Secret Story (French TV series)

Secret Story is the original French version of the reality show Secret Story. The show inherits more or less the fundamental principles of Big Brother, a reality show created by producer John de Mol in 1997. It's the second French adaptation of Big Brother, after two seasons of Loft Story, the first French adaptation of Big Brother, hosted by Benjamin Castaldi in 2001 and 2002 on M6.

Secret Story
GenreReality television
Presented byBenjamin Castaldi (2007-2014)
Christophe Beaugrand (2015-2017)[1]
Voices ofDominique Duforest as "La Voix"
Emily Forest (2-11)
Adrien Lemaître (Primes/Afters)
Caroline Klaus (7)
Country of originFrance
Original languageFrench
No. of seasons11
Production
ProducersMassimo Manganaro
Bernard Flament
Laurent Lachand
Laurent Daum
Franck Broqua
Nicolas Druet
Rémi Fournis
Dimitri Dalipag
Production companyEndemol France
Release
Original networkTF1 (1-9)
NT1 (9-11)
Original release23 June 2007 (2007-06-23) 
7 December 2017 (2017-12-07)
Related
Big Brother
Loft Story

The show was hosted by Benjamin Castaldi (season 1 to 8) and Christophe Beaugrand (season 9 to 11). It has been broadcast on the channel TF1 from 23 June 2007 to 26 September 2014 (season 1 to 8). During season 9, the eviction episodes were broadcast on TF1 and the highlight episodes were broadcast on NT1. Since the season 10, Secret Story is broadcast on NT1 expect for the premiere which is broadcast on TF1.

The housemates are cut off from the rest of the world for ten to fifteen weeks in a house called "house of secrets", where every room is fitted with video cameras, except the restroom. They have to keep a secret while trying to discover the other housemates' one.

Series overall

SeasonsStart dateFinale dateDaysHousematesWinnerPercentageMain presenterGrand prizeAverage ratingsRatings share
Secret Story 1 23 June 200731 August 20076915Marjorie, Cyrielle & Johanna Bluteau42%Benjamin Castaldi€178,0004,838,46734.60%
Secret Story 2 27 June 20085 September 20087116Matthias Pohl33%€181,1514,220,67631.80%
Secret Story 3 19 June 200925 September 20099920Emilie Nefnaf39%€186,0003,945,40030.30%
Secret Story 4 9 July 201022 October 201010820Benoît Dubois32%€197,8053,006,68824.80%
Secret Story 5 8 July 201114 October 20119919Marie Garet45%€186,3672,815,33324.20%
Secret Story 6 25 May 20127 September 201210620Nadège Lacroix73%€165,1402,172,68821%
Secret Story 7 7 June 201313 September 201310117Anaïs Camizuli52%€174,6302,014,46721.90%
Secret Story 8 18 July 201426 September 20147115Leila Ben Khalifa51%€114,3001,938,09121%
Secret Story 9 21 August 201513 November 20158516Émilie Fiorelli51%Christophe Beaugrand€108,0281,143,75017.50%
Secret Story 10 26 August 201617 November 20168416Julien Geloën42%€111,400743,8464.7%
Secret Story 11 1 September 20177 December 20179817Noré Tir41.6%€115,866565,5333.2%

The house of secrets

At the beginning of each season, the "house of secrets" also contains hidden rooms. It contains for example a "Chamber of truths" in the first season (room accessible by pressing a button hidden in the tapestry), a "Cave of love" in the second season (room accessible by a passage in the pool), or "a house of intruders" in the third season (room accessible by a secret passage on the floor). Some "Secret rooms" are also set up for each season where two contestants announced as eliminated to the other candidates have to remain locked up in order to see all their comings and goings through television screens.

Other rooms are features of Big Brother, as the "confessional" where each contestant goes every day to give his impression or opinion on events that happen in the house to "The Voice", or a double-door entrance, an intermediary passage between the house and outside, where "nominated" (contestants who have been chosen to leave the house by the others) learn their elimination or reintegration in the house where some contestants can come into contact with other candidates who have already been eliminated through a glass pane.

The Voice

An Ericofon, a red telephone used during seasons 2 and 6.

An invisible male character named "The Voice" (La Voix) can speak at any time to the contestants through the speakers and give them instructions. This is the voice of the radio host Dominique Duforest. "The Voice" always starts its interventions with the sentence "This is the Voice" and ends with "That is all … for now".

At the beginning of the game, "The Voice" imposes some rules that the contestants have to obey during the whole game if they don't want to be penalized (no more warm water, withdrawal of a contestant's kitty bank for example). During the game, a "red phone" makes its appearance from which "The Voice" can get the contestants that answer win or lose money, give a resident one more vote against him for nominations, or allow a contestant to "nominate automatically" another one.

"The Voice" also has the ability to propose an emotional or entertaining "secret mission" to one or several contestants of its choice, allowing him or them to win money without the knowledge of other contestants. Activities and parties are also organized by "The Voice" in order to break contestants' every day life, but also to replenish their kitty bank.

Secret

The characteristic of Secret Story is the fact that each contestant must hide a secret that relates to them to protect their kitty bank initially filled up with 10 000 euros. The secrets of the contestants are usually personal as "I decided to change sex", "I survived a tsunami" or "I have Einstein's IQ", but they can also be changed or imposed by the production as "We are a false couple" or "We are the intruders of the house".

The contestant who thinks he guessed the secret of another one can "buzz" the latter, that is to say setting off a kind of sound alarm located in the confessional. Then there is a "confrontation" between the two contestants in private and in the presence of "the Voice" where the defendant has to justify himself without revealing his secret. The discoverer can confirm its "buzz" by investing a part of its kitty bank (the sum set by "the Voice" is 5000 euros). In this case, the answer is given later in front of the other contestants. If he guessed right, he wins the whole defendant's kitty bank; otherwise, he lets him having the total of the "buzz" (excepted in case of free "buzz" offered previously by "the Voice" or by the public and/or the Internet users who vote for the election of the best investigator of the week).

References

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