Despite many defeats during the events, Jean-Charles won the one that mattered: the orienteering race. First qualified for the final of Koh Lanta 2022, he explains to us how he lived his journey.
It is undoubtedly the great kind of the Koh Lanta season, the cursed totem, Jean-Charles went through this 2022 season with his heart in his hand and a sympathy no doubt responsible for his arrival so far in the adventure. However, the fustier has not always had an easy life, particularly struck by his certain inefficiency on the tests. But it was time for revenge during the orienteering race as “Jeanch” won the event hands down in 36 minutes. He is therefore the first finalist of Koh Lanta, the cursed totem. Jean-Charles gave us an interview before the broadcast of the final to go into detail about his adventure.
Why did you choose to participate in the show?
For me, it’s more the social aspect as the main reason. I wanted to see a bit of the reactions of a group in somewhat extreme conditions and also to see my own reactions. I wanted to see what the body and mind are capable of enduring in these conditions. The survival aspect too: building cabins in the middle of nowhere sounds good to me. It’s also a little secret dream: to recreate a society where there are no other human beings on a lost island. That would be great ! I’d love it. For now, I did Koh Lanta and it’s not bad.
What was the hardest for you?
Without hesitation humidity. We often talk about food but in fact not at all because we prepare for it, we know we won’t have any. On the other hand, I didn’t expect at all to be wet 24 hours a day. That’s complicated.
What is the best memory you will keep from your Koh Lanta?
It was when I was in the forest with another adventurer. We were talking, there was a film crew following us. And at some point I see something running down his leg. I looked above me saying to myself “what is falling?” And in fact no, he couldn’t help himself! I see him running off, his hand on his buttocks, shouting “Professional secret! Professional secret!” I believe that today, I have just broken professional secrecy. I think that’s my fondest memory.
I understand better why you didn’t name this adventurer…
(laughs)
Did you expect to go this far in the adventure?
Not at all. It’s all so random. I could say it’s thanks to my skills and what I put in, but it’s not just that. There is also a whole part of success, even if we can create this success. There are so many things, it’s so rich… There are plenty of twists and turns, it’s surprising. There are too many factors to manage. As we are faced with human beings and there are many of us, it is very complicated to anticipate things and to lead our boat to the end. In fact, I let myself go. I didn’t expect to go this far and I’m very happy with it.
You were rather calm during the season, until you understood that you were in danger from the Ambre-François-Nicolas alliance. You have also explained yourself with Amber on this subject. Tensions faded afterwards?
You have to imagine that we live an adventure all together and whoever the person in any team, even if it’s people who outside would not have caught our attention, we live so many strong things together that there is never any animosity. We all try to defend our place. It’s true that I took little part in the strategies and discussions because, quite simply, I didn’t feel in danger. From the moment I realized that being nice and having others like me wouldn’t be enough, I tried to take matters into my own hands. Indeed, at that time we are opposed with Amber and, somewhere, there are not many people left and we all like each other. We have to eliminate people. I think I know why she points to me. On the one hand because she would like there to be others with whom she would go all the way. There are questions of affinity, but also because she knows that I am a fairly calm person. I think that deep down she said to herself that I wouldn’t blame her. Now, I can see that I’m in danger and like all the others I don’t want to go out. So I make sure not to go out.
You say it by winning the orientation, you hadn’t won anything until then. Is winning this final event a personal revenge for you?
We can even go further, not only did I gain nothing but I even lost almost everything. I won a few events as a team, but very rarely. I believe I must hold the all-time losing record in Koh Lanta. When we go through this, it’s not fun, even if we are aware of our qualities and our faults. I know for a fact that I was not going to be the best but I always hoped for a little better. Gradually, it takes a toll on morale in terms of self-confidence. Winning the orientation, which is an emblematic event, is something that turns everything upside down. It creates an indescribable sense of well-being for me because I’ve been struggling for two months, so it’s something quite enormous to live with. I did not expect that. It must be said that at each event, it doesn’t seem like it, but I try everything even if I finish last. There, I tried everything and it succeeded.
What was your state of mind before taking part in the pole test?
