TV winners stop traffic in Paris

PARIS, France -- The first public appearence of the two winners of a French version of Big Brother literally brought traffic to a standstill after more than two months of life in a 'bubble.'

Huge crowds flocked to catch a glimpse of blonde go-go dancer Loana and sociology student Christophe on the Champs Elysees, in Paris, early on Friday.

The pair were earlier revealed as the winners of the Loft Story programme which has hooked millions of French viewers who voted for the winning couple after eliminating nine other candidates.

Four finalists emerged from 70 days in captivity for a nail-biting studio finale at which the two winners were revealed late on Thursday.

The group had been sealed in a compound jammed with television cameras allowing their every move and conversation to be recorded.

After the announcement, Loana and Christophe were ferried by car to celebrate in a nightclub off the Champs Elysees.

Their appearence resulted in impromptu street festivities by hundreds of fans who blocked traffic along the road.

"I'm completely dazed. Getting over this so fast is not going to be that easy but it's brilliant," said Christophe.

He said he was bewildered by the sudden switch from weeks of near-isolation to being surrounded by adoring fans.

He and Loana face one last challenge before walking away with a jackpot of three million French francs ($385,000).

They must spend 45 days together in a villa in the south of France, again under the watchful eye of the cameras, but this time they will be allowed to have guests.

The show started with six men and five women, all singles between the ages of 20 and 29, sharing a house north of Paris, their steamy encounters broadcast on television and on the Internet. Every week, viewers ousted one contestant.

Loft Story unleashed a public debate over "télé poubelle" or "trash TV" in a country which prides itself on cultural sophistication.

The debate raged across the front pages of the French press, fired by the apparent allure of a programme that drew 7.7 million viewers at peak time.

At one point, activists stormed the television compound studio to try to "free" its stars.

Concerned French broadcasting regulators forced producers to grant the contestants an hour off-air every day and criticised the amount of on-screen smoking and drinking.

The big winner of the show was undoubtedly the commercial broadcaster M6, which saw ratings and advertising revenues soar thanks to the erotically-charged adventures of its contestants.

The audience share for M6, the country's second biggest commercial TV channel, rose to 16.5 percent in June from 12.7 percent a year earlier.

The channel is estimated to stand to make a profit of 170 million francs ($21.7 million) from the show.