How and why Vincent became the public darling

In each season of Koh Lanta his public darling. “Claude president! “, Ignited the fans of the game of TF1 last year in front of Island of heroes, before taking affection, in The 4 Lands, for the late Bertrand-Kamal. This year, with Secret weapons, their heart beats for Vincent. These last Fridays, his first name has regularly come to the top of the trending topics, the most commented subjects on Twitter, proof of its ability to fuel discussions.

At the start of the adventure, however, very few would have bet on this 28-year-old Parisian financial analyst. In the middle of a very sporting casting, he appeared as an improbable candidate. Echalas with blue socks pulled up to his knees, he was first distinguished by his winks to the camera or his very expressive reactions to the slightest turnaround in the game. His facial expressions have become memes on the networks social. Recently contacted by 20 minutes, he assured that these misappropriations of images make him “die of laughter” and was delighted that this amuses Internet users.

“Vincent, you made my evening”

The turning point came with the sixth episode, that of reunification. First there was this blunder which could have ended up making him the Gaston Lagaffe of survival: in front of all the others and when it was not the moment, trapped by his spontaneity, he revealed to have a secret weapon. The online mockery did not last: chosen to be the ambassador of his team, the yellows, he did not waver in the face of the representatives of the reds, Laure and Maxine, and knew how to defend tooth and nail the interests of his people . He made his sidekick Thomas lie who did not think he was capable of such strength of character. The public praised his tenacity.

Vincent confirmed his temper and played his master stroke in the following episode. While Shanice, Thomas and Myriam multiplied threats and pressure blows to force him to vote against Laure, he held on. Better, he pushed his free will to bring his vote against Shanice, who was eliminated immediately. In the eyes of fans of the show, the rating of the financial analyst instantly rose. Chosen songs on Facebook among the comments on the article by 20 minutes devoted to this coup de theater: “Vincent, you made my evening. You weren’t in my favorites, but here I say hats off. Finally someone who has the guts to keep his word in the face of threats ”,“ I love this beautiful mentality and sincerity. Thank you for showing us that there are still good people and above all who do not stoop in the face of threats ”,“ Bravo, you have a beautiful soul, that some take the seed from it. “

In half an hour of episode, Vincent became the main character of the show, the one who shuffled the cards and provided the show. In Koh Lanta, this kind of twist is frequent, on the other hand, the profile of the adventurer is unprecedented. Its participation is already a milestone in the representation of LGBTQ people on French television. If he has not explicitly defined his sexual orientation, Stubborn
presents him as queer and he himself uses the term “mannered”. He is not the first non-heterosexual candidate in the history of the program but is a pioneer in the way he fully assumes not to correspond to the codes of virility.

“It pleases the public to see someone assume their positions”

This observation is not anecdotal, as adventurers tend to verbalize the fact of being “a guy”, of “having coughs” – among other examples – and to resorting to a warlike and violent vocabulary. Moreover, the ready-to-wear brand which sponsors the show plays this card by proclaiming in its spot: “A man, a real one, takes his courage with both hands whatever the tests”.

To motivate his actions and decisions, Vincent puts forward universal values: respect for the word given, his desire to be fair. “I think that the fact that I stand up, that I take a stand and that I stay engaged in what I say, marks people. They like to see someone assume their positions, ”he recently advanced to 20 Minutes.

Casually, a program used to approaching the lexical field of heroism, to exalting the values ​​of courage and surpassing oneself, shows millions of viewers a “mannered” person to tick all the boxes of the bravery and panache, is nothing trivial. Especially if we keep in mind that the majority of homophobic insults are seen as synonyms of weakness. Vincent did not hide from us the “pride” he feels when he receives testimonies from effeminate men telling him to identify with him.

“What’s happening right now, bitch?” “

With hindsight, we will know to what extent Vincent has entered popular culture, but he seems set to take pride of place in the collective imagination. In addition to his strategic shots, he is distinguished by his punchlines, his shocking phrases in English, which are just as memorable as his facial expressions. Its “I don’t want this! “(” I don’t want that! “),” I’m here, girl! ” “(” I’m here, girl! “),” What’s happening right now, bitch? “(” What’s happening to you, bitch? “) Delight the viewers. At the same time, these expressions common in gay culture are put forward to the family audience of TF1.

Vincent does not fall into the trap of the stereotypical foil to entertain the public. With his sense of drama, he has fun with him without mitigating or apologizing for being who he is. All this adds to the attachment that viewers can feel towards him and who, from now on, watch every Friday for his flamboyance among the torches of Koh Lanta.