Too many cooks ... have ignited a firestorm of controversy, engulfing yet another M-Net reality show in reputation-impacting (and a growing number of negative) headlines the pay TV broadcaster didn't foresee - and definitely don't want - for MasterChef South Africa.
While pay TV broadcaster M-Net and The Citizen newspaper are now having fighting words over what Deena Naidoo, the winner of MasterChef SA told the newspaper regarding his total prizes (or lack thereof) - and what M-Net and Tsogo Sun slammed as "inaccurate", has now also spread to engulf Radio 702.
Radio 702 has now entered into the fray and is being taken to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) by The Citizen after John Robbie on Friday on Radio 702 allegedly called The Citizen's story misleading ( an article which ironically was about the Citizen interviewing Deena Naidoo who said impressions that he won R8 million is actually misleading) and allegedly didn't give The Citizen the right of reply. Talk about a massive metamedia mess!
The Citizen says its stands by its story and that Deena Naidoo said what he said - which is, from The Citizen, amongst other things that: "it has been presented as though I have acquired ... a new restaurant as part of the main prize. But this is far from true. I will only run the restaurant for two years."
The Citizen says in a statement that: "promotional material for the series stated that the winner would receive their very own restaurant. The value of the restaurant, not the use thereof, was included in the value of the prize, creating a false impression.''
Meanwhile M-Net and Tsogo Sun issued their own statement Friday evening containing drop-in quotes from Deena Naidoo saying in that statement: "I never expected to have R8 million in my bank account and any reports that suggest this are simply untrue. I wanted to clear up the misconception that this might be the case, and in the process, it was asserted that I've been let down by M-Net and Tsogo Sun. This is inaccurate."
[Basically The Citizen on one hand and M-Net and Tsogo Sun on the other have their own statements - and versions if you want, of Deena Naidoo quotes - which now to believe of these widely differing comments all attributed to Deena Naidoo?]
Now Radio 702 is also embroiled in the growing broo-ha-ha, leading to even more coverage and more stories as well as more viewers and readers venting their feelings. Many say a perception was created that the winner of MasterChef South Africa on M-Net would get - meaning own - his or her own restaurant, and which is now clearly not the case.
M-Net and Tsogo Sun in the statement on Friday evening said "The total restaurant prize included (amongst other things) the full-time running and rebranding of the floor space. The arrangement was rent free, for two years." M-Net said "Deena Naidoo elected a joint venture operation where he will share in the restaurant profits and partake in the rebranding and relaunch of the restaurant.This will run for two years."
"Everyone in the country, including the contestants, was under the impression that the winner will be getting a restaurant," posted a user on Food24.
"So he still does not own a restaurant and he is a manager in a R7 million establishment. Wow. Lets all give up our day jobs to become a manager in someone's restaurant that will use your name to get clientele... pathetic and misleading advertising by M-Net and the MasterChef SA franchise," posted a user on Channel24.
