J'Something dishes on what you can expect from 'My Kitchen Rules' SA

There'll be a bit of heat in the kitchen when South Africa's latest television cooking show hits the small screen on Sunday - and it won't just be between the contestants.

Dishy celebrity chefs David Higgs and J'Something are bound to get pulses racing, while their very different approaches to cooking might also spice things up on M-Net's My Kitchen Rules.

J'Something is the front man of music group Mi Casa and a self-taught foodie, whereas formally trained Higgs, who owns the trendy restaurant Marble in Rosebank has more than 20 years' experience in the industry.

"I'm more relatable in the sense that I'm the home cook and don't necessarily know all the gritty terminology," J'Something said. "Then you've got David, who's a little bit stricter and stern."

"We're teaching each other things. I know how to entertain people and be in front of the camera and have fun with it, and he knows how to cook."

The show, which premiers at 6pm on Sunday, August 13, will see the duo dropping in on contestants in their home, watching with a beady eye as they whip up what they hope will be a culinary masterpiece.

"It's a cooking show but it's not pretentious. We're all home cooks at the end of the day," said J'Something.

Based on the popular Australian show of the same name, pairs have to create an instant restaurant in their home and cook a three-course meal, which the judges and other contestants score.

Viewers will be taken all over the country into the homes of the contestants, who range from parent-and-child teams to couples and friends.

"That's where the drama comes in. It's a competitive show. You get to see how people are when they're scoring people they are competing against."

The lowest scoring pairs in two separate groups of 10 are eliminated and the remaining eight teams head to the My Kitchen Rules kitchen, where they face a variety of challenges. After each challenge the weakest team is eliminated.

"The first episode is slap-bang into the action, there is drama from the get go. You can feel the tension of the competition straightaway," said J'Something.

He said the show's producers were looking for great flavour, creativity, technique and presentation but what was vital was, "down-to-earth home cooks who cook from the heart".

"You get a window into people's homes where you find out more about them, their culture, background, history and why they chose certain things to cook."

• This article was originally published in The Times.