essential
Selections to participate in the game The 12 noon shots held in Toulouse on Saturday April 26. Immersion behind the scenes of the cast with a journalist who tried his luck. But confidentiality obliges, the dispatch cannot reveal everything.
“Émilien, the 22 -year -old student who breaks all records on TF1”: this article, published in January 2025, is the starting point for this story. Unbeatable in The 12 noon shotsÉmilien was one of the 15 personalities selected by La Dépêche as “Toulouse of the year”. On this occasion, I spoke for a long time on the phone with him, to describe in a portrait his scholarly, discreet and humble personality. For other items, I testified to fans of the show, as well as a Toulousaine who faced it. These meetings made me germinate in me an idea: why not me?
TF1
An email sent to the castings, a date offered in Toulouse, half a day of selection. The presence is confirmed by phone, without excessive apprehension. Choosing to spend the afternoon is to take full advantage of your Friday evening and celebrate the weekend … You will understand, the day before, we do not collapse under stress.
On D -Day, 2:30 p.m., it is the surprise by discovering the diversity of generations: candidates are 18 to 82 years old. Some already exchanging on the Emilian phenomenon. Most come alone, but couples, families, friends are also there. Very quickly, the cups – two intermittents of the entertainment model of benevolence – install us in a room. We are a little less than fifty.
We fill out an information sheet. Classic. Then general culture tests are distributed to us. You have to wait until everyone has their copy to start. An impression of deja vu. Weird this feeling of going back to class. Especially since to go back to journalism school, I did dozens and dozens of similar questionnaires.
Go to the others
The questions brew very wide: from cinema to geography, including tennis. So much so that I wonder how it is possible to know everything. But recruiters hammer it: this test is not eliminatory. A bad score will not question our potential participation in the show. A simple way to gauge our level. Eight minutes to answer the 50 questions, felt 30 seconds. It goes so fast that we don’t have time to think.
We all correct together, taking the copy of another candidate. The cleaver falls: my result is rather low … wow, I’m in fact zero? Yet I was sure I was a little intelligent. My neighbor has the same note, it reassures us. Besides, we start to create a link. I think we need it for the future: the passage orally in front of everyone. Thanks to my job, I used to talk to strangers, but this context puts me different pressure. I try not to show anything, mouse and explain, very quickly, how I got there. I then put all my energy in applause to support my competitors.
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The 12 noon strokes: “It’s simple, I love this kid …” The Toulouse public behind Emilien, the star of the TF1 game
What a joy to listen to these smiling people, happy to be there, to share a piece of their journey. Farmer, salesperson, economics student, retired, football, travel, DIY … I want to know more about all participants. After the two hours of this first step, we were made to wait in the hall. “The questions were super hard”, “him, with his suit, I see him too much in the show” … Everyone goes there with their debrief.
Thirty minutes later, we sit down in the room and the selected are called: only five names. Not mine. On the other hand, my neighbor, who became my girlfriend, is retained for the second phase. She promises to keep me informed. I hope to see her again on my small screen.
