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Being Bonang
1Magic (DStv channel 103)
Friday, 7pm
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There seems to be what I would deem a sad belief that there’s something wrong with being open about enjoying reality television.
I am a shameless addict.
There isn’t a reality show I wouldn’t watch and, no, I don’t have an explanation as to why and absolutely don’t need one.
Whether via television or peaking through the window to see what your neighbours are up to, we all enjoy having a glimpse into someone else’s life – their reality.
According to a recent article published in Psychology Today, there’s a direct connection between watching reality TV and voyeurism, which sounds disturbing and definitely raises images of spying on people and fixating on someone’s private life.
Either way, after a long day I usually look forward to winding down with my favourite reality shows; I have no shame.
These days, on a Friday night, you’ll find me tuning in to season 3 of Being Bonang.
The show, as you know, follows famous businesswoman and media personality Bonang Matheba as she gives South Africans an entrancing glimpse into her life.
Being Bonang was exactly what Bonang’s brand needed – a curated, humanised version of her personality.
Since the start of her career, fans and foes have been making it their business to know what it is she’s up to, scrutinising every move, significant or insignificant.
Whether deliberate or not, Bonang takes this in her stride, and it appears she uses her reality show to showcase her work and what she’s been up to while everyone tirelessly scratches for information about whether she has bought a vineyard or who she is dating.
You’re never really going to get the answers you’re looking for, but you’ll walk away feeling satisfied because Bonang doesn’t take herself too seriously. And she’s hilarious!
Perhaps therein lies the problem with this genre of television.
For a reality show to be truly successful, producers have to zone in on viewers’ enjoyment of the humiliation and degradation of the stars of the show.
If you don’t have the extreme drama that leaves viewers coming back for more or feeling some sort of superiority over the cast, then it’s very likely that the show won’t be around for as long as some of the enduring reality shows – such as Survivor, Big Brother, The Bachelor, The Real Housewives franchise and, of course, Keeping Up with the Kardashians – that have created not only stars but very wealthy people.
And so, thankfully, Bonang has tweeted that this will be the final season of Being Bonang.
For now, if she isn’t going to stir the traditional reality show pot, then three seasons is a perfect stretch so that fans and foes can see why she cares to either respond to or ignore questions and comments about how she lives her life.
At least with Being Bonang we not only live her fabulous life vicariously through the show, but also laugh at the funny commentary and antics that have made her a likeable person.
