Tuesday December 3, 2024, TF1 broadcast the long-awaited final of Koh-Lanta, The Cursed Tribe. After the orienteering race, there were still three to claim the title of winner: Thibault, Ilyesse and Charlotte. It was ultimately Charlotte who won the poles event and chose Thibault to accompany her in front of the final jury. The adventurers voted and designated the 34-year-old Corsican farmer as the winner of this edition. The evening, presented as always by Denis Brogniartwas marked by joy but also deep emotion.
After Thibault's coronation, the host of the survival game wanted to say a few words to the camera. “I would like to say a big thank you to the ALP teams on site in the Philippines and in Paris. To those of TF1 who have succeeded in producing this exceptional adventure for 23 years“, declares Denis Brogniart. And then evokes his friend who disappeared a little over a month ago: “And this evening we all have a very moved thought for Stéphane Rauch, nicknamed the colonel. He was a cameraman for over 20 years on Koh Lanta. He left us and he was present during that season. Stéphane, this final is for you.“A beautiful tribute to this pillar of Koh Lanta that the employees of the first channel regret. Furthermore, the star of the program had a few words for the teams in the Philippines: “We also want to show our support and friendship to the many Filipinos who work with us and who were affected by a major cyclone not long ago in the region where we filmed this adventure.“
Koh-Lanta 2024 final: Denis Brogniart pays tribute to his missing friend
Remember that it was last October that Denis Brogniart announced the death of Stéphane Rauch. “Stéphane Rauch left us yesterday. He was a precious traveling companion, an accomplice for more than 20 years on Koh Lanta… We understood each other at a glance, we shared the same passion for this program. He was a faithful man, of great honesty, an outstanding cameraman, tireless, a guy that I loved, tough to a fault, loud-mouthed, with a fucking personality, a physique, a banter, convictions, the all tinged with sweetness and tenderness… I often told him “with you I would go to the ends of the world”“, wrote this 57-year-old father on Instagram. It is therefore a colleague but also and above all a friend that Denis Brogniart is mourning.
