But who can be hiding behind the “surprise binomial” of Beijing Express ? Since the revelation of the integration of a new duo in the competition at the end of the last episode, Internet users have not lacked theories. “When we look on the networks, everyone is convinced that it is a former pair of Beijing Express happens”, confides Emeline to 20 minutes. Truce of suspense, the 23-year-old Breton forms with Clément, 22, the new pair who will join the competition this Thursday at the dawn of the third stage. “I hope that the public will not be too disappointed to see that it is only us,” laughs the latter.
It is therefore not a duo of candidates eliminated earlier this season or an emblematic duo of the show but an exclusive team with a “tailor-made” role which is added to the eight teams of the seventeenth season. of the M6 adventure program. Exclusively for 20 minutesthey confide in their unexpected landing in Bolivia, both for them and for the candidates already in the race.
Camp animators
It was in a campsite in Vias, near Béziers, that each member of the tandem crossed paths with the other several years ago. While Clément has just been hired for one of his first seasons as a camping leader, he sees Emeline as his feminine double. Very quickly, the two colleagues become friends by chaining the seasons in different French campsites.
Floral shirts, shorts and hair bands, the style of the duo dared all the fantasies for its arrival in the race, even if it meant falling into the typical cliché of the camping animator. “The production told us to come as we came to the casting… So yes, we wear flowered shirts and flamingo socks every day” Emeline immediately defuses with a fit of laughter.
It was precisely their last shared experience that gave impetus to their participation in Beijing Express. As they plan to conclude the season with a road trip in Europe to visit the holidaymakers they meet at the campsite, one of them challenges them: what if they take part in the M6 programme? “From there we looked at each other, and we said to ourselves: “Come on, let’s go and do it!” “, Clement rewinds.
“The production called us at the last moment”
By completing their application, the two friends realize that the show is made for them. “At the campsite you meet different people, who speak different languages… And we thought that this program was about camping, but in XXL size”, explains Emeline. The euphoria of confronting different cultures during a competition reinforces their motivation.
At the end of the selection process, it’s a cold shower. Emeline and Clément were not selected among the eight pairs in the casting but the production warns them that they will be replaced in the event of injury or abandonment during the game. Behind the scenes, the production plans to integrate a pair once the game has started. ” [Ils] called us at the very last moment saying: “If you’re interested, you’re the surprise pair, you’re leaving tomorrow for Bolivia.” And everything went very quickly from there, ”says the Breton. When they arrive, the new duo is unaware that two pairs have already left the game. On the other hand, they note that affinities already exist among their competitors. “The reception was a bit cold,” remembers Clément. This unstable position is far from undermining the motivation of the two leaders.
With the rule of “secret choice”, they quickly understand that their chances of going to the final duel are great. “We said to ourselves that we had to get into the bath right away because we were on the street,” warns Emeline. Because faced with the difficulty of integrating a train already on the rails, it takes more to undermine the determination of the two companions. “Whatever may happen, we were on our way to do it thoroughly. But with this new role, we were at 200%, ”concludes Clément.