Stream of the Day
New season of Living The Dream With Somizi on Showmax
South African superstar Somizi Mhlongo has always lived out his dreams – but in the past year, they have come crashing down.
Season 5 of Living the Dream With Somizi (LTDWS) is now streaming on Showmax, with new episodes every Wednesday until 6 July 2022.
The first episode starts with Somizi listening, for the first time, to the leaked audio of Mohale’s abuse allegations. This is followed by a frank video call with Vusi Nova, where they discuss how Somizi feels and some of Mohale’s claims about Somizi’s sex life. This sets the tone for an explosive episode, which also features Lockdown star Lorcia Cooper asking Somgaga directly, “Did you hit him?”.
“Living The Dream With Somizi S4 won the 2020 SAFTA, while Somizi & Mohale: The Union broke Showmax’s then-record for first day views when it launched,” says Candice Fangueiro, Showmax’s head of content. “So having shown fans the build-up to the wedding, and the ceremonies themselves, for balance, we wanted to also explore everything that followed.”
The season starts in the second half of 2021, with Somgaga’s career at a crossroads: he is taking time off from Idols and Metro FM, and has replaced his management team with himself. “If I thought iCovid was the tsunami, I thought wrong,” he says early in the episode, later admitting to Vusi that, after the allegations, “I lost nearly everything.”
But as Season 5 launches in May 2022, Somizi is in a very different place: on the cover of next month’s True Love, hosting hit shows on 1Magic (Downtime With Somizi) and Moja Love (Lovey Dovey), and returning to Idols for Season 18.
Season 5 charts that turnaround, while also showing Somizi mourning his mother, expanding the Sompirre, and exploring his calling. He’s also working on his relationships with his daughter Bahumi and his baby-momma, Palesa Madisakwane, who is still recovering from her horrific, near-fatal car crash in 2019. As usual for LTDWS, it’s going to be a star-studded season: look out for appearances from the likes of Cassper Nyovest, Kelly Khumalo, Pearl Thusi and 2022 DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice nominees Lerato Kganyago and Shauwn Mkhize.
“This season I’m living my life to the fullest, and showing the silver lining in every dark cloud,” says Somizi. “I’ve become more comfortable sharing my life and story with everyone; it’s now second nature. It doesn’t feel like I have to do something; everything just happens naturally.”
Somizi held an intimate, pajama-themed Episode 1 viewing party last night at Langhams in Fourways, Johannesburg, attended by his co-stars, close friends, family and the production team.
Reflecting on what he’s learnt over five seasons of Living The Dream With Somizi, Somgaga says, “My learning has been to be in the moment; life has become shorter than it was before. And to forgive quickly; never forget – you are allowed to cut off anything where love is no longer served on the table. And lastly, being a very kind human being, that for me is a big learning.”
