Every day, millions of French people get excited about their favorite game show. Some curious people love to come and encourage their favorite candidate or discover the sets of a real television set. Waste of time, say some people who prefer to procrastinate on their couch. But, for other fans, it has become a real hobby.
Like Rose, a dynamic retiree in her sixties, who likes to spend these days on TV sets. Among her favorite games, Les 12 coups de midi, Everyone wants to take their place, Don’t forget the lyrics or even Joker, which she knows inside out. With Planet, this former caregiver tells us about her first experience with the world of the small screen, more than 20 years ago.
“I discovered game shows through consumer meetings (tasting sessions and product ratings, editor’s note) in which I participated”, explains Rose. Supposing that her contact details had been given to TF1 after one of her meetings, she received a phone call from a member of the channel, offering her at the time to come and watch a famous game. At first, hesitant , then asking her daughter for advice, she finally lets herself be seduced and attends the Just Price hosted by Philippe Risoli.
“I went there and after recording the show, I saw that I liked it so I continued until now”, admits the friendly retiree. The least we can say is that she hasn’t slowed down. “I do about 5 shows a week. I have already attended more than a hundred TV shows,” she admits. Enough to allow him to take advantage of his retirement to have fun, while having fun discovering behind the scenes. “It allows me to get out of my house, to see people. Regarding the shows, as they are entertainment, it’s quite nice to see”.
All his outings are also an opportunity to meet his favorite animators, and other people who share the same hobby. “I have kept some contact with the closest people”, adds this great sociable, exchanging some info on the next shoots with her friends.
If you’ve never had the opportunity to catch a TV show or game show, there are a few ways to do so. For example, by registering by telephone or online on several public reception sites, such as Agence Cassandra, Idille, or even MyClapTV, among the most popular. A variety of entertainment programs are available to you, mainly shot in the Paris region.
“We choose the shooting dates, we create an account, we register and we have a return from the agency, favorable or not depending on the availability of places”, specifies Rose. In addition to the documents to provide to attend your favorite shows with family or friends, some agencies observe a dress code to respect according to the atmosphere on the set.
Once there, a whole organization is set up. “We bring people into the studio, we put our things in the cloakroom. In the meantime, we receive food and drink, then we are put on the set”, explains the young retiree. Under the watchful eye of a room manager, spectators are guided through the program to set the mood for several hours. “In principle, a shoot takes half a day, but you can do the whole day as well”. In order to reward loyal spectators, they receive gift vouchers worth 5-10 euros, depending on the programme.
Like millions of French people, Rose had to respect confinement, while television sets were prohibited from public access to stem the spread of the virus. A moment that marked the young retiree, long before the announcement of confinement.
“When I attended my last show, we were on set and we were already being given gel. Then they tried to install people with only 50 people, but in the end they stopped everything”, recalls this faithful Nagui broadcasts. A break for the less beneficial, she admits. “It was relaxing, because casually, we can say it, but it’s still tiring to go to the shows”. Despite this lack, she did not hide her pleasure in continuing to follow her favorite programs on television, while finding other occupations, such as sewing, cooking and gardening.
Since the successive deconfinements, the arrival of summer, and especially the return of the public to television studios, Rose has wasted no time planning her next shoots. “I will attend Everyone wants to take their place over three days at the end of the month”, she admits while specifying carefully. “If there is no risk, if I see that everything is well respected, I will come back again as before”. After two years of Covid, Rose has returned to her good habits as well as her friends from the film sets.
