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Koh-Lanta is a French reality television series based on Survivor. The series premiered on August 4, 2001, is produced by Adventure Line Productions and broadcast on TF1.

The first season was hosted by Hubert Auriol. Since the second season, Koh-Lanta has been hosted by Denis Brogniart. Following the show's debut in 2001, Koh-Lanta has been a huge success in France, regularly finishing first in its timeslot.

The series airs on Fridays at 9:00pm, with the exception of six seasons (Les Aventuriers, which aired on Saturdays and Sundays at 7:00pm, and Le Retour des Héros, La Légende, Le Totem Maudit, Le Feu Sacré, and Les Chasseurs d'Immunité which all aired on Tuesdays at 9:00pm). The first seasons aired during the summer, but since 2009, the series has usually aired during fall and spring.

History[]

Main article: Survivor (franchise)

Format Variations[]

16–24 contestants (13–18 contestants in special seasons) must survive on an uninhabited island for 39–43 days (20–32 days in special seasons). They have to find food to accompany the meagre ration of rice supplied to them at the beginning of the adventure. They should build a shelter to protect themselves from external conditions (weather, insects...) and keep alight the fire they were able to start or which they won in the first round.

Each contestant brings a backpack with some clothes. Any product related to hygiene or food is prohibited, except for medical reasons.

Unlike most versions of Survivor, there have been three seasons where the final vote resulted in a tie. As a result, both finalists were declared winners in Bocas del Toro and Palawan, and two of the three finalists won Le Totem Maudit.

The name of the show, Koh-Lanta, is the name of the island where the first season was filmed.

The franchise uses mechanics similar to the American series but has introduced different twists.

Tribes[]

Main article: Tribe

Tribe Switch[]

Main article: Tribe Switch

Challenges[]

Main article: Challenge

Reward Challenges[]

Main article: Reward Challenge

Immunity Challenges[]

Main article: Immunity Challenge

Sudden-Death Challenges[]

In some seasons, certain challenges are eliminatory. The adventurer who loses and finishes last is directly eliminated from the adventure.

Tribal Council[]

Main article: Tribal Council

Merge[]

Main article: Merge

Hidden Immunity Idol[]

Main article: Hidden Immunity Idol

Unlike in the American version of Survivor, the tribal Immunity Idol is kept in use after the merge and is awarded to winners of individual Immunity Challenges instead of a necklace.

Koh-Lanta uses necklaces, known as "colliers d'immunité" (Immunity Necklaces) in French, as Hidden Immunity Idols. They were introduced in Raja Ampat, and can be earned in a variety of ways, just like in the U.S. franchise.

Ambassadors[]

Main article: Ambassadors

In almost all seasons, immediately before the merge, one person from each tribe becomes an ambassador. In modern seasons, the ambassadors meet privately and are tasked with eliminating a castaway from the game. If the ambassadors can't come to an agreement on who to eliminate, one of the ambassadors is eliminated via a rock draw.

The role of the ambassadors, and the way they are chosen, has varied several times throughout the history of the show. In every season up until Caramoan except Nicoya, they had to cast an extra vote against someone for the first post-merge Tribal Council. Ever since Le Retour des Héros, the ambassadors have voted to eliminate a castaway.

Tied Destinies[]

Main article: Tied Destinies (twist)

In most seasons since Malaisie, at some point after the merge (final 8, final 10 or final 12), the castaways are randomly divided into pairs, and their fate in the game becomes tied for the duration of the episode. All castaways compete in the Reward and Immunity Challenges in pairs, and two people are eliminated at Tribal Council, as the person who receives the most votes also causes their partner's elimination.

Replacement[]

In Koh-Lanta, if a castaway is medically evacuated, the person who was most recently voted out returns into the game (aside in Le Combat des Héros). In the first seasons, this was also the case when a castaway voluntarily left, but since Raja Ampat, quitters are no longer replaced, unless somebody quits before the first Tribal Council. However, in Le Feu Sacré, quitters are replaced again.

If a person is removed and cannot be replaced by a previously eliminated player, a new castaway may enter the game.

Black Vote[]

In this twist, before leaving, the person voted off at Tribal Council is asked to cast a last vote against somebody from their tribe. This vote is called the Black Vote and is counted at the next Tribal Council attended by the targeted person. In case of a revote, the Black Vote no longer counts. This twist, like the Immunity Necklaces, was introduced in Raja Ampat.

In L'Île au Trésor, Sandrine Bouzekri cast her Black Vote against Jean-Luc Duboscq after being voted out of the Naga tribe. The following cycle, Jean-Luc became a member of the rival Sambor tribe. He would attend the following two Tribal Councils with his new tribe, the first of which he had individual immunity and the second of which he was voted out. In spite of this, Sandrine's Black Vote only took effect the following episode after the tribes merged. With the mechanic changing the following season, it is unclear whether production made a mistake or if an amendment was made making it so that a Black Vote would be counted at the next Tribal Council of the tribe of the castor rather than at the next Tribal Council attended by the targeted person.

