Sponsored by Pick n Pay and supported by Coca-Cola and Renault SA, the TV series is set to launch on SABC3 on 13 September with the winner walking away with the prize of R500 000 cash; a new Renault Koleos 4x4 valued at R325 000, a Cadac BraaiMaxx valued at R15 000 and the title of South Africa’s Ultimate Braai Master in December.

From a total of 6400 aspirant braai master entrants, Justin and his production team at Cooked in Africa Films short-listed 300 teams (of two contestants each) from around the country to take part in three regional auditions in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg during May and the first weekend of June. Auditions kicked off in Cape Town at Grand West Casino and Entertainment World on Saturday, 19 May, where 79 of the Western Cape’s hottest braai talents competed head to head, resulting in 15 finalists. The competition’s second audition took place at the Wild Coast Sun Resort and Casino on Saturday, 26 May in Kwa-Zulu Natal with 13 finalists making it through from the 35 competing teams; and the final audition at Sun City Resort saw 15 out of 54 of Gauteng’s best braai teams make it through the regional audition on Saturday, 2 June.

Pick n Pay’s general manager for marketing, Malcolm Mycroft along with Bonello also announced the final 14 teams and one wild card team on SABC3’s Expresso.

Selected from a pool of 43 short listed national finalists, the country’s top 15 teams to make it into the Ultimate Braai Master include:

• Team Fat Cow: friends from Durban, Warwick Thomas and Dayle Dohne
• Team Green Feet: friends from Cape Town, Tinus Els and Leki Mokiti
• Team Green Okes: friends from Johannesburg, Tshepo Nkosi and Modise Khoabane
• Team Who Dares Wins: married from Cape Town, Tubby Melidonis and Elaine Ensor Smith
• Team Coal Shoulder: partners from Johannesburg, Roger Harris and Lee Jennery
• Team Cooking Soul: brothers from Gauteng, Nqobani Mlagisi and Mbuso Mlagisi
• Team Umlilo: partners from Pretoria, Annerie Burger and Martyn John Schickerling
• Team Rust & Dust: brothers-in-law from Cape Town, Greg Gilowey and Karl Tessendorf
• Team 2M: friends from Pretoria, Sebastian Matroos and Dumisani Malaza
• Team Hout Cuisine: brothers from Cape Town, Oscar Faulkes and Chris Faulkes
• Team Chi Town Braaister: dating from Durban, Frank Dunn and Claire Walker
• Team The Stoned Olives: partners from Hermanus, Cape Town, Ronel Theron and Billy Stanley
• Team Which Way Braai Chicks: friends from Cape Town, Janie B Smit and Maudie Bleach
• Team Popeye & Olive: father and daughter from Durban, Roxanne van Breda and Barry Davis

The 14 teams are joined by Pick n Pay’s wild card team, represented by Johannesburg-based sisters from Team Gal Power, Gladness Sindi and Lethukuthula Ncengwa.

Says general manager for marketing at Pick n Pay, Malcolm Mycroft: “A large part of being South African is about being outdoors with friends and family enjoying a braai. As a brand that supports and celebrates the things that make us uniquely South African, we’ve been especially thrilled with the way South Africans have responded to this competition and the incredible talent and originality that’s been on display at each audition. Pick n Pay has elected to play its Wild Card by selecting an all-girl semi-finalist team from Soweto for their amazing spirit and determination. While the final teams to make it into the competition represent a rich and diverse group of aspirant braai masters, with Gal Power’s inclusion, we’re confident they’ll add their flair and talent to the mix and become real contenders in this hotly contested cooking competition.”

The final 15 Teams to take part in the Ultimate Braai Master reality TV competition will join host, Justin Bonello, on 13 July for the official start of the 52-day competition, which will see contestants travel 8000kms to compete in 13 location based challenges across South Africa.

“The gees (spirit) on display at the auditions have taken us all by surprise. It’s been like watching South African culture on steroids,” comments Justin. “While our selection criteria included character and personality, we were always aiming to select teams that were above average cooks. Contestants need to be able to work together under pressure and create interesting dishes while being entertaining at the same time. This competition is all about turning the braai stereotype on its head, and if the audition rounds represent a taste of things to come, then the TV Series is guaranteed to keep South Africans glued to their TV sets.”

The winning team will be announced in the final episode of Ultimate Braai Master, which will be screened on SABC3 on 6 December. Some of the most memorable recipes from the Series will be packaged into a new braai cookbook from Justin Bonello, which will be published by Penguin and available in stores before Christmas 2012.