The reality entrepreneur-search show Shark Tank South Africa to return for a second season in 2021 with new tycoon Sharks including SA billionaire Quinton van der Burgh.

by Thinus Ferreira

The reality entrepreneur-search show Shark Tank South Africa is returning to South African television for a second season in 2021 with the South Africa billionaire Quinton van der Burgh who will be one of the testy Sharks, after the Beryl Group that has acquired the format licensing rights for a localised version.

The first season of Shark Tank SA was produced by Rapid Blue for M-Net (DStv 101) in 2016, with the second season that doesn't yet have a TV channel attached but that will be produced upfront by the pan-African investment company with a new group of sharks - established investors - looking for inventive ideas and products to invest in.

Filming of the second season of Shark Tank South Africa will start in early-2021 and will likely take place in Johannesburg, just like the first season and will include self-made multimillionaire and billionaire tycoons as the "Sharks".

Viewers who will once again see how entrepreneurs who could potentially be "the next big thing" or have an idea, invention, product or service that is innovative and ground-breaking, get the opportunity to pitch their business to the panel of Sharks who will potentially invest through equity in the business, and help the entrepreneurs navigate the business seas.

The Sharks for the second season of Shark Tank SA will be the South African billionaire Quinton van der Burgh of Quinton Van Der Burgh Investments, Dr Jasmine Pega (UN Global Award honoree and entrepreneur), Lebo Gunguluza (serial entrepreneur and chairman of the Gem group of companies) and the tech-entrepreneur Prashanthi Akaloo. 

A 5th shark-investor will be announced soon.

"We have been investing in entrepreneurs for a significant amount of time. There's no doubt that Africa is the next frontier, and with that the driving force of changing the economic landscape on the continent, will be entrepreneurs," says Neverl Kambasha, Beryl Group chairman.

"The possibilities of unearthing innovation, creativity and uncovering the 'next big thing' are endless hence we deemed it necessary to further invest in entrepreneurship. We look forward to seeing potential unleashed."

e.tv and Cell C launch own version of Shark Tank called Hangman, with Backers who decide which innovators ideas' are best.

e.tv is teaming up with cellular operator Cell C to launch their own version of Shark Tank, with the new entrepreneurial series Hangman that will start on e.tv on 8 October in which a set of judges - this time called "Backers" - will decide who gets a cash prize.

Hangman, presented by Maps Maponyane, will be streamed online and follows the format of Dragon's Den SA that was seen on Mzansi Magic and followed by Shark Tank South Africa that was on M-Net.

In the new reality show, a set of Backers will listen to contestants pitch their innovative ideas, as entrepreneurs who think that they have identified a gap in the market, get the chance to pitch and show their innovation that fills that space and explain how they want to bring it to the market.

The final 10 contestants chosen from a group of 45, will have to try and win the approval of the Backers - this time including celebrity economist Iraj Abedian, the business billionaire Quinton van der Burgh, chairperson of Shell South Africa Bonang Mohale, and the businesswoman Connie Mashaba.

Hangman will start on Sunday 8 October at 12:00 on e.tv with viewers who can also "invest" in a virtual stock exchange called "The Exchange" to help determine the outcome of the Hangman winner.

People who download the Cell C Reality app get 100 000 points which which they can participate in "The Exchange" to try and win prizes and viewers and contestants don't have to be a Cell C customer to download or play.

Last Fighter Standing coming to e.tv from 25 July as a new 12-part mixed martial arts fighting reality show from Quinton van der Burgh.

e.tv is adding Last Fighter Standing (LFS) as a new 12-part mixed martial arts fighting reality show from 25 July.

Last Fighter Standing from Quinton van der Burgh share similarities with Colin Moss' 2010-series Way of the Warrior, with fighters from various martial arts disciplines who will fight their way through a series of challenges to be crowned the last fighter standing.

e.tv that recently added the Extreme Fighting Championships (EFC) back to its schedule, is adding Last Fighter Standing from Monday 25 July at 22:30.

Last Fighter Standing is mining mogul Quinton van der Burgh's third foray into TV production following on the heels of the two season reality series Clifton Shores and The Shores, as well as the Sharp Shooter photography documentary.

"We aren't holding back on any costs for the production of the reality show or the live entertainment on the actual fight nights," says Quinton van der Burgh.

"I believe there has been a lack in entertainment and production in mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting and we plan to rectify the matter by grabbing the bull by the horns and giving viewers something that they have never seen before."

Quinton van der Burgh plans to eventually make Last Fighter Standing a global show and to take it worldwide, leading to "the best fighters from around the world battling it out to announce the greatest fighter in the world".

For now Last Fighter Standing will be South African, with fighters from karate, kickboxing, Muay-Thai, Muay-Boran, MMA and others all competing for the prize money in elimination tournaments that will see one person in each division take the title of the best fighter in the country and crowned as the Last Fighter Standing champion in 2016.

"We are very please to bring Last Fighter Standing to our viewers," says Marlon Davids, the acting managing director for e.tv's channels division, "e.tv is known for our action-packed entertainment and this new fighting format is guaranteed to entertain and thrill our audiences."

