Homeless The Bachelor SA star Lee Thompson is now in rehab - again - as more people come forward claiming he owes them money: 'I hope this lasts and that this is now his rock bottom'.

Photo: Huisgenoot/YOU

by Thinus Ferreira

The homeless Bachelor South Africa reality star Lee Thompson (34) who has been wandering the streets of Cape Town is back in rehab - again - while more people have come forward with very unsavoury stories making him look like South Africa's version of "The Tinder Swindler" and claiming that he owes money he never repaid.

South Africans were shocked when Huisgenoot and YOU magazines for their latest editions on sale, on Friday showed photos and reported that the troubled former Sharks player and fitness model has been living on the streets of Cape Town.

It comes after he had been evicted from the Airbnb guest house he stayed at in Buitenkantstreet which he trashed and which he tried to break into afterwards earlier in August. 

The guest house he rented for R300 a day since March was filled with filth ranging from condoms and liquor bottles, things were broken and even a fire was made in a room, which the owner described as "a nest" and a "pigsty".

Lee Thompson couldn't be reached for comment.

The magazine tracked down the homeless Lee Thompson - who rose to fame as the first heartthrob of the South African version of the reality dating show The Bachelor SA on M-Net (DStv 101) in 2019 - and found him at the Culemborg Safe Space 2 night shelter.

Following Friday's revelations, Huisgenoot now reports that Lee Thompson has been taken to a rehabilitation centre in Gauteng by family and friends - his second stint in rehab at the same centre. 

A friend said the fear is that Lee might not stay long enough: "His mom wasn't aware that things got so bad again. Lee is good with hiding and pretending that everything's okay. I hope this lasts and that this is now his rock bottom".

Lee Thompson's glamorous and fitness social media on Instagram is far removed from how he was found as a homeless man on Cape Town's streets with people noting how the content he had been posting doesn't square with his real-life behaviour and some dubbing him in responses to his Instagram postings as South Africa's version of "The Tinder Swindler" in reference to the Netflix documentary.

Many people have come forward to say they've paid for his non-existent tell-all memoir, The Truth Behind the Rose, about the way he was allegedly manipulated by M-Net and Rapid Blue producers during the production of The Bachelor SA, with the book's publication which constantly got postponed although Lee Thompson took money as part of pre-orders from people who said they want to read it.

Lee Thompson even made the bold claim that Oprah Winfrey allegedly had written him a direct message asking him for a copy of his book because she wanted to read it.

The alleged charity that Lee Thompson claimed he had started - the Live Hope Love South Africa Children's Fund - and which he claimed he would donate 10% of the sales of his The Truth Behind the Rose book to, can't be found and doesn't appear to exist.

A business person who had worked with Lee in the past on social media influencer campaigns told TVwithThinus "I knew Lee was on a downward spiral - just didn't know how bad he would hit rock bottom. He did not even own a phone a few months ago - that's how bad things got".

According to the person, Lee Thompson "took advantage of people with good natures. He used his Bachelor SA badge to stay at many hotels and trashed them too. Word got about and he was banned before he even got to ask anyone - very bad reputation".

"There are a lot of people who are going to come out of the woodwork who he owes money to - some may be too embarrassed to say."

ALSO READ: Tell-all book of The Bachelor SA star Lee Thompson delayed again, cites legal issues over shocking revelations, claims he was offered over R1 million not to publish it.

ALSO READ: M-Net on the 'sad reality' of homeless Bachelor SA star Lee Thompson: Some reality stars fall into unfavourable circumstances.

M-Net on the 'sad reality' of homeless Bachelor SA star Lee Thompson: Some reality stars fall into unfavourable circumstances.

Photo: YOU/Huisgenoot

by Thinus Ferreira

M-Net has responded to the "sad reality" of the homeless The Bachelor South Africa star Lee Thompson found living on the streets of Cape Town, noting that some of its reality TV stars unfortunately do fall "into unfavourable circumstances years after the end of their association with our shows".

Meanwhile people are furious and calling Lee Thompson South Africa's "The Tinder Swindler" - a reference to the Netflix documentary - for his long-promised tell-all book The Truth Behind the Rose for which they have paid but not received anything or a refund.

On Friday Huisgenoot and YOU magazines in a jaw-dropping story with shocking photos, reported that South Africa's once desirable The Bachelor SA star Lee Thompson is now apparently homeless in Cape Town.

It comes after he was evicted from a guest house in Buitenkantstreet that he rented at R300 a night since March this year, where he had allegedly caused damage and chaos, leaving filth in his wake from condoms and liquor bottles to a fire that was made in one of the rooms and which the owner described as "a nest" and a "pigsty".

Lee Thompson couldn't be reached for comment.

Lee Thompson was the first star of The Bachelor SA on M-Net (DStv 101) in 2019 but his image on social media on Instagram is far removed from how Huisgenoot and YOU magazine found him at the Safe Space shelter in Cape Town where he didn't want to talk to the magazine.

Since 2020 the former Sharks rugby player has promised to write a revealing tell-all memoir about he was allegedly manipulated by M-Net and Rapid Blue producers during the production of The Bachelor SA, with the book's publication which constantly got postponed although Lee Thompson took money as part of pre-orders from people interested to read it.

On Lee Thompson's Instagram account people are asking many questions, some related to the book. "What happened to your book that we all pre-ordered?" they want to know, with one saying "I paid for it ages ago, never came out. Such a scam."

"He has already scammed so many fans of money for his 'book'. Netflix should do a documentary on him," someone else noted.

