It was a big surprise to SABC3‘s My Top Billing Dream reality show viewers last week when two contestants were eliminated. I sat down with Greg Kriek and Khanya Ngumbela to chat about their Top Billing experiences. Juggling both the Top Billing presenter search auditions and a philanthropic initiative, Greg Kriek found himself in the midst of a safari when he received the call from Top Billing that led to him receiving the news that he had been selected from thousands of hopefuls to be a part of the Top 10. Shortly thereafter, Greg checked in to his hotel room at the 15 On Orange Hotel to join the Top 10 contestants and the roller-coaster began. With his background in production, direction and acting, Greg embraced this new opportunity with both hands, “My whole Top Billing experience, everything was a debut for me, from the oysters to walking on a runway.” says Greg, “My motto and my vision in life is to use the platform of entertainment and media to empower others.” We spoke about the publicity that My Top Billing Dream has afforded him, “You know, going for a walk on the beach and having people say “Greg, I’m rooting for you”, for me that is a sign that I am walking in the right direction.” Given a opportunity to train as a director on Top Billing after being eliminated, Greg’s journey has certainly opened doors not only for him, but also organizations like the Happy Feet Foundation which he is involved in, “In reflection, exposure with Happy Feet, to me that is gold! To me it’s the grand prize.”

Khanya Ngumbela gracefully shared a bit of background about herself, highlighting her previous presenting and modeling experience and her decision to audition, “I thought, let me bring what I’ve got and let’s see if they like it.” says Khanya. She described the moment she was told that she made the Top 10 as a whirlwind of emotion and excitement, “It was wonderful, so surreal.” In a competition environment, it can tough and straining, Khanya took another approach to this, “I said to myself, I need to compete against myself, I need to give my all and showcase myself in the best light.” About her elimination last week, Khanya remains positive and grateful for the opportunity she was given and worked toward, “Even though I’m out right now, I don’t feel like I’ve lost. I’ve grown as a person and a presenter.”

Catch the My Top Billing Dream reality show on SABC3, Tuesdays at 8pm. Visit TopBilling.com and follow @SABC3TopBilling on Twitter.

At the luxurious 15 On Orange Hotel in Cape Town on Tuesday, the My Top Billing Dream Top 4 contestants were honored with a VIP screening of the finale. Guests including the full Top 10 finalists, Leigh-Anne Williams, Janez Vermeiren and Simba Mhere were invited to indulge in champagne and canapés as they watched the final episode of Top Billing‘s My Top Billing Dream reality show. The gorgeous MC for the evening, Jeannie D looked spectacular as she introduced the winner, Jonathan Boynton-Lee after the show. Winner of the second Top Billing presenter search, Jonathan was handed keys to his new Mercedes-Benz, which he will be the proud owner of for six months. Basetsana Kumalo handed each of the Top 4 contestants a luxurious watch and congratulated Lynelle Kenned, Chamendran Naidoo and Zama Ngcobo for reaching for their dreams and for having reached Top 4 in the competition. The celebrations continued in true glamourous style as a Top Billing viewer was handed her own set of keys to a Mercedes-Benz in the viewer competition.

Jonathan Boynton-Lee‘s My Top Billing Dream came true thanks to Top Billing and his passion, drive and ambition to succeed.

Follow @SABC3TopBilling on Twitter and Facebook for more of The Good Life.

In Top Billing spectacular style, Jonathan Boynton-Lee was selected as this year’s My Top Billing Dream winner last Tuesday. I took some time to chat with Lynelle Kenned, Chamendran Naidoo, Zama Ngcobo and Lauren Blackwell about their experiences as part of the Top 10 contestants on the reality show. A roller-coaster of experiences and emotions for each of the contestants, from the opportunity to live at one of Cape Town’s top hotels, 15 On Orange Hotel and be competing for the top spot on SA television’s premiere lifestyle show.

Top 4 contestant, Lynelle Kenned: “It’s about being good at not just one thing, but learning and continually pushing yourself and growing,” Lynelle adds. We spoke about Lynelle’s background in singing, as an opera singer and performing for a crowd and how that influenced her success in the competition. “More than anything, the opportunity that all of u got is just amazing. I’m so happy and proud of Jonathan,” says Lynelle, “I’m going to look forward to seeing him on TV every week.” she continues with a smile.

Top 4 contestant, Chamendran Naidoo: “I think from the start, ’til the end I showed continual growth and think that’s what kept me in the competition,” says Chamendran. “I was easy to teach and willing to learn.” A much more confidant Chamendran that at the start of the competition, we spoke about the surprise of being told he was selected from thousands of hopefuls to be a part of the Top 10. “The Top 4 and the Top 10, we all support him, we knew him from day one ’til the end.” Chamendran says about winner, Jonathan.

