Uhm, apologies for asking this, but where's the white people in the 6th season of Tropika Island of Treasure on SABC1?

Either white people don't drink Tropika, didn't enter, weren't chosen or considered good enough, or through a statistical miracle were never a lucky entry drawn - cause there aint any of them in the 6th season of Tropika Island of Treasure on SABC1 which starts tonight for six episodes.

A few other strange things also happened on the way to the island. I asked SABC1 earlier in the week about these, but got no answers.

At the end of the 5th season in 2013 - the one which went ahead with the broadcast and included Reeva Steenkamp after she was shot and killed by Oscar Pistorius - Tropika Island of Treasure put out a press statement, with Stimulii announcing that the end of the 5th season "marks the end of a five season sponsorship of the series by Tropika".

Tropika of course is a Clover brand.

Stimulii also said that the 6th season of Island of Treasure "is headed to the Seychelles".

Strangely, Tropika is back as the advertiser-funded production's sponsor. And the show isn't taking place in the Seychelles as promised but in Mauritius.

Pearl Thusi is the presenter.

The six chosen contestants in the 6th season of Tropika Island of Treasure are Boitumelo "Diamond Seakatsie, Thando "Tdo" Hlophe, Mohau Pitso, Oratile Mokgwetsi, Athisen Cooper and Natacia Mokoka.

There would be a national outcry if one of the three public TV channels of the public broadcaster had a reality competition show which had no black contestant. Yet the inverse is done and allowed.

It's so unseemly and tacky to have to remark on something like this as a TV critic - with the 5th general elections which took place on Wednesday, South Africa is 20 years into its democracy.

There should be space for everyone; there is space for everyone.

A public broadcaster in its programming should reflect that and represent everyone as part of an inclusive approach to depicting diverse multi-cultural plurality - especially a channel important as as big as SABC1. It shouldn't be necessary to have to go: Where is the Indian woman? Where is the white man? Where is the black woman?

It's embarrassing.

No ratings spike for Tropika Island of Treasure 5: Jamaica viewership on SABC1 with the dead model Reeva Steenkamp as a contestant.

The first episode of the "in very bad taste" Tropika Island of Treasure 5: Jamaica on Saturday on SABC1 pulled 2,345 million viewers at 18:30 but didn't represent a viewership and ratings spike due to the inclusion of the dead model Reeva Steenkamp.

Reeva Steenkamp who was a contestant in Tropika Island of Treasure 5: Jamaica was shot in the head and killed by her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius just two days before. Oscar Pistorius is in jail awaiting the conclusion of his bail application and is then facing a premeditated murder charge.

On Monday I asked the South Africa Advertising Research Foundation (Saarf) who compiles and tabulates South Africa's TV viewership under the TAMS ratings system for Saturday's viewership figures which I received today.

Interestingly less than a 10th of the available South African TV audience watching television on Saturday night bothered to tune into Tropika Island of Treasure 5: Jamaica.

With a 7,7 AMR only 7,7% of the available viewers older than 15 (the demographic and target market most desired and of significance for advertisers) tuned to SABC1 to watch the first episode, according to figures released by Saarf. It doesn't represent a rating spike for the show - in fact it's quite average for the SABC1 timeslot.

Given the instant hype preceding the advertiser-funded production (AFP) which SABC1 and the production company Stimulii refused to pull, it was expected that the viewership for the first episode of the product placement filled Tropika Island of Treasure 5 would have been higher.

Tropika Island of Treasure 5: Jamaica did get a boost over the 4th season which was shown on e.tv, but SABC1's overall reach as a channel is bigger and therefore has a bigger potential viewership available since it's physical TV signal is being transmitted to, and can be received by, slightly more homes and TV households than e.tv.

Compared to the 2,345 million viewers who tuned in for the first episode of the 5th season, 1,75 million viewers with a 6 AMR (or 6% of the total audience watching television) watched the first episode of the 4th season of Tropika Island of Treasure on e.tv, according to figures supplied by Saarf.

The 5th season of Tropika Island of Treasure therefore only pulled a marginally better viewership on a new channel with a bigger signal footprint, and doesn't appear to have been affected by a "dead model effect".

Charge of $3000 per broadcaster to use clips of Reeva Steenkamp in Tropika Island of Treasure 5, reports The Independent.

