Come Dine With Me

[u/Goodnight-Kiss]

what are your thoughts of the show, the South African version of course?

when I was still interested in cooking shows I used to watch it. one time I fell in love with one of the contestants but that's another thing.

I have never heard anyone's opinion of the show. how it is produced, what it takes to be there, do you just apply to go and get selected or it is just selected people for entertainment. IS IT REAL?

I wonder how the contestants' lives are after production and airing of their episodes. Oh and it seems like it is always middle-upper class people contending. but that is kind of understandable because I don't think a kasi person would buy aubergine and ham and whatnot

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[u/mundaph1903]

I was on it in 2021! It was a lot of fun but you can definitely feel production putting people together for maximum drama etc and also people are very strategic with their scoring. Having said that I think our version is the best just because South Africans are so wild haha

[u/frozengreenleaves → u/mundaph1903]

Strategic with their scoring is a very diplomatic way of putting it

mundaph1903's meals were delicious, with a wonderful presentation and pleasant dining atmosphere! That's why I'm giving them a 4 out of 10

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/mundaph1903]

Sir, you are one of the coolest people I have never known, jeez😭 I hope the show was a great experience for you

[u/mundaph1903 → u/Goodnight-Kiss]

Very fun! Mine was during COVID so some differences but I loved it

[u/RuimteWese → u/mundaph1903]

Is it somewhere we can watch? My wife and I are on a CDWM binge on youtube at the moment.

[u/NeoFarao8319 → u/mundaph1903]

I want to go on, how do I apply?

[u/Responsible_King_427]

Sho, remember the guy who tried to sneak a roach into his food to sny the one contender. Or the girl who had too much wine when cooking. So much fun to watch. Felt very SA watching it and seeing people in it.

The narrator was amazing. So dry.

It was fun watching people suck lemons when someone else did dinner better.

[u/nerdyblackmail → u/Responsible_King_427]

If I remember correctly both incidents happened in the same episode. Was in Season 2. One of my favourites!

[u/Responsible_King_427 → u/nerdyblackmail]

I think it was and also that memorable. Swear there was also a comedian who lived in a van too

[u/nerdyblackmail → u/Responsible_King_427]

Think Ive found that episode

https://youtube.com/watch?v=GI1DrEclDSc

[u/Panda-Fairy-123 → u/Responsible_King_427]

He lived in a caravan. He was a stand up comedian and the lady that had too much to drink on her night kept asking him to tell her a joke🫣 He parked his caravan on the golf course and when it was too cramped they moved it to a room inside the golf club

[u/Responsible_King_427 → u/Panda-Fairy-123]

Aren't there supposed to be 4 people? I kinda feel bad for whoever we're forgetting about.

[u/kreyer → u/Responsible_King_427]

Hands down the best episode, I re-watch it every year or two.

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/Responsible_King_427]

I did not watch most of the show so I do not really know it, but that roach stunt seems like it would stir up some crazy reactions😂

one episode I remember is the one where there was a guy who ate chillies while his legs were up and his head on the floor, crazy stuff

[u/thunderwitch_]

I like our version better than the UK. Looking for where I can get access to all the seasons tbh.

[u/mamazombieza → u/thunderwitch_]

Our version is way better. The UK one they seem to choose people who have never seen the inside of a kitchen before.

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/thunderwitch_]

I am guessing our BBC does not broadcast all the episodes or you want access to all of them at once?

[u/thunderwitch_ → u/Goodnight-Kiss]

All episodes at once so I can binge them.

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/thunderwitch_]

sadly dstv does not do that for its people, mara they have a whole streaming platform

[u/dnuoryawgnorw → u/thunderwitch_]

Apparently BBC have exclusive rights for Come Dine With Me so they are the only platform aloud to broadcast it meaning you can only watch it on the DSTV BBC channel.

[u/rubygloomm → u/thunderwitch_]

Omg please ping if you find this? I’ve been looking everywhere for years!

[u/nerdyblackmail]

Its hilarious. Best thing was David Lamb agreeing to it and seeing his pronunciation of local words improve as the years go by. That said, I think of it more as entertainment than reality.

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/nerdyblackmail]

for the most part, it was definitely entertaining, not just the cooking of the host but even the dynamics getting portrayed throughout and the personalities

[u/EnvironmentalStart34]

Absolutely love CDWM South Africa. There is one episode I watched in 2021 that I still remember vividly. Shot in Cape Town, one lady a vegetarian who fed everyone veggies, another guy a braai broer who made his entire meal in the braai, top entertainment

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/EnvironmentalStart34]

oh my word I am laughing at this without even imagining it, there are also those ones who do not serve alcohol at all and it kind of icks the others

[u/EnvironmentalStart34 → u/Goodnight-Kiss]

lol the vegetarian lady was also alcohol free, so her dinner party was just something else

[u/KaptainObvious28 → u/EnvironmentalStart34]

Was that the one where he served them biltong straight out of his hand?

[u/Beautiful_Path6215 → u/KaptainObvious28]

Rosco!! omg he made me laugh so much

[u/Ashmoh12]

I enjoyed it thoroughly. I enjoy learning the recipes or just learning about people.

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/Ashmoh12]

it was definitely to see different personalities, and that show really displayed them

[u/Worth_Lavishness_239]

I love it! Do yall remember that lady that was so obsessed with the colour pink ? She even served the other contestants pink chicken feet. 😭😭😭

[u/Crimson_T1de → u/Worth_Lavishness_239]

I have met her! She bumped my car with her pink car! She literally carries food colouring in her handbag for when she eats out! Everything must be pink!😅

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/Worth_Lavishness_239]

I remember that one vividly, it genuinely kills me when people have traits that the others are not expecting😭

[u/LAiglon144]

Was such an interesting insight into the middle class in South Africa. Really showed the full spectrum of what dinner parties were like across a very diverse county

[u/Born-Guard3733]

I don’t know if it’s still around, but there was an Afrikaans spinoff ‘Kom Ons Braai’ that I remember watching years ago. One of the contestants had “kapokaartappels” on their menu. When it was served, one guest said “ek dog ons kry kapokaartappels… hierdie is dan mash?”