Top 4 contestant, Zama Ngcobo: “All in all it was new territory for me. I experienced and learnt a lot. Every task I was given from the beginning of the competition was new ground for me, and I performed to the best of my ability,” says Zama.

Top 5 contestant, Lauren Blackwell: Eliminated just a week after her interview with international pop star, Justin Bieber, Lauren has taken time to consider her future goals in media, acting and presenting. At the age of 19, she understands her achievement of being selected as a finalist in the competition. “I am so young, I’m 19 and I’m in the Top 10, now I’m 19 and I’m going to Australia, now I’m 19 and I’m interviewing Justin Bieber. I was very very fortunate,” Lauren says about her interview with Bieber. “I want to go back to studying. I want to do film, whether it’s directing, producing or acting, but I definitely want to be involved in media.”

Follow Lynelle Kenned, Chamendran Naidoo, Zama Ngcobo and Lauren Blackwell on Twitter to find out where this experience may lead them. Follow @SABC3TopBilling on Twitter and Facebook for more of The Good Life.

Entertainment icon, fashion icon, media mogul and television personality Bonang Matheba joins the Top Billing presenter team. Often referred to as ‘Queen B*’, Bonang has graced the covers of numerous high-fashion local and international magazines.

Tune in to Top Billing on Tuesday, 11 December 2012 at 8pm on SABC3 for her first episode on the show.

Yesterday morning, Top Billing presenter Bonang Matheba visited The Expresso Show on SABC3 to spread some Christmas cheer.

The theme to this year’s J&B Met is “Made To Fly” and I talk fashion with some of the most fashionable celebrities in South Africa at the luxurious African Pride 15 on Orange Hotel in Cape Town. “I think you can do a lot with it, the Met always create great themes,” says Miss South Africa 2009 Nicole Flint. Enlisting the talent of up and coming Cape Town fashion designer Victor Cook, who specializes in bridal and evening wear, Nicole talks a bit about her custom designed Met dress drawing inspiration from the use of color and fabrics, “I thought of a butterfly, that was the basic inspiration. This year I’m going to have fun, it’s such a great day… it’s about fashion and having fun.”

IT-Man of the moment and GQ’s Best Dressed Man 2012, Ty Keogh shared some of his thoughts about the Met and fashion styles for men and ventures a guess that perhaps the modern man in South Africa may stray from the obvious ‘big feather ensembles’, “I think its going to be step away from the ‘bird theme’, I think a lot of guys are gonna go for light airy summery looks,” says Ty, hoping for not too many white suits. Giving just a hint of what to expect from him this year, Ty eludes to a more aviation-inspired look, enlisting international clothing brand, Tiger Of Sweden, “I wanted to wear Tiger, because they cut a very sharp, clean image which is in line with my idea of aviation.” Painting a picture of the tailored style and masculinity held by pilots, Ty says, “That is where my mind goes to in terms of “Made To Fly”. It’s an iconic style. I like that clean cut classic look, so I’ve gone with an avian white combination. I’m going for clean, sophisticated and classic. Not over the top, if there’s any color, it’ll be a small amount to compliment my lovely date’s outfit.”

Top Billing presenter Jonathan Boynton-Lee may be making an appearance at the Met this year too and had this to say about the Met, “This will be my first time at the Met, I’m very excited and keen to see what it’s going to be all about.” Undecided about how he’ll interpret the theme, Jonathan mentions Markham, “The Signature Markham Store in Sandton have a great selection, that will fit quite nicely with the theme.”

“Summer… Summer colors, very flirty, very feminine, very fresh, with a hint of feathers and sunglasses by Sunglass Hut to complement my outfit,” says actress Natalie Becker as she plans to have fun with her ensemble this year and the ‘Made To Fly” theme.

Only one day left to perfect that J&B Met Made To Fly ensemble!

The annual J&B Met took place last Saturday at the Kenilworth Race Course where celebrities, hours-race enthusiast and fashionistas celebrated in style. This year, Sunglass Hut pulled out all the stops to create a VIP experience like no other at their Sunglass Hut Inner Circle VIP Marquee.

Jeannie D, as elegant as ever, enlisted the fashion expertise of Gert-Johan Coetzee to design her breathtaking ensemble. Miss South Africa 2011 Melinda Bam arrived with Mr South Africa 2011 Adriaan Bergh at her side, dressed by Peter Bondesio who designed her Miss Universe gown, “So proud to wear him, he always makes me feel like a princess,” says Melinda. Other celebrity guests included, actress Lee-Anne Summers wearing an elegant French Connection FCUK dress and Lee-Ann Liebenberg wearing a stunning Gavin Rajah ensemble.