The Black Vote mechanic was changed in Cambodge; it is now used only after the merge, and the person voted out gives a remaining castaway an Extra Vote at the next Tribal Council.

Finale[]

The format of the finale episode differs greatly from the American version of Survivor. When there are four or five people left in the game, a special challenge takes place to determine the final three, with the person finishing last (or two who finish in last when there are five players left) being directly eliminated from the game (with the exception of Panama, where the loser had an extra vote cast against them at the next Tribal Council). However, in Le Totem Maudit, the challenge allows three castaways to move on, but the remaining two compete in a second orienteering challenge, with the winner joining the other three, and the loser being eliminated.

In the first two seasons, the challenge that occurred was the Fallen Comrades challenge. Since Bocas del Toro, it is an orienteering race, where the first three people to find their object become the final three.

The final three castaways then compete in the Final Immunity Challenge, which has always remained the same since Nicoya: it is the Perch challenge, with the surface the castaways are standing on being progressively reduced in size (in Les Aventuriers, the challenge was Hands on a Hard Idol).

The last standing castaway earns their spot in the Final Two and, unlike in the American version of Survivor, must choose their Final Tribal Council opponent immediately after the challenge. The only exception to this rule was in Le Totem Maudit, where four castaways competed in the challenge, except that the castaway who won the second orienteering challenge had to compete in a much more difficult version of the challenge than the challenge the three others take part in. The winner of the Perch earned their spot in the very first Final Three of the show. They would then choose their first opponent for the Final Tribal Council. The opponent would then pick the third opponent among the last two, with the castaway not chosen being eliminated.

Controversies[]

2013[]

Production of the 2013 season was interrupted and cancelled for the thirteenth season. On March 22, 2013, TF1 announced that a contestant had died during the first day of filming for the season being filmed Cambodia. The teams were repatriated and filming was cancelled. Gérald Babin, a 25-year-old man who suffered violent cramps from the start of the first challenge suffered a heart attack. He was resuscitated but his heart stopped again on arrival at Sihanoukville hospital, where he eventually died.[1][2]

On April 1, 2013, Thierry Costa, a doctor who worked on Koh-Lanta for 4 years, committed suicide in the wake of the controversy. In his suicide note, he stated that his name had been "tarnished in the media", which led to his death.[3]

No contestant from this cancelled season was retained in the cast of subsequent seasons.[4][5]

2018[]

During filming of the 2018 regular season in Fiji, allegations of sexual assault from a male castaway to a female castaway prompted shooting to be suspended.[6]

It is alleged that Candide Renard, the daughter of football manager Hervé Renard, was harassed by a fellow castaway. Between the 4th and 5th days of filming, Candide was sleeping away from the camp with the man and two other castaways. When the man in question allegedly harassed her, she called the production team and both were relocated away from camp in separate locations.[7]

However, the man's version of events contradicts Candide's account. He said that a castaway fell ill, and another called production for medical assistance. At that point, Candide went back to the shelter alongside the rest of the tribe. Whilst Candide alleges this is where the assault took place, another castaway said he never witnessed the alleged assault.[8][9]

As a result of the accusation, filming of the season was halted and cancelled. The man was arrested upon his return to France, but was released after 10 hours of questioning. He denied the accusation.

It later emerged that the male castaway had been arrested twice in the past for violent behaviour, in 2008 and 2012, and served a total of 18 months in prison. In response to this, Benjamin Castaldi, host of Loft Story and former host of Secret Story (the French adaptations of reality TV show Big Brother) said he was surprised that TF1 did not perform a background check on the castaways before casting them on the show.[10]

Some contestants from this cancelled season have been included in the cast of subsequent seasons:

Seasons[]

Season Tribes Number of Castaways Filming Location Filming Dates Season Run Sole Survivor(s) Viewership
(millions)
Kohlanta1logo
Les Aventuriers
Korok
Lanta-naï

