The Miss France 2026 pageant hasn't even started yet, but the majority of the contestants are already out of the running. Three days before the ceremony on December 6th at the Zénith in Amiens, an internal jury discreetly eliminated 18 candidates following the traditional pre-selection process. This procedure, held behind closed doors, was decisive and completely invisible to the public.
A jury that decides in the shadows
As every year, after the preparation trip to Martinique, the 30 regional Misses undergo a "grand oral": a short introductory video, a runway walk, and a five-minute interview. Before them sits a jury chaired by Frédéric Gilbert, the competition director, and composed notably of Marine Lorphelin, Eve Gilles, Stéphane Jarny, and Fabien Provost. Following this rapid-fire process, the jurors vote by secret ballot to select only 12 semi-finalists, plus two reserves. The remaining 16 are eliminated. In reality, 18 candidates are thus effectively removed from the competition… but without being told anything. On Saturday, they will walk the runway smiling, convinced they are still in the running, even though their fate is already sealed.
A first sorting that can change everything
This initial selection process focuses on poise, quick wit, motivation, elocution, and the ability to represent France for a year. It also serves to bring back candidates deemed too weak in the general knowledge tests or, conversely, to eliminate those who failed to impress in the oral presentation. After the vote, only Frédéric Gilbert and the bailiff, Mr. Simonin, know the 12 finalists. The public will have to wait until 23:30 p.m. on Saturday night, when Jean-Pierre Foucault will reveal the list live. Once the 12 semi-finalists are announced, the competition will resume its usual format: stage performances, jury and public voting, narrowing down to a top 5… then the final speech, the key moment that will seal the election of Miss France 2026. For the 18 candidates already eliminated, the revelation will be brutal: they will learn backstage, only at the official announcement, that their adventure is over before it even began.