M-Net told TVwithThinus on Saturday in a statement that "Our performers are at the heart of who we are as storytellers. We are aware that the entertainment industry can be overwhelming for some."

"The readjustment back to everyday life once a show is wrapped is taken very seriously. As such, working with our producers, we ensure that we give our stars robust support and tools to help them reintegrate back into society and this has helped many to resume their lives successfully."

"The sad reality is that not all manage to do so sustainably, with some subsequently falling into unfavourable circumstances years after the end of their association with our shows."  

ALSO READ: Tell-all book of The Bachelor SA star Lee Thompson delayed again, cites legal issues over shocking revelations, claims he was offered over R1 million not to publish it.

ALSO READ: Lee Thompson's The Bachelor SA tell-all book set to go on sale in April: 'It will be everything that happened that nobody knows but everyone wants to hear'. 

ALSO READ: Homeless The Bachelor SA star Lee Thompson is now in rehab again as more people come forward claiming he owes them money: 'I hope this lasts and that this is now his rock bottom'.

Tell-all book of The Bachelor SA star Lee Thompson delayed again, cites legal issues over shocking revelations, claims he was offered over R1 million not to publish it.

by Thinus Ferreira

The former star of the first season of The Bachelor South Africa, Lee Thompson, says his tell-all book, The Truth Behind the Rose has yet again not been published as promised after a second delay, this time due to legal issues over some of the revelations in the book, and he claims that he has been offered over R1 million not to publish it.

Lee Thompson originally said that The Truth Behind the Rose would be published in April 2021. 

This didn't happen and in a new announcement Lee Thompson said his tell-all book would be published in October 2021.

In his book Lee Thompson details his harrowing experiences and alleged manipulation by producers behind-the-scenes of the reality series, and what happened to him following the conclusion of the show.

The Bachelor SA was produced by Rapid Blue for MultiChoice's M-Net (DStv 101) channel, as a localised version of the dating show format of Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP).

Lee Thompson says that in The Truth Behind the Rose he will reveal the unvarnished harsh reality of the "deception, manipulation and lies" of The Bachelor SA and the destructive emotional and psychological impact it has had on his life.

M-Net and the Rapid Blue chose Lee Thompson as South Africa's first bachelor in 2018 for the first season of The Bachelor SA in 2019 that didn't end in a successful relationship.

Earlier this year, Lee Thompson told TVwithThinus that his tell-all book "'It will be everything that happened that nobody knows but everyone wants to hear".

He said that his book will contain "stuff that's going to be calling out a lot of people and sharing the truth and showing what they can do and what's wrong and I want people to know the truth."

In a new Instagram posting, Lee Thompson now shares that "I've had a few legal matters to deal with regarding some information I've shared in the book which is the reason for the delay. The new launch date will be this November,".

He also claims that he had been offered over R1 million - a "7-figure" amount not to release The Truth Behind the Rose.

"Turning down a 7-figure offer from the guys at the top to have me not release my book to the public wasn't easy but it will be worth it."

ALSO READ: Lee Thompson's The Bachelor SA tell-all book set to go on sale in April: 'It will be everything that happened that nobody knows but everyone wants to hear'.

MultiChoice marks another big South African television first as M-Net becomes the country's first TV channel to do an entirely online media screening and press conference for a local show as the second season of The Bachelor SA ends.

by Thinus Ferreira

MultiChoice and M-Net made more South African television history on Thursday night, 28 May 2020, when the M-Net channel on DStv became the first-ever South African TV channel to do a fully virtual media event and press conference for a local TV production as the premium-positioned pay-TV channel brought the second season of The Bachelor South Africa to a close.

Thursday night's truly massive online media gathering - held on Zoom and organised by M-Net's veteran head of publicity, Lani Lombard - successfully brought together dozens of journalists representing South Africa's national entertainment media spanning newspapers, magazines, radio and online (including a journalist currently residing in Thailand).

It also included high-ranking M-Net executives, Rapid Blue producers, sponsors, and several MultiChoice and M-Net staffers.

M-Net's comprehensive webinar-styled press event for The Bachelor South Africa included all the top M-Net programming, scheduling and content executives including Jan du Plessis (M-Net channels director), Kaye Ann Williams (M-Net senior manager for commissioned content), Terja Beney (commissioning editor) and Tracy-Ann Van Rooyen (M-Net senior manager for content acquisition and scheduling).

Also included in the Zoom media get-together were The Bachelor SA's Rapid Blue executive producers Kee-Leen Irvine and Donald Clarke, as well as The Bachelor SA series director Nick Archer.

Some global TV channels and international streaming services have been doing a few carousel-interviews with selected on-screen talent as part of online-shifted press junkets for some foreign series, films and TV specials the past two months using Zoom and Google Meet after their publicity plans had to be retooled because of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

None of these have however gone as far as M-Net (DStv 101) that on Thursday night broke new ground into a brave new online world and earned another footnote in South African television history.

M-Net became the first-ever South African TV channel to do a pre-event online party (complete with DJ Louis playing music), an in-app content screening of an entire hourlong episode and viewing party, followed by an entirely virtually held post-show press conference with the media for a locally-produced South African series.

It's an achievement and big-idea publicity initiative that not even a video streamer like Netflix South Africa was able to pull off or apparently even wanted to try and muster for some of its recently released new local South African fare.

Before Thursday night's web engagement M-Net earlier this week couriered an M-Net embroidered fleece gown, socks, hot chocolate and a box of chocolate nougat biscuits as part of a press drop to the media spread out across South Africa including Durban, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg.

