e.tv Winter Upfront 2013: Reality Check for Khanyi Mbau and a tearful reality TV breakdown with Nonhle Thema and Babalwa Mneno.

A Reality Check in capital letters is on its way for on its way for socialite Khanyi Mbau and reality TV queens Nonhle Thema and Babalwa Mneno - and it won't be without tears.

As TV with Thinus reported laste week, Reality Check produced by Endemol South Africa and Rainbow Pepper for e.tv is coming to the free-to-air broadcaster from Saturday 6 July at 18:05 for 13 episodes in which cameras are trailing the twitter celebutant threesome for trauma inducing situations.

All  three already suffered emotional breakdowns - all caught on camera (of course) for Reality Check which  is taking the reality TV queens out of the comfort zone of their glamarama lives.

In the show the three usually sharp tongued celebutants - known for constantly causing social media buzz and living the blingey high life of South Africa's emergent glitter class, wept when they visited a charity feeding programme for hungry South Africans.

"All we did was just cry," Khanyi Mbau told me at e.tv's Winter Upfront 2013 when I sat down with the star who graciously talked about her new TV show. "We couldn't even talk. We spoke in tears."

"I consider myself a very strong person. I think I'm not emotional. I'm not run by emotions. But Tuesday last week we were sent to a health house where they feed the needy.And we all got emotional."

"It made me see the seriousness of how people suffer in this country, still. Some of us are fortunate. We call ourselves free but we're not free yet in this country," says Khanyi Mbau. "We haven't covered all ground yet when it comes to helping South Africans. People are suffering. It is terrible."

Khanyi Mbau says "it's an honour" to appear with Nonhle Thema and Babalwa Mneno in Reality Check. "They are two women who I respect. They've had enough bad and good publicity - unlike these new girls in the industry now who want to have a certain 'image' - a facade - to sell their business."

"Nonhle and Babalwa are about real life. They've been through all the badness and good," says Khanyi Mbau. "That's why I can work with them anytime because they know the game and they respect it."

Khanyi Mbau also has advice for fame seekers and wannabe reality TV stars. "If you really want to be a public interest property, you need to be passionate. You need to know the reasons you want to do this. You need to understand this business," she says.

"You need to love every aspect of it. And for every good there's bad and for every bad there's good. And it's 99 percent bad that you'll experience because the world is judgmental and unforgiving."

"If you've got passion it will drive you and you will be able to carry on forever and during difficult times. And you will love what you do and you won't do drugs and commit suicide - but if you're not it can kill you and you will die."

Khanyi Mbau says Reality Check will show "a side to me you've never seen. It gives a human aspect. People always ask, 'Why are you famous?' Well, you'll be able to answer for yourself once you've seen Reality Check in July."

Khanyi Mbau says "it took me four months to decide if I want to do this show because I was against the element of reality. I think as South Africans we haven't cracked the formula of shooting a proper reality show. We call it reality and then it looks like a documentary."

"And I still think South African society is conservative still, so if you have to party up a storm and pay a million rand for your bar bill you get in trouble. Someone will call you from 3rd Degree or Carte Blanche and they want to know why."

"When the producers and e.tv brought about the twist of why Reality Check will be different, it got me excited and it looked attractive. They said to me, 'We will give you a side which will humanise you.We're going to make you do stuff which you're not comfortable with. We're going to show you're soft side," says Khanyi Mbau.

e.tv Winter Upfront 2013: Khanyi! Derek! Only one Twala! No Nicky! e.tv's Winter programming upfront lures some e.tv stars.

e.tv's Winter Upfront 2013 in Cape Town where the free-to-air commercial TV channel unveiled its upcoming shows and programming plans to South Africa's TV critics, editors and writers covering television, and spoke to the press about it lured some of the channel's TV talent as well.

Khanyi Mbau who will soon be seen on the new e.tv reality show Reality Check dazzled and delighted. Khanyi Mbau remains extremely open and forthcoming and wonderful and remains a darling of the press behind-the-scenes for always being willing to talk and pose for a photo, and answer questions.

Derek van Dam, e.tv and the eNCA's main weather man also pitched. Just like Khanyi Mbau, he also knows and has a fundamentally solid understanding of the media - specifically the press - and is always willing to talk, willing to mingle and socialize and answer questions and be what a media and television personality should be: accessible and "present" at events.

Also spotted: the hilarious Shado Twala, judge of SA's Got Talent, the next new season which will get underway on e.tv soon as well.

Notably absent was Nicky Greenwall although a new season of her profile interview show The Close Up is starting on e.tv.

Also absent was Monde Twala, e.tv's head of channels who really should have been at the channel's Winter Upfront, although he did appear and spoke in e.tv's video sizzle reel showcasing upcoming programming slate, scheduling changes and talking about e.tv's local programming expansion.

e.tv's publicity division did apologise for Monde Twala's absence saying he's busy and can't make it but will try again next time.

Nonhle! Khanyi! Babalwa! South Africa's reality TV queens unite for Reality Check on e.tv - filled with tears, tantrums ... and twitter.

The reality TV queens with sharp tongues, Nonhle Thema, Babalwa Mneno and Khanyi Mbau are uniting for a new reality shown entitled Reality Check currently in production by Endemol South Africa and Rainbow Pepper and which will be starting on e.tv on Saturday 6 July at 18:05 for 13 episodes.

All three - known for their high lives and the decadence that came with it, as well as controversial social media catfights and pulling power which is an anxilliary buzz-making aspect e.tv hopes to cash in on - will appear in Reality Check to go out and do good deeds in society in circumstances the reality high-society ladies are not accustomed to. 

The result? Tears, fights lots of drama and aspects to all three's personalities the producers say has not before been seen on television, promising "an emotional roller-coaster journey" as the women embark on a quet to accomplish various life changing missions.

Viewers will set to see "that behind the image of glamour, fame and tantrums lies real ladies who are affected by South Africa's social issues. They are dedicated to making a difference and committed to doing their bit to contribute towards building a better South Africa," says e.tv about Reality Check.

"Reality Check has the intention to exemplify that there is more to life than lavish lifestyles," says Monde Twala, e.tv's head of channels. "Reality Check will showcase a different side of these ladies, a side that is devoid of the frivolity of usual reality shows which depict celebrities doing nothing but going about their day to day lives," says Monde Twala.

In each episode of Reality Check, each of the women will get an SMS outlining their "goodwill mission". They then meet at the scene and start the task.

"Endemol South Africa is proud to have partnered with Rainbow Pepper to produce Reality Check for e.tv," says Sivan Pillay, Endemol South Africa's managing director.

"This has been in development for a long time as we focused this entire series on ensuring that all three women, Khanyi Mbau, Babalwa Mneno and Nonhle Thema, were available for filming. We are delighted to have these three strong social media brands as the talent on Reality Check."