If “The Mommy Club: Sugar & Spice” cast member Kim Jones had to be a spice, it would be cinnamon.
The new mom, who was still pregnant during the filming, is set to appear on Showmax’s Durban iteration of the hit reality show, which premièred on Thursday.
Other cast members include reality TV newcomers, Abigail Nepaul, Asharia Parsad, Christina Devraj, Devina Knowles, Lenore, Neetasha, and twins Losh and Resh Naidoo.
“‘Sugar & Spice’ is such a perfect title because you will need to see who is the sugar and who is the spice. Also what spices are we talking about, is it that red hot masala that’s just fiery or like a cinnamon or turmeric,” said Jones.
She added: “There’s different spices that people don’t think about, they think spice is just fire, but you can also have that slow burner, so it’s interesting to see which mommy matches to which spice.
“I would be a spice that is hard to miss, like cinnamon, if there’s to much of it, you going to know, it’s going to be spicy, but it always adds that nice, beautiful, subtle flavour that you can’t miss,” she said.
Being on a reality show for the first time, Jones admits that it has changed her perception of what it’s all about.
“The one thing I’ll like to clear up is that you would think, as a viewer, that stuff is made-up and it really isn’t.
“I really want people to believe me when I say that everything is not scripted, it’s not made up, what you see is real and honest and it’s real interaction between all the moms, so that was a highlight for me as well. I liked that.
“I watch some forms of reality TV like ‘Come Dine With Me’, the Joburg edition of ‘The Mommy Club’ and some ‘Real Housewives’, I think all of them have different elements. And my perception of reality TV, having been on a show, has definitely changed because being behind the camera, being yourself and having people view that, can be challenging and exciting.”
About filming at the most difficult time of her pregnancy, she revealed: “I was in my third trimester during filming, you will actually see me growing on the show which is going to be really cool.
“The fact that I was pregnant and filming was a big thing for me. Especially at that late stage and you are tired all the time.
“Waking up and looking fabulous is not the thing you want to do all the time, but to still wake up and show up was very exciting, it just shows that a mom and women in general, can do anything that they are put out to do.”
Jones’s said that viewers are in for a rocky ride but, amid the drama, there are also many authentic moments that will offer “aspiration and inspiration” to those who tune in.
“A lot of people think reality TV is generally negative, but there are also such wholesome moments on the show that, as moms, we want to portray and moments of who we are, how we grew up and the stories of what we do, which makes the show very inspirational and aspirational.
“We, South African Indians have a different flavour, flair and a different story to tell because we’ve been here through generations.
“It’s going to be so beautiful to showcase our culture, diversity, and even slang and basically what South African Indians have to showcase to the world, it is so different from any other Indian living anywhere else in the world.”
She shared: “We will watch the show when it airs weekly so we don’t have any notion of what’s going to be shown. It’s going to be very interesting to watch it and watch back.
“So far, from the trailer, I’ve had good feedback so it’s going to be exciting to see how people view me, like if I match up to who I really am.
“I see myself as silly and very down to earth and relatable as a new mom.”
Should the the show be given the greenlight for season two, Jones said she would be happy to return.
“I would be very excited to go back. I think it would be a very different chapter for me because as a pregnant and hormonal woman doing a TV show, you are a very different person, so I think it would be very cool to be an actual full-time mom who is also juggling work,” she ended.
∎ “The Mommy Club: Sugar & Spice” is streaming on Showmax.