Thinus Ferreira
Primedia Studios and Homebrew Films are switching the cooking reality show MasterChef South Africa from the SABC to e.tv, with a 6th season that will air on the red-letter TV channel on Sunday evenings from sometime in early 2026.
Entries for season 6 of MasterChef SA open today until 16 October.
With a fully-functional competitors' kitchen sitting ready at Atlantic Studios in Cape Town, Primedia Studios and Homebrew Films are moving the cooking competition series to e.tv after a 5th season MasterChef SA and a second Celebrity MasterChef SA season that aired on the South African public broadcaster's SABC3.
The custom-built kitchen and pantry set at Atlantic Studios, crafted at a cost of millions of rand for the 5th season, will continue to be used for the 6th season of the localised Banijay format show on e.tv, with the new season, which will also be aired on eMedia's eReality and eExtra TV channels carried on its Openview service.
MasterChef SA will air on Sunday nights on e.tv at 18:00 from sometime early in 2026. The trio of judges will be announced soon. Filming of the new season is set to start towards the end of the year.
The jump of MasterChef SA to e.tv marks a unique, extremely rare and once-in-a-TV-lifetime occurence for a South African television show.
With its airing on e.tv, MasterChef SA will have the almost singular distinction of being a TV show that has clinched the TV trifecta of having aired as an original local production on M-Net and MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV service, the SABC, as well as e.tv - all three of South Africa's major TV broadcasters.
And as rare: Veteran publicist Lani Lombard who worked behind the show at M-Net and transitioned to Primedia Studios and worked on it for the SABC, will also be responsible for the media liaison of MasterChef SA when it's on e.tv - for a count of three out of three.
Another high scorer is TV executive Jan du Plessis, Primedia Studios president, who oversaw MasterChef SA during its M-Net iteration, steered it during its SABC run, and is also instrumental in the TV pressure pot finding a new home at e.tv.
Notably, the MasterChef SA brand will now have had TV audience exposure to the sought-after, smaller but highly coveted pay-TV audience in South Africa, the much broader public broadcaster audience, and now also the large, commercial free-to-air audience of e.tv.
Helga Palmer, e.tv group head of content and strategy, says "MasterChef is a tasty and spicy television stew infused with all the ingredients our audiences love – rollercoaster action, suspense, high drama, and unforgettable reality show moments".
"The South African adaptation, infused with the flavours of local cuisine, has been a winning recipe with a series of successful seasons, and e.tv is the perfect broadcaster for this exhilarating format."
Bongumusa Makhatini, Primedia Studios CEO, says "Collaborating with e.tv is an exciting step in bringing MasterChef SA to a broad, culturally diverse South African audience".
"We're thrilled to have secured a primetime slot on the country's biggest free-to-air independent broadcaster and its complementary channels, known for serving world-class entertainment to its multitude of viewers. And, we can't wait to meet all the contestants who'll whip up the new season's must-watch moments."
People interested will now be able to enter for the 6th season of MasterChef South Africa on e.tv on the website at masterchefsa.tv to complete the entry form. The closing date for entries is 16 October 2025 at 23:59.
People who want to enter MasterChef SA must be 18 years or older by November 2025, a South African citizen, and not currently be working as a professional chef, or have worked as a professional chef.