Jaw-dropping reality shows to stream this October

There are loads of juicy moments in store during October, with fan-favourite and International Emmy-nominated reality series available to binge on Showmax. 

Coming soon

Ubuthe Uzobuya | Tuesdays from 29 October on Showmax

Ubuthe Uzobuya delves into the lives of couples torn apart when one partner abruptly disappeared without explanation. Hosted by actor Tshepo Maseko, the Showmax Original explores the heart-wrenching stories of those who were once deeply in love, only to be left in uncertainty.

Produced by Barkers Media (Shebeen Queens, The Bala Family and How To Manifest A Man), the focus of the show is on tracking down the missing partner to uncover their reasons for leaving, culminating in an emotional reunion with the partner who reached out to the show.

In the final segment, the person who vanished must confront their past and decide whether to return to their former life or embrace the new one they’ve built—sometimes with a new family. 

The Real Housewives of Miami S3 | First On Showmax | Binge from Monday, 21 October on Showmax

The Real Housewives of Miami returns for another season, and this time, the drama is more intense than ever. 

Guerdy’s shocking breast cancer diagnosis and relationship revelations bring some friendships closer, while straining others. 

As The Daily Beast states, “The Real Housewives of Miami is officially Bravo’s best franchise… This is the funniest, most vulnerable, and irresistible ensemble on Bravo.”

Mnakwethu S4| Binge from Thursday, 24 October

Up for Most Entertaining Reality TV Show at The Behind The Scenes Awards on 9 November 2024, Mnakwethu returns for its fourth season with host Musa Mseleku, a proud polygamist, still acting as counsel and mediator as men ask their wives to allow them to marry a second wife. 

With success not always guaranteed, Mseleku assists the men in pleading their cases to their wives, helping them come to terms with the request and, sometimes, facilitating the meeting between the first and potential second wives.

Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard S2 Reunion | First On Showmax | Stream from 23 October

Anything can happen in the clubhouse…

With all the drama on Season 2 of Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard, there was just way too much left unresolved by the season finale. Lucky for us, the cast petitioned Bravo for a much-needed get-together to spill the tea, dish the dirt and clear the air! 

As the reunion kicks off, Alex, Summer and Noelle address their love triangle, while Amir discusses his relationship with Natalie, and Jasmine tries to get to the bottom of why she’s always left out.

Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard follows a group of young Black professionals and entrepreneurs as they head to Martha’s Vineyard, an island south of Cape Cod that was one of the first beach destinations where African-Americans could vacation and purchase property. But as they band together to escape their worries, discover the beauty of this exclusive enclave and have an epic summer, it becomes clear that some of their friendships are fractured while others are in full bloom.

New episodes weekly

Style Magnate S1 | Fridays on Showmax

In this high-stakes fashion and design reality competition, 20 designers embark on a month-long journey that will end with one of them being crowned and receiving a life-changing opportunity to launch their career as a designer for the stars. 

With each episode, the stakes rise as contestants strive to deliver show-stopping designs to impress some of the most influential figures in fashion. With challenges that test their skills and creativity, and major celebrities to dress, the contestants must showcase their ability to sketch, design and sew under pressure, with the help of expert mentors and prominent industry titans.

Leading Style Magnate is award-winning Nigerian fashion designer and icon Mai Atafo, with Joseph Benjamin as the show’s host and stylist and costume designer Yolanda Okereke (King of Boys) as the fashion principal. 

Finales to diarise

Shebeen Queens S1 | Binge from today 

Shebeen Queens highlights the bold women behind some of Soweto’s most beloved shebeens, including Alina’s Place, Big Mama’s Tavern, and Rama Tavern.

Starring entrepreneurs Alina Sishange, Emily Thabang Leeuw – affectionately known as Big Mama – and Xoliswa Shwayimba, this Showmax Original captures their efforts to balance the demands of motherhood with the challenges of running their businesses in a fiercely competitive and round-the-clock environment traditionally dominated by men. 

Shebeen Queens is produced by Barkers Media, creators of the 2024 SAFTA-nominated How to Manifest a Man, and directed by Mpho Lengane of Isencane Lengane. 

The Citizen says the shebeen queens “serve up drinks and drama,” while Daily Sun says, “Shebeen Queens is taking over Mzansi, and viewers are loving it.”

The Mommy Club: Sugar & Spice | Binge from Friday, 25 October

Produced by POP24, The Mommy Club: Sugar & Spice offers an exclusive glimpse into the vibrant lives of glamorous mothers within Durban’s Indian community, who appear to have it all. The series explores the dynamic interactions among these mothers and their colourful extended families, showcasing how they juggle the demands of running their personal empires while nurturing the next generation.

The cast features Abigail Nepaul (41), Asharia Parsad (27), Christina Devraj (26), Devina Knowles (43), Kim Jones (33), Lenore Goss-Matjie (45), Neetasha Singh Bugwandin (36), and the twins Losh and Resh Naidoo (45).

