'MasterChef South Africa' finds a new home on e.tv for season 6

“MasterChef South Africa” is returning to the small screen, but it is now moving from SABC3 to e.tv. 

The popular cooking reality TV franchise first aired on M-Net (DStv channel 101) from March 2012 to May 2015. During that time, viewers enjoyed three seasons, which saw Deena Naidoo (season 1), Kamini Pather (season 2) and Roxi Wardman (season 3) emerge victorious.

Of the three winners, Pather remained in the spotlight, bagging her own reality TV show, “Girl Eat World”, was a guest judge on “Top Chef South Africa”, released an e-cookbook, Eat Glocal, in 2021, and, more recently, dropped her “All Dhal'd Up”.

Season 3 fan favourite, Siphokazi Mdlankomo, also made the most of her exposure on the cooking show. 

The former domestic worker bagged her own cooking show on Mzansi Magic, “Let’s Eat With Siphokazi”, and cookbooks, “My Little Black Recipe Book” and " Hearty Home Food with Sipho".

In an interview with her, she said, “The journey has been amazing. At the same time, it’s not been easy. People expect a lot from me. They think, ‘Oh wow, she has a cooking show. She was a domestic worker. She’s got it all’. They don’t understand, it’s hard work. And I’m loving every minute of it.”

In 2015, “Celebrity MasterChef South Africa” debuted with comedian Chris Forrest taking the title.

M-Net resumed with the franchise in 2022, with the fourth instalment, won by Shawn Godfrey.

After a two-year hiatus, it returned for a fifth instalment on SABC3, followed by the second celebrity spinoff. Bridget Mangwandi and Seth Shezi won, respectively. 

The prize for the upcoming season is R1 million. It will air on e.tv at 6pm on Sunday nights from early 2026. It will also air on eReality and eExtra.

“‘MasterChef’ is a tasty and spicy television stew infused with all the ingredients our audiences love - rollercoaster action, suspense, high drama, and unforgettable reality show moments,” said Helga Palmer, group head of content and strategy at e.tv. 

“Collaborating with e.tv is an exciting step in bringing ‘MasterChef South Africa’ to a broad, culturally diverse South African audience,” Bongumusa Makhatini, CEO of the franchise’s format rights holder for Africa, Primedia Studios, added. 

In the meantime, hopefuls are encouraged to submit their entry by October 16. 

The judging panel will be announced in due course.