Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam
Channel: Netflix South Africa
TX Time: 10h00 (all episodes)
Genre: Documentary Series, Music, True Crime
Backstreet Boys. *NSYNC. Lou Pearlman created the biggest boy bands of the '90s — and one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history.
Lou Pearlman changed music culture forever.
The architect of an extraordinary era of pop, he launched the careers of The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, O-Town and so many more.
But he also carried a dark secret...
With a never-before-seen archive and unique access highlighting the artists' epic rise to global stardom, this series uncovers Pearlman's web of lies, revealing the harsh realities of fame, power, exploitation and greed.
Battle on the Beach 4
Channel: HGTV (DStv 177)
TX Time: 22h00
Genre: Reality Competition, Reality Makeover, Home Improvement
Taniya Nayak (Build it Forward), Ty Pennington (Rock the Block) and Alison Victoria (Windy City Rehab) will bring the heat to Oak Island, North Carolina, in a new season of Battle on the Beach, the surfside home reno competition.
Taniya, Ty and Alison, along with their two-person teams of promising renovators, will select a property from three similar four-bedroom, two-bathroom houses - sight unseen.
Primed with the series' biggest-ever renovation budget of $100,000 and invaluable advice from their illustrious mentors, the teams will transform the rundown homes into the most desired waterfront dwellings on the beach.
Across the seven-episode run, Taniya, Ty and Alison will lead their respective teams, who will vie for a $3,000 bonus in each episode, through the competition's most unexpected challenges yet including carnival-themed games and a relay race on a historic battleship.
Expert judges Bryan and Sarah Baeumler (Renovation Island) will award the team that adds the most value to their property a $50,000 cash prize and their mentor will once again reign supreme with bragging rights, but unexpected twists and a last-minute room challenge added before the finale will result in a nail-biting race to the finish.
The premiere episode will kick-off the competition with overhauls of the kitchens.
Taniya, Ty and Alison will guide their teams - married couple Samantha and Sean Kilgore of Richmond, Michigan; friends Brandon Parker and Teresa Robinson of Norfolk, Virginia; and married couple Kristin and Chyenne Smith of Dallas, Texas - as they also take the living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and outdoor spaces in the tired oceanfront properties from sad to spectacular.
We Hunt Together
Channel: S3
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: Thriller, Drama
Drama about what happens when two profoundly damaged people collide and finally speak the unspoken, giving each other permission and reason to act out their most violent compulsions.
A new take on a classic cat and mouse story, We Hunt Together explores the intoxication of sexual attraction, the dangerous power of emotional manipulation and how finding a volatile form of solace in another can have dire consequences for those who dare to get in the way.
Freddy is magnetic, highly intelligent, disarmingly charming…and she might just be a psychopath.
Baba, on the other hand, is vulnerable, compassionate yet damaged former child soldier, whose chance encounter with Freddy turns his world upside down.
He's desperate to suppress his predisposition for extreme violence, but the pair's lust for each other takes over and creates a truly deadly duo.
Meanwhile, DS Lola Franks and DI Jackson Mendy face their own unconventional relationship, as the pair get thrown together to work on a high-profile murder case and try to catch the killers.
Jackson and Lola's differing opinions cause conflict during their investigation, as does Lola's inability to deal with her own demons which have the potential to push them both to breaking point.
A psychological thriller and a romance, it explores the dangerous power of desire, what happens when two profoundly damaged people meet and reawaken their latent capacity for violence, and finally, what happens when the honeymoon period is over.
Exposed: Naked Crimes
Channel: Discovery Channel (DStv 121)
TX Time: 20h55
Genre: True Crime, Documentary Series, Clip Show
Get up close and personal with the most exposed offenders ever caught on camera.
Witnesses and police share the inside stories of dangerous crimes committed totally naked.
From burglaries in the buff to nude DUIs, these lawbreakers let it all hang out.
In the series premiere, "Fight or Flight": A chilling home invasion, a pizzeria robbery, an early morning police pursuit and a normal drive to work interrupted by a violent rampage all share the commonality of a completely naked suspect.
In the second episode of the weekly double bill, "Bandits and Buns": An armed stand-off with police, a joyride in a stolen ATV, a bold break-in, and a high-speed chase in a stolen truck - four brazen acts that shock bystanders even more after cameras reveal that the suspects are doing it all in the nude.
Ciao House 2
Channel: Food Network (DStv 175)
TX Time: 17h00
Genre: Reality Competition, Reality, Food
Twelve rising culinary stars travel to the coastal paradise of Puglia in Southern Italy for a life-changing adventure where they must prove their mastery of Italian cooking techniques and dishes in Season 2 of Ciao House.
Led by chef Alex Guarnaschelli and born-and-bred Italian chef Gabe Bertaccini, the competitors' cooking skills, personal rivalries and strategic alliances are tested like never before as they battle in the kitchen as individuals and in teams while living together in a majestic 16th-century villa.
From cooking with fresh whole fish just caught by local fishermen to creating unique salumi and formaggi platters using the best regional ingredients, the inspiration for each challenge is steeped in Southern Italy's culture, history and traditions.
In the end, only one chef is named Capo di Casa and wins the ultimate prize: an immersive culinary education across Italy, training with acclaimed Italian master chefs.
In the Season 2 premiere, "Welcome to Puglia!": Alex and Gabe - who also serve as judges - welcome 12 talented chefs to an ancient grand villa in Puglia where they will live, cook and compete against each other, fusing their own culinary styles with Italian cuisine.
