A Lavender Hill mom and son duo have won a whopping R100 000 in a reality TV show.
The singing act won Stand-Up South Africa’s inaugural season on SABC2, which came to an end on Sunday.
Bianca, 37, and her son Branden MacMaster, 20, wowed everyone with their vocals and the mom says she can’t believe they won.
“We both felt overwhelmed, and still do. This is the biggest thing we’ve done together.”
The singing competition was launched in September, and saw 32 singers perform live on TV for three judges and a studio audience.
Bianca explains: “A neighbour approached us and told us about an advertisement on SABC2 regarding auditions for the show, when the ad aired, we quickly took down the number and sent in a video.
“We entered the competition in February and were selected for it in March.”
Bianca, a divorced mom of two, says when she became a teen mother 20 years ago, she faced a lot of hurdles raising her son.
“My son and I couldn’t really pursue a singing career before my divorce, due to personal reasons, but after my divorce we decided to take this journey together that was Stand Up South Africa.”
The show was hosted by Dineo Langa and the judges were Lorcia Cooper Khumalo, Kelly Khumalo and Kurt Darren.
There were over 6000 entries, which makes the victory even sweeter for the duo.
The show had a studio audience of only 54 members, whose votes counted for one point each, while the judges’ votes counted for 18 points each. Viewers at home didn’t get to vote.
The two swept everyone off their feet with their finale song, Weeping, by Bright Blue.
Branden, a second-year False Bay college Electrical Engineering student, says: “Both me and my mom did not expect to get as far as we did, let alone win.
“We’ve made such great connections and friendships. I’m so honoured to have shared the stage with my mom, we’ve really grown closer.”
Bianca lives with her mother and two kids and says the prize money will change their lives.
“Besides the money, another prize we received from this competition was a better connection with each other.
“I’m so proud of my son and how he has grown in this competition, and likewise he says the same about me.”