After reunification, Pauline managed to get rid of her cursed bracelet, but she nevertheless suffered from an eliminatory immunity test. She therefore left the adventure during episode 10 of Koh Lanta the cursed totem.
By participating in Koh Lanta, Pauline hoped to get out of the shadow of her brother for whom she had sacrificed a lot. Embarking on this adventure was to allow her to prove to herself that she could also experience things for herself and no one else. Integrated into the red team after a stint with the Greens, Pauline quickly obtains the support of her red comrades who protect her despite her cursed bracelet which earned her a systematic vote at each council. She explains to us in this interview that she however had a bad experience of this curse which somewhat restrained her in her adventure.
Why did you choose to participate in the show?
It had been a few years since my family and I had been very invested in my brother’s career, even if it meant forgetting ourselves a little in quotation marks. I wanted to do an adventure for me, something strong. I decided to register for Koh Lanta and suddenly I was selected.
In what state of mind did you arrive when you saw your fellow adventurers?
In fact, I didn’t believe it. We were on the boat and when we see Denis Brogniart arrive, we say to ourselves “but it’s phew. I’m really there”. It’s hard to believe. We are used to seeing all this on TV. It’s weird to see it in person. We realize that it’s really there, it starts, when Denis gives the top.
Some candidates harbor a sort of inferiority complex when they see the other candidates. Was it your case?
No not at all. I know that in everyday life, there are people who are bigger, stronger, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have other qualities. I knew I could do well strategically. What is good is that the tests are made so that everyone can pass them. Often, there is a very physical part where some may find it more difficult, but it always ends with a more logical and detailed part. Suddenly, this is where some adventurers can catch up.
What was the hardest for you?
Between the hunger, the rain and the humidity, I couldn’t say. If we had had better weather, we would have lived through the hunger better, but if we had eaten more, we would have also lived through the rain better. The mixture of the two makes you accumulate fatigue and hunger and it is very complicated to manage.
What is your fondest memory of your career?
My most memorable memory is seeing my former teammates cry when I left. I knew that we had established strong bonds of friendship. It’s an adventure that unites people, but I didn’t think I had marked them so much. It showed their sincerity about how they felt about me.
You very quickly had a cursed bracelet in the adventure. How did you handle this extra pressure?
It’s true that the cursed bracelet somewhat prevented me from being myself in the adventure. I had to step back and be careful what I said or did because I had a Damocles sword hanging over my head. Above all, I didn’t want to make waves or be undermined on the board. I didn’t live that side of my adventure very well because I couldn’t really express myself. But as I was well surrounded, it still helped me to have a good time and a great adventure.
If I’m not mistaken, apart from your cursed bracelet votes, you haven’t had any other votes against you. How do you explain that you were so little endangered during the counseling?
Koh Lanta is both a sporting adventure and one of surpassing oneself but it is also a human adventure where you have to have some social qualities. Normally, I’m more of a person with a strong personality, maybe not as much as some others, but I have no trouble fitting in or making friends. So, I was surprised to see that there were people who really looked like me in this adventure and to create really strong friendships with certain adventurers. It also helped me protect myself.
Let us know what’s going on in your head during the episode 10 elimination round which must have been very nerve-wracking.
In fact, I had been a little sick for a few days. I was not very well, I had a headache, a sore throat. The climate in the Philippines was not very mild, the weather was not super nice. Two or three days before this event, we had had a big storm on the camp during the night and I found myself soaked. I had a very bad night and I found myself a little sick. It had been dragging on for two or three days and by dint of remaining static in the sun on this event, I actually disconnected. I had started this event very well where I was one of the first to bring back the first puck and that’s when I started to leave in a technique that was not at all good and I didn’t care. exit.
Seeing that there were only two of you left at the end must have been hard to deal with stress-wise.
Not only in terms of stress, but when I saw that there were only two of us left and that Anne-Sophie was starting to do a little better than me, that’s where in my head I said “that’s it, it’s surely over”. It added to the fatigue and my little virus, I dropped out when I should have not distracted myself until the end. That’s the game.
At the time of your elimination, the ex-Reds make a real statement and say that they consider you a little sister. Did you expect such a show of emotion?
