An orienteering test the fans love! This Tuesday, November 26, 2024, fans of Koh Lanta vibrated to the rhythm of one of the most legendary events of the show. If Thibault, Ilyesse and Charlotte managed to find the daggers, Jacques, for his part, bowed out, at the end of an exceptional adventure, forever engraved in his memory. For Voici.frthe dancer returned to his unexpected journey.
Voici.fr: You fail the orientation but you ultimately didn't get very far from finding the dagger. What do you think you missed?
Jacques: Hours of sleep and food! At this stage of the game, I was exhausted, I was no longer lucid. I lost stupidly and I still blame myself a lot today.
During the search, Charlotte and Cécile at one point tried to stay close to you, who had the right direction…
At the time, it annoyed me a little. Then I told myself that's what the game was like. I was in such a state of exhaustion that I didn't really care. I couldn't wait for it to end. “
Were you prepared for this ordeal?
My father-in-law gave me little tips, he told me how to use a compass and a map. But between advice and practice, there is a world of difference. To walk home from one street to another is hell. I went to this orienteering race without putting any pressure on myself because I didn't know anything about it. I went there in a cool way but still found the place remarkable and the marker. Fatigue meant that I counted the steps in the wrong place.
When Charlotte finds the dagger and the adventure officially ends for you, what was your first thought?
What a journey! Today, I experience it very badly, I think about it every day, even every hour. But the moment I lost, I felt like the pressure was off. I said to myself: 'I'm hungry, I want this to stop'. I congratulated Charlotte, I was sad but so proud of my journey.
Why are you experiencing it so badly today?
Because if I had counted the steps in the right place, I am convinced that I would have reached the posts. I'm a dancer, balance is my thing. My feet would have suffered on the poles, but a dancer's feet are used to suffering. I'm sure I would have won. Maybe it's pretentious, but that's how I feel.
Do traumas return with the broadcast of the show?
Yes, I absolutely relive all the events. I realize how much I suffered, how difficult it was. The orientation test is very difficult for me to watch. Seeing myself find the remarkable element, find the marker and count the steps in the wrong place… I'm one step away from victory, and potentially 100,000 euros… This is one of the reasons why I also wanted to do Koh-Lanta, to earn money. When you're a dancer, you may perform on TV sets in beautiful Parisian locations, but you don't necessarily earn a good living. I wanted to finally have some money to buy a small house, but that's not possible.
What is the difference between the Jacques before Koh-Lanta and the Jacques of today?
Today's Jacques is much more determined, he is much less afraid of the unknown and asks fewer questions. I've always gone for it, but this gave me even more confidence. I am less afraid of obstacles. If I want something, I will do anything to have it.
Your relationship with Sarah had deteriorated when you had to vote against her during a council meeting, to follow the ex-yellows. What is your relationship with her today?
We were able to explain each other and we get along very well. He's one of the people I talk to the most today. We often send each other messages, there is no hard feelings. It's a game and I imagine that over time she understood that I was in an alliance. Despite the fact that I was very attracted to his smiling, funny, determined side, I had no choice. Everything has calmed down, I get along very well with her today.
“Frédéric was an essential element, I owe my entire journey to him”
When you lost, you paid tribute to Frédéric, your captain. What did he bring you in the adventure?
He was an essential element, I owe my entire journey to him. When you are chosen first in a team, it gives you a lot of strength. I didn't want to disappoint him. I am someone who can easily give up, and there I forced myself, thanks to him, to kick myself in the ass so that I get out of my comfort zone.
During the episode of the return of loved ones, you greatly amused Internet users by not recognizing your mother…
Relatives arrive from very far away on the beach, and my mother was the last to pass. I had cried so much when I saw the entourage of the others that I was drained. My mother and my sister look a bit alike, plus my mother was dressed with my sister's look… Between the sun on my blue eyes and the tears, I couldn't see anything (laughs)
You were violently criticized on the networks after the elimination of Ugo. Do the criticisms get to you?
It does absolutely nothing for me. When they are unfounded or transformed, it reminds me that people are stupid. We are in a game and Ugo himself says that he would have done the same thing. We were in an alliance of colors, I am not the greatest adventurer on Earth. If there had been a choice between Ugo and Cécile, it was obvious that Ugo had to be eliminated, he is the strongest. It's just a matter of logic, but people have trouble with logic, with intelligence.
What is your best memory?
To have won a test and a Totem, to have made a village dance. And when we gained comfort as a team to go to the market, we were so happy to win, to discover this village. There were so many very strong moments in this adventure.
Do you have any regrets?
I hate to regret but it's complicated to tell myself that I missed out on potentially 100,000 euros, because I counted my steps in the wrong place. This is stupid… I absolutely have to go back to the island for a season! (laughs)
You were already followed on social networks before Koh-Lanta thanks in particular to your TikTok videos. Has the visibility offered by the show allowed you to make a living from your content?
Before the show, I had 60 million views in a month. I've been on social media for years and my TikTok account has always had a lot of views. I don't earn my millions of views thanks to Koh-Lanta, even if it gave me visibility.
You recently said on the networks: “Even if we are all linked to this adventure, few will remain my friends”. Who are your friends today?
I'm so used to making connections, having a family, and then the family ends, that's the life of a dancer. There are people like Frédéric who will stay, well I hope so! I tell you that, but what will happen in ten years? There are plenty of people in this adventure that I would love to see again, but will they be part of my life in a few years?
Who do you want to see win between Ilyesse, Thibault and Charlotte?
I'm waiting to listen to their speeches, to hear them take stock of their adventure, of what they did on the camp and in trials… May the best win!