Guests were spoiled at the Sunglass Hut tent, as champagne, canapé and deserts were served the entire day, with vibrant party music filling the air. Jennifer Su, dressed by Hip Hop Fashion with accessories by Joya Collection and Cindy Nell looked radiant while SABC3 Top Billing‘s Janez Vermeiren and Jonathan Boynton-Lee looked suave wearing classic aviators.

Television and radio personalities including Isidingo‘s Jay Anstey wearing a dragon-themed dress by Gert-Johan Coetzee, Boitumelo Thulo, Expresso Show‘s Graeme Richards, Tanya Nefdt and Ayanda Tini also dressed to the nines for this fashionable event.

Leigh-Anne Williams, in her second ensemble change for the day, looked spectacular in a little black number with feather detail, whilst model Lisa Cowley opted for a classic navy blue look.

Soccer players Ryan Botha and Matthew Booth,who arrived with his lovely wife Sonia  indulged in the afternoon’s spoils. Ty Keogh, dressed by Tiger of Sweden arrived with Nicole Flint dressed by Charlene Sauerman and The Wild co-star Keenan Arrison. Bringing a dash of colour, Brand Ambassadors PR owner, Thulane Hadebe added some spice to his Met-look. Katlego Maboe went for a fairy-tale interpretation of the ‘Made To Fly’ theme, with a Aladin inspired look and Brigitte Willers looked amazing in a white ensemble by Kobus Dippenaar with a petit fascinator to finish this elegant look.

It was all VIP treatment at the Sunglass Hut Inner Circle tent at the J&B Met as we all celebrated well into the evening.

Special thanks to Cavendish Square and Stuttafords for dressing me for this event as well as African Pride Hotels 15 on Orange Hotel for hosting me.

Special thanks to Sunglass Hut!

South African television personality on SABC3 Top Billing, Jonathan Boynton-Lee. (Phototographed at African Pride Hotels 15 on Orange Hotel in Cape Town.

The Pick n Pay Argus Cycle Tour took place this past Sunday and saw cycling enthusiasts, celebrities and fans flock to Cape Town from all over the world to take part in this sport. British business tycoon, Sir Richard Branson completed the full race in good time with his team of Virgin Active cyclists as a show of support for this annual cycling event. Chatting to Sir Richard Branson, it was clear that he was pleased with his performance on the race and proud of his Virgin Active team. South African television personalities, SABC3 Top Billing‘s Janez Vermeiren proudly lead the team of cyclists from the Velokhaya The Life Cycling Academy on his Pick n Pay ‘Like Bike’ along with SABC3 Expresso Morning Show‘s Katlego Maboe, Ewan Strydom and Graeme Richards. Also completing the race to raise funds for the Velokhaya The Life Cycling Academy in association with Pick n Pay, the celebrity team behind the Velokhaya team of kids made good time for a good cause. Learn more about Velokhaya The Life Cycling Academy Like Bike here.

Last week, Magnum South Africa invited some of Cape Town’s top names in media as well as celebrity guests to introduce their new campaign, Magnum “Pink & Black”. The event took place at Cape Town’s summer hot-spot, Shimmy Beach Club with our host for the afternoon, Top Billing presenter Janez Vermeiren. Guests included Top Travel‘s Jeannie D, who is set to release her debut fragrance available in stores soon as well as Top Billing presenter and the face of Revlon South Africa Bonang Matheba. The event unveiled a first in South Africa, a live Twitter Auction where participants could win prizes including iPads and designer shoes. With canapés and champagne, guests including model Lisa Cowley, radio personality Gareth Cliff and television personalities Ewan Strydom, Danine Naidoo, Tanya Nefdt and Tracey Lange and myself certainly felt spoilt by Magnum as the afternoon progressed. The main Magnum Pink & Black event will take place in Johannesburg on 23 November 2013. Follow MagnumSA on Twitter for more about this campaign and the event.

Without a doubt my personal favorite equestrian event on the social calendar in South Africa, The 153rd L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate takes place this weekend, 11 January 2014 at the Kenilworth Race Course in Cape Town. Guests including some of South Africa’s biggest names in entertainment, media and television cordially dress to the nines in blue and white, as this stylish event’s dress code demands.  In it’s own league as a horse-racing event, the Queen’s Plate over the years have hosted celebrities including former Miss South Africa & television personality  Jo-Ann Strauss, Jennifer Su, the gorgeous (and for the second time, radiantly pregnant) Lee-Ann Liebenberg with her husband Nicky Van Der Walt. Also seen at the Queen’s Plate, SA’s very own Olympic swimmer Ryk Neethling, television personality on SABC3‘s Top Billing and Top Travel Janez Vermeiren,  Roxy Louw, Kuli Roberts, Marc Lottering, Chad Saaiman, Pearl Thusi, Leigh-Anne Williams, Natalie Becker, Tanya Nefdt, Gina Myers, Kia Johnson, Elana Afrika. This year promises to be as elegant as ever as guests fly from all over the country to attend.

