As someone who was not a fan of “The Mommy Club” seasons one and two, I wasn’t holding out much hope for the spin-off series, “The Mommy Club: Sugar & Spice”.
Three episodes in, I’m hooked on the series.
Firstly, aside from “The Real Housewives of Durban”, there is a dearth of reality television programmes centred on the Indian community. As such, I hope this series paves the way for more content in a similar vein.
And kudos to POP24 for not playing into stereotypes and capturing the true nature of the cast of affluent mothers, who are powerhouses in their own right.
There are several favourites in the show. Resh Naidoo tops the list. Married to Prevan Naidoo, the owner of Baking Pan, the 45-year-old exudes warmth and is proud of her children Miashca, 18, a second-year student, and Thishae, 16, who is in high school.
Looking gorgeous in her saris and red dot, which in the Hindu religion signifies she is married, she shares the spotlight with her twin sister, Losh, who like Resh is an occupational therapist.
Losh too is very family-orientated. Married to Naven Naidoo, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon in Durban, she has triplet daughters, Dashriya, Daneha and Dayika.
The sisters get along like a house on fire and are charismatic and sociable.
A younger mom, Asharia Parsad is also very sweet-natured. An optometrist, she’s a daddy’s girl and her husband Trivesh gives her the princess treatment too. They adore their four-month-old baby boy, Veer.
Also, proud of her heritage, she looks ravishing in her saris.
The other sweet mommies in the cast include Abigail Nepaul, 41, a lawyer who has two girls, Azuri, 8, and Careira,6, with her lawyer husband. She is also a stepmom to his kids. While she’s a very traditional wife, she is all for women's empowerment.
Her values are shared by her close friend on the show, Devina Kowlas, 43, a former teacher who is now in real estate. Married to insurance magnate, Lavine Kowlas, she is the proud mom of daughter Loniqa, 11, and son Vihaan, 8.
An introvert, she is very loving and open about her unsuccessful pregnancies.
The other standout mom is Lenore Goss-Matjie, 45, who unpacks her struggles as a fibromyalgia sufferer on the show. Married to Neville Matjie, she has three children, two daughters, Meah, who is studying medicine, and Jiyaana, who is still in school, and a son Alessandro.
Boy oh boy, this is one sexy mama. As a dance coach, she has an enviably toned body, and is graceful and eloquent.
Her mixed heritage becomes a talking point for one of the cast members, especially after it emerged that she won Miss India KZN in 1998.
On the subject of drop-dead gorgeous moms, Neetasha Singh Bugwandin, 36, a model who recently tied the knot with her construction mogul husband, is a proud stepmother to Sohnia, 24 and Sunar, 18.
As with any reality show, there has to be a common meeting place for the ladies. And Kim Jones’s baby shower is that event. The 33-year-old mom-to-be is beautiful inside and out. She sees the good in everyone.
Married to Matt Jones, a former rugby player who is a DJ by night and entrepreneur by day, she is supported by her mom, a cancer survivor.
Amid all the positive energy of the cast, there is one who rocks the boat from the start: Christina Devraj. At 26, she is the youngest mom in the group.
She claims to have studied law at UKZN’s Howard College but the ladies aren’t entirely convinced about it. There is also a question mark on whether her husband Nate, a newly qualified doctor, is a general practitioner or specialist.
Bottom line, the mother of 15-month-old Jordan has zero social skills.
Aside from failing to read the room, she often talks before she thinks. Her foot-in-mouth tendency lands her in hot water often and the tipping point is at Lenore’s special event in episode three.
Christina’s ageist and racist comments turn a joyous and emotional moment into an awkward one.
Of course, it is still early days and cliques have yet to be formed and the cast's true colours coming to the fore.
However, if the episodes so far are anything to go by, it’s going to be an entertaining show. It’s such a positive fly-on-the-wall perspective of a community that is not often showcased in TV shows.
And it delivers on the sugar and spice element, too.
∎ “The Mommy Club: Sugar & Spice” is streaming on Showmax.