Nicolas, a Belgian in his thirties from Froidchapelle, equaled the record for straight wins in the history of the game “Questions for a champion”. Wednesday, October 5, he signed his 17th victory.
The Belgian says he prepared for the show for many months and long years, in particular thanks to open source software called “Anki” which allows you to create kinds of virtual files. He explains that he prepared by starting by making lists of capital cities, major sporting winners and others.
Then he watched the other shows to identify the other target subjects for the game show. He explains that he quickly challenged himself by diversifying his knowledge. “General culture is not universal. Questions for a Champion, it’s very Franco-French. I became interested in French sport even if it didn’t interest me.“He clarifies that conversely, “there are few questions about geek culture. The current people, there are from time to time. But the bulk of the questions is all about the 60s generationbefore pointing out that there are recurring questions such as those about the Oscars etc.
This French teacher also trained by visiting fan clubs. “I also went to four Questions pour un Champion fan clubs: in Châtelet, Lasne, Locon (near Béthune, in northern France) and Saint-Amand-les-Eaux (north of Valenciennes).“
His first participation, victorious, dates back to 2012. In 2018, he returned and won a special “French language”. He eliminates the defending champion and a few shows later he wins the pot raised to 20,800 euros.
The course should have ended there for the Belgian but he was able to continue the adventure thanks to a modification of the rules of the game show which integrated since last year a rule allowing the candidate who wins the pot to stay as long as he wishes. Since then, he has had a string of victories.
Beyond mental performance, the game also requires a certain physical resistance. Our colleagues from RTBF note that the programs are recorded in the Paris suburbs without any interruption. The winner who decides to continue the game must go directly to a new show where he starts from scratch with candidates who are fresher than him.
“If you play a Questions for a Champion match, you run a sprint. All day is a marathon. After the match, there is the risk of slacking off. It is not necessary and stay focused every time. Alone, I wouldn’t have made it. Physically and nervously it’s really very hard“, he confides.