😭😭😭

[u/vengeanceT23]

I won an episode in season 8. It was a little contrived.

1. Before the starter production asks you what you want to talk about and then they approve it or disapprove it.
2. They vetoed my entertainment
3. It’s a long ass day.
4. They definitely push your scoring along
5. But. Met amazing people. That I never saw again 🤣

[u/jossiesideways → u/vengeanceT23]

What di you mean by nr 4?

[u/vengeanceT23 → u/jossiesideways]

When you are ready to score, they guide you how to score.

[u/Nidhogg369]

Used to watch it quite a lot, a friend of my mom's was on it once apparently (no idea what her name was but my brain is telling me either Helen or Caroline for some reason) and yeah she was just a regular person not like an actor or anything. Apparently it was mostly real but a lot of the drama was either overblown or intentionally ramped up by both contestants and the showrunners to add to the entertainment.

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/Nidhogg369]

ja I am definitely thinking that some of the tension would be created for entertainment purposes. 'tis good to know that a normal person was on there

[u/DadGamer77]

It's decent. Cringe at times, sure, but decent

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/DadGamer77]

I'm sure most of the cringe moments came during the dinner table. I liked it enough to stay tuned for whole episodes, so yes it is decent

[u/Over_Elephant_3017]

Love it! I watch it every night. The only thing other than sport I watch on Dstv!

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/Over_Elephant_3017]

I love to see a dedicated fan, but as for me, my days of dstv have passed

[u/Exotic_Dependent3247]

Watching it right now 😆 so much better than the English version.

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/Exotic_Dependent3247]

one whole episode makes it fun as well, five episodes is just too much for one group, our version is very much better

[u/FinanceSA]

I love it. I still watch reruns of the first 3 seasons on Amazon Prime sometimes. A lady i go to church with & lives in my parents’ neighborhood was on one of the earlier episodes. I remember seeing a girl from a township in Pretoria being on there. She was the only kasi person ive ever seen

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/FinanceSA]

I also saw one kasi contestant, I wonder if it is the same girl we are speaking of

[u/TheAbeLincoln]

I lovehate almost everyone on it, and watch it whenever it's on. It's the best.

[u/Bendonme_]

My uncle was on it and he said they were deliberate in how they portrayed people and they purposefully portrayed as far cooler than he is. Also that shooting took loooooong but its fun.

[u/JayBirdSA]

I know two people who were on the show and both won the money on their episodes. I knew the second person quite well and he said it was a lot of fun.

[u/zombie_on_the_lawn]

I have mixed feelings. It's entertaining, sure. But a lot of the contestants can be drama queen's or stir up shit for no reason, and in that sense it doesn't feel natural and can be cringe.

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/zombie_on_the_lawn]

that is probably what south african TV is all about, they think we go crazy for the drama but not really

[u/anoidciv]

I often think about the one guy who gave everyone biltong straight from his sweaty hands. I think he lived in a caravan on a golf course.

I actually ended up working with a woman who used to date him and it was like meeting a celebrity (almost).

[u/Junior_Ad_9593]

I wish I could find a streaming platform or website to binge watch all episodes

[u/darkmermaid021]

Who remembers misses pink? Who dyed pigs feet pink amongst orher food?

[u/zodwa_wa_bantu]

I preferred the earlier seasons. I don't know of they got a new writer or what but the narrator doesn't seem as funny and creative anymore.

80% of the charm was the narration and losing that made the show mid asf for me

[u/razzypop]

In the UK version everyone makes a cheesecake:))

[u/_prettyprincess]

Where can I watch this? I love it so much and I haven’t seen it ever since I left home (and DSTV)

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/_prettyprincess]

for all i know it plays on dstv channel 174, BBC Lifestyle

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/Goodnight-Kiss]

I think you can also watch it on dstv stream

[u/rosescentedgarden → u/_prettyprincess]

Some of it is on YouTube

[u/Jolly-Bit-477]

It’s such a fun watch when nothing else is on! I swear the show is both so entertaining and infuriating sometimes, I love it!

[u/Bl00dyPawz]

I used to love watching these. Should go watch on YouTube again.

[u/NonnyNutcaseAuthor]

Every time I watch it, there has to be at least one person that makes me think "Where did they find these people?" Fancy houses, no brains. It's like somebody lifted a rock...

And then every once in a while you find an episode with three crazy people and one "normal" one that looks like they wandered off and got lost and somehow found themselves inside Weskoppies.

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/NonnyNutcaseAuthor]

and for some reason this makes the show really really fun, I like to see it when their personalities are absolutely different from each other

[u/The_Happy_Chappy]

The matching is terrible. When you watch the UK version You get a sense of proper matching and it makes the show feel more cohesive and organic.

[u/Goodnight-Kiss → u/The_Happy_Chappy]

methinks that is what the South African version likeable to its people. they literally put together people who are the different ends of a magnet, and i think this mixture of very very different people makes it great, you can never know what you are going to see

[u/The_Happy_Chappy → u/Goodnight-Kiss]

For me:

Conversations are awkward and can get very catty. Great if you are into needless drama and fights.

Kom one braai is more my vibe they match people up very well. They even manage to pull shows off at a neutral venue with couples who don’t have space to host guest. There is enough overlap for conversation to flow but enough difference for people to continuously learn about each other.