Spellbound: M-Net’s new game show!

How well can you spell?

Show off your superlative word skills by entering M-Net’s Spellbound!

ou can’t sing – not even in the shower. Your carefully planned delectable dishes end up being despicable disasters. You simply don’t have the stamina to survive on a deserted island. And your budding entrepreneurial skills won’t turn you into the next big business mogul. But, the day spelling talent was handed out, you were in front of the queue, just behind the Oxford dictionary. Finally, it’s your time to shine on M-Net!

This October, pioneering television network M-Net is celebrated 30 years of timeless magic. It was also the month during which M-Net’s premium channel, M-Net 101, toured the country to hold auditions for the next season of The Voice SA as well as the month thatthe channel introduced the highly entertaining new local reality show Shark Tank South Africa. But there’s more up the M-Net 101 sleeve: The channel is producing a brand-new, family-friendly game show called Spellbound, based on the concept of a spelling bee, and is looking for word whizzes who could become the country’s English spelling and grammar champions.

Spellbound will test contestants’ word skills in a fun and interactive way and will include super spellers from different age groups. There will be a round for primary school learners between the ages of 10 and 13, a round for high school learners between the ages of 14 and 18, and one for adults of all ages, as long as they’re over 18 and are South African citizens or permanent residents. The learners must currently be attending school in South Africa and must have the permission of their parents or legal guardians to take part in the show.

Apart from the exhilarating thrill that comes from knowing that you’re the country’s number one letter-master in your age group, winners – and their schools – will walk away with cash prizes.

“Spellbound is a wonderful local addition to our M-Net 101 schedule,” says Jan du Plessis, Director: M-Net Channels. “Spelling bees have become all the rage across the world and while the contestants will be giving it a go on television, the entire family at home can test their own skills and brush up on their grammar. It’s education wrapped in great fun.”

Two celebrities who M-Net audiences will fondly remember are back on the channel as the new hosts of Spellbound, M-Net’s latest game show format which is due to start on Sunday, 20 November at 17:00. Jason Greer and Vanessa Marawa are joining forces to challenge South African learners and adults alike to battle it out to see who is the greatest word whizz of them all.

Vanessa Marawa was the first winner of Survivor South Africa and after spearheading the reality show The Loot on M-Net’s youth channel GO, Jason became one of the presenters of the glitzy M-Net magazine show, All Access.

While Vanessa takes on the role of quiz master in Spellbound, firing the difficult questions in the contestants’ direction, Jason introduces the contestants, the games and ensures that the show runs smoothly.

It’s been exactly a decade since Vanessa Marawa survived the harsh conditions on a desolate island in Panama and she says that being a host on Spellbound is like coming home: “I can’t believe that it was a whole ten years ago since I was on M-Net, but how fitting for me to come full circle again in the year that the channel is turning 30,” Vanessa says. Jason, who has loads of experience under his belt as he’s enjoyed years of being a presenter, host, actor and MC in the entertainment industry, is equally delighted to join the M-Net family again. “Incidentally, Homebrew Films, the production company responsible for Spellbound, also produced All Access. So in a sense, I’m coming full circle too,” he says.

Spellbound will test contestants’ word skills in a fun and interactive way and will include super spellers from different age groups. There will be a round for primary school learners between the ages of 10 and 13, a round for high school learners between the ages of 14 and 18, and one for adults of all ages. Apart from the exhilarating thrill that comes from knowing that you’re the country’s number one letter-master in your age group, winners – and their schools – will walk away with some great prizes.

To find out more about this fun game show, visit www.mnet.tv/spellbound or follow the conversation about the show on @MNet’s Twitter account with the hashtag #MNetSpellbound. The series will also be available on DStv Catch Up and streamed live on DStv Now.

Spellbound is produced for M-Net by Homebrew Films and will be screened on M-Net 101 on Sundays at 17:00 from 20 November 2016.