From the fifth minute, a first slap. For the eight pairs of this “Beijing Express” 2023, the crossing of the grandiose landscapes of Bolivia, Paraguay, then Brazil will not be a walk in the park. The hitchhiking journeys promise to be the most relaxing part of the particularly tough journey concocted by M6. No sooner had the candidates met on the shores of Lake Titicaca than Stéphane Rotenberg suggested a bit of a joke: to find the first clue to the final destination of the day’s stage, the 16 candidates will have to throw themselves into the water at 6°C of the famous Andean lake.
In bathing suits, underwear or down jackets, they plunge their heads under icy water. “I’m freezing! yells Paloma, a young Belgian who is taking part in the adventure with her companion, Jason. Strong character, disconcerting sense of the formula, overflowing enthusiasm, the two, who had never taken a plane before the emission of the Six, impose themselves immediately as the little jokes of the edition.
Second surprise: before looking for a car to reach La Paz, the Bolivian capital, the duos will have to take a 2 km long zip line, which allows them to fly over the lake at 140 km/h. ” Very good ! In the lead, Alexandra and Laura, the “ultra-competent” sisters from Neuilly-sur-Seine, are delighted with this “magnificent” experience.
Alexandre and his “phobia of the void”
The joy of those who appear as the favorites is not at all shared by Alexandre, who is experiencing his first experience as a couple with his new girlfriend, Chirine. The 33-year-old VTC driver refuses an obstacle. “The phobia of the void”, he admits, quite sheepishly. ” I will not arrive there. Since we’ve been here, I’ve surpassed things that normally I wouldn’t have done, ”he explains to his companion, mad with rage. “Excuse me, Alex, but apart from looking for something in the water, we haven’t done anything since we’ve been here,” she replies before bursting into tears. You’re pissing me off, brother. I come from afar, me,” she says to the “cowardly” Alexander.
They must forfeit the event and only join the capital the next day, without being able to win immunity. The only consolation: finding accommodation for the night is much easier in the villages of the lake than in La Paz where all the doors remain closed, despite the rudiments of Spanish that most candidates have.
Nathalie and Angie, who did not know each other before leaving Paris, turn out to be skilled hitchhikers. The young retiree from Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique), 57, accustomed to luxury hotels seems to have nothing in common with the beefy Angie, 28, bus driver, from Garges-lès-Gonesse (Val-d ‘oise). “It’s obvious that you’re seriously cool. You’re white, you’re older. But calm down, I already love you. But if it happens, you’re going to seriously get me drunk, ”jokes the youngest, delighted to be doing much better on the road than Cyrille and Luc, the gay couple on the show.
“Don’t snore too much, because I’m knocked out”
As for Colette and Léa, they find themselves in great difficulty. The niece must request the intervention of the doctor of the show so that her aunt is placed on oxygen: mountain sickness, because of the altitude. These long minutes, they will never catch up with them, which will cause their logical elimination at the end of this lively and promising first episode.
The revelations of this season launch are Xavier, boss of a company in the suburbs of Metz (Moselle), and his young employee Céline, whom he hired ten years ago. They address each other and have never spent time together outside of work. Here they are stuck in the middle of nowhere, 24 hours a day. From the first night, they have to share a double bed. He reassures her: to sleep, he “keeps his underwear on”. “I hope so, (…) there, you are not at home”, she lets go of him tit for tat. “Don’t snore too much, because I’m knocked out,” adds the one who puts her head under the blanket so as not to see him undress for the night. Nice, this season promises to be as funny as it is sporty!