This happened as journalists and editors received a successive series of recorded, instructional and entertaining video messages on their cellphones over days from The Bachelor SA host Jason Greer with step-by-step instructions on what to do next and how to prepare for the Zoom media event.

Multiple media members on Thursday night appeared in their blocks on the Zoom meeting video grid wearing their M-Net gowns.

They first mingled and chatted online, and then watched the second season finale of The Bachelor SA that was shown on one of the feeds inside the Zoom meeting at the same time as the linear broadcast of the show's final episode went out on the M-Net (DStv 101) channel.

That was followed with a post-show, in-Zoom press briefing where M-Net executives, The Bachelor SA director and producers, and Marc Buckner and Marisia van Wyk, took various questions from the media.

As if the M-Net online media event exercise wasn't already impressive enough, M-Net further stacked the press engagement with a highly-valuable and informative content presentation done by Tracy-Ann Van Rooyen highlighting the new upcoming international content coming to the M-Net channel.

More impressive than the well-executed and engaging pre-event online Q&A between Jason Greer and Lani Lombard done from a special Linden studio, and more impressive than the real-world and virtual world logistics and organising that went into the media meeting was that it lasted for 3 and a half hours.

It's extremely impressive when taking into account that the bulk of the signed-up South African media not only chose to stay online, but also remained interested in M-Net and the channel's content and its presentation, and were highly engaged for all of it for the entire multi-hour time.


ALO READ: Marc Buckner chooses shy Marisia, slips a 'forever baby girl'-engraved ring on her finger in the second season finale of The Bachelor SA as M-Net makes South African television history with a virtual video post-show press briefing.
ALSO READ: From ladies living in lockdown to Zoom etiquette tutorials: The behind-the-scenes secrets of putting this week's second season finale of The Bachelor SA on M-Net together.
ALSO READ: Season 2 of The Bachelor SA on M-Net to end with unique remote video conclusion followed by a special M-Net online pyjama reunion episode. 

Marc Buckner chooses shy Marisia, slips a 'forever baby girl'-engraved ring on her finger in the second season finale of The Bachelor SA as M-Net makes South African television history with a virtual video post-show press briefing.

by Thinus Ferreira

In a fairytale ending perfect for television, Marc Buckner (36) said no to Bridget Marshall and yes to the 24-year old shy speech therapist Marisia van Wyk as the Cape Town-based bachelor took out a beautiful Jack Friedman ring, slipped it on her finger and told her that "I don't want this journey to end with you" in the highly-anticipated second season finale of The Bachelor South Africa that was broadcast Thursday evening on M-Net (DStv 101).

"I think we make a great couple. And I don't want this journey to end with you," said Marc Buckner as a more whimsical version of the show's theme song "Different Feeling" by Daniel Baron swelled and he took out a ring that that on the inside has the inscription "Stronger together, forever, baby girl".

"I really am falling for you," said Marc Buckner, "and, uhm, I want to ask if you will accept this as a symbol of a relationship that I think is so amazing, and I would like it to keep going forward."

Marisia van Wyk said "Wow, I don't have words. I think I came onto this journey and, uhm, it's been tough. It's been tough. I've really fallen for you. And I don't know. There's just something with you that I've never felt with anyone before, which is good for me".

"I know there's this age gap but it doesn't really mean anything to me because I think my feelings for you mean so much more. So I just want to focus on that and focus on us, and then hopefully grow together."

Marc said "That's exactly how I feel. None of that stuff bothers me because I know you are so mature" and "I can't believe all of this has led to us. And it's ..."

The Bachelor SA second season finale on M-Net, produced by Rapid Blue as a local adaptation of the Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) format, stood in contrast to the first season that ended in romantic failure.

This time The Bachelor South Africa gave DStv subscribers exactly what they wanted: A beautifully-filmed and happily-in-love ever-after conclusion at the magical Kapama Game Resort for viewers who kept tuning in week after week to the buzz-making show that besides linear viewing has a big audience on MultiChoice's DStv Now Catch Up streaming service and punched far above its weight in weekly social media buzz.

With the content and structure of the broadcast of the second season finale which had to be adjusted because of the global Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic - and the resulting lockdown also affecting South Africa and the country's entire TV and film industry - M-Net forged ahead and marked another South African television milestone.

With The Bachelor SA M-Net became the first South African TV channel in the country's television history to hold a virtual viewing party for the country's national media, followed by the first and completely online and interactive, post-show press conference ever done for a local South African TV production.

Besides media, M-Net's large Thursday night video press conference for The Bachelor South Africa included all the top M-Net programming, scheduling and content executives including Jan du Plessis (M-Net channels director), Kaye Ann Williams (M-Net senior manager for commissioned content), Terja Beney (commissioning editor) and Tracy-Ann Van Rooyen (M-Net senior manager for content acquisition and scheduling).

Also included in the Zoom media get-together were The Bachelor SA's Rapid Blue executive producers Kee-Leen Irvine and Donald Clarke, as well as The Bachelor SA series director Nick Archer.

In The Bachelor SA finale Marc Buckner and Marisia van Wyk revealed that they've been living together during lockdown in South Africa - a secret they've been successfully keeping for a while, and that they've also taken a "secret" trip to Thailand.

Bridget: "I wanted to run away and go cry'
Later in the episode, M-Net broadcast The Bachelor South Africa host Jason Greer's pre-recorded video calls with some of the women.

