Gabrielle Côté did her homework before embarking on the great adventure of Big Brother Célébrités. A true fan, she had already watched previous seasons and understood well the strategies deployed in the Quebec version of this visual phenomenon adapted today in 70 countries.
“Finding myself in this position, being in the history of Big Brother champions, is truly an honor! It’s a little dream that I am realizing,” said the grand winner over the phone.
What does she love so much about this show’s concept? In particular, the “strategic aspect” and the “social relationships” that form among contestants locked together for over three months.
“It’s a bit like a microsociety. We like to see how these relationships are built; how people manage to betray each other, to live with betrayal. We also love redemptions, the great comeback stories, the underdogs who succeed in getting out of trouble,” enumerated the winner who won with nearly unanimous votes.
In short, according to Gabrielle Côté, Big Brother Célébrités brings together all the ingredients to offer the audience “good dramaturgy.”
“It’s like a good movie script! It’s everything we want: betrayal, lies. We want people to rise, to succeed or fail at a crucial moment,” said the comedian who was also seen in STAT.
This desire to “create good television” did not influence her way of playing… but her reactions to the game? Absolutely!
“For example, Felix’s return. Let’s face it, it was very bad for my game. What allowed me to laugh at that moment instead of taking it as a setback is that I was able to see it with the eyes of a spectator,” summarized the storyteller who also directed the film Les Furies.
The art of editing
For her strategy, Gabrielle Côté relied on a “complete game,” both socially and in terms of challenges. Her secret? A few allies in whom she had “great confidence” as well as her ability to win vetoes, immunity necklaces, and rewards “at the right moment.”
“I played a lot with the cards I had, at the moment I had them. I always reshuffled the deck. I allied with people who had betrayed me if it was good to do so at that moment. For example, with Citron, Marie-Ève, and Felix,” explained the thirty-year-old.
Besides her own game, she emphasizes the complexity and finesse with which the Big Brother Célébrités contestants played this year.
Like Citron Rose in the show Les gérants d’estrade, Gabrielle Côté also noticed that there was sometimes a certain “disconnect” between the players’ actions in the studio and what was ultimately shown on TV… But only to enhance the show, she believes.
“Everyone’s game is much more complex and nuanced than what we see. When it’s us, we realize: ‘oh but they’re not saying that I’m in this alliance! Why does this moment give the impression that I don’t understand what’s going on when I had a discussion with this person?’ But [these scenes] don’t necessarily serve the show. [The production] makes choices,” shared the actress in an interview.
Viewers were able to see this regarding Oussama’s famous “double life” that disappeared from episodes until the very end of the season to create an additional “punch” for the audience… Even though the players had discussed it among themselves in the house in the last few weeks.
In this regard, the links between Gabrielle and Oussama were not highlighted much in the final episodes. However, in Gabrielle’s mind, there was no doubt: she wanted to face the final jury alongside Oussama.
“When Mona left, I knew I was playing with Oussama. It may seem less apparent in the editing than in reality, but we were very close and we both knew we were going to the end,” affirmed the grand winner.
Gabrielle Côté won a grand prize of $100,000 on Sunday night, of which $25,000 will be donated to the Le Chaînon foundation that helps vulnerable women.
Singer William Cloutier, on the other hand, won the audience prize, accompanied by a $5,000 grant.
