Lights! Camera! Drama!
Ah, Koh Lanta, Les Marseillais, and even Married at First Sight—television that’s about as scripted as a nun in a brothel! Louise Martin, our author and self-proclaimed ‘televore,’ lifts the curtain on the inner workings of the la-la land of stardom. You’d think her life revolved around sensational shows and exquisite cakes, and in a wild way, it does!
Now, let’s waltz into the land of luscious gowns and tightly controlled scandals, shall we? Of course, I’m talking about Miss France past and present, where the drama swirls like icing on a poorly executed cake. That’s where we find Sylvie Tellier, who was crowned Miss France 2002 some 23 years ago—imagine kicking it with your friends at a party and having to explain that your crowning moment at 23 is essentially fighting off a reality show’s worth of emotional baggage!
“Oh shit,” the mother of the former director supposedly said. Oh, come on! It’s more like “Oh what have I done?” when you realize the whole country is watching you choke on your own glitter.
For anyone wondering why Sylvie Tellier’s win wasn’t a universal cheer, look to Geneviève de Fontenay—an icon who wore hats and disappointment equally as well. Apparently, de Fontenay was not a fan of Tellier’s rise. Picture it: the cameras rolling, the lights glaring, and the moment of truth entering like a tornado in a trailer park.
Miss Tellier shares her pain with palpable honesty—“I thought this was my moment, but why does this woman who I admire so much look like she just bit into a sour lemon?” It’s almost Shakespearean, if Shakespeare was heavily influenced by reality TV. Who’d have thought being crowned would come packed with the baggage of someone else’s ice-cold disdain? Little did she know, this wasn’t just an episode of a game show; this was her quest—a Beauty and the Beast story, without the magic furniture!
But ah, the resilience! It’s almost heroic how Sylvie embraced the challenge. Instead of curling up into a ball and crying into her tiara, she decided to take on the battle! “I’ll show you who’s less malleable!” she declared, with the gusto of someone who really should’ve just been knighted instead of just crowned. This is where you’d expect a dramatic montage, filled with training montages and slow-motion shots of her preparing for the lawyer exam. Imagine: Sylvie practicing her beauty queen wave while memorizing legal texts. Now that’s a show I’d binge!
“I think she saw me as less malleable than the others.” Less malleable? Love that! It’s like saying she was the whole baguette while everyone else was a stale cookie!
Honestly, if being a beauty queen doesn’t work out for you, you can always run for president—or lead a coup! Just remember, with great beauty comes great expectations, and occasionally, a side of dramatic eye rolls from your predecessors.
So here’s to Sylvie Tellier: a woman who epitomized resilience amidst the sequins and sashes, fighting on while the ghosts of de Fontenay’s judgment lingered like a bad dance partner. Now, if only she took those powers into a baking show, we might see the first-ever Miss France take on a soufflé with that same fierce attitude. Watch out, chocolate cakes; Sylvie’s coming for you!
By Louise Martin | Editor
Koh Lanta, Les Marseillais but also Married at First Looks… Louise Martin is a televore who tries, in her spare time, to remake the cakes she admires in front of the Best Pastry Chef… but she is not likely to win the blue apron! Social networks have no secrets for her, the latest scoops, the latest shows, she knows them all. She scrutinizes the lives of your favorite stars and admires Nicky Doll’s outfits a little too much in Drag Race France. Little neck pleasure
On December 8, 2001 in Mulhouse, Sylvie Tellier was crowned Miss France, succeeding Elodie Gossuin. However, her coronation obviously did not bring happiness to Geneviève de Fontenay, the former director of the famous committee, as she reported in the new issue of “A Sunday in the Country”, this November 3, 2024.
23 years ago, Sylvie Tellier was crowned Miss France. However, her coronation did not bring happiness to Geneviève de Fontenay, the former director of the famous committee, as she recently confided in “A Sunday in the Country”. © France 2, A Sunday in the countryside
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A defining moment in her life that she will probably never forget. Before being general director of the Miss France committee for several years, Sylvie Tellier brilliantly represented France as a beauty queen. 23 years ago in Mulhouse, the principal was elected Miss France 2002, succeeding Elodie Gossuin.
However, her coronation was not unanimous as she explained in A Sunday in the countrysidethis November 3, 2024, in front of Frédéric Lopez and his other distinguished guests: the singer Kimberose and the actor Antoine Duléry. At the time, Geneviève de Fontenay who was president of the Miss France committee would not have hidden her disappointment after the results of the votes.
Sylvie Tellier with an open heart about her incredible coronation
“Oh shit”would have slipped the mother of Xavier de Fontenay, according to Sylvie Tellier. “I don’t hear him say that, in fact there is a camera from Sept à Huit which follows the first hours and which is behind the scenes and which films Geneviève and when they announce (…), she goes ‘Oh crap’. And for me, they play the images again the next day“. Sequences that will remain engraved in his mind.
“The next day, I realize that this woman whom I admire, because she is an icon, then I say to myself ‘but in fact she doesn’t want you'”, added the person concerned. “I tell myself the year is going to be complicated“But that’s not knowing Sylvie Tellier! Determined to prove herself, Laurent Schenten’s wife was not discouraged, quite the contrary.
I think she saw me as less malleable than the others
“But hey, resilience! I said to myself, “I’ll show him”!“, assured the happy mother of three children, who did everything to seduce over time, the essential lady in the hat, who disappeared in 2023. Her strength of character also amazed Frédéric Lopez. “In hindsight, can we understand why she said ‘Oh shit’?!“, asked the host.
“Because I am unusual“, assured Sylvie Tellier, immersed in her memories. “I’m 23 years old, I’m preparing for the lawyer exam, I didn’t want to sign the contract when I arrived (…) already I wasn’t off to a good start. I follow the rules, but I still want it to be a little cool (…). I think she saw me as less malleable than the others“. Remember that between the two women, it was never mad love…
Unce the results… She was sitting right next to me, and I could see the look on her face. It was painful to watch,” Tellier revealed. The tension was palpable, and it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. “It was a bit like winning the lottery, but instead of confetti, you get awkward silence and unfiltered displeasure. Not exactly the royal treatment I imagined!” she quipped.
As Miss France’s journey began, Tellier had to navigate not only her newfound celebrity but also the stormy waters of rivalries and expectations. The challenges she faced were akin to a tornado tearing through a trailer park—unexpected and chaotic. It was a world filled with dazzling glitz yet shadowed by icy glares and whispered disapprovals. “Navigating the reign felt more like a survival game than a beauty pageant,” she said, reflecting on the hurdles that came not just from the public, but from within the committee itself.
But Sylvie Tellier didn’t just endure; she thrived. With the spirit of a true champion, she soaked up every moment, turning each setback into a stepping stone. Some might even say she transformed her critics’ sour faces into stepping stones on her runway to success. “If they think I’m less malleable, then I’ll show them how to mold clay!” She laughed, embracing the irony of her situation—a beauty queen who became an indomitable force in a world often hell-bent on cookie-cutter conformity.
Now, as she reflects on her journey of resilience, Sylvie encourages others to find strength in their struggles. “Every insult, every slanted eyebrow, only fuels my fire,” she declares with a wink. It’s clear that Sylvie Tellier is much more than a beauty queen; she is a symbol of perseverance, grace, and the unbreakable spirit of a woman who knows that despite the storms of life, she can and will rise above.
As for the legacy of her crowning moment? Let it be known that Sylvie Tellier is proof that even in the face of torrential winds and thunderous doubts, a queen can reign supreme—full of sparkle, with a heart that’s anything but fragile.