No not at all. It surprised me a lot. I knew on my side that I had had strong feelings for my red tribe but I said to myself “we are in a game, maybe people are forcing themselves a little not to be in danger or anything”. We can be surprised at any moment. So, I was happy that they could express their feelings like that and especially to see them cry really proves their sincerity.
What made you so close in your opinion?
We all went through hardships together. It’s true that we didn’t gain a lot of comfort so we had to create some among ourselves, to make life in the camp better. It is in the difficulty that we have been able to create very strong links.
You told me you wanted to participate in Koh Lanta to get out of your brother’s shadow. Did the adventure bring you what you were looking for?
Yes, completely. When we go to Koh Lanta, we have no news of his relatives. You have to fend for yourself and on your own in ultra primitive conditions. There is nothing that we have today in society to save us or to hide. It is an adventure where you are alone with yourself.
You had the opportunity to talk to them about it. What do they think of your adventure?
They are proud to see me reach beyond reunification. Afterwards, of course they are a little disappointed that I couldn’t go any further, but that’s part of the game. And in the end, it’s only a postponement. Maybe one day, I will participate again and I will be able to give a little more than what I gave there.
Do you have regrets in the adventure?
Yes, let’s say that the only regret I have is not being able to express my personality a little more. But with the constraints I had, unfortunately I couldn’t do much otherwise. Finally, since I was a little protected by my allies, I could have taken the lead a little more. If one day I take part again, I would be much less afraid of the others.
How do you view your career on the show?
It’s really a great experience. It doesn’t change our daily life because finally when we get home the routine resumes but it still changes our way of thinking quite a bit. We always want to set ourselves different goals and challenges, so that motivates us on a daily basis and makes us think about a lot of things. Food waste, for example. Before, I didn’t like to waste food but really today it’s impossible for me to throw anything away. There are lots of little things in us that change for the better.
If you had the opportunity to come back to Koh Lanta, would you?
Yes, obviously because as long as we don’t reach the end, as long as we don’t win Koh Lanta, we think we are always capable of doing better. Inevitably, I want to participate again to be a little more free in my actions and my words and to try to go much further because I think I am capable of it.
Learn more
Who is Pauline’s brother, Théo Pourchaire?
Among the twelve women who participate in Koh Lanta le Totem Maudit, Pauline is responsible for communication in the Alpes-Maritimes. In her portrait, we can discover that she has been practicing motorsport since a very young age, thanks in particular to her passionate father. Pauline Pourchaire scoured kart competitions, to the point of becoming French Women’s Champion in 2013 in Angerville! However, she decided to retire from competitions to better devote herself to the career of her brother, who was considered more talented.
Théo Pourchaire, F2 driver
Also a racing driver, Théo Pourchaire quickly rose through the ranks of motorsport, to such an extent that he is currently an F2 driver with the France Circuit team. He also finished fifth in the competition for his very first season in F2 in 2021, even winning a victory in Monaco. Thanks to this victory, he becomes the youngest winner in the F2 category at the age of 17 years and 9 months. Théo Pourchaire is considered a great hope for motorsport and touches his dream of evolving in F1.
What does Pauline do for a living?
As for Pauline, she was destined for journalism. After a literary baccalaureate obtained with honors, she joined the Studio Ecole de France specializing in Journalism / Radio Reporter before heading to the IEJ, the European Institute of Journalism, from which she validated a Master 1 specializing in sports journalism. She notably worked as an intern for Kartmag, M Sport but also the show Top Gear France. In 2019, she worked with the communications department of the Fédération Française du Sport Automobile. From 2020, she becomes communications manager in the Intermarché de Peymeinade in the PACA region.
Pauline Pourchaire, miss before Koh Lanta
Pauline Pourchaire also tried the adventure miss France since she was elected miss Pegomas in 2017, which allowed her to participate in the final of the Miss Côte d’Azur election. In 2021, she is launching a new challenge, that of participating in Koh Lanta. In early 2022, she appeared in the Koh Lanta Le Totem Maudit season on TF1, a new sporting adventure from which she was eliminated in episode 10 after an eliminatory round.