Reality TV In Mzansi

Reality TV can be a tricky business especially when your show is based on lifestyle. There are some that get it right and then those that miss it totally.

When we talk of those who missed it we are speaking about the likes of the Diski Divas. Though they had an amazing show in season 1 season 2 was not so seasoned up at all. But when we speak of those that get it right we are speaking of people like Dineo Ranaka, the Forever Young gang and Somizi Mhlongo.

We don’t work in the television industry but we do watch and analyse what we watch and we’d guess that the fundamentals of a good reality show would be a main event or a point at least. Something that will keep us watching to see how it is achieved and what went down in the journey. Season 2 of Diski Divas had none of that whatsoever.

Forever Young

We haven’t seen much of the fresh season of Forever Young which follows the lives of three friends and business partners. These friends/partners are Lungile Radu who played the role of Sbu on Rhythm City but switched lanes to hosting both seasons of Big Brother Mzansi and is now holding it down hosting the first season of The Voice South Africa. Siyabonga Ngwekazi who used to host a basketball show SABC 1 and was also part of the team that brought us the daily dose of V-Entertainment (he still does show up on some days) but now hosts and produces Channel O’s Turn Up. The last member of the trio is the not so tall Thomas Gumede who has hosted shows like So You Think You’re Funny on SABC 1, V-entertainment on Vuzu and Love Back on Mzansi Magic and is now part of the team that will bring Africa its very first season of Ridiculousness Africa. He’s also an actor and has had roles on SABC 1’s A Place Called Home and Single Guys and a few movie roles. In their reality show they take us through the journey of realising their dreams and travelling around the world to make things happen, in season 1 we saw Lungile successfully organizing an event at a Brazilian club after he was challenged, in season 2 we saw Siyabonga taking the whole crew to South Korea when he was trying to establish his own clothing brand and right through all the seasons we’ve seen Thomas trying to chasing his rapping dreams.

Dineo's Diary

Another person that has got this reality TV business on lock down is Dineo Ranaka who is on her 5^th season this year. Dineo Ranaka has been in the entertainment industry for years; she started off in radio and worked her way up to television. She hosted and produced shows on stations like YFM and Highveld Stereo FM and went on to TV doing shows like Real Goboza alongside Trevor Noah, Club 808 with Mo Flava and was part of the trio that brought us All Access Mzansi.

We think her show works because she draws us in into who she is and how she does things her way and proves that she does not suck up to what people want her to be. She chases her dreams, finds and loses love on the show and all this while she’s raising her kids and keeping her career afloat. On Dineo’s Diary we saw the birth of LUVDR and how she got it out to the big women’s fashion retailer Legit.

Living The Dream With Somizi

This year Somizi Mhlongo who is probably the most recognized choreographer in South Africa got bit by the reality TV bug. Somizi who had a role in one of the country’s most beloved movies – Sarafina is also the fourth judge on Idols SA. Somizi is the most recognized openly gay celebrity in South Africa and we think that’s the basic drive for his show. On his show called Living The Dream With Somizi he shows off his extravagant lifestyle and how funds it and one of the most interesting things on the show is how he handles being a father and how his daughter takes to her father being an openly gay man and if you ask us they’re doing pretty good.

We hope the next time they decide to throw a reality show on us they take notes from these 3 shows which are killing it right now