1,039,071 euros. This is the staggering amount reached by Emilien, candidate for “12 coups de midi” on TF1, after discovering his 9th “mysterious star” on Thursday. At the age of 21, the young man has become the biggest champion of the show in terms of record winnings, just like the biggest winner of French TV games. A great feat.
Emilien is thus ahead of Bruno Hourcade, another great champion of the program presented by Jean-Luc Reichmann, who had managed to accumulate 1,026,107 euros. In terms of time present in the competition, the latter nevertheless remains on the first step of the podium with 252 broadcasts on the clock, compared to around fifteen fewer for the current candidate. But this big fan of “12 coups de midi” (and quizzes) has not said his last word.
“I always wanted to participate”
Emilien, a history student in Toulouse, has dreamed of this TV game since childhood, a program he has watched since he was 8 years old. “I always wanted to participate,” he explained to Parisian, specifying that he discovered the show thanks to his grandparents. He tried his luck for the first time when he came of age but was not accepted, then tried to register again three years later, in 2023. It was the right one. Eight months after his first participation, the young man is still there, unbeatable.
A big fan of quizzes since confinement (he also participated in “Questions for a champion” in 2022) and knowledgeable on many subjects, Emilien is not resting on his laurels, particularly on the areas he knows the least , like television or cinema. “I’m a little less comfortable (…) I try as much as possible to find out more,” he confided to Toulouse News last March. And even if it means putting his studies on hold for the duration of his adventure on TF1. “It was a little complicated to manage the two in parallel,” he admitted to the Parisianadding that he “preferred [se] give your all for the unique experience of “12 coups de midi””. However, he plans to take his exams at the end of the year and is not giving up his plan to become a teacher.
“Every victory is a surprise”
More than a million euros, trips, cars, gifts, you name it… The journey accomplished by Emilien and the winnings obtained can make you dizzy. A feat and exceptional longevity in the game which were not necessarily the candidate’s primary objectives. “When you participate in the show, you expect almost nothing because at the start of each shoot, you never know if you will be present for the next one. With each victory, it’s a surprise,” he assured the Dispatch in February.
For the young man, the most important thing was to share this experience with those close to him. “That’s really the thing that made me the most happy from the start. It was a unique moment to be with my grandmother and my little sister, all three of them,” he told Leisure TV.
Next challenge? Surpass the number of participations held by Bruno Hourcade and definitively become the greatest champion of French TV games of all time. But for that, we’ll have to hold out for a few more weeks… See you for the next record?