Clémence Castel wins “The traitors”: “With David Douillet, we decided to share our winnings with Elsa Esnoult”

Have you played the “Werewolf” game that the show is inspired by?
So I had already played “Werewolf” long before knowing that I was going to participate in “Traitors”. I must say that I was not the best player.

How did you condition yourself before filming the show?
I projected myself into both roles, traitor and loyal. Very exciting, the role of the traitor was difficult to take, especially at the start. I almost got burned from day one (by Delphine Wespiser and Elsa Esnoult, editor’s note). When you’re not used to lying, it’s very difficult to look someone in the eye and not tell them the truth. The easiest thing for me was therefore to have a schizophrenic vision of the game: I know I’m a traitor but I’m in the shoes of an investigator.

Only Bernard Werber seemed to have seen clearly in your game. How do you explain that you did not arouse more mistrust when we know your skills in strategy demonstrated many times in “Koh-Lanta”?
I can’t quite explain it (laughs). I had the chance and the honor to win “Koh-Lanta” twice (in 2005 and 2018, editor’s note), two adventures during which people were not suspicious of me. And there it is the same in ‘The traitors. How to explain it? I know that I am a fairly calm and observant person. I don’t put myself forward too much, people don’t necessarily notice me. Nevertheless, there were some suspicions against me. I don’t think I made the mistake of overreacting to the accusations, as Riadh did.

Riadh, with whom you had a fundamental disagreement within the traitors after he flip-flopped during a roundtable…
This is where my experiences in “Koh-Lanta” helped me. To keep the confidence of others in strategy games, you have to do what you say, that is to say that if you tell yourself that you are voting for such and such, whatever happens, we remain on our choice. This is how you gain the trust of others. Otherwise big doubts can arise. And that’s what happened. By changing his vote, he lost our trust (to David and me, editor’s note).

What is the hardest to grasp? A council of “Koh-Lanta” or a ceremony of the round table in “The traitors”?
In both cases, it’s a mixture of stress and excitement. For my part, I have always taken the time to observe. In “Koh-Lanta” as in “The Traitors”, I believe that it is a mistake to make a strategy from day one. After this first phase of observation of the other candidates on the camp at “Koh-Lanta” or at the castle in “The traitors”, I commit myself. Once I commit, nothing can make me change.

During your adventurous career on television, you have showered the hopes of many candidates. Do you have a big shot in mind that you are most proud of?
I must say that the last “Koh-Lanta” in which I participated, “Koh-Lanta: The Legend”, was for me a high point in the strategy. I had to get out of a lot of situations. I’m not going to talk about elimination but what I felt when I found my immunity necklace that I played wisely on the board was a highlight for me, quite enjoyable.