In December 2024, the fun game show The Cerveau (The Brain), produced by Studio 89, was broadcast on the French channel W9 with excellent results. So, one year later, the second season is back, starting on Monday 10 November, again on W9.
The format’s concept remains unchanged: it is set in the ‘Académie du Cerveau’ (’The Academy of Brains’), which is located in the heart of the real Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris. Under the guidance of the ‘Doyenne’ (dean), a figure of authority and wisdom, 22 contestants (there were 18 in the first edition) from reality TV shows (Secret Story, Star Academy, L’Île de la Tentation…) went back to school to face intellectual challenges designed to test their skills in logic, memory, spelling and general knowledge, divided into two teams: Alpha and Beta. After each challenge, the winning team gains prestige, while the losing team must choose one of their members to compete in an elimination duel that will decide their fate in the competition.
The two finalists face each other on the steps of the university for the Ultimate Duel, where the winner will be determined by a final riddle and the Cerveau d’Or (Golden Brain) will be crowned. The winner donates money to the charity they represent. Last year, Jonathan won €15,700 for ‘Le Labo des Histoires’.
The show’s challenges and overall tone are extremely cheerful and light-hearted, making it highly entertaining. Thanks to this, and an effective social media strategy, the second edition of The Cerveau also got off to a great start, particularly among its target audience of 25–49-year-olds, achieving a total audience of 0.4 million.
Axel Fiacco
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French Funny Brains
