W9's 'Les Apprentis Champions au ski' and 'L’Académie du Cerveau' Bring Competitive Sports and Mental Challenges to Reality TV

W9 is launching a new season of the reality show 'Les Apprentis Champions au ski' on January 19, 2026, featuring winter sports competitions coached by former Olympic medalist Philippe Candeloro and Surya Bonaly. Contestants will face challenges in disciplines such as super-G, snowboarding, biathlon, figure skating, and curling in Saas Fee, Switzerland. Unlike traditional sports events, this show blends entertainment with serious sports elements but is not affiliated with any winter sports federations. Pierre-Guillaume Ledan, M6's general director of programming, emphasized the show's goal of inspiring France's youth (aged 15-34) in the lead-up to the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, despite not holding broadcast rights to the Games. The first season of 'Les Apprentis Champions' reached an average of 500,000 viewers across platforms, aiming to make winter sports more accessible by highlighting universal values like self-improvement.

Meanwhile, 'L’Académie du Cerveau' returns with 22 contestants divided into two teams—Alpha and Bêta—competing in memory, logic, and general knowledge tests to be crowned 'The cerveau,' or the greatest mind in reality television. The show is guided by the Doyenne and supported by commentators Eddy and Benoît, who analyze performances alongside the Vérificateur. This intellectual competition adds another dimension to French reality TV by focusing on mental prowess.

Both shows illustrate current trends in French entertainment blending competitive sports and cognitive challenges to engage broad audiences with varied interests and talents.