Sunday evening slots are just as coveted on television as they are synonymous with quality and prestige. And this winter, Jean-Philippe Dion will see his name in the credits of not one or two, but three Sunday dates on the TVA channel The voice, true nature and Get me out of here! Certainly a “great privilege”. “But it shouldn’t be taken lightly,” pleads the presenter and producer.
• Also read: Return of “The Voice”, “The true nature” and “TLMEP”: a big TV Sunday
At the end of the line, Jean-Philippe Dion exudes a good mood.
“We all smile in the office these days,” he says frankly.
And for a good reason.
Because that office is that of Productions deferlantes, the box behind La Voix, La vrai nature and Get me out of here!, the three big guns TVA will be lining up for its winter season. The first two will return tomorrow with brand new seasons, while the last will add to Sunday nights starting next month.
Naturally, then, this television hat-trick that will mark Jean-Philippe Dion’s winter is an enticing professional challenge. But that mandate is still intimidating and comes with a lot of pressure, he admits.
“Sunday nights on TV is symbolic. And it’s big: the programs have to work, we have to go to people’s living rooms. That’s good because I need challenges to challenge myself professionally. So yeah, it’s definitely a huge privilege to be behind three shows. But it shouldn’t be taken lightly,” he says.
A piece of news Voice
That’s why he pulls out the heavy artillery, first with the long-awaited return of La Voix after a two-year absence. For this ninth season – with Jean-Philippe Dion acting as executive producer – the singing competition also gets a facelift: alongside new sets and minor changes in its mechanics, the show will welcome in its red armchairs a revised team of trainers, consisting of Marjo , Corneille, Mario Pelchat and Marc Dupre. just constant? Charles Lafortune,— resuming his role as host.
In short, it’s a safe bet that Sunday nights will now open. Because La Voix has long stood the test of time and has established itself as an important breeding ground for talented people who have launched viable and sustainable careers. Ludovick Bourgeois, Charlotte Cardin, Renee Wilkin, Jérôme Couture and other Matt Lang bear witness to this with their continued presence on our stages and radio since appearing on the show.
And if Star Académie had to be scraped from the schedule to allow La Voix to resume operations, Jean-Philippe Dion is categorical: the Waterloo mansion’s doors aren’t closed forever. The producer would like the two shows to air alternately in the future.
“Singing is in our DNA in Quebec. I don’t think we’ll ever exhaust the talent needed to do these kinds of shows. And despite drawing from the same talent pool, the two shows need different candidates; A good candidate for Star Académie is not necessarily a good candidate for La Voix and vice versa,” he advises.
True nature also begins its fifth season tomorrow when the trio of Michel Courtemanche, Valérie Plante and Anne-Élisabeth Bossé drop off their suitcases at the chalet. The broadcast of Get Me Out of Here! has been postponed to February 19, just to extend TVA’s winter season in the absence of the Artis Gala, which was postponed after the 2021 edition.
humility
So at this point, twice in the same evening, we will be able to see on our screens the face of Jean-Philippe Dion, who is the pilot of The Real Nature in Solo and who will take the controls of Sortez-moi d’. ici!, in a duet with comedian Alexandre Barrette.
This is particularly rare, at least in Quebec. Will the public be willing to open their arms – and the TV – to him twice in a matter of hours? Jean-Philippe Dion admits to having thought about it.
“It is certain that I asked myself the question before agreeing. I quickly understood that in the end it wasn’t mine. And I also have the humility to acknowledge that people won’t see Get Me Out of Here! nor True Nature just to see me there; I’m not the focus of these shows. Ultimately, if TVA decides to air these shows on the same night, it’s because they think it’s possible they can coexist on Sunday programming. So I trust them,” he explains.
♦ The voice and true nature Service resumes tomorrow night from 7pm on TVA. adventure Get me out of here! begins February 19 at 6:30 p.m.
Get me out of here! : true nature… “on steroids”
Insects, sweltering heat, reptiles, camping under the stars, grueling physical challenges… Jean-Philippe Dion admits it without embarrassment: he feels infinitely more comfortable in his role as host of Sortez-moi d’ici! than he would have been as a candidate. “I probably couldn’t have done half the tests!” he laughs.
Launched into a camp in the heart of the Costa Rican jungle, the 10 contestants – dubbed “campers” – are disoriented and disoriented throughout the adventure of Get Me Out of Here!, the first Quebec adaptation of the British concept I’ I Am a star… get me out of here! your goal ? Go through a series of wacky ordeals, sometimes Survivor-esque, sometimes Fear Factor-esque, all hoping to bag the $100,000 grand prize for a charity of your choice.
But the road to victory is punctuated by challenges that are extreme, to say the least, and not just physical. Campers – including Nathalie Simard, Colette Provencher, Jean-François Mercier and Livia Martin – will also find their psyches tested in the 13 episodes, which will air weekly from February 19.
“We talk a lot about bugs and extreme physical challenges, but all of this has a very human dimension. Our candidates are committed, confide in each other and help each other. They forge very strong bonds. Indeed, get me out of here! is a bit like True Nature…on steroids,” says Jean-Philippe Dion with humor.
Another facet
But the campers aren’t the only ones who reveal their “true nature” and reveal untold facets of their personalities once they’ve fallen into the jungle. The public will discover a Jean-Philippe Dion less serious than what he was used to. Why did you hide that frosty side for so long? Simply because he didn’t get the chance to show it.
“We rarely give people a chance to try new things because we tend to label everyone. Mine is that of the host giving emotional interviews, posed and seated. But in life I’m a festive person, someone who loves to laugh and make people laugh, let go of my madness. I’m glad get me out of here! Allow me to show you,” he explains.