‘Come Dine with Me SA’ gears up for a seventh season of 'whining and dining'

If you rate yourself as a cook, have buckets of personality, can perform under pressure AND are prepared to cook a three-course meal under the glare of TV cameras for a group of strangers who will nose about your house criticising your food, décor and booze, then this is for you.

Come Dine With Me SA, the popular cooking contest which sees four hopefuls lobby to throw the best dinner party each episode, is looking for contestants for its seventh season. The carrot is the chance to win R10,000 if your rivals secretly award your efforts the highest scores.

Says executive producer Kee-Leen Irvine, “It’s always fascinating to see the large volume of people vying to be the host with the most. South Africans are a gregarious and outgoing bunch and somewhat competitive too.”

Unfortunately professional chefs can’t enter. I squirm at some of the food that has been dished up in previous seasons, but perhaps this would have improved since lockdown when so many of us found comfort in the kitchen.

With that in mind there are very strict protocols in place; those signing up have to agree to Covid-19 testing. Luckily this means you can safely have some fun and enjoy a good ‘dop’.

Just a word of caution: if you’re one of the lucky contestants to be selected, remember that your home will be scrutinised first by a production team, then by your fellow contestants AND finally by the public, over and over again, considering the number of times the shows are repeated.

Entries are open to those 18 years and older living in Cape Town and Johannesburg, and close on June 23 2021. Visit bbcsouthafrica.com for more information.