He could well win this season. Father of two little girls and farmer, Thibault is the “nurturer” of this season of “Koh-Lanta”. The Corsican, proud of his native land and experienced rugby player, was able to use his passion for gathering and underwater fishing for “feed your tribe” as he likes to say. The result is a trouble-free adventure. Appreciated by most adventurers, and never in danger on advice, he remained faithful to his ex-yellows throughout the season , to the point of eliminating, somewhat reluctantly, an adventurer he admires so much: Ugo Qualified for the formidable test of orientation, he used his experience to be the first to find the famous dagger. barely more than an hour before the final test of the posts, the finalist of “Koh-Lanta: the cursed tribe” gave himself up for. Puremédias on his adventure, and the values that he wanted to transmit through the screen.
Comments collected by Bruna Fernandez
You are passionate about underwater fishing and nature, you are a farmer and breeder. Was applying to “Koh-Lanta” obvious to you? Thibault: Yes, absolutely. It was obvious for a long time. I just had a lack of time because of my job. I hadn't been able to register earlier, but it was a dream since the first season of “Koh-Lanta”, which I have been watching since the beginning. And I was lucky enough to catch the eye of the cast from my first registration. I did a “one shot” and I'm super happy to have been taken on the first try.
When you saw that veterans like Frédéric and Ugo were participating in your season, how did you feel? You admired Ugo, right?
Yes, Ugo was the number one adventurer for me. Of course, there is Teheiura, Claude, but Ugo embodies extremely healthy values. He was someone I admired and still admire today. Fighting alongside him was a source of immense pride, a real gift from TF1, from “Koh-Lanta”, and from the production.
Would you have preferred to be on Ugo's team?
I would have liked it, but I wouldn't say I would have preferred it. Frédéric was a very good captain, even if he took a little time to assert himself. I advised him to be firmer, and he did it. Ugo let his team express themselves more, which led the Reds to divide. In my opinion, a team advances better with a captain who knows how to unite, and Frédéric succeeded in doing so.
“Eliminating Ugo increased our chances of success”
Thibault “Koh-Lanta”
When you eliminated Ugo, did you feel comfortable with that choice?
Not at all comfortable. I knew I was going to be criticized, and I was. But as Ugo himself said, it's a game, and he would have done the same in our place. This allowed me to put things into perspective. This decision was also strategic: we wanted to maintain as many yellows as possible until the orientation, and eliminating Ugo increased our chances of achieving this objective.
ALSO READ: “I knew my name would eventually appear”: Ugo reacts to his elimination at the gates of the “Koh-Lanta” final
You often talk about Corsica and your daughters. What did you want to represent in the program?
I wanted to make a clean “Koh-Lanta”, to show that you can remain yourself, keep your commitments and your words, even in a strategic game. I wanted to transmit these values to my daughters and young people, because I find that we live in a society where vice, betrayal and deception take up too much space. In my job, we are close to the earth and nature, which gives a different vision. With “Koh-Lanta”, I wanted to prove that we can succeed without betraying. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to have a very close-knit team and alliance.
Has your experience in rugby helped you live in a community and be united with your team?
Yes, clearly. In my rugby team, even when we are in difficulty, we stick together. This is exactly what happened with the yellow team in “Koh-Lanta”. Even in defeat, we remained united. In the victory, the reds had dissidences, but we were able to refocus. It is this team spirit that has allowed us to go far. Besides, I prefer team events to individual ones.
You often talk about your role in the team, which was to feed the tribe, a passion. What does “Koh-Lanta” mean to you?
It's a passion that I've had since I was little. In life, that's what's most important to me: bringing home food. Nature and self-sufficiency are essential. I think it's the most beautiful job in the world, that of hunter, gatherer, fisherman. And “Koh-Lanta” allowed me to experience that fully. In addition, I like the idea of feeding the tribe, of participating in the adventure by contributing something concrete.
How did you experience food deprivation?
Very complicated, very hard on the mind. People don't see well behind their screens. They eat their popcorn, and that's fine, they continue, but for us, it's a different story. When we lack food, we think of the people who lack it in the world. It's mentally tough. But with a good mentality, we can hold on. And then, my passion for foraging in nature motivated me to surpass myself.
“If Maxim had found the necklace, it could have really caused a buzz”
Thibault “Koh-Lanta”
During the Bound Fates episode, you tried to set a trap for Maxim with Ilyesse's necklace. How did you come up with this idea?
We were talking about it with the team, figuring out how to monitor Maxim. I knew it was a bold idea, but we wanted to use minimal energy to observe if he found the necklace. Ultimately it didn't work, but it was an attempt. I think if Maxim had found it, it could have really caused a stir, but that's okay. We tried, that’s what counts (laughs)!
