ExpaT-TainerS
he show “Rivals in Romance” on MNET Series early this year (now on Vuzu) was similar in concept to the American reality series “The Bachelor”. An eligible gentleman spends a number of weeks with a bevy of attractive single ladies from which he eventually chooses a ‘bride’. The main difference in the South African version was that instead of one man, there were two guys -Paul Phiri and Jonathan Klopper - fighting for the affection of 16 women . The final three girls -Shoneez, Terry and Tebogo- voted two to one for Paul to be the remaining bachelor. In the final episode, Paul picked Jo’burg based banker Shoneez Sidat as the winning lady. Here is our chat with Paul after the show wrapped up.
and jeans. I was later involved in marketing for such brands as Cartoon Network and most recently was a Customer Relationship Amplifier for British American Tobacco (BAT). How did you get to take part in Rivals in Romance? I saw the advert on TV and actually thought it would be good for some of my friends and recommended it to them. I don’t have a six pack or anything so I didn’t think it was for me. However, some people encouraged me to apply and
whole bad boy image is the way they (the producers) wanted to take the show. I only found out afterwards that I was perceived to be a bad boy. People who see me in that light don’t really know me the way my close friends and family do. I am really a very chilled guy. Perhaps the fact that I have a lot of confidence and know how to charm the ladies is what caused that misconception. With a white ‘co-bachelor’ and girls from different backgrounds, was there any ‘race’ angle to the show? Well with Jonathan there was. He made it clear that he wanted to stick to his race and at some point even associated our African food mogodu with dog poo. I would never be friends with that guy and beating him in the competition was the biggest highlight for me. I was raised not to see colour and my options when it came to the girls were very open. When my mum came onto the show, she spoke most highly of Terry who is white. I also loved her attitude and did not give much thought to her European descent.
“Girls seem to love the bad boy image and do crazy things to get my attention.”
What can you tell us about yourself? I was born in Lusaka, Zambia in 1983 as the first born child of a Malawian father and Zambian mother. We moved to South Africa two years later. I grew up in both Hillbrow and Soweto and found the first few years here tough as I felt like I was being judged for being a foreigner. Kids would say nasty things based on what they heard from their parents at home. Nevertheless I made the best of my experience here and pursued my dreams in entertainment. I used to be a professional dancer for Loyiso and Thembi Syete and also ventured into fashion by making ladies bags
I thought what the heck; I was single and the publicity would also be good for my career as an entertainer. After the auditions, I was called in for medicals and then informed I had got the role. I prayed and fasted about it and settled into the idea. I had done some modelling as a child so I knew I would be comfortable in front of the camera. What do you have to say about those who think you are a ‘player’ because of having kissed so many of the girls on the show? When I was told I had the role, all my guy friends were telling me to go out there and ‘do my thing’, but that isn’t me. I wasn’t about to go out there and start having sex with a whole bunch of girls. Kissing is not a big deal really and I feel that the
What has been the impact of the show on your life? It has been a roller coaster. People now recognise me in malls and clubs. My facebook and Blackberry messenger invites have substantially increased enabling me to grow my database. Girls seem to love the bad boy image and do crazy things to get my attention. I have since
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