Of course, when you win, you think it’s doable, but after that it doesn’t erase all the defeats I had before. What is delicate is that each time I see the test, I never tell myself that I have no chance. They are so varied that each time I tell myself that I can get by. There for poles, in my day to day life I build log houses and regularly walk on logs. Normally, I’m supposed to have a little balance. But since the start of the season, I’ve been bad at all the balance tests. It’s this ambivalence that accompanies me when I head for the posts: both a confidence because even if I haven’t trained I’m supposed to have some notions of balance, and at the same time I tell myself that as I sucked each time I don’t see why I wouldn’t this time.
You had made calculations on your chances in the final jury against the other candidates on the posts?
Implicitly, when we get to the end, we try to see how we can win. Afterwards I am not a big specialist in Koh Lanta so I had a little trouble seeing how it was going to happen. In general, I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone, I’ve always acted on feeling. I always told myself that whatever happened on the posts, it would be the same for me: everything would be done by feeling and not by calculation. When we hear those who come out, they often say “they were afraid of me because I am strong on the tests”. I can’t speak for others but I never had that in mind. My votes have always been decided by feeling. I never aimed for €100,000, I must say. I do not care. The idea was to give my best and go all the way. There, for me, the posts are the end. I say it at the end when I win the orientation, it makes me win an event and I missed that. Everything else, I had it: the human adventure, survival, I had had it all. I was missing a race win. So I go on the posts without too much pressure because for me my Koh Lanta is complete and come what may.
Assuming you win the season, what would you like to do with the €100,000?
(laughs) Instinctively, I have a start-up business where I make log homes, so contributing money is always welcome for the business. Afterwards, I like the notion of pleasure and enjoying so it will be to create moments of life with my loved ones.
How do you view your Koh Lanta adventure?
It’s been a while since we got back. It’s quite special to experience because there is a first adventure and if there had been no broadcast, I would have been very happy too. But there is a broadcast and it went very well. It was great because we saw him a second time. In fact, looking back, there are a lot more positives than negatives. For my part, I took advantage. It allowed me to do more evenings, I always like it! I was a little afraid that my life would change, of being arrested in the street or something, but each time that happens it’s always pleasant, kind and nice so it doesn’t bother me. And then it’s temporary. This aspect is very important to me. I admit that it is not easy to manage psychologically even if it is pleasant. Knowing that it will end soon, it does me good psychologically and that’s also why I take it with pleasure. If I was told that I was Johnny Hallyday and that I was going to do this all my life, I think I would stop my career right away.
Would you like to participate in Koh Lanta again if you had the opportunity?
I came for the discovery aspect. I wanted to discover the adventure but also the broadcasting aspect, the cameras, everything around it. I knew little Koh Lanta so I also wanted to discover the tests, all the mechanisms of the show. I had this feeling of discovery for the first 15 days. After 15 days, we get into a routine and it’s less interesting in my eyes even if it’s still great. To relive it would have little interest for me. I loved the social aspect because we arrive and nobody knows us. We don’t really know who these are. To redo a Koh Lanta would mean to redo an adventure with other people who have already done it and therefore to know or have a reputation or that others also know that I am nice, because that’s how I am present. I would like it less. I would be less thoroughly in the game. I like to do things thoroughly and for once it would be more calculating if I did it again. I don’t know if that would be a good idea.
You have decided to raise funds for the Bertrand Kamal foundation with Colin and Bastien. Can you tell us about it?
Colin and Bastien came to my site for a few days because they wanted to find out what log cabins and log construction were. I put them to work right away. Making a bench takes a few days, even if you’ve never touched a chainsaw. In addition, they were quite talented so they immediately found the trick. We made a bench. Honestly, this bench is super beautiful and when there are people passing by the site, there are plenty of them who tell me that they would like the same one. As we had shared a moment with three and that we wanted to do something about it. We thought it was a great idea to be able to put it up for auction and benefit from it Bertrand Kamal’s association. Me it affects me more particularly because my mom died shortly before the start of Koh Lanta. He had been diagnosed with a potentially cancerous pancreatic cyst. So she had surgery, it went wrong and she died of it. There was a connection to it all for me. It was creating something that was great. I think this is an initiative that can only be beneficial.
What are your plans for the future?
Me, I love my life and my life is to be a fustier so the projects for the future are to make a fuste. It is to fuster a maximum! I invite you to come and see me, to see what a log house is. Afterwards, I love little delusions, I have always had adventures in my life. Adventures, there can be plenty of kinds outside of TV and I’m not going to deprive myself of them. Living to the fullest is something that I really enjoy.