened the door to a contestant with prior popularity. None of these claims have been substantiated, and the show's management has not commented on them beyond the general warning.

“Important to remember the importance of coexistence rules. In Saber y Ganar we tolerate all opinions and comments except disrespect.”

Viewer reactions: support and a call for civility

The message quickly stirred reactions. Many users welcomed the programme's intervention. One X user wrote that they could not believe "the contempt that Martín (and with him the people who love him) has to endure just for knowing how to play and having fun." Another described it as the usual pattern of people who "invent conspiracy theories because they don't like a contestant and resort to insult and disrespect." Yet another noted that in almost 30 years of the programme, such a statement had never been necessary, and that social media had become a window where filias and fobias, doubts and complaints all surface.

The show's decision to block users who cross the line found broad support among the "knowing community."

A cultural fixture takes a stand

Hosted by Jordi Hurtado since its premiere, Saber y Ganar occupies a unique place in Spanish television. Its calm, measured tone has rarely been disrupted by public controversy. The decision to publish an official warning marks a break with that tradition and reflects how online harassment has spilled into even the most placid corners of public broadcasting.

The programme's message, thanking the "knowing community" and promising enforcement, closed this public comment episode, though the debate about the treatment of long-running contestants continues in fan forums.