Stéphane Rotenberg has been presenting
“Pékin Express”
on M6 for 18 seasons.
Although he is obviously seasoned in the exercise and knows all the tricks of the show, the host has always adhered to certain rules from which he does not deviate, particularly concerning the candidates.
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First of all, he does not get involved in casting and leaves this task to producer Thierry Guillaume.
“If I fought for a pair, I would find myself in a hellish situation
,” he notes before explaining that he, on the other hand, willingly participates in the reflections concerning the course and the immunity tests.
He therefore discovered the profile of the participants only three days before the start of filming.
“It’s very frustrating but I always believed that it was the best way to do this program the way I run it
,” he continues.
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A precaution of fairness
Once filming begins, Stéphane Rotenberg forces himself to keep his distance from the candidates, out of fairness.
“I usually try to leave either 24 hours before or 24 hours after them.”
To avoid meeting them on a plane or at the airport.
Sometimes, however, the host cannot avoid meeting the candidates, especially when everyone changes country.
It happened in season 18, currently airing.
“When we go from Indonesia to Malaysia and make a big transfer, we are inevitably together.
But, even there, I'm careful because it's still a competition and I don't want to give the impression of favoritism or of having friends.
I’m waiting for the candidates to be grouped together to go see them.”
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Tension and moods
If Stéphane Rotenberg is so cautious regarding his links with the candidates, it is because of his dual role:
“I give the rules and I sanction.
If I was a presenter who didn't have this referee rule, I might be able to do it more.
There, the balance is not easy to find.
»
I happened to argue with certain candidates.
This can happen when they don't follow a rule.
Stéphane Rotenberg, presenter of “Pékin Express”
As the filming progresses, the candidates reveal themselves and show more of their character, particularly in front of Stéphane Rotenberg who collects their confidences at the finish of the stage and witnesses their reactions of joy, sadness or anger.
“I have had arguments with some people.
This can happen when they don’t respect a rule, for example.
The advantage of this program is that the state of mind of the candidates is, generally speaking, very benevolent.
Sometimes there are candidates who yell because they lose.
There are always moody moments where tension rises, but after that it passes.
Overall, they're pretty happy to see me and so am I.
»
The host assures him: he does not have a favorite during filming:
“I force myself not to have a favorite, that would be madness
,” he concludes.