Season 5
Competitive cooking reality show based on a format created by Franc Roddam, in which amateur chefs who cook as a hobby and have no experience in the food industry attempt to turn into a MasterChef.
Contestants on MasterChef South Africa are put through their paces with various challenges as they compete head-to-head to create delicious dishes.
The show moves from M-Net to S3 for Season 5 and Zola Nene and Justine Drake return as judges, along with new judge Katlego Mlambo.
This season, 20 uber-passionate home cooks from different backgrounds and with various food-making fortes – from baking and basting to seafood and curries – will step into MasterChef South Africa's state-of-the-art and pressure-cooker kitchen.
These competitive amateur chefs all have the same goal: impressing the three fair yet highly critical judges and dodging the chopping board to be named the country's MasterChef.
The winner of Season 5 will win R1-million in prize money.
Throughout the competition, these new "superior chefs in the making" are tasked to whip up delicious dishes fit for a king.
It all boils down to their ability to tickle the taste buds with a perfect mix of flavours and serving a feast for the eye on a plate.
During the show's stressful invention tests, their foodmaking flair is challenged when they must create a dish around a specific theme from scratch.
Sometimes, there are also mystery box challenges, limiting them to a mixed bag of ingredients and occasionally, world-renowned local chefs visit the MasterChef kitchen.
Following a masterclass illustrating the ins and outs of one of their signature dishes, the contestants have to recreate the masterpieces, whereafter the guest judge joins the resident judges to evaluate the meals.
While the set includes the first-ever half-moon gantry, the pantry shelves carry everything needed to cook a MasterChef-worthy meal, from fresh produce to grocery basics like eggs, coconut milk, spices, pasta and more.
Double-door fridges stock all types of dairy and cheese, charcuterie, red meat and chicken, while a freezer section contains ice cream, frozen berries and seafood, including prawns and mussels.
One of the most noteworthy areas in the pantry is the packaging-free section, which carries everything from nuts and goji berries to bulgur wheat, with the primary aim being to help minimise waste as contestants can take the exact quantity they require.
Season 5 is produced by Homebrew Films.
Broadcast Notes
Season 5 originally aired on S3 on Saturdays at 19h30. The timeslot changed to Saturdays at 20h30 from Episode 17, which aired on 2 November, 2024, until the show finale on 23 November.