After this M-Net also placed a The Bachelor SA Pyjama Afterparty reunion show on the M-Net website where it can be viewed indefinitely, and that replaced the Women Tell All broadcast hour that usually precedes the finale.

After Marc told Bridget Marshall that "our journey must end here" - the segment of the final two women that was filmed first - Bridget said during the finale broadcast that "I think I just went into shock. All I wanted to do was turn around and run away and go cry".

"You go along this journey in front of mostly the whole of South Africa and then you get to that point and you get your heart broken in front of thousands of people watching you. It's just - you freeze."

"Being the girl who didn't walk away with Marc, it's upsetting. You want that closure," said Bridget Marshall later in the episode when she and Marc appeared in a video-call in a segment together with Jason Greer asking the questions.

Marc said that "I'm exceptionally happy with choosing Marisia. I don't know how it would have been choosing you, Bridget because I think that you are also an amazing person."

"At the end of the day I need to make a decision and I have to go with - even though we've done so much together and we've spent a fair bit of time together, I only have that to go with. I just thought that maybe Marisia and I are more compatible."

"I did cry a lot," said Bridget. "It's only natural and normal for me to be upset about the situation."

"I've had the time to kind of heal and move on and I'm in a good place and I'm happy and I'm happy for them. I love both of them and I'm not angry. I don't want to fight with him because  - I don't hate you Marc."

Marc said that "this whole thing is much more difficult than anyone realises and it's more difficult than any of us knew going into it. And the further into it you get - like Bridget and I, Marisia and I - we were there until the end."

"It's stressful because one, you don't want to make the wrong choice; no-one ever knows what the right choice is - it's just a different outcome. And I don't want to hurt Marisia and I don't want to hurt Bridget."

Bridget said that she was still single - "it's lockdown Jason".

Marc and Marisia living together after Thailand tour
"We have kind of fast-tracked a few things now that we're living together, due to lockdown," said Marc later in another segment done from his Cape Town home with Marisia.

When Jason Greer asked about the ring, Marc said "just seeing her with it and the way that she lit up with it, and then there's a little inscription inside by the way - it says stronger together, forever, baby girl".

"We both thought it would be a great idea to move in together during lockdown because when you're not seeing each other  - it's the beginning of a relationship, it's hard to build that trust, and to have that trust going without knowing that that person's there."

"With any relationship at the beginning, you spend as much time as possible together."

About their secret Thailand trip Marc said that he and Marisia are "good travel buddies. We like similar things. It's more about the experience than fancy things - just exploring as much as possible. We never really sat at the hotel and did nothing."

Marisia said "We've grown as individuals, but also together and for me that's such an important thing - not only growing together but also encouraging each other to grow as individuals".

"That's why I hold onto this relationship. I really want this and I want to fight for this and I would go to the end of the world for this to work out because I do feel like my heart is really here and I do not want to be anywhere else."


ALSO READ: MultiChoice marks another big South African television first as M-Net becomes the country's first TV channel to do an entirely online media screening and press conference for a local show as the second season of The Bachelor SA ends.
ALSO READ: From ladies living in lockdown to Zoom etiquette tutorials: The behind-the-scenes secrets of putting this week's second season finale of The Bachelor SA on M-Net together.
ALSO READ: Season 2 of The Bachelor SA on M-Net to end with unique remote video conclusion followed by a special M-Net online pyjama reunion episode.

From ladies living in lockdown to Zoom etiquette tutorials: The behind-the-scenes secrets of putting this week's second season finale of The Bachelor SA on M-Net together.

by Thinus Ferreira

The arrival of lockdown because of Covid-19 abruptly altered the originally planned, key light bright second season finale of The Bachelor South Africa that had been slotted into the M-Net (DStv 101) schedule months ago already and that will now be broadcast this coming Thursday evening at 19:00.

The Rapid Blue production team - working on a hopefully happy ending for the second season of the local adaptation of the Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) format - had to adapt and change the gameplan in putting Thursday's upcoming finale on M-Net together.

Some of the challenges ranged from having to deal with the ladies stuck in place because of lockdown across South Africa and Namibia, making it impossible to get them all back for a "Women Tell All" studio-seated reunion.

The show also had to help them to suddenly find their way through do-it-yourself video set-ups, providing them with Zoom "finishing school" masterclasses.

Then there was also the race against time to get equipment to locations, while trying to direct and edit a fitting finale without making it come across as a low-resolution clip show filled with webcam content.

On Thursday evening viewers will be able to tune in for the second season finale of The Bachelor SA as an hourlong "lockdown episode" on M-Net.

The usual preceding "Women Tell All" hourlong episode that was originally planned has been removed from the M-Net broadcast schedule by the pay-TV channel's execs - likely done to help lessen local production pressure on the show because of Covid-19 - and has been replaced with a The Bachelor SA Pyjama Afterparty reunion webisode.

This will roll out on the M-Net website on Thursday night right after the linear televised finale is broadcast on the M-Net channel on DStv.

The Bachelor SA Pyjama Afterparty online webcast will feature short clips that viewers can tune in to at their leisure. It will be embedded on the M-Net website as a special event to view indefinitely.

Meanwhile, the televised The Bachelor SA finale will combine the last of the footage that the love finding show filmed pre-corona in late-2019 including bachelor Marc Bucker's choice (if he makes one), new Zoom call footage with some of the women, and a look at what happened "after the final rose".