International broadcasters and TV news outlets have allegedly all been charged $3000 (R26 520) each for clips of TV footage of the dead model Reeva Steenkamp appearing in SABC1's Tropika Island of Treasure 5, Britain's Independent newspaper reported yesterday.

According to the newspaper, "at least a dozen networks" bought the rights, which means the footage which appeared on Sky News on Saturday as well as in the news bulletins of American TV networks were not made available for free.

Even E! News gave extensive coverage to Tropika Island of Treasure 5 and Reeva Steenkamp - a South African first on that daily American news show.

The clips were taken from what appeared to be Reeva Steenkamp's exit interview from Tropika Island of Treasure 5 when she leaves the show which was filmed in Jamaica. It was broadcast worldwide and could be seen in South Africa on Saturday during the day in heavy rotation before the first episode was broadcast the evening on SABC1.

Early on Thursday model Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead in the head by the Olympic and paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius.

SABC1 as well as the production company Stimulii both issued separate press statements saying Tropika Island of Treasure 5 which was set to start on Saturday with it's first episode, will go ahead as a tribute to Reeva Steenkamp despite her violent death.

Oscar Pistorius faces a case of premeditated murder and is set to appear in court again on Tuesday on the same day as a funeral will be held for Reeva Steenkamp in Port Elizabeth.

According to the Independent, women's rights groups in South Africa are now calling from the proceeds of Tropika Island of Treasure 5 to be donated to charity.

The Cape Town based group "RIP Reeva Steenkamp" told the Independent that it's also calling for a donation in Reeva Steenkamp's name to charity. "Let's be honest, the only reason the SABC and the producers are going ahead with the broadcast of this show is because of the increase in exposure and viewership they'll be getting."

I approached the SABC and SABC1 with questions about the profits made from Tropika Island of Treasure 5. The SABC refused to answer those questions and referred the media enquiry to the producers. The same media enquiry with the same questions was also made to the producers who have not (yet?) responded.

I wanted to know: Can someone please confirm whether international broadcasters were given the clips from Tropika Island of Treasure 5 with Reeva Steenkamp as a free courtesy or were they charged $3000 each to show clips? What will the SABC be doing with the money?

There have been requests made that money from this advertiser-funded production be donated in Reeva Steenkamp's name to a cause and charity. Would the SABC and production be doing that since the programme is being broadcast as a tribute to her?

BREAKING. Tropika tweets: 'Check out this killer giveaway: 100 cases of Tropika today' as Reeva Steenkamp appears today in Tropika Island of Treasure 5 on SABC1.

Tropika tweets: "Check out this killer giveaway: 100 cases of Tropika today" - that on the day that the dead model Reeva Steenkamp appears on SABC1 in the advertiser-funded production Tropika Island of Treasure 5: Jamaica.

MyTropika, the fruit drink brand which is the sponsor of the show, drew followers' attention on Twitter today to its "killer giveaway".

Reeva Steenkamp was killed and died a violent death after being shot on Thursday in the home of the Olympic and paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius.

SABC1 and Stimulii which produced the commercial programme Tropika Island of Treasure 5 refused to cancel the advertiser-funded production (AFP) on South Africa's public broadcaster or at least postpone the show.

The funeral, cremation and memorial service of Reeva Steenkamp who was shot in the head is set to take place on Tuesday in Port Elizabeth.

A spokesperson for Tropika could not be reached on Saturday about the tweet and the decision to use words like "killer giveaway. The choice of words in Tropika's commercial marketing campaign - "killer giveaway" - comes across as highly insensitive and totally inappropriate given the events and circumstances of the past few days.

SABC1 and Stimulii say in statements Tropika Island of Treasure 5 is going ahead to honour Reeva Steenkamp and as a tribute to her legacy.

ALSO READ: SABC 1 flashes 3 tribute cards on-air to Reeva Steenkamp, the shot and killed model reality contestant in Tropika Island of Treasure 5.
ALSO READ: Reeva Steenkamp on Tropika Island of Treasure 5: "I don't have any regrets and I don't have any bitterness."
ALSO READ: Tropika Island of Treasure 5 on SABC1 becomes the first South African TV show ever to get extensive coverage on E! News.
ALSO READ: Analysis: Rest in Peace? Not for Reeva Steenkamp as SABC1 and Stimulii will show the dead model on TV as they decided to go ahead with broadcasting the reality show.