Last Fighter Standing, sanctioned by the Martial Arts South Africa Pro Commission, will hold qualifying tournaments in several South African cities with male fighters from three weight categories Lightweight, Welterweight and Heavyweight; and one female division, Bantamweight who will compete in an 8-fighter elimination tournament.

 The winners that qualify at these provincial elimination tournaments will compete in the finals at the TicketPro Dome Johannesburg in October 2016.

BREAKING. The Shores returns for a 2nd season! Clifton Shores - retitled - is back with a new cast and this time you can watch it online from 16 September.

You're reading it here first.

I can exclusively reveal that The Shores, now retitled from Clifton Shores, is back, with a second season of the Quinton van der Burgh reality show set in sun-drenched Cape Town, set to start on 16 September - but now rolling out online with an episode per week.

Viewers can get ready for more bikini babes, mansions, bling and fights as the reality cameras follow the socialites, models, friends and business people converging around mining magnate and billionaire Quinton van der Burgh.

The second season follows three years the debut of Clifton Shores which was picked up by M-Net's VUZU in the latter part of 2012 and following the cat fights, conflict and love lives of a gaggle of American girls working in Cape Town and across South Africa for the mogul's Quintessential events company.

The Shores will start on 16 September with 13 episodes which will be released online on the reality show's website at theshores.tv and although it won't be initially, might even make it to local video-on-demand (VOD) services like the Times Media Group's VIDI and Naspers' new ShowMax.

One episode of The Shores per week will become available on the site as well as on The Shores' website channel at TheShoresTV, I'm told.

The second season of The Shores is flush with expensive champagne, glamorous parties and sun-soaked yachts as the well-heeled shows that they are, after all, human too.

A constant stream of drama follows Quinton van der Burgh and the collection of characters around him in the fast-paced, success-driven environment as the A-list parties at swanky events and top clubs while having to complete work events and assignments riddled with unexpected challenges and drama.

According to insiders, this time around there's more South African personalities featuring in The Shores, with just one American.

"Also this time around Quinton and his guy friends become more of the focus of the new season, compared to the American girls of the first season," says a source.

"This show was shot with the intention of reaching a global audience and we're planning to air the show online to expand it's presence internationally, rather than only airing it in South Africa," says Quinton.

"We promise to deliver more drama, entertainment and gripping reality TV than ever before."

The new cast of characters include the opinionated full-time model and blogger, Jade; the Capetonian surfer, and male model Jamie; Courtney Cousins who is a Cape Town based fashion designer; Ryan, the "sexy bad boy" and Muay Thai fighter who usually gets what he wants; and Michaela, a business woman from Las Vegas who works as Quinton's personal assistant but has her fair share of relationship drama.

The blonde Kerry from Cape Town is also a model; Justin is Quinton's trainer and best friend; and Christina is a part-time model and socialite (and registered private pilot) in for a lot of heartbreak during this season.

BREAKING. South Africa's Clifton Shores goes international as the local reality show gets picked up by America's TV Guide Network.

The sundrenched South African reality television melodrama Clifton Shores has gone international, with the Quinton van der Burgh produced reality show set in Cape Town's play place of the rich, getting international distribution on America's TV Guide Network TV channel where the show has been renamed The Shores.

It's been the dream of Quinton van der Burgh, the billionaire boss and the executive producer of the show, to find an international - preferably American - broadcaster to pick up the show. The Los Angeles-based producer and distributor MarVista Entertainment has licensed the first season of Clifton Shores to the TV Guide Network, which can currently be seen on Vuzu on MultiChoice's Vuzu channel on DStv. The 13 episode reality show follows the American women working for  Quinton van der Burgh's marketing company, Quintessential.

Quinton van der Burgh has just returned to South Africa after attending an American launch party for the show in Los Angeles where two episodes per week will be shown on the TV Guide Network, bringing the US finale very close to the South African one.

"Licensing a finished show to a US network is a massive coup for a man who only got involved in the entertainment industry a few short years ago with a dream to show off South Africa as a world-class tourist destination," says publicist Melinda Shaw.

"The Shores complements our existing line-up of reality programming ... the look, the glamorous lifestyles of the rich and beautiful in other parts of the world which will surely entice our viewers," says Allen Shapiro, chairperson of TGVN.

"Confirming the US deal was our first goal, and we are very proud to have achieved that," says Quinton van der Burgh. "We had a fantastic start in South Africa ... and this new partnership with TV Guide Network is set to be a great springboard to the rest of the world. A lot was dependent on us getting US distribution, so now that this has happened, we expect faster movement in licensing the show elsewhere."

"It is almost impossible to break into the US TV market with a finished show," says Quinton van der Burgh. "The major networks prefer to be involved in the production process from the start to finish so that it can be an original production - a finished show like Clifton Shores has a very hard time even when the network heads are as impressed with the concept and the production values as they've been."

Last week MarVista showcased the series at the international entertainment content market Mipcom in Cannes, France.

Quinton van der Burgh would like to do a second season of Clifton Shores. "It is likely to include a broader international footprint, with additional filming possibilities in Europe and Dubai."