Must-watch trailer: Showmax reality series Die Ondernemers

Premiering on Mondays from 5 August 2024, Die Ondernemers is a Showmax Original reality show that follows three undertakers: 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 by his brother, Springbok fullback Damian Willemse. 

The three undertakers met each other during the COVID-19 pandemic and formed a WhatsApp group to provide assistance and support during the highly stressful period. Over time, they have developed a strong bond and now consider themselves friends and colleagues. Both Candice and Jano utilise Ramone’s mortuary as a facility to store bodies prior to burials.

Watch the trailer for Die Ondernemers

Die Ondernemers is the latest reality show from POP24, the creative minds behind The Mommy Club, Bae Beyond Borders and This Body Works For Me – three of the 10 most-streamed South African shows on Showmax in 2023 – as well as Beaulah: Queens Van Die Kaap, which is currently streaming on Showmax. 

Filled with laughter, tears, and hymns, Die Ondernemers is a first-of-its-kind reality show that proves that, even in the face of death, life goes on in the most unexpected ways. 

Meet the cast

Candice Austin

Owner of Goodall & Bourne Funeral Undertakers, 36-year-old Candice Austin runs the business with her sister, Lynn Truter. They are two of the few women undertakers in the male-dominated industry. 

Candice took over the business after her parents passed away three years ago, “I started working for my parents 16 years ago. I was only supposed to be working for them for a couple of months, but I just never left. Sadly, they passed away from Covid three years ago and then I took over the business and my sister joined.” 

She has become very passionate about the funeral business. “My job is my passion, my job is my life, my job is number one and my husband comes second.”

Candice also says that the undertaking business is not as morbid as everyone thinks. “We have a lot of fun. We are clowns. There is a lot of laughter at work and people will get to see that when they watch the show. It is not all drab and dark; we wear colourful clothes and you will be surprised by the fun we get up to.”

Jano van der Berg 

Thirty-three-year-old Jano is the owner of Van der Berg Funeral Services, which was owned by his parents. Jano is also a highly skilled bassist and member of The Rockets. The father of one takes his business very seriously. “My job is not morbid at all. It is a huge passion of mine; it is part of who I am. Being there for people in their darkest times means a lot to me.”

When asked if death scares him, Jano asserts that it does not. “I have been doing this since I was thirteen years old and it doesn’t scare me. I have been through everything and this has become part of my life.”

On why people should watch, Jano says that audiences will learn a lot about the job they do. “People will get to see the behind-the-scenes stuff that we do; they will see the work and effort we put in ensuring that their loved ones are buried with dignity and how we go the extra mile.”

Ramone Samuels

Former Stormers rugby player Ramone Samuels is the managing director of SamWill Funeral Services and his brother Damian Willemse is a partner. 

The 29-year-old started the business while he was still playing rugby. “I had a love for the funeral industry because I wanted to become a forensic pathologist. But at the time, I chose rugby, and then eventually I found my roots back to the funeral industry.”

On the major difference between rugby and the funeral business, Ramone shared: “For me, it’s just a sense of providing to people in different times of need. In rugby, I used to entertain people and give them happiness and joy, and in the funeral industry, I am helping people when they can’t help themselves in their lowest time, while burying their loved one. I always thought I could be a saviour through rugby but God had different plans with my injury and now I have found my belonging in life through assisting people.”

He added that people should watch the show to see that they are just normal humans. “People often think that we don’t have a life and that we don’t have fun; they should watch the show to see that we are just like them: we laugh, we love, and we celebrate just like everyone else.”

Join the conversation: #DieOndernemers