BREAKING. SABC1 flashes 3 tribute cards to Reeva Steenkamp, the shot and killed reality contestant in Tropika Island of Treasure 5.

SABC1 flashed three "tribute" cards on-air in close succession this evening to Reeva Steenkamp just before and in conjunction with the start of the advertiser-funded reality production Tropika Island of Treasure 5: Jamaica in which Reeva Steenkamp is a contestant.

The model was tragically shot dead in the home of the Olympic and paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius just two days ago.

SABC1 and production company Stimulii refused to pull the commercial reality show from the schedule of the South African public broadcaster, deciding instead to go ahead with the airing of the reality show which started tonight.

SABC1 showed the first tribute card (above) as a short tribute at the end of RGB, the entertainment magazine programme preceding Tropika Island of Treasure 5: Jamaica.

In the break after the end of RGB, SABC1 flashed the second tribute card, adorned with a red rose, a black background and a solitary candle burning on the right hand side:

The beginning of the first episode of Tropika Island of Treasure 5: Jamaica was clearly re-edited for the first few minutes and started with Reeva Steenkamp talking to camera in a clip which has also run the whole day on Sky News (DStv 402) and which seems to have been taken from her exit interview from the show, .

It was then followed by the third tribute card before the episode's original "real" start with DJ Fresh doing the cold open:

The tribute cards are notable in that both the first card flashed in RGB at the end, and the one inside the first episode of Tropika Island of Treasure 5 contains and makes use of the exact same font in light blue with white shadow lettering.

BREAKING. Reeva Steenkamp on Tropika Island of Treasure 5: 'I don't have any regrets and I don't have any bitterness.'

It doesn't appear that Reeva Steenkamp is the winner of Tropika Island of Treasure 5, the advertiser-funded reality show production from Stimulii which starts broadcasting tonight on SABC1 at 18:30.

Sky News (DStv 402) is broadcasting in heavy rotation a clip of the dead model from the show which appears to be part of her eventual exit interview from the reality production as she sits under a palm tree.

It's not clear why this specific clip and material was made available to Sky News, since the show is still to start in South Africa although South African viewers are now being shown this specific part featuring Reeva Steenkamp who was one of the contestants in the fifth series set in Jamaica.

Reality shows or broadcasters usually don't release or make available clips from crucial parts of their shows ahead of time that contain revealing information. It's strange that Sky News has this particular clip and is running it.

"I don't have any regrets and I don't have any bitterness," says Reeva Steenkamp, seen sitting under a palm tree with the sea in the background and a white beach house.

"I take home with me so many amazing memories and things that are in here [point to head] and in here [point to heart] that I'll treasure forever."

Reeva Steenkamp is also seen surfing across water, hugging a fellow contestant, and drifting with another contestant on a raft on a river in the clips shown on Saturday on Sky News of Tropika Island of Treasure 5.

SABC1 and Stimulii said Tropika Island of Treasure 5 is going ahead and won't be pulled from the schedule despite Reeva Steenkamp's violent death after she was shot in the head in the early hours of Thursday morning inside Oscar Pistorius' home.

SABC1 told the press on Friday that :following consultation with the Steenkamp family, Mrs Steenkamp, mother to the late Reeva Steenkamp, expressed her desire for the show to continue as scheduled."

On Saturday Associated Press reports that Reeva Steenkamp's cousin said that family had not been consulted by anyone from the show or the SABC, but that they were not against it being aired because Reeva Steenkamp was "proud of being in the show".

BREAKING. Tropika Island of Treasure 5 on SABC1 becomes the first South African TV show ever to get extensive coverage on E! News.

Tropika Island of Treasure 5 set to start tonight on SABC1 at 18:30 despite model and reality contestant Reeva Steenkamp who was shot in the head and killed by Oscar Pistorius two days ago, just became the first ever South African TV show to be featured extensively on E! News.

The daily entertainment news magazine show on E! Entertainment (DStv 124) which is broadcast globally had the Oscar Pistorius killing drama as its main lead story with extensive coverage of Tropika Island of Treasure 5 and the now dead Reeva Steenkamp.

SABC1 as well as production company Stimulii and executive producer Samantha Moon are pushing ahead with Tropika Island of Treasure 5 and didn't pull the show from the schedule although there's been no memorial or funeral service for Reeva Steenkamp yet who will be cremated.