With a limitation on travel in cities, no domestic flights, and an ongoing ban regarding travel across provinces still in effect in South Africa - combined with strict social distancing rules - it is impossible to reveal, even if it was known, whether Marc will appear in-person in any post-Covid-19 scenes with either or both the speech therapist Marisia, or the extrovert Bridget who have been the last two women left.

M-Net is only willing to confirm that "Marc will be speaking to the final two ladies in some way or another while being in lockdown at his home".

Zhooshing up for Zoom
In terms of the production challenges around prepping and recording Thursday's finale, M-Net tells TVwithThinus that "Marc and all the various ladies have remained in lockdown at home or with loved ones".

"Andeline, for example, went to her family in Namibia just before lockdown had started and some of the ladies, who found love after not receiving a rose on the show, found new love and are spending lockdown with their new beaus," says M-Net.

 "A special shout out as well to soldier Tamryn from Pretoria who has been working keeping South Africans safe."

Asked about challenges the production says that doing The Bachelor SA finale in the time of Covid-19 presented a couple of challenges since it was completely new territory.

"Some of the challenges included communicating with the various ladies and obtaining various responses timeously, establishing their data connection speeds and access to technological equipment, and delivering relevant equipment within lockdown protocol where necessary."

Then, the women who are video-calling in, now have to do their own hair and make-up, and styling.

Of course video conference call etiquette classes is something that has suddenly become a much-needed requirement for reality TV stars when they are filmed remotely from their homes.

There are no floor managers and production assistants who can rush in from the off-camera side-closet or who can peek out from behind the bookshelf to make adjustments to webcam heights or to try and improve audio feeds.

Neither are there make-up artists who can quickly rush on-set to do powder touch-ups during ad breaks.

It was necessary to do some training for the women "on how best to present themselves during a Zoom interview and being cognisant of backgrounds, camera positions and posture," says the show.

"The most difficult part was putting together a high-quality production that allowed the ladies to be part of the show given the challenges of lockdown," says M-Net.

Host Jason Greer filmed the final interviews in-studio with the correct Covid-19 health and safety protocols that were followed and permits in place, with M-Net that says that the look and feel of the studio for the second season finale is on par with The Bachelor SA brand identity. "We believe that viewers will really enjoy this unique finale".


ALSO READ: Season 2 of The Bachelor SA to end with unique remote video conclusion followed by a special M-Net online pyjama reunion episode.

Season 2 of The Bachelor SA to end with unique remote video conclusion followed by a special M-Net online pyjama reunion episode.

by Thinus Ferreira

The second season "Women Tell All" episode and finale of The Bachelor South Africa on M-Net (DStv 101) will take the form of a world-first, uniquely done remote video ending, followed by a "Pyjama Afterparty" online streaming webisode but won't include all of the women.

On Thursday evening the second season finale of The Bachelor SA - where Marc Buckner may or may not choose a woman to get engaged to and produced by Rapid Blue - will come to an end but due to the Covid-19 national lockdown period the in-studio done "tell-all" episode as a reunion with all of the women, and the live-to-tape studio recording of the finale had to be reconceived.

It will now play out as a remote-filmed ending, followed by an online reunion episode that will be shown on M-Net's website.

On Thursday evening viewers will find out whether Marc Buckner has chosen the shy speech therapist Marisia, or the extrovert Bridget in the second South African end of the popular local adaptation of the Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) format.

Will Marc go down on a bended knee to propose after the first season of The Bachelor SA ended with all love lost?

"To keep our cast and crew safe and adhere to lockdown restrictions around travel and social gatherings, we had to turn to technology to bring back the ladies and ensure a fitting finale to a riveting season," says Lani Lombard, M-Net's head of publicity.

This will result in a 60-minute lockdown episode on Thursday that will integrate - as a world-first for the format - the last day at Kapama with Zoom calls during which some of the ladies share their thoughts about life in the mansion, Marc, and the love journeys of Bridget and Marisia.

At the end of the episode, The Bachelor SA viewers will also see what happened "after the final rose".

After the end credits roll on Thursday, viewers will be invited to the a unique and quirky The Bachelor SA Pyjama Afterparty on the M-Net website.

This is where the ladies will get the opportunity to grill Marc about his decisions and their departures, and clear the air around some of the drama in the mansion.

This online webisode will include Zoom group calls, as well as individual video sessions from the women's homes. Viewers will get to see how lockdown has been treating them and if they have perhaps found another love interest after leaving the show.

Some of the clips that will feature during The Bachelor SA Pyjama Afterparty on Thursday 28 May will include Bridget, Nolo, Pasha and Andeline (talking about their relationships in the mansion), Qiniso, Daniella, Silke, and Stefanie (sharing some behind-the-scenes moments not seen on screen), and Marc (answers questions from Gillian, Rikki, Pasha, Jess C, Andeline, and Silke).

Also included are host Jason Greer and Marc getting real as they reflect on the season and find out whether Marc would change anything. Xia, Greta, Pi, Tamryn, Michaela, Mulesa and Parushka will share where they are now and reflect on their experiences from this season.

Then some of the women and Marc will respond to some spicy social media commentary they've received from viewers.

ALSO READ: From ladies living in lockdown to Zoom etiquette tutorials: The behind-the-scenes secrets of putting this week's second season finale of The Bachelor SA on M-Net together.

INTERVIEW. The most important woman of The Bachelor SA on M-Net speaks: Marc Buckner’s mom Jenny on her son, his passions and trekking with him through the jungles of Thailand.

by Thinus Ferreira

Besides the beautiful women in the show, there’s another extremely important woman in the life of Marc Buckner, the hunky bachelor of the second season of The Bachelor South Africa on M-Net: His mom, Jenny.

