They are eight pairs to set off in the race for the 17th season of
"
Beijing Express
"
which starts this Thursday, February 16 on M6.
Three countries are home to these new adventures: Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil.
"
For the first episode, we left Paris on August 23, it was very hot and beautiful and we arrived at 4000 meters above sea level in La Paz in winter
", recalls
Stéphane Rotenberg
on the set of "Buzz TV". this Wednesday.
“
It was cold.
The candidates bathed in Lake Titicaca at 6 degrees, they were seized!
“, he adds.
Read also“Beijing Express” returns on Thursday February 16 on M6 with a new rule
At 4000 meters altitude, the oxygen level is limited.
Before the trip, medical tests were carried out.
“
We pedal on a bike with a mask to remove you from oxygen and we see if your heart holds
”, describes the host of M6 who will also launch
“Top Chef”
on March 1.
On site, “
everything is difficult
”, explains Stéphane Rotenberg.
“
We get out of the car, we take three steps and we realize that we have to slow down because we are out of breath.
While we see the Bolivians who run in all directions, pride takes a hit
, ”he specifies while emphasizing that an oxygen cylinder did not leave him.
"
We all had this in the car just in case, because we often had headaches.
We also had an Isobar box.
Our medical team was over-equipped compared to Paraguay and Brazil afterwards
,” he recalls.
"We would have preferred to avoid the tropical storm during the final..."
Stéphane Rotenberg, host of “Beijing Express” at “Buzz TV”
Another consequence of the high altitudes in Bolivia: “
We are tired.
The first nights, we have fits of apnea.
We can't sleep, we're short of breath.
It's a bit painful but the country is so beautiful and dazzling
", tempers this passionate about gastronomy and Formula 1.
Among the other difficulties of this last shoot, the weather conditions.
A tropical storm made its way into the final.
"
We would have preferred to avoid
," adds Stéphane Rotenberg.
It's not funny and we couldn't hide it from the screen!
At one point, the rain cameras couldn't work.
You can put covers in vain, it doesn't change anything.
(…) We have plenty of backup cameras, and the number of times we have broken them this year …
”, he concludes.