ALSO READ: “A completely new plan in the history of 'Koh-Lanta'”: The crazy attempt by Ilyesse and Thibault to eliminate an ex-red
You mentioned the fact that you are more comfortable in a team than as an individual. However, you won an important individual event, that of bags. How did you feel at that moment?
It was a moment of pure satisfaction. I had this dream of winning an event, and the bags event was a real challenge for me. It was also a way to show that even in a context of great fatigue and deprivation, we can always surpass ourselves. And of course, winning this event thinking of my brother was a very strong symbolic moment. It meant a lot to me, my brother is an important figure in my life and in my passion for fishing. It was a victory that had a big impact on me.
Were you grateful to other adventurers for not weighing you down with your packs?
Yes absolutely. And the recognition went both ways. The others thanked me all the time for bringing them fish, for bringing them coconuts. I found things like sweet potatoes, cassavas, tarot… I did the whole sugar cane panel, I found everything on “Koh-Lanta”, except an immunity necklace, because I wasn't looking for it. So I'm still proud to have had this recognition, that we can win events thanks to survival too. It’s a matter of great pride.
In this week's episode, before the orientation test, Denis Brogniart tells you that you have a very closed face. How are you approaching this ordeal?
I play competitive rugby. We are in a fairly low, medium, but regional division. We played very important final phase matches, with the public, cameras, journalists. I know championship games are one thing. But the final phase matches are another story. We must enter into an even more closed and concentrated mind. There, it was like a very high level regional final. And I was determined, very focused, much more than in the other events. I tried to channel the pressure, to transform it into a positive, to never give up, to never give up. I have a first cousin who played at a very high level, in the French 7s team, and who advised me a lot before “Koh-Lanta”. He told me what to do, how to concentrate, how to work on it. I never had appointments with sports psychologists, but he did. So there you have it, enormous concentration and determination to face this ordeal.
“When I found this dagger, I was like, 'Wake up now, what the hell is this bullshit?'”
Thibault “Koh-Lanta”
When you find this dagger, is it a liberation? Do you feel proud?
Yes, even there, I have emotion rising. I see it again, this moment. In fact, I didn't believe it. I said to myself: “But no, that’s not possible…”. It was like when you win a final, but there it was multiplied by 20, by 10, by 1,000. I was in heaven when I saw this handle under this stone. Right away, I knew he was there. And then I said: “It's a dream. I'm hallucinating, I'm hallucinating. I'm on 'Koh-Lanta', I find a dagger, it's crazy!” I woke up every morning with Ugo, often the first ones at the camp. When I opened my eyes, I saw everyone around me, the fire, the Philippine Sea, Ugo to my left… and I said to myself: “But what is this dream?”. I felt like I was dreaming all the time. And then, even more so when I found this dagger, I said to myself: “Wake up now, what the hell is this bullshit?” (laughs)
How do you prepare yourself mentally for the final test of the posts, especially with the opponents in front of you?
Posts are not my strong point. I knew I had ultra-athletic opponents, especially in individual sports. So, here I find myself alone facing my destiny in an ordeal that does not inspire me much. But I said to myself: 'Give it your all, it will pass, haphazardly, but stay focused.' I left with great concentration, but a little less pressure. For me, I had already done most of the work with orientation. Arriving first at orientation was a source of great pride. In addition, I had opponents like Charlotte, who had proven that she was a warrior in the static events, so I knew it was going to be difficult against her.
And regarding your teammates, you found yourself with Ilyesse and Charlotte, two ex-yellows. Were you happy to have managed to get three yellows in the final?
Yes, exactly. We succeeded in our crazy bet. It wasn't a sure thing, but we succeeded with Charlotte, who I adore. She really proved that she was great in the events. So, it was an honorary fight against them. And then, Ilyesse is a machine. It's a brain on legs, and its body is sculpted. He really has everything for “Koh-Lanta”. He is lean, muscular, and very durable. He really had the profile for the posts, unlike me. I'm smaller, stockier. But I play everything on a very low center of gravity, which can be a small advantage.
If you had to remake “Koh-Lanta”, would you do it, despite all the difficulties?
If you had asked me the question when I left there, I would have said “wait a little before asking”, because we were dry, exhausted, we had suffered. We missed our loved ones so much, we wanted to find them so much. This question seemed a little premature. But now, looking back, it was such a great experience that, yes, I'm leaving again straight away. If they call me, I'll leave. It’s a life test, an extraordinary adventure. And above all, these are extraordinary encounters. I know how to handle them. Afterwards, I'm not saying it would work as well a second time, because the people who were with me were wonderful, and maybe it wouldn't go as well again. But in any case, I was very well looked after. And if it has to be done again, yes, completely!