Merged Tribe
16 Ko Lanta, Thailand 2001 August 4, 2001 - September 22, 2001 FRS1 gilles t
Gilles Nicolet
4.367
Kohlanta2-4logo
Nicoya
Tambor
Ventanas
Merged Tribe
16 Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica 2002 June 28, 2002 - September 13, 2002 FRS2 amel t
Amel Fatnassi
6.092[15]
Kohlanta2-4logo
Bocas del Toro
Boro
Machiga
Merged Tribe
16+21 Bocas del Toro, Panama 2003 June 6, 2003 - August 28, 2003 FRS3 delphine t
Delphine Bano
FRS3 isabelle t
Isabelle Seguin
5.414
Kohlanta2-4logo
Panama
Chapera
Mogo
Merged Tribe
16 Pearl Islands, Panama 2004 July 2, 2004 - August 31, 2004 FRS4 philippe t
Philippe Bordier
6.081
Kohlanta5logo
Pacifique
Kanawa
Kumo
Merged Tribe
16+12 Isle of Pines, New Caledonia 2005 July 1, 2005 - September 6, 2005 FRS5 clemence t
Clémence Castel
6.889
Kohlanta6logo
Vanuatu
Mosso
Tana
Merged Tribe
16 Efate, Vanuatu 2006 July 21, 2006 - September 5, 2006 FRS6 francoisdavid t
François-David Cardonnel
6.868
Kohlanta7logo
Palawan
Batang
Guntao
Merged Tribe
16 El Nido, Palawan, Philippines 2007 June 29, 2007 - September 11, 2007 FRS7 jade t
Jade Handi
FRS7 kevin t
Kevin Cuoco Giudicelli
8.127
Kohlanta8logo
Caramoan
Mingao
Tayak
Merged Tribe
16+12 Caramoan, Camarines Sur, Philippines 2008 July 4, 2008 - September 20, 2008 FRS8 christelle t
Christelle Gauzet
6.844
Kohlanta9logo
Le Retour des Héros
Jacaré
Tupan
Merged Tribe
14 Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil January 13, 2009 - February 13, 2009 FRS9 romuald t
Romuald Lafite
8.288
Kohlanta10logo
Palau
Koror
Mawaï
Merged Tribe
18 Koror, Palau 2009 August 28, 2009 - October 30, 2009 FRS10 christina t
Christina Chevry
7.512
Kohlanta11logo
Le Choc des Héros
Malabou
Tiac
Merged Tribe
14 Poum, New Caledonia March 23, 2010 - May 21, 2010 FRS11 gregoire t
Grégoire Delachaux
7.007
Kohlanta12logo
Viêtnam
Do
Vang
Merged Tribe
18 Côn Đảo, Vietnam 2010 September 18, 2010 - December 8, 2010 FRS12 philippe t
Philippe Duron
6.801
Kohlanta13logo
Raja Ampat
Mambok
Wasaï
Merged Tribe
20 Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia 2011 September 9, 2011 - December 16, 2011 FRS13 gerard t
Gérard Urdampilleta
7.237
Kohlanta14logo
La Revanche des Héros
Klahan
Nekmao
Merged Tribe
16 Koh Rong, Cambodia 2012 April 6, 2012 - June 1, 2012 FRS14 bertrand t
Bertrand Bolle
6.986
Kohlanta15logo
Malaisie
Mawar
Sungaï
Merged Tribe
20 Sibu Island, Johor, Malaysia November 2, 2012 - February 1, 2013 FRS15 ugo t
Ugo Latriche
7.098
First Hiatus[16]
Kohlanta16logo
La Nouvelle Édition
Simban
Tengah
Merged Tribe
13 Sibu Island, Johor, Malaysia 2014 September 12, 2014 - November 21, 2014 FRS16 laurent t
Laurent Maistret
6.593
Kohlanta17logo
Johor
Lankawaï
Tinggi
Merged Tribe
20 April 24, 2015 - July 24, 2015 FRS17 marc t
Marc Rambaud
5.625
Kohlanta18logo
Thaïlande
Aopoh
Karwaï
Merged Tribe
20+12 Ko Yao, Phang Nga, Thailand 2015 February 12, 2016 - May 27, 2016 FRS18 wendy t
Wendy Gervois
5.933
Kohlanta19logo
L'Île au Trésor
Naga
Sambor
Merged Tribe
20 Koh Rong, Cambodia 2016 August 26, 2016 - December 9, 2016 FRS19 benoit t
Benoît Assadi
5.641
Kohlanta20logo
Cambodge
Bokor
Sokka
Takéo
Merged Tribe
21 March 10, 2017 - June 16, 2017 FRS20 frederic t
Frédéric Blancher
5.572
Kohlanta21logo
Fidji
Coravu
Makawa
Merged Tribe
20+12 Yasawa Islands, Fiji 2017 September 1, 2017 - December 15, 2017 FRS21 andre t
André Deleplace
5.011
Kohlanta22logo
Le Combat des Héros
Toa
Wakaï
Merged Tribe
18 March 16, 2018 - May 25, 2018 FRS22 clemence t
Clémence Castel
4.852
Second Hiatus[17]
Kohlanta23logo
La Guerre des Chefs
Ikalu
Kama
Tabuo
Merged Tribe
21 Kadavu Group, Fiji 2018 March 15, 2019 - June 21, 2019 FRS23 maud t
Maud Bamps
4.335
Kohlanta24logo
L'Île des Héros
Héros
Lawaki
Nacomo
Merged Tribe
19+12 2019 February 21, 2020 - June 5, 2020 FRS24 naoil t
Naoil Tita
6.202
Koh-Lanta Les 4 Terres
Les 4 Terres
Ceva
Tokalo
Vakara
Vualiku
Sayake
Vuro
Merged Tribe
24 August 28, 2020 - December 4, 2020 FRS25 alexandra t
Alexandra Pornet
5.516
Koh Lanta Les Armes Secrètes
Les Armes Secrètes
Oro
Toa
Merged Tribe
21 Taha'a, Society Islands, French Polynesia 2020 March 12, 2021 - June 4, 2021 FRS26 maxine t
Maxine Eouzan
5.510
Koh lanta la legende logo
La Légende
Men's Tribe
Women's Tribe
Korok
Lanta-naï

