“The best collateral damage from Covid-19 is to have made us discover Polynesia, the beauty of its landscapes and the kindness of its inhabitants.
"Alexia Laroche-Joubert, boss of Adventure Line Productions (ALP) which produces" Koh-Lanta ", is enthusiastic when the new edition is launched on TF1, this Friday at 9:05 pm.
This season has a special taste.
"Only two countries have turned their edition of
Survivor (Editor's note: the title of the international show)
during the pandemic, knowing that there are fifteen versions in the world, underlines the producer.
The Swedes filmed at home in the north of the country, so it was a special down jacket, and us.
"
To achieve this, the French teams had to rethink everything, from the destination to the shooting conditions.
“We had never considered Polynesia before, because it is very touristy in normal times, recalls Alexia Laroche-Joubert, and it is difficult to preserve a feeling of isolation with cruise ships that pass all the time. .
There, suddenly it became a much less frequented place.
"
VIDEO. Koh-Lanta: "We had the audacity to shoot this season in full Covid"
The ALP teams therefore worked to establish a strict health protocol.
“I went to Polynesia at the beginning of September to meet the local authorities and we shot in November.
We had two problems: on the one hand, we did not want, as metropolitans, to contaminate the island and on the other, once we were on the set, it was impossible to stop it for seven days in the possibility of a contact case.
"
PCR tests and masks
As a result, many controls have been put in place to create a health bubble.
“We asked our teams ten days before departure to do a first test, then to go into isolation.
In the three days preceding the flight, to do a PCR test, at the request of the Polynesian government.
Then, as soon as people disembarked in Papeete, they were in a hotel in separate rooms and in solitary confinement for four days.
Then they did a test again, then another at the entrance to the boat where the crews resided for the duration of the filming.
Or for the candidates, before joining their islands.
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The production was therefore installed on a huge cruise ship to accommodate the teams.
“We respected the distances and cleaned all the time,” recalls Alexia Laroche-Joubert.
There were about 130 people on board including the metropolitan and a dozen locals from Papeete.
We also worked with 200 people from the island of Raiatea who lived with them.
For all of them, we have set up a protocol in the event of suspected Covid with tests and isolation of contact cases.
But we never had to trigger it.
"
And the host Denis Brogniart to add: “We were permanently masked and without any contact with the local population.
The only ones who didn't have a mask were the contestants and me when I was shooting.
"
More than 300,000 euros in additional costs
These measures have borne fruit, even if the producer admits to having had a few cold sweats: “I lived through a complex shoot.
I only went there at the end but before, from France, as soon as I saw a Polynesian number appear on my phone, I thought I was going to give me bad news.
Like all producers, we are still not insured against Covid-19.
"
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These precautions also had a cost: "It represents between 300,000 and 400,000 euros extra" compared to a classic edition advance the boss, on a total amount which remains secret but which is counted in millions of euros.
ALP is already preparing for the next edition, the start of which is scheduled for "in a few weeks, with former candidates to celebrate the 20 years of the show", specifies Denis Brogniart.
"We are working with an international organization which gives us all the new studies on the pandemic and we adapt our protocol as we go," adds Alexia Laroche-Joubert.
If the producer does not want to reveal the future destination yet, everyone's fingers crossed to make the shoot go smoothly.