With the remaining two women who will now get the opportunity to meet Marc’s parents in the penultimate episode, we asked Jenny about her well-travelled son – someone she probably knows better than anyone else – about what Marc’s looking for, how her son was growing up, and what she thought when he wanted to become The bachelor in the show.

What did you think of Marc's willingness to become the bachelor and try and find love in a TV show like The Bachelor SA?
Jenny: Initially I was very apprehensive.
One has to be extremely brave to put yourself out there and to put your life out there. But after giving it much thought, I thought, maybe, who knows?  Maybe this is Marc's opportunity to find the woman of his dreams.
So his dad and I both eventually sat down and said well, this is Marc's journey, this is Marc's decision and we will support him and whoever he chooses - if he chooses someone.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Marc Buckner (@marcbuckner) on May 14, 2020 at 10:44am PDT

What are the things that Marc is looking for in someone to love?
Jenny: Someone sharing the same interests.
He would like someone to travel with and also somebody who's true to themselves because Marc is very true to himself. And a happy, trusting person and mature.

What do you think helped with Marc's maturity - all the travelling or what did you instil in him as a parent?
Jenny: Marc has been mature for his age from a very young age.
He's spent so many years overseas but would be back for every family commitment because Marc's very family-orientated as well. But he has travelled the world extensively since he was very young and I think that contributes to that.
He's had a very good role model in his grandfather as well. He's very similar to his late grandfather as well, they both had a love and passion for property, for investing, for building. They used to sit for hours on the phone chatting about things and just in general about life.

He's your only child right. Can you talk a bit about how he was as a boy?
Jenny: Intelligent. Witty. He would spend most of his childhood years either in water or in the mountains - always with animals. He's a huge animal lover, the whole family is.
And growing up as a teenager I think he came more into himself, and in connection with dating [she laughs] I think he left that till quite late in life. He was too busy exploring and climbing mountains!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Marc Buckner (@marcbuckner) on Feb 19, 2020 at 9:07am PST

At what age did the male modelling work come about and how were you involved as a mother and guardian? How did it start and what advice did you give him and what did you think when he entered that industry?
Jenny: He started off with the modelling when he was very young - I think he was about 17 as he also did travelling. Then again, we gave him all the support that we could. It was a wonderful opportunity with all of the destinations that he was able to travel to. And of course anything Marc made financially, went straight into investing. Marc has been like that since he was about 12 years of age. We gave him all the support we could because he's an individual and if that's his choice we must support him.

What is Marc's best characteristic and what does Marc do that you don't like at all?
Jenny: His best I would say is that he is true to himself and he has been like that all his life.
 If there is something Marc does not agree on that goes against his grain he will stand his ground. That for me is the most fantastic quality that he has.
He will tell you himself that something that irritates me is that Marc is so spontaneous.
If he wants to do something - I think you know I've travelled with him - I've experienced travelling through the jungles of Thailand with Marc, and he will just say to me "okay, we're going to do this", "can't you do that?" and "don't worry, I'm there to support you I will never let anything happen to you" and he's just extremely spontaneous and sometimes that does scare me a little bit. [laughs]

Did you give him any advice before The Bachelor SA started about women and the process of dating on TV?
Jenny: No, never, never. I've never interfered in any of Marc's relationships. I believe Marc knows exactly where he's going, he's an adult.

With what has your son surprised you the most so far in his life?
Jenny: The way he has turned out the way he has. Such an awesome, wonderful human being who I am very, very proud of.

The Bachelor SA II is on Thursdays on M-Net (DStv 101) at 19:00

Coronavirus: M-Net local soaps The River, Gomora and Isibaya will roll out new episodes from Monday 25 May on 1Magic and Mzansi Magic as their stream-viewing numbers on DStv Catch Up and DStv Now surge during March and April.

by Thinus Ferreira

More local South African primetime soaps that ran out of available episodes are set to return with the pay-TV drama series The River, Gomora and Isibaya that will all show new episodes on MultiChoice's DStv from this coming Monday 25 May.

All three M-Net commissioned series went off the air two weeks ago due to the weeks-long production break that saw all South Africa's TV shows shutter and studios lock their gates because of the Covid-19 national lockdown period to try and curb the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

While broadcasters and pay-TV schedulers had some stocked episodes in the kitty it wasn't enough and eventually left DStv subscribers with hastily padded schedules on 1Magic (DStv 103) and Mzansi Magic (DStv 161), while on public television SABC1's Uzalo produced by Stained Glass TV also ran out of episodes.

All of these and the country's other locally-produced soaps on the SABC, e.tv and DStv have since returned to studio lots for filming but Uzalo done from Durban will only broadcast new episodes from 15 June on SABC1.

M-Net's general entertainment division told TVwithThinus on Tuesday that The River, produced by Tshedza Pictures will be back with new episodes from Monday 25 May on M-Net's 1Magic channel.

Isibaya, produced by The Bomb Shelter and Gomora, produced by Seriti Films, which are both shown on M-Net's Mzansi Magic channel, will also be back with new episodes from 25 May, said publicist Gaaratwe Mokhethi.


Stream-viewing surge on DStv Catch Up and DStv Now
All of the shows - Uzalo, Gomora, The River and Isibaya - along with multiple others have seen their TV ratings surge in March and April in record viewership increases across the board for the SABC, e.tv and DStv as viewers stuck at home and with an end to Eskom loadshedding have flocked to their screens.

