Despite the many challenges he faced during his 42 days in the Philippine jungle, Vaudreuil-Dorion resident and Survivor Québec season 2 winner Ghislain Octeau Piché found it hardest to stay away from his children and spouse. 

The verdict finally came down on Sunday evening, June 16. Following an emotionally-charged finale, Ghyslain Octeau-Piché was unanimously voted the Last Survivor of the second season of SURVIVOR QUÉBEC.

A secret he has kept to himself for two and a half months, ever since his return to Quebec on the eve of the broadcast of the first episode of season 2, "I couldn't tell my girlfriend or my family. My girlfriend had no idea. I even managed to put her on the wrong track...so much so that she's questioning her whole life in the face of my extraordinary capacity for lies (laughs)," recounts the thirty-something father of three, co-founder of the Sierra Group and host of the Solemn podcast. 

Several months ago, this competitor in his soul wanted to live an adventure where he could push himself to the limit. In his youth, he dreamed of becoming the next Sidney Crosby and playing in the NHL, a dream he never realized. 

"I wanted to experience an adventure that would be full of emotions, with a change of scenery, and that would enable me to win my very own Stanley Cup. I was tripping over the concept and thought it was a project that would enable me to progress and develop. Looking back, it was beyond my expectations," he notes. 

Adaptation, the watchword in the jungle 

Before his departure for Asia, Ghislain believed in his chances of making it far in the adventure.  "I'm very competitive and resourceful, and I rarely find myself in a dead-end situation. I'm very often in solution mode. I was very confident and believed in my chances, but I hit a wall when I got there and saw the calibre of the other competitors in the race. That put me in my place. In the end, it was very tough and not at all easy, but I'm proud of what I achieved and of having won," he adds.  

Even though he was starving and had to sleep on the ground, it was being far from his loved ones that the Vaudreuil-Dorionnais found the hardest.   “The filmed adventure lasted 42 days, but we arrived a few days before and left a few days later, which totaled 52 days away from home. During this entire period, I have no contact with my girlfriend or my children. It was extremely difficult. I tried to stay focused and concentrated, but it wasn't easy. »

In terms of challenges, it is the test where the players find themselves under a grid in the water and must try to breathe only by putting their head between the bars that scared Ghislain the most. “Naively, I knew that this test had been done in season 1 so I told myself that the production would not dare to do it again for season 2. But yes, we did it. In the end, I performed better than I expected. It was good, even if I didn’t win the event,” he confides.  And the weather in all this?  “It’s been an adjustment. During our entire trip there, there were only two episodes of rain. The rest of the time it was between 45 and 50 degrees Celsius every day. It added difficulty to the challenges,” he confirms.

Another factor he had to deal with: time difference. In the Philippines, it is 1 p.m. with Quebec. “We're talking about 13 more hours so it took me a good period of adaptation upon arrival for my body to get used to it. On the way back, I don't know if it's because of fatigue, but it seemed less."

Before leaving Vaudreuil-Dorion, Ghislain was able to prepare to take part in this challenge thanks to the help of his brother, a physical trainer, and that of Michael Gagné, kinesiologist from the company Zone avant-coureur in Vaudreuil-Dorion. His preparation consisted of physical training, but also eating well and binge-watching a few seasons of Survivor.

Viewing parties on the way back 

“I focused on players who inspired me and who I wanted to be like like Joel from season 1 and listened to several moments with him. I was analyzing his game. Otherwise, I also watched American seasons as well. It served me well, I must admit. Then, when I returned, we organized viewing parties for Sunday evening episodes with the children, my parents and my close friends. It was very cool. We also tried not to miss the four episodes per week in the evening. I'm lucky to have been able to experience this with them."

What advice would he give to someone who wants to sign up for season 3? “Don’t be an Audrey, otherwise it will be hard for you (laughs). Seriously, if someone is interested, don't hesitate to show up for auditions and push your limits. You also have to let go, because you can't control everything. You have to have confidence in yourself and in other players and control what you can,” concludes the man who drew up a list of people to help financially before his departure in the event that he gets his hands on the prize of 100,000 $ and victory.