TV REVIEW: First Episode of "Double-Up Mzansi Style" Serves a Single on the Rocks

South African television has definitely had its fair share of travel shows for an average sized country. However, I was most keen for the premiere of etv's new fast-paced travel and lifestyle show, "Double-Up Mzansi Style". It promised to take viewers across South Africa to discover the hidden treasures of the Republic's landscape; yet I was most disappointed when on the first episode, biker Seipei Mashugane and comedian Tats Nkonzo, took us into common places like The Cradle of Humankind and the University of Pretoria museum. Places that even a non-South African like me was familiar with. I wanted to discover unearthed treasures, see unexplored territories and experience a part of South Africa that I have never seen before.

Seipei (South Africa's biker queen, as she she is affectionately known) and Tats will be visiting all the provinces of South Africa, exploring heritage sites and various towns in the 13-episode show. Seipei possesses a very vibrant and bubbly persona with a fine balance of humble elegance, allowing her to decently blend into any environment and get along with the various personalities that she meets along the way. This definitely makes her the ideal travel partner and host. Tats also brings a charm that creates a fun mood for the show. It is admirable to see how he is able to tone his comedian showmanship down to a professional manner and still keep the charisma. The two presenters get along like old friends and make the perfect duo for the show.

In each province, Seipei will be joined by a personality who boasts years of experience and knows the landscape very well, to share their favourite and fascinating aspects of the specific province. This makes it interesting to learn about the different cultures and customs of the people of South Africa, not just in general form, but by putting a face to a story. However, this is a format we have seen from shows such as Top Billing, Pasella, and Mooiloop before. The biking element is a stolen tactic from SABC 1's "Vaya Mzansi" and the whole show seems all too familiar like something we have seen previously. It does not give us anything new to savour up as viewers.

With all that been said, I do enjoy how unlike most shows where we just sit there and watch hosts throttle around the country or world with envy, Seipei and Tats have a warm way of making you feel as though you are actually part of the journey. The entire production has an aura that draws the viewer in and makes them feel like they are on the road with great friends, and that is the one thing that "Double-Up Mzansi Style" has managed to get right in winning our hearts over. In a timeslot where it competes with SABC 1's "Uzalo" and Mzansi Magic's "Isibaya", I am not sure though if the show has enough riding on to come out top.

"Double-Up Mzansi" airs on etv (DSTV channel 194) every Mondays at 8:30pm.