Mireille was invited to Paris by the impresario Régis Durcourt to sing on the "Song Parade" television program, on 19 November 1965. Stark promised to write to her, but after months of waiting she gave up on him, and accepted Durcourt's offer. The truth has never been revealed how, but Mireille was suddenly moved up to compete live on the Sunday 21 November 1965 episode of "Jeu de la Chance," a talent segment of the popular French program "Télé-Dimanche." Stark's ex-wife Nanou Taddéi worked at Studio 102, and probably recognized Mireille, as she participated in her earlier pre-audition. Mathieu explained that "Song Parade" offered only one chance to sing, while "Jeu de la Chance" offered many chances to sing, but only if she won, and she intended to win. Both the studio audience and telephone voters gave her a slight lead over five-time winner Georgette Lemaire, so the producers called it a tie. Johnny Stark officially became her manager that night, and with his longtime assistant Nadine Joubert, helped prepare Mireille to win the contest the following week and bury Georgette. Stark and Lemaire had a mutual dislike. In a short film called "La guerre des Piaf" (War of the Sparrows) Georgette and Mireille are interviewed separately, both small and the same height. Mireille is surrounded by her sisters Monique and Christiane, with Johnny hovering in the background as she is interviewed for the first time on camera. She appears to be uncomfortable, staring at the floor during many of the questions, even looking dumbfounded once, like a deer in the headlights. Johnny finally comes to her rescue. In a later interview, she underscored the importance of the event, stating, "For me, Paris was the end of the world. I never took a train or saw a camera before. I did not know what the outcome of the adventure would be."