Besides just linear TV ratings these series have also showed remarkable growth in delayed viewing done through DStv decoders and stream viewing through MultiChoice's DStv Now video-on-demand service.

In March the top 5 DStv Catch Up shows watched as delayed viewing through DStv decoders had Mzansi Magic taking the top 4 spots with local content with The Queen at number one with 512 000 average views, Isibaya with 458 000 average views, Mnakwethu with 448 000 average views, Kwa Mam'Mkhize with 415 000 average views and the American procedural drama series 9-1-1 on M-Net (DStv 101) in the 5th place with 340 000 average views.

In April this surged with The Queen climbing to 526 000 average views in delayed viewing on DStv Catch Up through DStv decoders, Gomora rushing to second place with 478 000 average views, Madam & Mercy jumping to the 3rd spot with  396 000 average views, Lockdown in 4th place with 370 000 average views, and Mnakwethu at 364 000 average views.

Meanwhile M-Net's second season of The Bachelor South Africa with Marc Buchner, produced by Rapid Blue has been punching far above its weight.

Although on the top bouquet tier of DStv Premium, limiting access to the majority of DStv subscribers, The Bachelor SA was the 4th most stream-watched show on DStv Now during March with 63 000 average viewers. The others were The Queen in top position (88 000 views), followed by Isibaya (83 000 views) and Mnakwethu (62 000) all on Mzansi Magic, and The River (60 000 views) on 1Magic.

In April DStv Now stream-viewing surged as Gomora (98 000 views) climbed to first place as the most-viewed show, followed by The River (92 000 views), The Queen (80 000 views), The Bachelor (77 000 views) and Isibaya (69 000 views).

BREAKING. The Bachelor SA's Marc Buckner arrested during South Africa's Covid-19 national lockdown period.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Bachelor South Africa's bachelor Marc Buckner (36) has been arrested for allegedly violating South Africa's regulations during the national lockdown period - something that he disputes and for which he was fined R1 500.

Marc Buckner, the bachelor of the second season of The Bachelor SA on M-Net (DStv 101), produced by Rapid Blue, was arrested and thrown in the back of a police van on Wednesday morning while he was walking on the sidewalk on his way back home in Cape Town after he went to a shop because he allegedly flouted the country's Covid-19 lockdown rules.

On his Instagram account on social media Marc Buckner revealed that he was arrested on his way back home with the South African police who then searched his backpack and accused him of allegedly having bought "non-essential" items.

He was loaded into the back of a police van with the police who allegedly drove around with him for an hour and eventually taken to a Cape Town police station where was given a fine of R1 500 and told "this is your lucky day".

Marc Buckner, dressed in a blue cap and a grey T-shirt, asked followers to comment on his situation and what he should do and suggested that he's hadn't done anything wrong and doesn't feel included to pay the R1 500.

Marc deleted the videos, likely ordered by M-Net.

M-Net, in response to a media enquiry seeking comment on Friday evening, told me that that "MultiChoice and M-Net are aware of an Instagram post in which Marc Buckner described an incident  that took place after he had left his home during lockdown on Wednesday. The post has since been removed".

"It is not MultiChoice's policy to reveal personal information about staff or talent. The safety of all South Africans is important to us during the lockdown period". 

 Police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo told me on Friday night that he can’t confirm whether Marc Bucker was arrested or not but said if a member of the public receives a lockdown period fine and want to challenge that they’re welcome to go to court. 

 "A written J534 fine you don’t have to pay it if you feel that you have been in any way prejudiced or you feel that you were not given the fine justifiably. Then you can go to court and challenge that."

The Bachelor SA continues uninterrupted with new episodes on Thursday nights on M-Net since the the bulk of the season completed filming before the national lockdown period began.

Questions are however swirling and pressure is building around the recording of The Bachelor SA Women Tell All and season finale which are recorded in front of a live studio audience and with all of the women back for a reunion appearance.

It took place at the now-shuttered Urban Brew Studios in Johannesburg and is supposed to be recorded in May two weeks before the broadcast of the season finale.

With the national lockdown period that has now been extended to the end of April, insiders told me that M-Net and Rapid Blue are still mulling various back-up plans and alternatives and haven't yet made any decision as to how the Tell All episode and finale will be done.

M-Net reveals how - and why - it chose Marc Buckner as the bachelor for the second season of The Bachelor SA ... and the channel execs' first 'date' with him to suss him out that they had to fit in at the Cape Town airport.

M-Net is revealing how - and why - it chose Marc Buckner as the bachelor for the second season of The Bachelor SA that will start filming in October - including how the channel executives' first "date" to suss him out took place at the Cape Town International Airport of all places.

"Finding a bachelor for a show like The Bachelor SA is probably one of the hardest processes that we have been through as a team," explains Kaye-Ann, M-Net's head of local content and independent films.

In October, production company Rapid Blue will start filming the second season of The Bachelor SA, set for broadcast on M-Net (DStv 101) from sometime in February 2020.

Following Lee Thompson as the bachelor of the first season, M-Net and Rapid Blue found Marc Buckner, also from Cape Town, as the bachelor for the new local season of the dating reality show that is done according to the Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) format.

"It is so difficult to do because there's a lot of guidance we get from the format and from the format holders but for our M-Net audience and from what we know will work for this format there's a lot of boxes to tick."

"There were so many people that we had to go through, so many "dates" we had to go on - we actually met Marc Buckner at the Cape Town International Airport, we met up with him at the airport and had a discussion with him, but there are a plethora of boxes that need to be ticked in order for us to satisfy a lot of different things."

