Personalities on a plate in reality show
BBC searches for new contestants for ‘Come Dine With Me SA’
● Mischief, debauchery, outlandish guests and sumptuous food are all on the menu again, as the BBC pans its cameras back to SA in pursuit of the country’s top dinner party host.
The acclaimed BBC Brit show Come Dine With Me South Africa is on the hunt for colourful contestants who will feature in its fifth season to be broadcast early next year, following on the success of its previous seasons.
The antics of previous contestants and the wry observations of voice-over legend David Lamb have endeared the show to more than 2-million viewers.
One of the more colourful contestants in the first season of Come Dine With Me SA was Aubrey Ngcungama, whose impeccable manners didn’t stop him from bubbling onto screens after enjoying one (or three) too many glasses of wine.
“Since Come Dine With Me, it’s been a very busy few years. Not only have I remained very good friends with my fellow contestants, especially Marlene Weepner — with whom I lunch and party very often — but I have managed to make friends with contestants from other episodes and seasons,” Ngcungama said.
Born in a village in rural KwaZulu-Natal, he has had a life that reads like a rags-toriches novel. His biological mother was employed as a domestic worker by the Milsom family, who owned a hotel chain in the UK.
Ngcungama was adopted by the wealthy British hoteliers and went on to matriculate at KwaZulu-Natal’s Michaelhouse School and lived a life of leisure until a few years ago.
“People will be pleased to note that I long ago gave up resting and have in the interim taken roles such as being the official ambassador for the One&Only hotel Cape Town for a few years. I co-founded the Black Cellar Club, which is playing a key role in the wine and sommelier space here in SA.
“Resting is very much in the past. As I like to say, I’ve retired from resting.”
Season two came with its own characters, like hyper-critical event manager Simphiwe Mtetwa, who became widely known to fans for his use of the term “androgynous” and love for anything French.
The synopsis of the Mtetwa episode read: “It’s the final night and having boasted all week of how much lower other mortals are, Simphiwe hosts his Marie Antoinette themed dinner with a verbose French menu including terrine de foies de volaille. But when the peasants storm the palace gates, they find no palace, no gate, and no royalty.”
And who could forget self-proclaimed Dainfern queen Puleng Mash-Spies, who lit up the show in season three and stirred social media chatter with her famous oneliners like “Shut the front door” and “What the fudge” and proclaiming that her weave and shoes could feed children from a small village.
The last season shone a spotlight on Phillipine Modimogale, who spent an inordinate amount of time during her episode correcting the pronunciation of her name (its Philli-pine — like the tree).
“To the upcoming season contestants, be honest about who you are and don’t lie to impress. Viewers are no fools and they can see right through you if you fake it,” she said.