The former finalist of “La Guerre des chefs” confided in our colleagues from nice morning and detailed behind the scenes of his participation in the game animated by Denis Brogniart on TF1.
A little over a year and a half ago, Steeve participated in “Koh-Lanta: the war of the chiefs”. An adventure that did not leave the finalist unscathed. In an interview published in the columns of nice morning, the 47-year-old Niçois agreed to discuss at length the consequences of his participation in the TF1 game. “I don’t want to spit in the soup. “Koh-Lanta” remained in me, engraved as a unique adventure. Except that you come back with a lot of physiological and psychological consequences ”, begins the social worker.
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In addition to the absence of his relatives, the former candidate suffered mainly from hunger. “We spent eleven days without eating at the start. Some believe that we are given Mars or Fanta outside the camera. It’s not true! Me, I felt unwell before a game, I asked for a sugar: nothing at all, they lengthened me half an hour and I did the obstacle course! In 43 days, I lost a lot of weight, 22 kilos, it was brutal … “, he explains. A deprivation which was not without consequence. “After you have digestion problems, muscle problems”, he adds.
The return to France was particularly difficult for the former adventurer, however accustomed to extreme conditions, having gone to Haiti shortly after the earthquake in 2010 and having climbed the Himalayas. “I came back completely off-kilter. In “Koh-Lanta”, you have no light, no human contact except with your fellow adventurers And the nights are long .. You tell yourself that it’s entertainment, on TV but the conditions are extreme. The spectators see very little of what we really experience … “, he emphasizes.
“I couldn’t stand this semblance of notoriety”
And contrary to his expectations, Steeve’s life did not immediately resume its normal course: “Three days later I was at work. I was territory manager but I was not able to lead a team, I was HS. Suddenly, I swapped my place with that of my assistant. […] I had a hard time reconnecting with my family, my loved ones, so imagine managing a team to manage a neighborhood like L’Ariane or Les Liserons! ”
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Just as he had to face a form of celebrity that he did not expect. “The frenzy of TV, its power, it’s amazing. Before “Koh-Lanta”, I was not on social networks at all. When you are selected for the show, we advise you to open a Facebook and Instagram account. In a row, you have 15,000, 20,000 people who follow you, write to you and ask you questions every day. […] At first, I tried to answer everyone but I could not stand this semblance of notoriety. […] I’m not a star, I don’t even know how to play the guitar! Sometimes I did my shopping at Auchan and people called out to me: “Hey, the star!”, It was horrible, I had only one desire: to hide on the shelves! ”, he remembers.
If a majority of former candidates say they are ready to retry the adventure, for Steeve, it is still too much to consider. “Refusing a“ Koh-Lanta ”is difficult when you know how many people dream of it, but I don’t feel ready. I am too fragile. I haven’t fully recovered a year later “, he concludes. All the more, that the Niçois has just embarked on a new adventure. Indeed, with his partner, the former candidate created the association La Pitchounett ‘whose goal is to make Nice shine through its cuisine and is thinking of investing in a trailer to roam the hinterland.
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