Reeva Steenkamp's memorial service will only be taking place on Tuesday in Port Elizabeth as friends are flying in from all over the world.

Meanwhile Tropika Island of Treasure 5 Jamaica as an advertiser-funded production (AFP) now has the rather dubious distinction of becoming the first South African television production to feature on E! News which usually covers American TV shows which are making buzz and creating watercooler entertainment news moments.

E! News showed several clips with Reeva Steenkamp from Tropika Island of Treasure 5 on Friday night's edition and E! News said it would be covering the Oscar Pistorius case over the following months.

E! News also told viewers that it is "ironic" that Tropika Island of Treasure 5 set in Jamaica with Reeva Steenkamp is being shown from Saturday in South Africa.

ALSO READ: Rest in peace? Not for Reeva Steenkamp as SABC1 and Stimulii will show the dead model and reality TV contestant before there's even been a funeral service.

REST IN PEACE? Not for Reeva Steenkamp, as SABC1 and Stimulii will show the dead model on TV in Tropika Island of Treasure before she's even buried.

As a South African TV critic and journalist having covered this country's television industry for over 14 years now, it is in my opinion extremely sad, distressing, disappointing and actually scandalous-incredulous that the SABC's SABC1 TV channel and production company Stimulii is not pulling (or at the very least postponing) the reality show Tropika Island of Treasure 5 with the dead model Reeva Steenkamp who will appear on television tomorrow.

She's not even buried yet.

Reeva Steenkamp, the girlfriend of Oscar Pistorius, was allegedly shot in the head and killed. Now a case of murder is being investigated by the police with prosecutors pursuing a premeditated murder case against him.

The very least SABC1's channel head Leo Manne and Stimulii executive producer Samantha Moon and Tropika could have done - should do - is to postpone the advertiser-funded reality show until Reeva Steenkamp at least had a funeral or some kind of memorial service.

The nice words of sympathy from SABC1 and from Stimulii and Samantha Moon echo horribly hollow as they push for Tropika Island of Treasure 5 to go ahead, instead of immediately doing what in my opinion would be the sensitive, gracious, non-commercial and right thing to do by pulling it off the schedule. At least temporarily.

How much more mature does M-Net and DStv come across who immediately took off all on-air promos and ads and immediately removed billboards yesterday? Their actions publicly line up with their words of saying that its done out of "respect for the bereaved".

Tears and words of sympathy mean very little if you don't actually show you care. Yes. Television is a business. And the show must go on. I get that. But sometimes because it's television, because its media, you need to be adult about it and not put someone on television two days after she was shot dead in the head.

Do we as a TV industry really lack the moral leadership, insight, best practice and emotional intelligence as shown by overseas broadcasters who pull episodes, shows and commercials when people in those productions unexpectedly die due to killing, suicide or some form of tragedy like an accident?

Discovery, after the recent Sandy Hook primary school massacre, even pulled and cancelled a reality show about guns which doesn't even directly have anything to do with the Sandy Hook school shooting. Are we that much more insensitive, uncaring and confused in South African television about what the right thing is to do?

Ask yourself. If you're a TV executive what would be more difficult? Keeping a TV show on in which a person appearing in it died a violent death being shot in the head in real-life, or taking a TV show off? And: Are you able to make that call and do the more difficult decision which - yes - will disrupt a schedule, will cost money, will create logistical problems and require more effort than just letting everything be as it is?

I've asked the SABC and SABC1 some questions about the issue, questions which the SABC and SABC1 have so far not responded to and which I now actually suspect they won't bother to answer. It's difficult questions but it's questions as a journalist I have to ask of the TV channel.

What is SABC1, Stimulii and Tropika's rationale for keeping the show on and not pull it, at least temporarily? Why if someone dies a violent death with a gun in South Africa does the programming remain on-air if it hasn't started yet? Why can't the starting date of the show not be postponed until there's been at least some adequate time for the family to grieve?

Do you want to see your mom, sister, daughter or niece appearing on TV in a pre-recorded show two days after they've been killed and shot senselessly in the head?

Reeva Steenkamp will be seen by South African viewers on television on Saturday at 18:30 on Tropika Island of Treasure 5. And for me, that's not right. This is a sponsored show by Tropika. It's a sponsored advertiser-funded production (AFP) that's supposed to sell, and be about, happiness.