Over 12 weeks, viewers had the opportunity to connect with these remarkable women, who delivered a captivating mix of motherhood, fashion, empowering events, and plenty of drama. The intense rivalry between Christina and Lenore reached a boiling point, leaving us eagerly anticipating whether the ladies will find a path to reconciliation at the first part of the reunion on 31 October (part 2 lands on 7 November 2024).

Die Ondernemers | Binge from Monday, 28 October

Most people think of death as the end, but for Cape Town’s quirkiest undertakers, it’s the start of their work.

Produced by POP24 (Beaulah: Queens Van Die Kaap), Die Ondernemers features Candice Austin, owner of Goodall & Bourne Funeral Undertakers; Jano van der Berg, owner of Van der Berg Funeral Services; and former Stormers rugby player Ramone Samuels, managing director of SamWill Funeral Services, co-owned with his brother, Springbok fullback Damian Willemse.

As @leroy206 says on X, “I never imagined that a show about funerals could be so entertaining.”

Reality TV up for awards, from iEmmys to NFTAs

Die Brug S1 | Binge now on Showmax

Die Brug is up for an International Emmy Award for Best Non-Scripted Entertainment. Now streaming on Showmax, the kykNET series follows 12 strangers who must collaborate to construct a bridge to an island where a R1m treasure awaits. 

Narrated by South African Emmy nominee Neil Sandilands (Sweet Tooth, DAM), Die Brug is produced by the award-winning Red Pepper Pictures, renowned for their work on Big Brother Mzansi. 

The eleventh adaptation of the international reality hit The Bridge, Die Brug is also up for the SAFTA for Best International Format. 

The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip – South Africa S1 | Binge now on Showmax

At the National Film & TV Awards South Africa on 9 November 2024, The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip – South Africa is up for five awards: Best Reality TV Show, Non-Scripted TV Show and Female TV Personality for Christall Kay, Lethabo LeJoy, and Nonku Williams.

Hailed as “explosive” by True Love, the Showmax Original takes eight of South Africa’s finest Housewives to Jamaica: Beverly Steyn (The Real Housewives of Cape Town S1); Christall Kay (The Real Housewives of Johannesburg S1-2); LaConco (The Real Housewives of Durban S1-2); Lethabo Lejoy Mathatho (The Real Housewives of Johannesburg S2-3); Liz Prins (The Real Housewives of Gqeberha S1); Londie London (The Real Housewives of Durban S2); Melany Viljoen (The Real Housewives of Pretoria S1); and Nonku Williams (The Real Housewives of Durban S1-4).

The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip – South Africa is also up for Most Entertaining Reality TV Show at The Behind The Scenes Awards, also taking place on 9 November 2024. 

The Mommy Club S1 | Binge now

At the National Film & TV Awards South Africa on 9 November 2024, The Mommy Club is up for both Best Reality TV Show and Non-Scripted TV Show. 

Also nominated for the 2024 SAFTA for Best Structured Soapie Reality Show, the Showmax Original follows five glamorous Jozi momfluences navigating parenting challenges – and the cutthroat world of it moms.

The Mommy Club set a record for the most first-day views of any reality series on Showmax, becoming one of the streamer’s  ten most-streamed local series in 2023. A second season launched this February, with a Durban-set spinoff, The Mommy Club: Sugar & Spice, currently streaming, with new episodes on Thursdays.

Billed as “dramatic” by Glamour, The Mommy Club is produced by POP24 (Bae Beyond Borders). 

Bae Beyond Borders S1 | Binge now on Showmax

Nominated for Best Reality TV Show at the National Film & TV Awards South Africa on 9 November 2024, Bae Beyond Borders follows four South African women searching for love “the Naija way”. 

Described as “spicy” by IOL, the Showmax Original begins with each woman speed-dating 12 Nigerian men, after which they collectively narrow the field to four. Once each bachelorette selects her Nigerian partner, they move to a luxurious villa in Cape Town to see if their cross-cultural romance can thrive beyond borders.

One of the ten most streamed local titles on Showmax last year, Bae Beyond Borders is produced by POP24 (The Mommy Club).

Kokkedoor: Vuur & Vlam S1 | Binge now on Showmax

Nominated for Best Competition TV Show at the National Film & TV Awards South Africa on 9 November 2024, Kokkedoor: Vuur & Vlam features participants showcasing their braai skills to award-winning chef Bertus Basson and Kobus Botha, dubbed the “braai king of France.”

Now streaming on Showmax, the kykNET cooking show was also nominated at Silwerskerm for Best Presenters for Basson and Botha, and is up for Best Competition Reality Show at the SAFTAs. 

Kokkedoor: Vuur & Vlam is produced by multi-award-winners Homebrew Films (Trompoppie, Wyfie).