Eliminated at the end of the suspense after a very tense vote, Benjamin leaves Koh Lanta the cursed totem after having drawn the black ball on the board. He tells us about his journey in the 2022 adventure in an interview.
A 24-year-old accountant, Benjamin participated in Koh Lanta, the cursed totem to realize a childhood dream but also to impress his loved ones. Visibly in the sights of Alexandra, former leader of the Blues, and other candidates, the young candidate from Loire-Atlantique saw his destiny change during a council under tension. With equal votes against Stephanie twice in a row, Benjamin had to face the draw. Not having been able to escape the black ball, he left the Koh Lanta 2022 adventure after four episodes. He comes back to us on his journey.
Why did you choose to participate in Koh Lanta?
For me, Koh Lanta has been a dream since I was a kid. It represents a lot of things I wanted to do: survival, adventure, being deprived of all our bearings… It’s something I’m crazy about. I have never missed an episode of Koh Lanta. I’m too young to have seen them all live but I’ve seen them all on stream. I have always watched. Today, I absolutely had this desire to be able to participate, also to impress my little wife!
In what state of mind did you start the adventure?
I was a little worried. It was enough to look right and left on the boat to see that there were mirrored cabinets that were not laughing at all in this adventure. Therefore, I had to stand out and show all my value in the events if I didn’t want to drop out very quickly.
What is your fondest memory of your career?
Without a doubt, this is the second immunity won by the blue team when I help them in particular to untie the knot, which gives my team a good head start and gives them victory on a silver platter .
At that time, do you think you have scored points with your teammates but also with other teams?
Of course, I think I showed some things. Denis gives me the trophy, it’s obviously great. I also tell myself that the others will necessarily think about it and take note of it. It did, more than I would have thought.
Did the change of teams in episode 3 destabilize you in this dynamic?
No not necessarily. In reality, I have nothing to reproach at the level of the timings. I expected a recomposition of teams, but I did not expect it to be so early at all. But I will not run away and I will not hold this recomposition responsible for my elimination.
What was the hardest part of the adventure?
Without hesitation, hunger. The digestive problems that it causes, the fact of eating only coconut for a while… I’m not going to draw you a picture, but when it was time to go to the toilet, it wasn’t very happy!
In episode 4, we discover quite clear friction between you and Alexandra. How do you explain these tensions?
It comes from his very first speaking the first time we saw each other, in fact. To put it simply, the first time we spoke, I immediately said to myself “Ooh, that’s not going to do it!” It was epidermal. There are people like that… We feel that in terms of character, when she thinks day, I think night. Further away, I think it was hardly possible.
What made everything unravel in episode 4?
I think we’re both pretty anti-conflict. That is to say that we felt that we were not the best friends in the world but at the same time she did everything for me to take my place with the Blues, I did everything not to take me the head. In the Yellow team, it was different because there were more of us so she could ignore me where in the Blues we were on top of each other. There she could completely ignore me. I say her, as if Alexandra were alone in this but I acted very precisely in the same way. We had the same methods, I stayed with the people I liked. But what froze everything was his failure to pass the immunity test. Where I chose to start the conflict is that I judged that it was his character, his bad strategy and his bad leadership management that made us lose the immunity test. At that time, I could not be silent. Especially since I was in the hot seat, I couldn’t sit idly by. I was in danger when, on the immunity test, it was clearly not me who messed up. I couldn’t afford to close it.
In episode 4, there is also a big unpacking around Yannick who is blamed for his behavior. What is your point of view on the matter?
You see me very little in the sequence because I didn’t expect that at all. When this scene appears, I am a little flabbergasted, I discover the situation a little and I see that conflicts have been created. I intervene little because I say to myself “You, conflicts, you already have a shovelful of them so we’re going to calm down! You’re not going to take the lead with everyone.” For my part, Yannick I had the impression that he did not like me. But I don’t know why, I liked him, I thought he was a good guy. On the other hand, it is true that on the camp it was very far from being the most productive because we had warriors on the camp. Next to a Setha or a Bastien, there are many who could pass for wankers, forgive me the term. But when there are people who don’t stop from day to morning, it’s complicated not to appear for anything else. Yannick’s problem was not so much his lack of activity but above all his poor leadership management. Not being the most active on the camp, when you do something during the day, it’s fine. But when, like him, we also give advice to others, when we’re resting, it’s complicated. We wanted to give him the stick and tell him “Go ahead, do it! Show me how to do it.” It is rather that which was reproached to him. If Bastien had said the same thing as Yannick, everyone would have said Amen.
Draws in tips are quite rare in Koh Lanta. How did you experience your elimination?
It’s complicated but it’s anything but unfortunate. I have very good memories of this advice. It was an evening that I enjoyed. I’m not hiding from you that if she had had another outcome, it wouldn’t have bothered me. I had thought about the aftermath and had already spoken to my teammates about the ambassadors. I told them I was ready to be in and go all the way to the ball. So I experienced this draw as something great. Going to the draw and drawing the black ball of Koh Lanta is still legendary. It’s too much fun! I said to myself that I had not come out under the complete unanimity of my team. Honestly, I saw myself going further but I found this vote very strong in symbolism because I relied on fate. That’s why I liked everything about this advice.
Do you have any regrets in this adventure?
Any. Really, zero. I would have done it all over again!