"The most important thing is that the guy must actually really want to be in a relationship - really wants to settle down and find someone and is ready for a relationship," says Kaye-Ann Williams.

"Then on another level they need to work on television. They need to be able to communicate their feelings. They need to have some kind of self-actualisation, in a sense that they know what they want, they know who they are, they know what they're looking for."

"But then also, when you chat to him, there needs to be some kind of engagement - he needs to have personality, he needs to have a sense of humour, he needs to have an opinion on things; he needs to narrate his own journey as well."

"So when we speak to him, we listen to him and how he narrates his own journey. We ask: 'Tell us about yourself? Tell us about your life? Where you've been, what you've been through?' And we listen to how he tells us his own story but also how he's observed his own life."

"That needs to translate through to the M-Net audience watching. So there are so many different levels that you need to hit that it's such an almost impossible thing to find. We really, really went through a lot of guys."

"The Bachelor SA process to find a bachelor is normally a closed process. The only thing we did differently this time around for the second season is that we opened it up to radio stations who went to see is there anyone out there that we don't know of."

"It's mainly a closed-off process and we approach people, we work through agencies and websites and we have tentacles and people who help us, but this time around we decided to open it up a bit to see what can people bring us," says Kaye-Ann Williams.

"Marc Buckner was actually a lead that came through from two different directions. One was Instagram and one was something else - I'm not going to say who it was but it was someone really amazing. But it was a great process."

Jan du Plessis, director of M-Net channels, says "Kaye-Ann and I went together when the lead came out way and Marc Buckner happened to be in Cape Town. And we immediately investigated it and he's the result as the next bachelor."


ALSO READ: From a new mansion to simplified dates M-Net and Rapid Blue are implementing some behind-the-scenes production changes to improve the second season of The Bachelor SA.
ALSO READ: INTERVIEW. Marc Buckner, The Bachelor SA's new bachelor, on why he's doing it, the love he's looking for - and maybe even shaving for television.
ALSO READ: M-Net reveals Marc Buckner as the bachelor for the second season of The Bachelor SA who is 'husband material' and this time looking for love and a lady.

From a new mansion to simplified dates M-Net and Rapid Blue are implementing some behind-the-scenes production changes to improve the second season of The Bachelor SA.

Besides a new "hot guy" in the shape of Marc Buckner, some significant changes are coming production-wise behind-the-scenes that have been ordered by M-Net to improve the second season of The Bachelor South Africa.

TVwithThinus has learnt that the Rapid Blue produced dating reality show is making some fundamental production changes to try and make Cupid's arrows hopefully find their targets better and coming after the first season on M-Net (DStv 101) ended on a disappointing note when Lee Thompson's relationship was revealed to have fizzled out during the first season finale.

The Bachelor SA, a local version of the dating show format of Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP), is implementing various production changes to try and make love blossom better the second time around.

Marc Buckner will get more actual off-camera time for "dating" on the show to get to know the various women he will meet better. The casting process has also been made even more stringent to weed out fame-seeking women more interested in being on television than finding love.

In addition, one-on-one dates will be simplified and toned down production and filming wise to allow more time spent on the actual date and less time on camera and scene set-up, and there will also be a new mansion used when filming starts in October.

"For us it is really important to make sure that we create that environment where the bachelor and the woman that he is dating are in a 'bubble' - that they get enough time to spend together without any influences; and secondly that there's enough time to really get to know each other," says Jan du Plessis, director of M-Net channels.

" So that's the first thing that we're most definitely doing. And then the other thing is that I had a list of probably 80 or so activities and dates that we were choosing from."

"The moment that Marc signed on the dotted line, we are busy adapting all of those dates and events to suit Marc's personality and interests, so that they can actually go hiking and jogging and do all sorts of outdoors activities with the ladies to see that natural sort of chemistry develop."

"The most important change was the time."

Kaye-Ann, M-Net's head of local content and independent films, says "if you remember Lee Thompson's date with Edith that started off at the top of a hill, and then the next thing was a strawberry farm and then they had a picnic after they picked the strawberries".

"Those three things that happened cost us three different movements and set-ups and location shifts and camera set-ups. It was just too much. There was too little time for them to get to know each other and too much time spent logistically."

"So what we've decided to do is to simplify - whatever it is. There needs to be one set-up, there needs to be one simple movement, unit movement, so that Marc Buckner and the date he is with can actually get to know each other and actually spend time together because all those set-ups cost a lot of time. So those are some of the lessons we've learnt from the first season."

TVwithThinus asked whether the same Sandhurst-set mansion, located in an ultra-affluent residential area in Sandton, Johannesburg, and the wealthiest suburb in the country, will be used again. "No, it won't be the same mansion," says Lani Lombard, M-Net's head of publicity.

"We never told anybody last year where the mansion was, for very good reasons. It's going to be a new mansion this year and again, you won't know where exactly the mansion is. Because you can just imagine, that if people were to know where the mansion is, how they will hang around in the streets."

"We remember from the very first season of Big Brother SA and the Big Brother house, people were in the streets, neighbours complained, and people came to try and see what's going on and what the housemates were doing. If they're to know where the mansion is, it would be madness. So we're keeping the mansion a secret and for the second season it's a different one."

The second season of The Bachelor SA won't start on Valentines Day on 14 February again but is likely to start on M-Net sometime in February 2020 and M-Net will make the season premiere episode once again available on YouTube for a limited time as free-to-view.