INTERVIEW
He is the second biggest champion in the history of the 12 Coups de Midi . With 118 entries and more than 530,000 euros in prizes and gifts, Paul, 20, is a daily eye-catcher for the TF1 show. A performance all the more spectacular that the young man is suffering from Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism. Philippe Vandel's Tuesday guest in Culture médias , the animator of the game Jean-Luc Reichmann returned to his relationship with the candidate and his willingness to take advantage of his presence on the show to publicize this issue of disability, which he is particularly sensitive because of his family history.
Because Jean-Luc Reichmann himself has a disabled little sister, deaf deep birth. "It touches me a lot," he says. "When we have a little sister who is disabled, we try to fight for differences, we have a sensitivity a little exacerbated". And his fruitful collaboration with the young candidate seems to have touched Paul's parents, whose father told the host: "What you did, no doctor did it, you're a bit of his second daddy and this issue should be reimbursed by Social Security ".
"At the first show, he almost lost"
When Paul chose to take part in his show, Jean-Luc Reichmann explained that he had never hesitated because of his disability. "Not a second," he says. And the star of TF1 is admiring the performance of his champion. "You do not even know the strength of concentration he must have," says the host, telling the difficulties that can be caused by autism Paul. "At the first show, he almost lost, it was very complicated, he can lose all means (...) and get stuck on a wrong answer."
However, Jean-Luc Reichmann ensures that the production does not benefit at any time the young candidate, while some viewers denounce too easy questions. "It's been the same with all the noon masters," he notes. "Helping him takes a little longer between shows," he concedes only.
Christian Quesada "is no longer part of our life"
Another criticism raised by some, TF1 and Jean-Luc Reichmann would have benefited from the arrival of Paul in the show to make forget the legal difficulties of the former great champion Christian Quesada, indicted for "corruption of minor" and " possession of child pornography ". "What a ridiculous thing," reacts Jean-Luc Reichmann. "It's no longer our story, we've turned the page, this individual is no longer part of our life."
A "match of the summer" and a final in bonus. The TF1 game is organizing this week a special week with a formula called "The game of summer". These duels will pit the 35 biggest winners of the show, before a finale in prime time Saturday at 21:05, in the presence of personalities like the comedian Kev Adams or the singer Amel Bent.