In the finale tonight at 20:00 on SABC3 from Cape Town of the My Top Billing Dream reality show looking for a new Top Billing presenter, there will be 4 contestants remaining instead of the originally planned 3.
Lynelle Kenned, Chamendran Naidoo, Zama Ncgobo and Jonathan Boynton-Lee are the 4 contestants who will hear tonight who got a contract with South Africa's longest running, uninterrupted TV show.
As to why there is 4 and not just 3 contestants in tonight's final episode, Tswelopele Productions told me that "the judges thought about this long and hard - and decided that it would be more exciting viewing if there were 4 finalists contesting for the one spot - not just 3".
The show switched to a limited-run reality format for the past few weeks and saw eager viewers engaging on social media around the favourites as the contestants were whittled down one by one during real-life TV production challenges behind-the-scenes.
The show had planned an additional action adventure challenge for tonight's My Top Billing Dream finale, "but we felt we had covered this type of challenge sufficiently already in the 7 August episode," the production tells me. "We allocated the time that would have gone to the adventure challenge to the fourth contestant".
Viewers will see Zama Ngcobo interview the South African musician Toya Delazy and Lynelle Kenned (left) will do a profile piece on the Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins.
Jonathan Boynton-Lee will interview the musical phenom Paige Mac, and Chamendran Naidoo will hang out with the instrumental band Sterling EQ.
According to the producers the final task "is about the key of linking the show together - doing the studio links in a beautiful location and also interviewing the top local and international performing talent".
Tonight's finale and organising it the past week was a logistical challenge for the show. The crew had to get all the performing stars together in one place - at one time - to shoot those inserts last week.
Lynelle Kenned's mom Christine was diagnosed with cancer when she was 16 and has lived to see her daughter achieve as an opera singer - both Christine and dad Ralph was there when Lynelle Kenned performed with Katherine Jenkins which viewers will see tonight.
Jonathan Boynton-Lee's mom, Bronwen Boynton-Lee was also flown down by the production to come and watch him perform with Paige Mac. It was her 72nd birthday. Chamendran Naidoo's mom and one of Zama Ngcobo's good friends also supported them.
The Top Billing presenter Simba Mhere will be on hand tonight to welcome the new Top Billing presenter to the fold.
