Eighteen iconic contestants are returning to face off in "Koh-Lanta: All Stars 2026", which premieres on Tuesday night on the French television network TF1, featuring an unprecedented rule that pairs the veterans in mixed duos from the start.
Among the returning competitors are two former martial arts champions, Moussa and Naoil, who have been drawn together as a pair and are aiming to use their deep friendship to defeat the newer generation of participants.
Clash of generations
Koh-Lanta is the French adaptation of the global Survivor reality television franchise. Contestants are marooned in an isolated location, forced to survive the elements while competing in physical challenges, and progressively vote each other out until a single winner remains.
For this All Stars edition, a new rule means the 18 returning adventurers are grouped into nine mixed pairs right from the beginning of the show, drawing from different previous seasons. In the show's paired formats, known as linked destiny, contestants usually win, lose and face elimination together.
Moussa, a two-time world champion in Chinese boxing, first appeared on the show's third season in 2002, where he reached the final. He later returned for "La Revanche des Héros" in 2012 and "L'île des héros" in 2020.
Naoil is a French boxing champion and a medalist at both the world and European championships, who now works as a sports coach. She was the overall winner of "L'île des héros" in 2020. During her victorious season, she won four individual challenges, including the show's famous final test of endurance on the wooden poles.
Returning to the show 23 years after his debut was incredible, Moussa said, adding that former contestants always agree to come back because they are so attached to the experience. He said he wanted to challenge himself to see if he was still capable of competing, and described the new season as a clash of generations between the older veterans and the newer competitors.
Naoil said she had no doubts about returning to the show, though she admitted to questioning her own physical abilities. As time passes, bodies and living conditions change, she said, which is why they put the gloves back on to find out if they still have the drive and capability to compete.
Linked destiny
Discovering she would be competing alongside Moussa was the best possible outcome, Naoil said. She described Moussa as being like a brother, noting they are united by sport, life values, and personality. Having spent almost her entire first season with him, she called the pairing a bonus for the All Stars edition.
Moussa was equally delighted, saying that learning he was paired with Naoil felt like reuniting with his little sister and his family after their shared experience in 2020.
Fear and hunger
Despite his multiple appearances on the show, Moussa said every new season brings apprehension about the end, the impact on morale, and returning to the hellish conditions that characterize Koh-Lanta. Strangely, he added, they are always drawn back to it like a magnet.
Time makes contestants forget the hardships, Naoil said, but returning to the island brings back the memories of hunger, cold, sleep deprivation, and pain.
The challenges in the All Stars season have been set very high and are extremely hard, she said. While the new elements cause stress and fear of not measuring up, she described it as a positive stress that helps competitors push themselves to give their best.
Being a veteran of several seasons makes you a target for the newer generation, Moussa warned. He said he was wary from the very beginning of the adventure, fearing he would be singled out early on.
"Koh-Lanta: All Stars 2026" will air every Tuesday at 21:10 local time on TF1 and its streaming platform TF1+. The original report was authored by Jérôme Vermelin.
