Get to know the Chocolate Kings: Exploring Mzansi’s Diverse Reality TV Landscape
With Mzansi’s reality TV landscape expanding, a plethora of genres are emerging, offering viewers a diverse array of entertainment options. The latest to emerge on the scene is the adult entertainment genre, with the most recent reality show to surface being Showmax’s Chocolate Kings, which follows five exotic dancers who aim to showcase their hustle and how exotic dancing can be a lucrative career, contrary to growing beliefs.
Amidst a sea of inquiries surrounding the show’s premise, where curiosity and indifference vie for attention, it has managed to bridge the gap, drawing both fans and the merely curious into its captivating world.
Let’s bring you closer to three of the eight cast members from this captivating show: Bonginkosi ‘Rush’ Msimang, Nhlanhla ‘Sweet Chillie’ Malinga, and Sizwe ‘Superman’ Mokgokong.
The cast all belong to an exotic dance company, Chocolate Factory, spearheaded by Sweet Chillie and the late Cardbury, which mainly operates in clubs. With a bigger vision in mind, the head honcho aims to commercialize their work and bring a certain level of normality to it in a world where perception is normally one-sided. Which is raunchy.
Behind the cast members are ordinary guys with their own stories to tell. We get you closer to the three
Rush
Born and bred in Protea Glen, Soweto, Rush was initially into the fitness lifestyle, and together with his two friends around 2012, they formed the fitness group SSG (Soweto Sexiest Guys).
It was only when an inbox came through, offering them a gig to entertain women at a local pub, did their worlds open up to new possibilities.
“It wasn’t a popular career path, but I truly didn’t care about what people thought. I still don’t. I was really interested in the money.
“I am doing it for growth because, since 2012, I have seen so many doors open for me. Apart from being an exotic dancer, there are so many other opportunities available to us, so this is just a stepping stone to reach the bigger dream that I have,” said the 32-year-old.
And while many have made remarks, Rush shares that his life has taken a positive turn to being independent and liberated by living outside of what people might think.
“But outside of not caring what people think about me, this career is not as easy as it might seem. So much goes into working on the craft and keeping fit, and this path has allowed me access to so many other people who have opened more doors for me,” he said.
Rush is not only an exotic dancer but also a personal trainer and an avid sportsman and athlete, with a desire to expand these parts of his talents, establish a gym, and make fitness attainable even for those who live ekasi.
Superman, on the other hand, was recruited during a time when he was still trying to figure out his life.
“As someone who takes pride in how I look, fitness, and all, I met Sweet Chillie this one time at the gym, and he approached me, suggesting this line of work.
“I had never heard of it up until that point, but I was open to seeing what it was about, as I am a curious person,” he said.
Superman hails from Lenasia but originally is from Limpopo’s Polokwane.
Two years into this career path, he shares how his world has changed and how he is able to provide for himself as opposed to when he was unemployed.
“After covering a gig the first time and coming back with R1 200 in just one night, I felt liberated.
“But obviously, stepping into the unknown comes with its fears, like wearing a g-string on stage. That took a lot of getting used to, but everything else was just about keeping an open mind and seeing a bigger future than just dancing on stage,” he said.
Passion and confidence have since brewed within him, with an opportunity to star on Skeem Saam as a bodyguard.
The remaining founder, Sweet-Chili, has always identified himself as a hustler who came to Johannesburg in search of a better life after the many struggles that he has encountered.
The dancing was introduced to him by a friend during a time when he was heartbroken after his then girlfriend cheated on him.
“I am a lover of art; I am a lover of theater, and when this art form was introduced to me, it made sense to me because I see it as art. It’s not what people perceive it as; it has the potential to grow and become something relatable to people. So it is dancing that is infused with eroticness, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that it is dancing,” he said.
Life has thrown Chilli around a few times: growing up in rural KwaZulu Natal, being rejected by his own father, living in different places once his mother remarried, and coming to the City of Gold to be closer to his brothers.
From a tender age, dance has always fascinated him, and recalls a time when he was fascinated by the amapantsula culture that once captivated Mzansi. Joining the movement, that marked the beginning of his long journey and relationship with dance.
“Exotic dancing has always been seen as taboo within society, but that is the whole point of what we do on TV now—to show people the realness of it and that it isn’t as bad as it has been portrayed,” he said.
And while many have vilified exotic dancing, Chilli is out to prove that his spirituality has nothing to do with his career. He is a prophet.
“I am just one person who has a talent, and I live for God. There are people out here who are doing far worse than me who just take off their clothes, dance for people, and get their money,” he said.
He makes it clear that they don’t sell sex, and the viral talks about them being ratchet just because of the word ‘exotic’ are far from the truth.
“The reception has been exactly what we wanted it to be, educational. That we are just normal talented men who are hustling in our own way and have our dreams and desires like anyone else.
“As much as exotic dancing has been looked down upon, we want to put regular, relatable faces to this career and remove the raunchy thoughts linked to it. It is like any other career,” he said.