It’s a memorable episode of Koh Lanta which was broadcast Tuesday evening on TF1. The emblematic candidate Teheiura was excluded from the adventure by Denis Brogniart for cheating. A twist that completely eclipsed the elimination of Alexandra. The adventurer was accused of repeatedly asking locals on the island for food, which completely hinders the payment of the show. While it is now a question of whether other candidates were also involved, our colleagues from TV Mag remind us that similar events have already taken place in the past.
In fact, in 2002, a food cheating scandal broke out. At the time, the candidates were in Costa Rica and it had been revealed by Isabelle herself she and her comrades Marianne and Nicolas had benefited from the kindness of a ranger who kept watch over the playing area. “He understood that we really lacked food“, she had explained at the time. And to tell the underside of this deception:”We acted as if we were going upstairs to fetch water but instead of turning left towards the basin, we took the other path which climbs well. (…) We had rice with red beans, onions and a sweet coffee. Another time, it was small sardines with rice. “
The ranger called Silver was then asked to answer a few questions from the production, thus confirming Isabelle’s statements. “It’s okay as a human being to help people“, he had notably defended. But the damage was done and the disappointment of Denis Brogniart undeniable.”The problem is that this extra food was swallowed alone, on the sly, far from their companions who, meanwhile, were content with a meager daily pittance. They betrayed their comrades because the unspoken morality of survival on the camp is the sharing of food“, he regretted.
The cheating was later revealed on the night of the season’s final tip by Matt Mather, artistic director of Koh Lanta. However, the sequence was never disclosed and no sanction had been taken.