South Africa's Famous Faces Test Their Kitchen Skills in New Celebrity Dinner Series

Lasizwe, Moonchild Sanelly, Moshe Ndiki and 21 other recognizable South African faces are about to find out whether fame translates into dinner-party competence. Come Dine With Me South Africa returns to BBC Lifestyle (DStv Channel 174) on November 18, 2026, for its 11th season, and this time every episode features celebrities rather than everyday home cooks.

The premise stays familiar. Participants host dinner parties for their competitors, who score their efforts on food, ambiance and hospitality. What changes is the stakes attached to each score. Celebrity status offers no protection once judgment is rendered, and the winner directs R10,000 to a charity of their choice.

The full lineup spans an impressive cross-section of South African entertainment, sports, music and digital culture: Alphi Mkhwanazi, Brent Lindeque, Carol Tshabalala, Holly Rey, Jonathan Roxmouth, Karabo Ntshweng, Karabo Poppy, Lasizwe, Lethabo “LeJoy” Mathatho, Linda Mtoba, Mampho Brescia, Mojak Lehoko, Moshe Ndiki, Moonchild Sanelly, Nianell, Olwethu Leshabane, Phylicity Reeken, Primo Baloyi, Tarina Patel, Tumisho Masha, Vanes-Mari du Toit, Varushka Singh, Yanda Woods and Zandi Nhlapo. Each dinner party seats three celebrity guests, which intensifies the pressure and creates unpredictable group dynamics around the table.

Pierre Cloete, Vice President for Africa at BBC Studios, frames the shift as a natural evolution. “Come Dine With Me South Africa remains one of BBC Lifestyle’s most-loved local productions and this season promises to be our biggest yet,” he said, adding that the all-celebrity cast will reveal these personalities at their most competitive, funniest and potentially most chaotic.

Narrator Dave Lamb returns to provide the commentary that has become as iconic as the meals themselves. His razor-sharp observations and perfectly timed criticism have long been central to the show’s appeal, and six weeks of celebrity egos, kitchen disasters and competitive scoring should give him no shortage of material.

Ryan Deacon, Executive Producer at Rapid Blue, notes that professional pride raises the pressure considerably. Some guests will attempt to bend the rules; others will deliver genuinely impressive performances; a few will face complete meltdowns. With three celebrities at each table, the potential for conflict, comedy and unexpected alliances multiplies across every episode.

The show runs over six weeks from November 18, 2026, on BBC Lifestyle (DStv Channel 174), sponsored by World of Sports Betting and produced in association with Sunlight. Whether South Africa’s most recognizable personalities can hold it together in the kitchen, or whether they hand Lamb his best material in eleven seasons, is the question that will play out one dinner party at a time.