Now Tropika Island of Treasure 5 will just be terribly sad; at the very least extremely ironic in a post-modern television context, like a Marilyn Monroe or Che Guevara image which belies a sad, twisted and highly ironic truth behind the external veneer.

Every time Reeva Steenkamp says something, smiles or does something on the tranquil beaches of Jamaica, you won't want to reach for a Tropika to drink. You won't think the show is great. You won't wish you were at the beach. Every time you watch Tropika Island of Treasure 5 you will be thinking that Reeva Steenkamp is dead.

Why the people making television can't see that; can't sense that; is probably the most ironic thing of all.

BREAKING. The CRASS COMMERCIALISM of the advertiser funded AND SUPER SUCKY Tropika Island of Treasure II continues unabated.

SUPER BAD! The embarrassing fiasco and unmitigated disaster television concocted by Stimulii and e.tv responsible for the tacky, lowbrow and product-placement-disguised-infomercial-littered-with-D-listers, continues unabated.

In a silly new press release, Stimulii is touting to media types how ''remarkable'' Tropika Island of Treasure II is (brought to you by e.tv, brought to you by Tropika, brought to you by 1time Holidays).

THE PRESS RELEASE IS FILLED WITH SPELLING MISTAKES, MISSING WORDS AND INACCURACIES.
If that is the ''A-Team'' that did it, as they're described in the press release, I don't want to know how working with the D team was. And I'm not talking about the D lister celebs who attached themselves to this fake pathetic project.

To help you, I will give you the truth and decode what they're really saying in their latest frenzied press release fiasco:

''The TV series is an expansion for the Tropika brand allowing its consumers to experience South Africa’s glamour highlighting of ten celebrities and ten Tropika competition winners battling it out for R1million rand'' is how it all starts.

Tropika Brand Manager, Asheen Dayal says ''Stimullii has been my A-team on Tropika Island of Treasure for the past two years. I look forward to us growing this campaign even bigger in the years to come”.

Dear Asheen, I guess - with a company that adds two ii's to it's name - another ''l'' as a spelling mistake wouldn't really make a difference, would it? And am I to take it that this means even MORE Tropika Island of Treasure, like two and three and four like the Rocky movies are coming our way? Brought to us by Tropika, brought to us by e.tv and brought to us by 1time Airlines? 

''The campaign generated a large number of entries last year, which grew by over a 100% of entries this year.''

Yes. And between e.tv/Tropika/Stimulii you all took money from people who entered and voted for swimmer Roland Schoeman and when he withdrew, decided to blatantly keep that money. Although people voted specifically for the chance to compete with him. I'm my world I call that STEALING.

''Stimulii negotiated strategic partnerships with Heat, MTV and ETV, Plan Hotel and the newly formed 1Time Holidays to fulfill phase 2 of the campaign which took a massive group of people onto the island of Zanzibar to both compete and produce the reality show.''

More spelling and typographic mistakes, by hey, who really cares. You don't really care about the mess that you create and put out there anyway. And you left out the part where you wanted to take the media and press along but first made them beg and having to say what they will write and what it's worth, and then told them they're not good enough.

''The last phase of the campaign, the reality show, has set the tone of what is to come by achieving exceptional ratings during its first episode. Samantha Moon, director and co-founder of Stimulii, says “Tropika is a thrilling brand to work with, it’s a product that we are able to institute multiple brand extension strategies that the consumer continually indicates enthusiastic acceptance for''.

So basically the actual TV show is just the last phase in what is a marketing campaign. Do you admit that it's not really about the TV show at all - that it's just about brands and branding and a branding exercise that uses television as a platform? That it's just about pushing a product? Lame.  Obviously Samantha Moon is over the moon with this product integration attempt.

I guess Sashi Naidoo who competed in this sham of a TV show is too.


''The reality show is a brilliant new way of bringing consumers the Tropika experience'', says Grayzna Koscielska, director and co-founder of Stimulli.

Again, we have the word Stimulii spelled THE THIRD DIFFERENT VERSION - AND THAT IN ONE PRESS RELEASE.
You go guys, you're shooting SABC1 out of the water. Oh, and what you call brilliant, I call SUPER BAD, SUPER PATHETIC, AND A NEW LOW FOR SOUTH AFRICAN TELEVISION.

Now I suggest the A-team go take spelling classes and also learn how to deal with the media.
Then when you pass matric, you can go and study further and learn how to make good television.