In the first challenge, each competitor must make a dish that showcases who they are as a chef and exemplify their unique take on Italian cuisine.
The winner and runner-up are named team captains for the next challenge, which focuses on the fresh fish and seafood that are a staple in Puglia - the region with the longest seacoast in Italy.
Then in the first elimination round, one chef is voted out of the villa by their own team and 11 chefs remain.
Upcoming episodes include a trip to Lecce to meet real-life nonnas who specialise in pasta rolling, a challenge inspired by the city's annual pizza festival judged by a festival pizzaiolo and a lesson in bread baking at a local Lecce bakery.
In the season finale the last chefs standing must prepare a three-course fine dining experience and only one wins the ultimate grand prize: an immersive culinary education across Italy, training with renowned Italian master chefs.
Scotland's Sacred Islands with Ben Fogle 2
Channel: BBC Earth (DStv 184)
TX Time: 19h00
Genre: Documentary Series
Adventurer Ben Fogle is on a very personal pilgrimage.
Travelling across Scotland's remotest islands, he discovers that their spiritual legacy still resonates today.
In the Season 2 premiere: Travelling to Arran and Holy Isle, Ben learns how they're a haven for diverse faiths and beliefs, makes Jewish challah bread and visits a Buddhist peace centre.
Setting off for Arran and Holy Isle, Ben sails from the busy port of Ardrossan on Scotland's west coast and takes the short ferry trip across the Firth of Clyde to the beautiful Isle of Arran.
Only two hours from Glasgow and today a popular holiday destination, Arran is known as Scotland in miniature, but it has, along with neighbouring Holy Isle, some of the earliest connections to Christianity in Scotland.
Disembarking at the bustling ferry terminal in Brodick, Arran's unofficial capital, Ben's journey takes him to a tranquil south west corner of the island with stunning views of the glittering sea.
He meets the Curries, a farming family who can trace their roots back nearly 200 years.
He learns about how their faith connects them to the land, and how they see themselves not as owners, but as custodians for generations to come.
Arran's community was once extremely devout, so much so that prefab churches, known as tin kirks, were manufactured from corrugated iron on the mainland and shipped across to the island to serve the demand for places of worship.
Ben visits one of the tin kirks on Arran, a fascinating and atmospheric sacred place which sadly, due to declining church attendance, closed its doors just a few months earlier after 100 years.
Yet, even as we become a more secular society, Ben discovers that community spirit, once centred around faith on Arran, remains strong.
He spends a busy morning with Fiona ‘many hats' Laing, an islander who volunteers for the coastguard, the fire service and as a first responder.
In an emotional encounter, Ben hears how Fiona, through the work she does and her innate compassion, is regarded as a true hero of the island community.
As Ben continues his journey, he learns how Arran is a haven for diverse faiths.
He's taught how to make traditional Challah bread by Barb and Sharon from the island's Jewish Cultural Association and finds out about the sacred practices of the Jewish Sabbath.
He then journeys across to Holy Isle just off Arran's east coast.
Renowned as the home of a 6th century hermit monk and an ancient site of Christian pilgrimage, today it's home to a Buddhist Peace Centre.
Here, Ben has an extraordinary encounter with Buddhist monk Karma Zangpo.
Together, they trek across the island to find a hermit monk's cave, and soak up the incredibly peaceful atmosphere of Holy Isle.
Returning to Arran, Ben hikes up to a stunning mountain loch lying 1,000 feet above sea level before visiting a beautiful clifftop apothecary garden.
Here, he learns about the ancient links between Celtic beliefs and traditional herbal remedies.
Inside Airport Lost & Found
Channel: Disney+
TX Time: 00h01
Genre: Reality
Travelers lose millions of items at airports each year, among them the usual suspects - phones, neck pillows, ear buds.
Not to mention the unusual ones - dentures, skis, raw fish, human remains and cars.
Ever wonder what happens to it all? Follow the journey of the lost stuff: from reunited items at the Seattle Airport to reclaimed baggage at the Unclaimed Baggage Center to auctioned off possessions at the Pittsburgh Airport.
Resurrected Rides
Channel: Netflix South Africa
TX Time: 10h00 (all episodes)
Genre: Reality, Motoring, Reality Makeover
Comedian Chris Redd works with a dream team of car experts to breathe new life into worn-out rides with stunning customised makeovers.
Chris and his team of next-level mechanics help deserving owners transform their beloved beaters into roadworthy masterpieces.
Road Rage
Channel: Investigation Discovery (DStv 171 / StarSat 223)
TX Time: 21h55
Genre: Clip Show, Reality
A half hour program featuring four or five real-life, caught-on-camera road rage incidents.
Enraged drivers are caught on camera going toe-to-toe with other motorists in some of the wildest road rage moments ever recorded.
Each episode features multiple interviews from victims or witnesses from these harrowing events and graphics are used to enhance and clarify each segment.
In the series premiere, "Motor Mayhem": A parking lot showdown terrifies onlookers and a fender-bender leads a motorist on an epic chase.
Also, an aggressive driver uses an unusual weapon on her victim, and tensions run high for two squabbling motorists.
In the second episode of the weekly double bill, "Chaotic Confrontations": An off-duty police officer pulls a gun on another motorist.
Also, a machete-wielding man attacks a delivery driver and an angry commuter in an SUV stalks a cyclist.
Meanwhile, a man takes out his aggression on a defenceless driver.