Ever imagined Wedding Bashers but for baby showers?
Well, not only have Eastern Cape TV and radio star Anele Mdoda, and colleagues Frankie du Toit and Paul Buys imagined it — they have made it a reality.
With KwaMagxaki “mompreneur” Olwethu Leshabane at the centre of it all, Mdoda and her 947 breakfast show co-hosts are the brains behind new 1Magic reality show Oh Baby, which premiered last Friday.
The show sees Leshabane team up with different celebrity moms each Friday to attend baby showers and rate them in the categories of execution, enthusiasm, games, resilience and mom-to-be’s happiness.
At the end of the season there will be one winning baby shower, with the grand prize being a supply of nappies -- for as long as the baby needs them.
“This is not just a show about fluff and baby shower fun, but carries a deeper connection with the women and we get to hear the back stories of their journeys and a lot of obstacles faced by moms-to-be,” Leshabane said.
“There’s a story of a mom who has lost two babies in pregnancy before this baby and another mom of a teenager who lost her husband and father of her first child, who has now found love again and is pregnant.”
Widely known for her parenting blog and family-orientated content on Instagram, the mother of three boys said her own experience of pregnancy and motherhood came in handy in the show.
Leshabane sits in on during the organising stages of the showers to ensure the mothers’ preferences are considered.
“I am a very fussy person, and my first two baby showers were surprises and I had no say in them, so having been at a stage where your loved ones organise something for you, I am very strict with the organising committees I meet with on the shower.
“I hold them accountable and ensure that they know the mother well enough and are sure that whatever they do is something the mom would like,” she said.
“We don't want an instance where the mom feels like ‘you know, I’m really grateful for all you’ve done for me but this is not quite how I wanted something like this to play out’ so I am very strict about ensuring the organiser knows the mom well,” she added.
Some episodes of Oh Baby are still being shot in various locations around SA.
Leshabane attended a baby shower in East London and said it was one of her favourite episodes.
“This past weekend I was in East London and I can tell you it was absolutely one of my favourite ones, and it carries a beautiful element of sisterhood,” she said.
Asked if the show marked the beginning of her presenting career, Leshabane said she would consider returning to screen for anything in line with her passion for parenting.
“I am very intentional about everything I do and the two things I’ve always prayed for are having a platform to connect with women, which is how and why I started my blog, and doing anything related to children, so I am hoping to return to TV.
“But it must be something with purpose and something that aligns with my passions,” she said.
Oh Baby airs on Fridays at 8.30pm on 1Magic, DStv channel 103.
The show is the first under Rose and Oaks, a production company by Mdoda, Du Toit and Buys.
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