"The drama is real!" says Jason Greer, the host of The Bachelor South Africa on M-Net (DStv 101). "The tension! The emotion! Pheeew. You can cut it with a knife."
In an interview, Jason Greer as the charming-as-ever host of the fascinating local version of the dating reality show produced by Rapid Blue, told me how the women in the Bachelor mansion are exactly how they come across and are not "acting for the cameras", what he enjoys and is challenging about hosting this show, his relationship with the bachelor Lee Thompson what he as a presenter does on set, and how he sees his hosting role.
How is hosting The Bachelor South Africa on M-Net (DStv 101) different from everything else you've done since you were the presenter of The Loot on GO?
Jason: Well, The Loot was 2007. Since The Loot I've done a number of shows - All Access, Top Travel, Tech Report, Movie Show, and I suppose they're all so different.
I think that what makes them cool is that they've all been local productions. Original productions. South African. This is the first show that I'm hosting that is internationally recognised and is an international format. So that's a massive feather in my cap.
And did it take more hours to do?
Jason: More hours than ...
Like, longer hours to do an episode than what you would do All Access or Tech Report.
Jason: With those sorts of things, I think I was the host of that segment, so you saw a lot more of me. This is about the bachelor in The Bachelor SA, so literally, I would come in, do a couple of links, and then let them do their thing. So I'm not as busy, should I say.
How would you describe your relationship with Lee Thompson? Do you feel like your an older brother, or a younger brother, or a peer? How do you relate to him in terms of the show and life?
Jason: [laughs] I mean, I've got 10 years on him. I think if anything I should be - I suppose in a way I should be kind of his big brother, but we've actually become friends.
We're friends on an equal footing. We've been going through the same experience - obviously him more than I - we've become friends, and we chat a lot about all sorts of different things.
I think it's good for both of us to be friends, not only for the future of the show but also for the future of us going forward. Lee is just so easy to be friends with, you know?
And did you give him any tips on how to be on TV?
Jason: So right at the beginning there was a link that he was trying to memorise and remember and do to the ladies. And he just wasn't getting it right. Because that was pretty much the first time he did that ever as presenting.
So I just gave him a few tips and tricks in regards to breathing, remembering lines, and how to deliver them. And it's difficult because the oke was so nervous about all sorts of different things, so for him to remember that ... there's a lot going on in his mind.
Viewers don't see everything, so when we see you it's for a few minutes but in real-life recording, I can imagine something took half an hour or an hour, or long hours. How was the standing, or was that not an issue? For how long have you had to stand at rose ceremonies for example?
Jason: I'm not that involved, so what I would do for a rose ceremony, for example, I'd go, introduce the setting, introduce the rose ceremony, and then call on Lee and Lee would be standing, and the ladies would be standing.
I would go to the control room and be sitting down; and watching the event unfold live so that if anything had to have to happen, I could just quickly jump in and do my thing.
Alternatively, I would wait until the last rose was handed out and I would then walk back to my mark and wait for the last rose to be handed out and walk into the shot and say "Well, if you didn't receive a rose, take a few moments to say goodbye". And that's pretty much how it worked.
Was there food for you?
Jason: [laughs] There was a beautiful craft table there, with all sorts of goodies. And there was breakfast, lunch and dinner supplied throughout the course of the day to the crew and us so there was always coffee and water and everything.
You've got to make sure we're hydrated and fed! [laughs]. We can't be "heeng-gry".
Since it's an international format show how much do you have to say word-for-word exactly what you're told script-wise or how much can you ad-lib or improvise?
Jason: What's interesting about that is that there are certain elements that need to be scripted, like the logistics of an event, for example, or the logistics of a cocktail evening, or some specialised events.
Those sorts of things always need to be word-for-word. The rest is kind of like a case of well, I've got to make the script my own. So I'm Jason Greer, and for as much as people would want me to be a Chris Harrison or whoever, they're not going to get that.
They're going to get me, so I've got to make the script my own as well. So what's interesting about that, is that after the first episode I saw a couple of people tweeting: "Why is the host not going, 'Lee, ladies, this is the final rose, when you're ready."
It's because Chris Harrison says that in the American version of The Bachelor.
Well, why do we have to be exactly word-for-word the same as the American version? We don't have to be. The logistics behind The Bachelor SA are there. The rose ceremonies are there, the cocktail parties are there. Individual dates. The group dates. They're all there.
So I could ad-lib to a certain degree. For me, it was making the bachelor and the ladies feel as comfortable as possible. If I was a robot just doing word-for-word out of a script that wasn't my own, it wouldn't come across as sincere.
Would you say there was some new challenge for you as a TV presenter or what was interesting?
Jason: For me the pressure of having to perform on, I know it's a local version, but on an international stage, is quite high. This is The Bachelor for goodness sake.
So you've got to make South Africa proud but you've got to make the franchise, The Bachelor, proud as well, so the pressure and the stakes are fairly high for me in order to make sure that I'm doing a good job. And I really hope I am.
The other challenge, I think, is doing links in front of the ladies, especially at rose ceremonies.
Because man, I walk out there and more often than not, I'm there to give them unfortunate news like the cocktail party is coming to end, or now it's time for the rose ceremony, or you haven't received a rose so leave.
The tension! The emotion! Pheeew. You can cut it with a knife, mate. I'm standing there and I'm just - I feel all this energy on me - and I think, Oh my gosh, I don't know can I handle this. It's hectic. [laughs] So that's quite hectic for me.
I wanted to ask actually how do you moderate your emotions when you're part of hugely emotional scenes, and it sounds as if those are coming?
Jason: So ja. Viewers will have to wait and see for those because there are quite a number of those.
But for me ... it's hard to hide your own feelings, your own feelings. But as the host, you need to be this rock-solid figure. You've got to take on the gravitas of the role and be not the emotion, but just be steadfast.
I think when there are certain moments that are difficult, you've got to just purse your lips. In one or two instances I closed my eyes and turned around and pretended that I'm doing links to in a sense avoid what's happening. But I'm looking forward to how those moments are going to play out.
You are Lee are basically almost exactly the same length, did you notice that, were you surprised by that?
Jason: You mean height?
Yes.
Jason: [laughs]
Oh, sorry, yes.
Jason: [laughs] Lee and I haven't measured our length, I must be honest. [laughs] But I can tell you that I'm taller than him by 3 centimetres. He's just got a bigger built. So what.
And does that make it easier when you have scenes with somebody who's the same height or does it not factor into anything?
Jason: You know what, our scenes are very limited. It's literally when he walks up for a rose ceremony or when we set the scene for a group date, so it doesn't really play into it.
It is nice to be able to, if we are doing something, like the red carpet when I first greeted him on the red carpet when he came through to the mansion., that was cool because I'm either looking down at someone or I have to do what they call a "power stand" for cameras where I kind of have to spread my legs a little bit and move down so that the cameras don't look taller than the person I'm talking to.
In that regard, it's really great to talk to someone at eye level.
What would you say impressed you most about The Bachelor SA and being a part of this?
Jason: I think the production quality.
The production quality in itself is really pretty. Just the way it's shot and the music and the lighting - it's such a beautiful-looking show.
I cannot believe that this is a South African production. It looks international in my opinion and I think a lot of people would agree.
I'm very chuffed with how The Bachelor SA has turned out. And I'm so chuffed with the authenticity of the ladies.
I mean, they are so real. The whole time we filmed I don't ever remember going "oh, she's hamming it up for the camera", or "look how she's acting". They're so true to themselves. The drama is real, which I love.
Jason Greer is the host of The Bachelor SA on Thursdays on M-Net (DStv 101) at 19:00.
