Reality TV stars that have captured Mzansi’s hearts

If you want to be famous in an instant you might want to join a reality show, several South Africans did this year and soon found themselves top of the trends list and the talk of the town.

From featuring on a family member's reality show to being a contestant on SA's hottest TV dating shows, here are just a few people who found fame thanks to reality TV.

Mdu Nyoni

Mdu will go down in Date My Family history as perhaps one of the show's most entertaining contestants. He claimed that he approached the show to find love but  viewers believed that he was there to try to con the whole country with his "fake accent" and tall stories. In fact, he was dragged so badly that he eventually responded to the criticism in a lengthy set of videos.

Pinky Girl

Bonang's cousin nearly stole the show on Being Bonang for her personality, style and love for champagne.

In just a few short weeks Pinky Girl went from an unknown to the girl everyone wished was their best friend. 

Bafana Mdluli

As the son of musician and reality star Penny Penny, Bafana knew what it's like to constantly be in the spotlight. But even he couldn't have expected the response he would get when he made an appearance or two on his father's reality show.

Fans went crazy for Bafana's muscles and charming smile and often took their affection to social media where dozens of tributes to the star are recorded - not all of them appropriate to repeat.

Thami Luthuli

Another Date My Family contestant that got fame outside of the show, is Thami  who followed up an appearance on the reality show with a spot on SABC 1's popular soapie Generations: The Legacy. He played the role of a DJ on the show.

Mbalenhle Machele

The 25-year-old chef spawned a million memes and became the centre of the internet earlier this year when she couldn't hide her love for alcohol and partying Date My Family. 

Her attitude and no-nonsense approach to finding a man may have rubbed some people up the wrong way and had everyone talking, especially when she finished all the wine at one of her potential date's house. 

Innocent

He may not have been discovered on reality TV but we reckon it won't be long before Cassper Nyovest's garden landscaper, Innocent gets his own reality show. The guy has featured in several of Cassper's social media posts and even got a feature in an advert for the rapper's #FillUpFNBStadium concert, to the excitement of his legions of fans.