‘What kind of a guy are you? When you take a lady on a first date and play a game, you should let her win,” said a sad Ntando Masina to me.
She and her twin sister Hlelo, had agreed to a double date with me to get a taste of what it would be like to star an episode of their reality show, Blame it on Fame.
With the programme’s second season coming up, the ladies found time in their busy schedules to hang out at a bowling club to chat about their show.
Having never been to a bowling joint before, I was thrilled at the idea of chilling with the two bubbly sisters.
Knowing I had never played the game, and with them being regular players, they challenged me to a game of 10-pin bowling and I agreed.
Judging from my terrible first attempt, I could foresee a number of embarrassing moments ahead. But the stars were aligned in my favour and after mastering the required technique I went all out and aimed for the top spot.
“Are you sure you have never played this game before,” Hlelo asked after scrutinising the score board.
I told them for the umpteenth time that this was my first attempt and therefore it must just be beginner’s luck.
We took a break and had a chat about the second season of the reality show, Blame it on Fame, which airs from this Saturday.
“We received great feedback from the people who watched our show and it was humbling,” said Ntando.
“When we started, people had pre-judged the direction we would take and we are happy the venture was a success,” continued Hlelo.
The show is based on the sisters’ careers in the media and their personal lives with family and friends.
“People think we are glam girls, but the truth is we are family girls,” explained Ntando.
Having had their family on the show from the first season, the Masina sisters managed to bring a sense of realness to the series as their elders, especially their mother, handled them the way any mother would handle a child.
“At first she was uncomfortable, but once we told her: ‘Mom, be yourself. If you are going to shout at us, shout at us’, she then became real. She is actually the favourite of many people who come to us with feedback,” said Ntando.
The second season will take a turn from the glam to show how culturally grounded the twins are. They say in this season viewers will get to see just how African they are.
“Without saying too much, we can say that in some episodes you will see us in sangomas and fortune tellers’ places getting some help for issues we are dealing with,” explained Hlelo.
We will also see the girls’ trials and tribulations that come with their jobs and how their family supports them.
Unlike last season, they are now happy to be the executive producers of the show, meaning they have more control over the logistics and the content.
“We get to go through the episodes before they are aired and we say what we think needs to be changed. It is, after all, our lives out there,” said Hlelo.
The show has become so popular celebrities such as DJ Fresh and Azania Mosaka gave it the nod via Twitter. E.tv’s Monde Twala is said to never miss an episode as he watches the show with his family.
“The show has that element of family so we try to be as responsible as possible because we are role models to many young kids out there,” said Ntando.
“But this is not to say we are Mother Theresas,” Hlelo interjected.
“We go out, have fun and all those things, but you will never find us passed out drunk in a club.”
• Blame It On Fame 2 starts this Saturday at 6.30pm on e.tv.