Merged Tribe
20+12 2021 August 24, 2021 - December 14, 2021 None3 4.332
Koh Lanta Le Totem maudit logo
Le Totem Maudit
Ilog
Nacpan
Turung
Cadlao
Matingi
Merged Tribe
24 El Nido, Palawan, Philippines February 22, 2022 - June 21, 2022 FRS28 bastien t
Bastien San Pedro
FRS28 francois t
François Descamp
3.590
Koh-Lanta Le Feu Sacré
Le Feu Sacré
Paniman
Tinago
Merged Tribe
20 Caramoan, Camarines Sur, Philippines 2022 February 21, 2023 - June 13, 2023 FRS29 Frédéric t
Frédéric Khouvilay
3.410
Koh-Lanta Les Chasseurs d'Immunité
Les Chasseurs d'Immunité
Kadasi
Matukad
22 Luzon, Philippines 2023 February 13, 2024 - TBA TBA

^1 Two replacement castaways entered the game due to a high number of evacuations that could not be replaced by the previously eliminated castaways.
^2 A replacement castaway entered the game after an evacuation or quit occurred before the first Tribal Council.
^3 Due to accusations of cheating, the intended winner, Claude Dartois, had his victory revoked.

See also[]

References[]

  1. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/french-survivor-season-canceled-death-430640
  2. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/french-survivor-death-authorities-open-587621
  3. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/01/thierry-costa-suicide-french-survivor-doctor_n_2993370.html
  4. https://tvmag.lefigaro.fr/programme-tv/koh-lanta-ces-oublies-de-la-saison-13-annulee-qui-s-illustrent-ailleurs_f167fa0a-1344-11e9-aaae-c83fe80d860c
  5. https://tvmag.lefigaro.fr/programme-tv/elian-casini-koh-lanta-le-temps-passant-c-est-l-incomprehension-qui-predomine_b8788a7a-56ff-11ea-a3e1-13c84824f7bc
  6. https://twitter.com/Alpfr/status/994930080257261568
  7. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/05/246313/was-herve-renards-daughter-sexually-assaulted
  8. https://www.telestar.fr/tele-realite/koh-lanta/nouvelle-edition/eddy-guyot-koh-lanta-pourquoi-je-suis-innocent-351453
  9. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/05/246313/was-herve-renards-daughter-sexually-assaulted
  10. https://www.francesoir.fr/societe-faits-divers/affaire-candide-renard-eddy-guyot-le-profil-violent-du-candidat-de-koh-lanta
  11. https://tvmag.lefigaro.fr/programme-tv/alexia-laroche-joubert-nous-voulions-des-heros-qui-n-avaient-jamais-gagne-koh-lanta_8eb6bb88-53c3-11ea-b696-60b802b9a2f3
  12. https://tvmag.lefigaro.fr/programme-tv/aurelien-koh-lanta-un-plaisir-immense-de-me-voir-offrir-une-deuxieme-chance_c60bfe22-827a-11eb-84fa-ffc0e6724a5b
  13. https://www.programme-tv.net/news/tele-realite/272098-koh-lanta-2021-voici-le-nom-des-deux-candidats-presents-dans-les-armes-secretes-qui-avaient-participe-a-la-saison-annulee/
  14. https://www.voici.fr/news-people/fouzi-koh-lanta-2022-ce-secret-quil-a-prefere-ne-pas-reveler-aux-autres-aventuriers-730100
  15. https://web.archive.org/web/20040820234815/http://www.toutelatele.com/realtv/kohlanta2_audiences.html
  16. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/french-survivor-season-canceled-death-430640
  17. https://twitter.com/Alpfr/status/994930080257261568

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