Don’t Hate the Player (Mauvais joueurs) is an apt name for France’s latest Netflix survival reality show, as you will be holding back some mean emotions due to their actions. Hosted by Claude Dartois, who is known for the popular show Koh Lanta, will be guiding 13 contestants in a game of cut-throat survival. Although the show has 9 episodes in total, only the first four are released with a runtime of about 36-44 minutes.
In a game fueled by strategy and survival, 13 competitors must fight for a chance to win 150,000 euros and secure a spot in a lavish villa. With 7 women and 6 men vying for victory, alliances will be tested as each player navigates betrayal and elimination in Mexico. Only one will emerge victorious in this high-stakes competition.
The contestants of Don’t Hate the Player include Jordan, Anthony, Leslie, Olivanie, Thibault, Emia, Nathalia, Ines, Paula, Dypsy, Hugo, Jessica, Benjamin and others.
Don’t Hate the Player Review (Episodes 1-4)
The French title (Mauvais joueurs) literally translates to ‘Bad Players’, while it’s not certain if it means players who will go to any extent, backstab etc in order to win; or if they mean people who are truly bad at playing games. In Don’t Hate the Player episode 1, 13 contestants are welcomed on an island in Mexico for essentially a survival competition. They haven’t been told anything about the premises of the show, rules, what they be doing, etc.
Their first clue walks in the form of host Claude Dartois, who made a name for himself by being part of a Survivor-like show in the past. Certainly, he doesn’t bear good news but leads them to their humble abode for the night or many nights. It’s an open camp in the wild, where the only private place is a toilet with no water, just sand. Dartois then explains that the main challenge of the show is to move from the camp into a lavish villa nearby.
Only the people who are able to make their place in the villa till the end, without getting eliminated, will be able to compete in the finals and one lucky person would be taking away 150,000 euros home. On the first night, all 13 contestants stay at the came, eating a limited food ration, which consists of just lentils and making alliances with people. Initially, it seemed like the men and women made their own clans, deciding who to vote for the leadership position. But in a game of survival, you can never believe someone at face value as individuals try to figure out the best way for them.
Also Read: Stolen Review: Elin Oskal Starrer Highlights the Harsh Reality of the Sámi Community
The first impression of most of the contestants is either manipulative or selfish. And they brag about it themselves as well. In fact, it’s the only point of strategy for some – to find easy people whom they can turn in favour. But as you watch them further, it’s more like they are getting played by others or creating a difficult situation for themselves. The boy’s group is a typical example of a male group religiously following the ‘bro code’. They are endlessly making strategies, thinking they have figured out the whole game – only to make moves that put them in danger.
The best example was the first task itself, where the leader of the boy’s group choice was eventually chosen by convincing some of the girls. They even decided who to eliminate quickly but in a stupid turn of events, the leader was sent home, as soon as coming into power. He was asked to give other contestants a box each, which would segregate them into camp and villa, while one with the Red Cross would go home. The leader was aware of the content of the box and assigned each box to another, one by one.
But he was too blinded in his strategy to eliminate two specific people, he failed to secure his place in the game and went home with the Red Cross. Subsequently, in further episodes, the people in the camp were given opportunities to move to the villa, often by unanimous votes. While the people in the people were asked to make choices that would ensure their place. In the first four episodes, they only play a game in a duel challenge to save themselves from elimination.
That too was like a child’s game of memorising all the green counters on a board full of red counters. They had to flip 10 green counters before their competitor, to win and move to the villa. They could either flip one green counter in each round and keep it aside or keep on flipping without break. However, if they flipped a red counter, all the counters would be lost. Honestly, it doesn’t look like that hard of a game, yet the contestant who was trying to stir things everywhere, claiming their smartness at every chance, got eliminated quite badly.
It’s funny to watch how the players portray themselves as such smartasses, thinking they are able to deceive everyone. In reality, they have no control over the game, whenever they try to act smart, things turn to the other side. Even the players putting too much trust in their alliances are in for a surprise soon enough. Some don’t even seem to understand the rules of the game, despite living there for 4-5 days.
In simple words, none of the contestants would ever creep into your likeable list. They can be easily categorised into two groups – people who think of themselves as superior and the other would be people who think they can seductively deceive anyone, to move forward in life. Whether these contestants have the winning spirit in them or not, it will be interesting to see how these boisterously dumb individuals will burn the place down with drama and mindless games.
Rating: 3/5
Don’t Hate the Player is available to watch on Netflix.
Also Read: Baby Reindeer Review: Richard Gadd’s Complex Personal Account Will Move You While Keeping it Light
Leave a Reply