a Koh Lanta XXL. The promise made by TF1 and production has already been kept even before the start of the new season called The legend thanks to its casting. Claude, record holder for the number of individual victories, will face Teheiura again. Clémence, the only adventurer to have won the game twice, will find Jade and Clémentine, crossed in previous editions. In all, twenty emblematic characters from the show will fight on the beaches of the Mana Islands, in the heart of French Polynesia.
Friendship, a factor to be taken into account
Participate in Koh Lanta, it unites those who participate in it. Some people keep in touch thanks to social networks and have therefore become friends in life, far from the nights under the flood and the cassava fries. Friendship is therefore registered as a given to be taken into account by the production when making the casting. “We kept the casting secret, including for our film crews, until two days before filming,” says producer Julien Magne.
The happy chosen and happy elected received a first call in January to be surveyed on their desire to participate once again in the adventure. But the production had planned things well in advance and contacted several dozen people. Three weeks before the big departure, the 20 adventurers received the call for deliverance.
Before composing the scoresheet, the production took the time to think it over. “We know people who are more or less close to each other,” indicates Alexia Laroche-Joubert. We suspected that there could potentially be alliances and we were careful that there were checks and balances, things like that. But was keeping the secret of the composition of the teams enough?
“You can still anticipate a little bit”
Before flying away for 36 days of competition until the pole test, some heroes of Koh Lanta tried to guess who was going to play alongside them. “Some faces, we expect it but others, it was surprises,” says Clémentine. “We suppose, we expect to see some people and there are discoveries,” Maxime bid during the press conference organized by TF1.
“You can still anticipate a little bit”, replies Cindy, adding that the affinities created before the game facilitate alliances. “Today, there are adventurers who are known, recognized, who hang out all the time together and I did not see them making dirty tricks”, explains the finalist of The War of the Chiefs in 2019, citing in particular the group formed by Claude, Teheiura and Laurent. “When I see them unloading, I tell myself that it is already a group of friends. »The solution to counter these alliances? “You have to shoot in the heap, what. “
Patrick really didn’t want to know who was going to participate. “With Coumba, we always send each other small messages, but that’s not why I called her to find out if she was taken,” he says. “Some said it, regrets Christelle, and others did not do it to respect the conditions. “
Beware of appearances
Choosing your allies before boarding the airport is good, but being able to apply your strategies on the camp is better. Because the production does not make life easy for the participants, and has many surprises in store for them. This year will see for example the return of the island of exile and the arrival is not common since the women and the men are separated before being able to compete in their first event.
“We didn’t know there would be a girls ‘team and a boys’ team,” comments Namadia. So if you had made a strategy before where you thought you were going to get together, what would you do? From the start, you tell yourself that the strategy is zero ”, indicates the candidate of Koh-Lanta: Malaysia while specifying that “preparing upstream is complicated. “
Developing your strategies at home like training orienteering in the forest next to your home doesn’t seem like an exact science. However, unlike the classic seasons, several groups of adventurers with already strong ties will unite from the first moments in order to go to the end together. And write the caption.