MasterChef South Africa Season 5 champion Bridget Mangwandi rewrites television history!
More exciting news: Beloved Mzansi stars will put their hearts on a plate next in S3’s all-new Celebrity MasterChef, starting 30 November.
A culinary superstar is born: 20-year-old Bridget Mangwandi won the coveted title of MasterChef South Africa and the R1 million prize money in the massively popular cooking competition’s electrifying Season 5 finale. By scooping the sought-after trophy, Bridget became the youngest winner in the franchise’s history and Mzansi’s first black female MasterChef.
With her near-perfect dishes in the ultimate head-to-head round, Bridget beat another outstanding young chef, Nabila Shamshum (23), a school secretary from Johannesburg, after Durban-born Chanel Brink (34), was named the second runner-up.
Although Nabila, who tasted victory in the quarter and semi-finals, also served the best dish in the round that saw Chanel’s elimination, Bridget soared to the top when receiving moral support from her biggest fan, her mother.
Bridget’s mom and Nabila’s parents joined the season’s previously ousted contestants on the MasterChef South Africa gantry to witness the season’s pivotal cook-off.
During the showdown, in which the Top 2 had to whip up a million-rand-worthy two-course meal showcasing African excellence and expressing their evolution from home cook to chef extraordinaire, Bridget drew inspiration from her mother’s favourite recipe, Apricot chicken. But instead of using chicken, Bridget ambitiously replaced the chicken with kingklip and employed all the learnings and tricks of the trade she accumulated throughout her journey on the show.
In addition to the Apricot kingklip with kale risotto, cauliflower puree, coconut cream, and chives, Bridget set out to display her newly acquired technical skills, plating precision talent and imagination by creating an Italian meringue with choux pastry inside short-crust pastry and an Amarula filling.
The judges enjoyed Bridget’s dessert, but the sublime plating and beautifully flavoured, imaginative and well-cooked kingklip sealed the deal in Bridget’s favour.
For Bridget, her MasterChef trophy symbolises possibility, resilience, inspiration and excellence:
“This win is a victory not only for me but for every young black girl who dreams of extraordinary feats. I hope this inspires the next generation to believe the world is their oyster, as I always tell myself.”
Even though MasterChef South Africa Season 5 has concluded with Bridget’s sensation triumph, the MasterChef magic continues into 2025 on our television screens. The new star-studded six-part spin-off Celebrity MasterChef starts on S3 on Saturday, 30 November, at 20:30, with rebroadcasts on SABC 2 on Sundays at 18:30 and S3 on Wednesdays at 18:00.
In Celebrity MasterChef, proudly sponsored by Pick n Pay, twelve beloved Mzansi cuisine-crazy personalities who can all cook up a storm will face the heat in the MasterChef kitchen. While judges Justine Drake, Zola Nene and Chef Katlego Mlambo will again scrutinise all the celebrities’ culinary creations, the spin-off will be served with delicious format twists.
For starters, the Celebrity MasterChef champion will share the R1 million prize pot with a charity of their choice. Furthermore, the twelve high-flyers will be divided into groups of three to put their hearts on their plates in the series’ first four episodes. The winner of each of these “heats” will then proceed to the semi-final, whereafter two will face off in the finale.
Besides each episode’s do-or-die elimination cook-off, there will also be an appetiser task where the best dish will be attached to a surprise prize for the charity the celeb represents.
Among the 12 celebrated stars who will prepare scrumptious meals and memorable moments are celebrities well-known for their passion for cooking, such as singer-songwriter Holly Rey, Afrikaans actor Armand Aucamp, popular Expresso presenter Graeme Richards, pharmacist-turned-social-media sensation Sinoyolo Sifo, and legendary television personality Prim Reddy.
But there might also be some surprise foodies, including Miss SA runner-up and Miss Supranational South Africa 2023 Ayanda Thabethe, style icon Seth Shezi, Bafana Bafana midfielder Reneilwe ‘Yeye’ Letsholonyane, actor Bohang Moeko, rock musician and poet Danie du Toit, fashion trendsetter Mzukisi Mbane and radio and television star Dineo Ranaka.
The MasterChef South Africa kitchen is equipped with products from: @home, Beko (appliances), Durbanville Hills Winery, Edison Stone (Wüsthoff knives), Setamono Hibachi (grills), Chef Gear (aprons and chef jackets), My Butcher’s Block, and Mervyn Gers (bespoke crockery). Among the other sponsors are LED Lighting SA and YOCO.
MasterChef South Africa Season 5 airs on S3 (formerly SABC 3) on Saturdays at 20:30 (instead of 19:30), with a rebroadcast on S3 on Sundays at 18:30 and SABC 2 on Wednesdays at 18:00.
Be part of MasterChef South Africa on social media:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Hashtag #MasterChefSA
Connect with S3 (formerly SABC 3) on social media:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Connect with SABC 2 on social media:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Connect with Pick n Pay on social media:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
