Valentin Delepaul: What are the new challenges of this season 6 of “Betrayals”?
Mathieu Chalvignac: Like every season, we try to explore new settings. We will discover Eric Antoine’s laboratory, with some crazy experiments that the players will have to perform. We have come up with a challenge where the players must answer questions at the top of a gallows: if the answer is negative, a trapdoor opens and they fall several meters. We always try to offer extremely thematic challenges. For example, we have a psychiatric hospital in which the players will have to solve puzzles in rooms, with many extras in each of the challenges. We have also revisited the fears challenge, which was part of the first season with the coffin. This time, there is no coffin, but extremely crazy challenges. I think it’s one of the most striking challenges of this new season, where three different groups will face absolutely atrocious fears.
What does the concept of the cursed betrayal bring to this new season?
We liked the idea of introducing a new character. We are in the sixth season, and the broadcast of the last seasons has been very close: between seasons 4 and 5, only a few months passed. We are very happy because it is a real success and, despite this pace, the show is still very popular. But at Studio 89, we always have the desire to bring novelty, to surprise the viewers to avoid any boredom. We wondered if we wanted to introduce a new traitor with a special role or a loyal one with a superpower. In the end, we created a sort of link between the two: a traitor who must unmask the other traitors while remaining in solidarity with them, otherwise a curse befalls him. We really liked this idea, symbolized by a new cape. The goal was really to surprise by adding a new role in the season.
Last year, there were two seasons of “Betrayals” in one year. Aren’t you afraid that the audience will get tired?
We are lucky to have an extremely strong format. Thanks to a new cast, new challenges, and new mechanics, each season brings a real breath of fresh air. In fact, we are not the only ones to offer two seasons per year: the English also do it. We did it because between season 4 and season 5, the audience remained at the same level. The replay works well. The show has also been broadcast on different days depending on the seasons, according to the schedules. So we do not suffer from this pace, and we have enough ideas to continue to surprise the viewers. We do not go for formats of 15 or 16 episodes like some programs. “Betrayals” lasts for a relatively short period, around two months.
Do you plan to have a season of “Betrayals” with anonymous participants?
It could be a possibility, but for now, I think viewers like to discover personalities in a different role. This is also one of the reasons for the success of the show. There is a very strong mechanic, but also the pleasure of seeing the players from a different angle. Today, offering anonymous participants might not have the same impact.
So you are not closed to the idea?
You should never say never. In England, they started with anonymous participants, with audiences around 5 to 6 million viewers, which is already excellent. After three seasons, they offered a version with celebrities that doubled their audience. This shows that there is a real interest from the public to see celebrities lie and betray in this type of program.
We always warn the participants about the impact that the game can have.
One of the strengths of the program is its diverse and eclectic cast. How do you build it?
The cast is built throughout the year. I constantly meet personalities. Some contact me after seeing the show, others have heard about it and want to experience it. And then there are those I want to meet myself. It’s a mix of all that. The programmers also suggest profiles to me: we exchange ideas, we meet for coffee or lunch. Then we put together an overall picture. The idea is to have singular players, very different from each other. This season, for example, we have Ginger Bitch, Passe-Partout, Arié Elmaleh, Sophie Davant, or Maud Ankaoua, who is a figure in personal development. We always wonder what these profiles will reveal in a betrayal game. The goal is to have an original “family photo,” with a cast that you wouldn’t see anywhere else.
Have some personalities already refused to participate in the show?
I cannot mention them for confidentiality reasons, but yes, it happens. Sometimes it’s simply not the right time. For some political figures, scheduling makes things complicated. I also know an author, a big fan of the show, who refused because he didn’t feel psychologically ready. We always warn the participants about the impact the game can have. Some fully invest in it, others may have fears.
One of the forces of the program is its casting, often eclectic. How do you build it?
The casting is built throughout the year. I constantly meet personalities. Some contact me after seeing the show, others have heard about it and want to try the experience. And then there are those I want to meet myself. It’s a mix of all of that. The programmers also suggest profiles to me: we exchange ideas, we meet for coffee or lunch. Then we put together an overall picture. The idea is to have singular players, very different from each other. This season, for example, we have Ginger Bitch, Passe-Partout, Arié Elmaleh, Sophie Davant, or Maud Ankaoua, who is a figure in personal development. We always wonder what these profiles will reveal in a betrayal game. The goal is to have an original “family photo,” with a cast that you wouldn’t see anywhere else.
Do you specify that some personalities refuse to participate for scheduling reasons? Do you follow up with them later?
Of course. Some personalities are very solicited, or tied to contracts with other channels that limit their participation. But we aim to have a diverse cast, from all walks of life. So we don’t hesitate to contact them again. A “no” today can become a “yes” tomorrow.
Which personality would you dream of seeing in the cast?
There are many. For example, this year we have Victoria Abril in the cast. I am a big fan of Pedro Almodóvar and having her in “Betrayals” is a dream come true for me, it’s incredible! She has appeared in extremely popular films. She is part of French TV and film culture.
We are sometimes inspired by universes or atmospheres seen in foreign versions, which we then adapt in our own way. Sometimes we simply start from an idea or a setting, but we completely change the mechanics, to the point that it no longer resembles the original. It can also involve small twists imagined elsewhere. But often, when several countries are developing the program in parallel, we have similar ideas at the same time.
And conversely, which French innovations have been adopted abroad?
Yes, some French ideas have been taken abroad. For example, the face-off between a traitor and a loyal at nightfall is a mechanic we developed and the English adopted. In season 4, there was also the phone call sequence with Sophie Tapie: several countries contacted us to reproduce that sequence. France is one of the countries that has produced the most seasons, so we are naturally a source of ideas. This explains why some of our ideas are now adapted abroad.
“We already knew we had gold in our hands”: Mathieu Chalvignac cashes in on the success of “Betrayals”
The format of “Betrayals” is powerful and has inspired other shows with a similar mechanic on other channels ( “The Game Master” on TF1, “Werewolves” on Canal+, “Cheaters” on TFX). What does that inspire you?
It’s a real pride. Today, creating a new format and making it a family success is very difficult. Before producing the first season, I went to the Netherlands to observe the creators of the format, and I quickly felt that it was a game that was going to become essential. From the start, I thought to myself: something extremely strong is happening. When we shot the first season, even before the editing, we already knew we had gold in our hands. We didn’t go wrong, the viewers responded immediately. Inspiring other programs is a great satisfaction. Despite attempts to offer similar formats, we are now in the sixth season in four years, which is far from trivial. We were the third country to produce the show, after the Netherlands and Belgium. The Belgians have released three seasons of “Betrayals,” but today, the French season is being broadcast on the RTL channel. There is a real expectation from the Belgian side to watch the season of “Betrayals.”
