Launched at the end of February, this new season of Koh Lanta had started rather well: the discovery of the cursed totem and its terrible sentences, multiple teams that came and went over the episodes… Admittedly, the number of candidates was a bit high and we got a little lost, but a few twists kept us in suspense. Then the mechanics became more and more purring, the suspense residing only in the outcome of the elimination rounds and in the victory of the reds or the yellows.
We were therefore impatiently awaiting the reunification which, as usual, was to reshuffle the cards of the game, see the birth of individual strategies and the multiplication of betrayals on both sides. Finally, a little spice! But three weeks later, we’re still looking for him.
Tuesday evenings follow one another and look alike on the side of Koh Lanta : the “strong” (the old reds) become stronger and stronger, and they eliminate the “less strong” (the old yellows) episode after episode, with no big surprises for the viewer. But where are the crazy reversals and the knives planted in the back? Why is this season so unexciting? The readers of 20 minutesbig fans of the TF1 game, have their own idea.
« The rewards of the comfort tests are not folichons »
For Jennifer, a 32-year-old reader who responded to our call for contributions, several elements are missing from this edition. Starting with the broadcast of the game on Tuesday (as during the season of legends), which she considers a « big mistake ». She thus hopes for a return to the Friday time slot next time, “because it is a family program and seeing that it ends at midnight, very few people can stay until the end”. A point of view shared by several fans. “It can be watched with the family on Friday evening quietly, not in the middle of the week when it ends at 11 p.m.! “, also notes Hélène. If the day of broadcast has no bearing on the content of the show, let’s say it obviously does not allow viewers to watch Koh Lanta in the best conditions.
Coming back to Jennifer, our reader also dwells on the course of the game. fishing or looking for food in the forest,” she laments. On this question, Anne, 51, is of the same opinion. “We feel a realization always on the same model, she notes. We see nothing of camp life except just after the immunity tests where there we see a bit of the search for collars and a bit of the counseling negotiations, but otherwise nothing. The twists, the personalities of yesteryear, it is well and truly over for several seasons. »
Several of our readers have reported this lack of sequences on the camp, which had not jumped out at us. As for twists and turns, it must be recognized that they are not legion this year. Unable to reverse the trend (and it’s not for lack of trying), the old yellows are taken out one by one by the old reds (in numerical superiority), during bland and predictable eliminations. So much so that it is now difficult to see adventurers other than François, Ambre, Louana or even Fouzi in the semi-finals… Very tough, very deserving, very sporty and very united adventurers. But maybe a little too much?
“If I want to see people doing sports, I go to the gym”
“The candidates have no charisma, I usually always have one or more fetishes, this year I have no one”… “I don’t have any favorite candidates”… “Candidates who are not very endearing and uncharismatic”… Many of our readers are not hooking up with the adventurers this season. “The candidates are too smooth, and a little too uniform, believes the 30-year-old Claire. There is a lack of atypical candidates, without however falling to the level of reality tv angels. There are few candidates who stand out, it’s like looking at the story of a summer camp with tests, it’s very flat. “Some also criticize this edition for bringing together only ultra-athletic candidates. And it must be recognized that the production did not skimp on the muscles and the eye of the tiger this year, with the presence of several sports coaches, former pro players or competitors.
“The candidates all have the same sports profile! It is certainly necessary, but mixed with people who are really looking for adventure and not competition, ”says Bénédicte. Same story for Jeanne, 35, who does not go with the back of the spoon. « What I liked about Koh Lanta, it was the fact of seeing « ordinary » people in survival condition. To see the strategies, the manipulations, the lies… But in recent seasons, we only see super athletic people, who have spent at least 10 years preparing for the program, and who bet everything on the athletic side, note she. Frankly no interest, if I want to see people doing sports, I go to the gym. The most outstanding people in the program were not all athletic (Gégé or Pascal forever in our hearts!). This balance between « athletes » and « normal people » no longer exists in Koh Lanta, which is why the « all stars » seasons swell everyone, and this season is extremely flat. The concept is still good, but the casting not so much. »
It’s all down to chance now.
Is the boredom that reigns this season the result of the hegemony of sports profiles on the game? At this stage, the casting may lack a bit of fantasy, rebellious candidates or hotheads… We also notice the reproduction of the usual patterns with all-powerful male alliances and candidates who struggle to break away from them. Much was expected of the cursed totem. If he spiced up the start of the game, he has been rather weak since reunification. We would however need a little evil rule to surprise adventurers who are too sure of themselves, destabilize alliances and offer a little boost to outsiders. But isn’t one of the concerns also that after 20 years of existence, the candidates know the workings of the game too well?
As revealed in the teaser after the elimination of the late Anne-Sophie last week, this Tuesday evening will mark the return of “linked destinies” and, we hope, its share of surprises. It’s now one of our last chances to be a little shaken up, hoping that luck is kind and that the team compositions are particularly delectable.