His way in Koh-Lanta, The Cursed Totem stops there. At the end of the episode broadcast Tuesday May 31, 2022 on TF1, Nicolas was eliminated from the council. A premature departure for this store manager specializing in racket games in the South of France. Indeed, he already saw himself going further, climbing on the mythical posts of the game and who knows, why not go to the final. But fate (or rather his comrades) decided otherwise. Interviewed by Purepeople.com after his elimination, Nicolas makes a few confidences.
How did you experience your elimination?
When I see that there are four votes against me, I wonder who voted against me. It’s the first thing I say to myself. And then I realize that they are in fact only three to have registered my name, but that Olga had a double voice. It’s life, it’s the game. I prefer to go out in these conditions rather than unanimously where everyone would have liked to see me outside.
Why do you think your classmates voted against you?
I’m fine with Bastien, Ambre and François. I had a double voice. I was still in a strong position. Compared to the people who stay, Géraldine and Jean-Charles are the ones who know me the least. It’s very logical that they vote against me at this point in the game.
Do you understand Geraldine’s vote against you?
Yes, completely. I have no animosity towards anyone. That Géraldine votes against me to save her head is completely normal. I also understand Jean-Charles. Perhaps he projected himself further by telling himself that I was strong for the rest of the trials. It’s like that. You win one day, you can lose the next. There is no problem and it is well done on their part.
There is talk of an alliance of ex-greens between you, Ambre and François. Why this choice to hide it?
With François, we know each other by heart. We forged a great friendship among the greens, it just matched well between us. At the time of my elimination, I’m not the angry type to swing the alliance to blow up the thing. Ambre and François would have been penalized on the rest of their game if I had told the truth to Denis Brogniart on the board. Besides, I had no reason to reveal the alliance earlier. We had five votes.
Amber’s choice to designate Jean-Charles for the eliminatory round made people talk. What do you think ?
I think he realized himself that Amber had a strong affinity with me, just like with François, and that she preferred to continue the adventure with me rather than with him. It’s crisp and clear. But that’s not why she doesn’t like Jean-Charles. But after a while the noose tightens, you have to make choices. Beyond our relationship as ex-greens, you should know that Jean-Charles repeated all the time that he thought he would come out among the first and never achieve reunification. “I made my adventure, I’m satisfied if it ends there“, he said. So when someone says that all the time, inevitably… Amber, even if it means choosing, preferred to designate him, thinking that he would have fewer regrets to leave.
Why did you choose to play a double game between the ex-yellows and the ex-reds?
Everyone can say what they want. I’m straight in my sneakers from the start. With the greens, it was a hassle, we created strong links. The goal was to go to the end together. Then I found myself being the only green among the yellows, caught between four blues and five purples. Not easy to get out of. Afterwards, of course, there were beautiful people in the yellows like Bastien and Setha. I have nothing against anyone, I have created links with everyone. But those links were less strong than those I had with the Greens. Once at reunification, there is no more color. So I naturally got closer to the adventurers I liked the most, who were with the reds and the greens. I just wanted to move forward with them. They call me a secret agent, a double agent, they tell me I’m a strategist… Why not.
Was Louana’s elimination hiding something else?
Not at all. During the linked destinies, no one wanted to run into Maxime. Everyone was praying. He’s a nice boy, there’s no problem, but in the adventure there are some unpleasant behaviors. Louana was unlucky. And if it had been me in pairs with Maxime, it would have been just as complicated. I remind you that I did not vote against Louana, even if I was aware of the strategies. It’s a bad draw for Louana and I’m very disappointed and sorry because she’s a person I really appreciate, she knows it. There is no ulterior motive.
“Detestable”, “hypocritical”, “mediocre”, “false ass”… How do you react to these attacks seen on social networks?
These few messages are drowned in the middle of others which are top. I am told that I am a super adventurer, that my accent is appreciated, that my jokes are funny, that I was nice, that I was a sick strategist after reunification, that I will score this season.. There are a lot of messages of encouragement and very few messages from the haters. Afterwards, it’s part of the game. We know that when we get back, some will like us, others won’t. Me, I take a step back from that, I can understand it. Finally, it makes me laugh more than anything else. We must not forget that it remains a game in which everyone advances with their own method.
What was the hardest thing for you in camp?
Frankly, it’s the combo. I’m not afraid of the cold: I can be in my underpants all day, all night – which was often the case. There, what was difficult was that it was raining all the time and there was a lot of humidity. There was mud everywhere, bugs too. The Philippines is a country where there are a lot of spiders, snakes, centipedes… In addition to the climate and the critters, we suffered without the fire. All that combined with the hunger, it was very difficult.
What was your first gesture on the way back?
I surprised my relatives. I didn’t tell my parents I was coming home, I knocked on the door and I was there. It was all the same quite extraordinary because since I was born there has never been such a long period (two months) without news. Not a text message, an email, a call… Nothing! They were very happy. The next day, I surprised my son: I picked him up from school. It was huge. He jumped into my arms, it was magnificent.
What does your son think of your adventure?
He is still quite small so the strategist side, he does not realize it too much. For him, I am the most beautiful, the strongest in the world. There, in addition to that, he sees me every Tuesday on TF1. He is happy, his eyes sparkle, he talks about it with his friends at school. He is happy to see his father in Koh Lanta. From the strongest in the world, I went to the strongest in the universe!
How was the return to reality?
It’s not easy but I’m someone who goes ahead. It’s not going to waste away on your sofa or being nostalgic. I had left my store for two months, my employees assured. As soon as I got back, I went back to the coal to put everything back in order. They needed to feel like I was there too. I resumed work immediately, directly with my head in the handlebars.
What are your projects ?
I have had my store for 19 years. It may not last my whole life. I’m not old enough to retire yet and I may be considering retraining for something else. I’m open. I am a merchant, in life everything is for sale, everything can be bought.
At this stage of the game, who do you see as the big winner?
It’s hard to say. I gave my black vote to François, so obviously I want him to go as far as possible. I think the last eight candidates, before Fouzi left, were all good adventurers. But I would like it to be François, Bastien or Ambre who wins. We will see what happens next for them, because anything can happen.
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