The quartet is no more. Gilles, one of the members of the “Fantastic Four”, was eliminated during the last council of “Koh-Lanta, the sacred fire”, broadcast this Tuesday evening on TF1. A great winner in archery, he notably drew the wrath of his ally Quentin by preferring Nicolas – another member of the alliance – to accompany him during the reward for this test of comfort. But it was ultimately the women of the adventure, feeling trapped in a male pact, who made short work of this 31-year-old farmer. Gilles discusses this disappointment with 20 minutes.
Were you surprised to see all these votes against you?
I admit right away that I am disappointed. I don’t want these last five minutes of the council to be the conclusion of my adventure. I really don’t want that to be held back. I was surprised, but I kind of saw it coming, right after the archery. By winning, I saw looks change after choosing Nicolas. I have felt it. I even remember telling Nicolas that something was up and that I was screwed.
What do you think was your mistake?
Clémence is right: I spoke to her and I hit her on the hand. At the start of the adventure, she was my favourite. I wanted to try to recreate this affinity that I had somewhat lost by voting against his ally Helena. I felt that I was losing her and that she was closer to Fred and Quentin. Should I have told her more directly that they weren’t with her and that she should trust me instead? I didn’t say anything to him because I would have been screwed vis-à-vis the quartet. The quartet was my only and last alliance since Grace left. I felt a bit alone at that time. I regret not having been more explicit with Clémence and Laura.
Candidates reproach you for these promises made here and there. Do you regret being a little scattered?
It’s easy to say that I made promises to everyone but I’m good by nature, maybe a little too good for this adventure. We no longer advance at this point in the adventure when we are altruistic. For me it was reciprocal pacts and I did not betray them. Of course, at some point you have to choose. I was good with everyone and, at the same time, I was no longer close to anyone.
Do you have the feeling of having been betrayed by certain candidates?
My biggest betrayal in the adventure is Grace. Clémence and Laura, it’s misunderstanding. We had discussed with Laura to go far together. Clemence didn’t understand what I wanted to tell her. Julie, on the other hand, is a hell of a betrayal. I’m very angry with him and even now because I don’t have the explanations. She was the one who came to see me and said: “Gilles, promise me that Nico doesn’t want to vote against me, that there’s nothing against me. We have to show the people of the North that we are making a good alliance, we have the same values. I reassured her but it wasn’t a promise. When Julie tells me at the board that I have a lack of authenticity, I am speechless. I tell myself that I was much too nice and that I was taken in, that we played with my values and my feelings. At this moment I have no more words, I prefer to leave rather than begin to explain myself with Julie and with the girls.
You formed a secret alliance with Nicolas, Frédéric and Quentin. Haven’t you finally been the victim of overconfidence?
Personally no. It doesn’t necessarily show during the editing but, from the archery stage, I feel that I’m losing Quentin’s confidence, that he’ll never forgive me. When the quartet was formed, I said to myself that it was a beautiful alliance and that in life I would have been happy to meet all three of them. I was the most temperate. I even said to Nicolas: “OK there is the quartet but I care about Grace and Clémence. »
Victorious in the archery event, you decide to share the reward with Nicolas, third in the event, in place of Quentin, your opponent to whom you owe your place in the final. Do you regret this choice or do you accept it?
I take it completely. Looking back, I would have done the exact same thing. It’s true that Quentin had told me that he would take me if he won because he knew that I missed my children. But I didn’t tell him it was the same for me. At the moment T, I should have chosen it. Afterwards, I had a long moment of reflection. I thought back to the adventure and thought to myself that I had saved him with the talisman. If it had been just me I would have saved Clémence but Fred had told me to save Quentin for the quartet. And I had the indirect impression – it’s ugly, huh, that impression – that he had somewhat stolen Grace from me during the ambassadors, that my lucky star had left for him. During the sack test in the previous episode, Quentin had chosen Fred while Nico was second. It was also a bit strategic on my part not to show that there were too many links between the four of us. And then, with Nico, we were together from the start, he chose me, we both cried because of the lack of our children. Considering all that, I don’t regret my choice.
At the beginning of this interview you say you regret the last five minutes of the council. Why exactly?
I didn’t want to ruin the adventure of my comrades by throwing the existence of an alliance. I don’t want to keep those five minutes because there are misunderstandings from two adventurers, another who played with my feelings and my values to throw them back in my face. These are five minutes that I want to forget because my adventure was great, I had victories, I moved forward and I realized that I was capable of doing things. I had a team game which was more beautiful.
Your meeting with Grace is still one of the good memories of your adventure?
It’s a very weird feeling. It’s a super nice meeting and you don’t have to play the game again, but it’s true that I tell myself that the tide turned when she left. I even dreamed that I was running after her on the beach to catch up with her! In fact, he was the person I needed to accompany me after reunification. I was too good and too altruistic and Grace would have helped me to go a little further. When she abandoned me, I experienced it as a betrayal…
Above all, Grace decided to leave for her…
Yes, but abandoning me at that moment of the game is a knife in the back that she plants in me. I like her a lot and we often talk on the phone but in the adventure when she abandons me, she knows that she is breaking my adventure. Abandoning someone in “Koh-Lanta” is part of the betrayals like not keeping an alliance or a promise.