The ninth season of “The Ultimate Braai Master” is set to return and the makers are currently looking for the most talented home-braai master pairs to bring the heat.
Last year, Naledi Matshitse and Malebogo Diraditsile were crowned as the season eight winners.
Celebrity chefs Benny Masekwameng and Pete Goffe-Wood will return as the show’s judges as will news and sports anchor Tapfuma Makina as the host.
When Makina joined the show in season 8, he noted that he loved food but was not a chef and had nothing but respect for those who had the innate talent.
“I am simply the taskmaster; my job is to help the braai master hopefuls and our audience navigate the mechanics of the show and steer them through the twists and turns that comprise the journey to finding the next ‘Ultimate Braai Master’,” he said.
“The Ultimate Braai Master” is a South African-born reality cooking show celebrating our diversity and favourite activities.
There are a series of tough challenges set in some of the most beautiful landscapes South Africa offers.
The teams need to battle it out, one challenge at a time, to see who will take the crown.
In the season 8 finale, the remaining three teams were given five hours to prepare a five-course dining experience, drawing from the different cuisines and cultures in the melting pot that is the Western Cape.
In a plot twist, they were required to present a particular dish, on the hour, every hour, for five hours.
The contestants had to prepare a Malay-inspired fish dish, a Portuguese-inspired seafood dish, a Dutch-inspired spiced dessert, a full English roast with all the trimmings and a Xhosa-inspired tripe dish.
When the countdown clock hit zero and the judging process was finalised, Matshitse and Diraditsile were crowned the winners.
Known as “Village Cooks”, the two have been friends for more than 30 years and grew up in the village of Bona-Bona in North West.
Drawing inspiration from his mother, who taught him the pit-cooking technique, Diraditsile impressed the judges with his knowledge, building a proper hole in which he placed the lamb, rock and coals, and covered it to unexpectedly produce a perfect underground lamb in record time to secure their place in the final.
Matshitse dedicated her win to her maternal and paternal grandmothers who taught her to never be discouraged.
“I did not give up; I knew the river was just an obstacle, we were there to cook, not to fight with a raft! When we heard the time, we were hopeful. I was super proud when we went to sleep that night. I was content, I was fulfilled.
“Winning that challenge was the sweetest cherry. If we had more time, we feel like we actually wouldn’t have done our best,” she said.
“My strength throughout the competition was that I never forgot where I came from. Our background and upbringing don’t necessarily determine our future. I have been underestimated many times in my life but I do not get discouraged, (and) always opt to stay the course,” she added.
∎ Applications to become a contestant for season nine are open. The entry form can be accessed through “The Ultimate Braai Master” Facebook page. Entries close on April 25.