Thirteen candidates started filming
“Bad Players”
last year in Mexico without knowing anything about the concept of the show in which they were going to participate. These seven women and six men aged 24 to 34 were confronted with the diabolical adaptation of the “Surviving Paradise” format, a program unveiled on October 20, 2023 on Netflix.
“You are in a social experiment based on the quest for power
,” presents
Claude Dartois
, the former champion of “Koh-Lanta” who became a host, to the participants. In this game, the Grail is materialized by the occupation of the villa while the less fortunate live like scouts in a rudimentary camp. Access to comfort requires alliances, strategic choices and eliminatory tests. A quest that proves more addictive over the course of nine episodes.
Netflix contacted the producers of “Koh-Lanta”
“Netflix asked us to adapt the “Surviving Paradise” format in France, knowing our know-how for outdoor filming, for designing challenges in game mechanics and our ability to tell stories,”
Julien
tells us.
Magne
, Managing Director of Adventure Line Productions (ALP). Several months of work were necessary to complete this adaptation and make it more attractive than the original.
“We wanted authenticity in the strategic game with simple and effective mechanics, emotions and progression throughout the episodes. We worked hand in hand with the Netflix teams
,” continues the man who has been one of the great artisans of
“Koh-Lanta”
for years.
“We liked the idea of the villa being the representation of coveted power while the camp is the absence of power. »
Alliances, dilemmas and trials
At the end of the game, only the six candidates residing in the villa will be eligible to win 150,000 euros.
“When they arrived, the participants did not know the details of the rules
,” emphasizes Julien Magne.
They discovered there that they were going to have to live in a camp with the most basic comfort and try to earn their place in the villa. We wanted them to be immediately surprised by the difficulty so that they could understand what was at stake. »
In “Bad Players”, every decision has consequences and nothing is ever taken for granted. The candidates in power one day are not necessarily those of the next day, with production taking care of punctuating their daily lives with dilemmas and tests that shake up alliances. The only certainties: the occupants of the villa risk nothing while those living in the camp risk elimination.
A casting with a different profile from “Koh-Lanta”
“We wanted players, people capable of holding a strategy and an alliance
,” explains the ALP leader.
It was a casting that took several months. We wanted profiles different from our other shows, it's a casting that has nothing to do with what we are looking for
for “Koh-Lanta”
for example. We wanted this program to have its own identity and to differentiate itself from a classic reality show. »
They are DJ, student, sports coach, ready-to-wear seller, salesperson, restaurant manager, content creator, entrepreneur, bartender or even restaurant manager, they come from France, Belgium and even the United States.
“We wanted people who have a deep motivation to keep going on a difficult adventure like this without ever giving up. They had a real reason to fight to try to win the 150,000 euros. »
Claude Dartois, the choice of Netflix
Iconic candidate for “Koh-Lanta”,
Claude Dartois
hosts “Bad Players” like a budding Denis Brogniart. Both the diction and the gestures have been worked on and the result is convincing.
“It was Netflix's wish, Claude embodies the player and the strategist, he is someone very popular
,” highlights Julien Magne.
We felt his potential and his desire to try this adventure. For a first, he is doing very well. »
The producer adds that Claude Dartois was totally involved and worked a lot upstream to be operational.
“He trained and applied the advice we gave him. »
Before him, former great adventurers of “Koh-Lanta” like Moundir Zoughari, Laurent Maistret and Maxine Eouzan became television presenters.
The very special villa of “Bad Players”
If the British chose the sun of the Greek island of Lefkada for “Surviving Paradise”, ALP turned to Mexico to set up its filming. Very isolated, Casa Tauro is located in Careyes in the Calisco region, on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.
“We wanted something authentic and not the cliché of the villa as we see everywhere on TV
,” emphasizes Julien Magne.
And a place rich in meaning. »
The environment of this residence is a mixture of fine sandy beaches and steep cliffs with vegetation trying to find a place among the rocks.
“We liked this bay because the villa is high on one side and the camp below on the other side of the sea. The camp candidates always have their objective in front of them. »