I look forward to sharing champagne and canapés while enjoying the horse races with good company at the 153rd Annual L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate as Spoit Hair Salon takes care of my styling and Hilton Weiner ensures that I am dressed to impress. Ladies and gentlemen, dress your best in blue and white and you may be entered into the Best Dressed & Best Dressed Man competitions. Fascinators out in full force as the judges are allows on the lookout for something inspiring to win in that category.

Over the next few days leading to the event, visit my Twitter Page (@denziljacobs), Facebook Page and Instagram Page as I post images I’ve taken at previous LQP events… Click on the links above.

To purchase tickets and for more information, please visit www.lqp.co.za.

This summer, Jacobs coffee is shaking things up by introducing a trendy new way to enjoy your original Jacobs instant coffee, as Jacobs Iced Coffee. From March 2014 Jacobs Coffee Iced Coffee hits stores nationwide to show how just how easy it is to shake things up. Fans will not only have the opportunity to taste the delicious new Jacobs Iced Coffee, buy receive a Jacobs shaker with a recipe booklet when purchasing a jar of Jacobs coffee. Also, in ten top malls in South Africa nation wide Jacobs Iced Coffee brings the summer experience to life with a Jacobs Iced Coffee Café complete with cocktail flarers, free WiFi and barista competitions with exciting prizes up for grabs.

Yesterday, Shimmy Beach Club in Cape Town hosted the Jacobs Iced experience with hosts, Top Billing presenters, Jonathan Boynton-Lee and Simba Mhere with a special guest appearance by SA top model Tracy McGregor. VIP guests at this invitation only event included actor Ty Keogh, television presenters Leigh-Anne Williams, Katlego Maboe, Liezel van der Westhuizen, comedian Siv Ngesi with Goodhope FM DJ’s playing live at the event. Jacobs Coffee and Shimmy Beach pulled out all the stops to create a amazing atmosphere with barista competitions and a live performance by GoodLuck. Thank you Jacobs Coffee for a great experience and thank you Stuttafords SA and Tommy Hilfiger for dressing me!

For more information and recipes visit www.facebook.com/JacobsKronungSouthAfrica and follow on Twitter @JacobsKronungSA (Use the hashtag #JacobsIced) and Instagram @JacobsCoffeeSA.

For more information

John Jacob Zwiegelaar launched John Jacob Interiors in Cape Town in 2005. At 36, he has since made his name as a designer of unmistakable, highly bespoke, stylish interiors characterized by their attention to detail. To date he has clients in South Africa, the US and Europe, and his work includes not just the interiors of domestic and commercial projects, but private planes and a yacht and he’s coordinated new fabric ranges for a lifestyle brand called Studio H. Highlights of his portfolio include work with Gulfstream in the US to co-ordinate the design of the interiors of privately commissioned aircraft as well as the style of their external livery. He redecorated the guest accommodation at 18th-century Vergelegen, the Cape’s most historic Cape Dutch homestead, sourcing period antiques and art, and commissioning fixtures and fittings from celebrated local craftsmen. At the beginning of 2012, as creative director of Studio H, the new lifestyle brand of South African fabric house Hertex Fabrics, he launched a series of new fabric collections, and future plans will extend the brand to include a range of furniture and paint for domestic interiors. He designing the profile for, and interiors of, Luminance a bespoke department store in Johannesburg that will feature international luxury fashion brands. His work is featured prominently in Andrew Martin’s decorating annual (2010), and he stars in the book Style Icons, Top South African Designers and their Interiors (2011), alongside 15 of South Africa’s most prominent interior designers. John oversees the entire design process from architectural concept to the decoration of the interiors, custom furniture design and the treatment of the garden. If a project requires it, furniture and decorative accessories are sourced further afield – in the United Kingdom, France or wherever else is appropriate.

A few weeks ago, I was invited by John for sundowners at his Dunrobin apartment in Cape Town, which was featured on the top South African luxury and travel magazine televise show, Top Billing as well as the cover of Condé Nast‘s House & Garden Magazine. To say the least, the space was breathtakingly put together by this interior design genius. His use of shapes, colour and, my favourite part, texture was inspiring. It’s not a large space at all, but it still holds a sense of grandeur. Click here to see the feature on SABC3′s Top Billing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3R3rs3CVv0.