Lasizwe Dambuza swaps awkward interviews for the kitchen on Celebrity Come Dine With Me

For someone who has built a career asking uncomfortable questions, Lasizwe Dambuza is discovering what happens when the spotlight turns in his direction.

The YouTube personality, whose Awkward Dates series has become synonymous with his bold interviewing style and knack for turning uncomfortable encounters into entertainment, is stepping into unfamiliar territory with Celebrity Come Dine With Me South Africa.

This time, there are no celebrities to interrogate, no awkward dates to navigate and no carefully controlled interviews. Instead, Lasizwe is opening his home, entertaining fellow contestants and putting his culinary abilities to the test, with his guests holding the power to judge him.

And if his own admission is anything to go by, the kitchen might not be his strongest territory.

“Listen, I won't lie to you. I don't really know how to cook! But I'm very good at following a recipe. And I'm even better at asking for help!” he said.

His definition of kitchen assistance, however, is somewhat questionable.

“The problem is, once I've asked you to help me, somehow I end up watching YOU cook instead of actually helping.”

Lasizwe describes himself as “a kitchen supervisor with excellent delegation skills”, a confession that sets the tone for what promises to be an entertaining dinner party.

But beneath the humour is an entertainer who is increasingly intentional about the spaces he occupies and the stories he tells.

Having spent years building his digital presence, Lasizwe sees Come Dine With Me South Africa as an opportunity to introduce audiences to a side of himself they may not necessarily have encountered before.

“I love Awkward Dates, but I also want people to experience Lasizwe in different environments,” he said.

On the cooking show, he relinquishes the control that comes with producing his own content, allowing himself to participate in an experience where other people get to form their own opinions.

“The biggest challenge was not being completely in control of how people experienced me.”

For someone accustomed to understanding the environment, pacing and storytelling of his own productions, the shift was refreshing.

“It forced me to be present instead of constantly thinking like a content creator.”

And being present apparently also means dealing with the occasional dinner-party disaster.

During filming, Lasizwe and his brother nearly burnt the meat while braaiing, with sibling bickering threatening to distract them from the fire.

“The meat was fighting for its life, and my brother was busy fighting with me!” he recalled.

It is the kind of chaotic, familiar moment that speaks to the personality audiences have come to love: dramatic, playful and unapologetically himself.

Yet Lasizwe is also conscious of the vulnerability that comes with putting himself in a position to be judged.

“I've been in the public eye for almost a decade, so I'm definitely familiar with criticism. But I won't pretend that criticism doesn't affect me. I'm human.”

Over the years, he has learnt to separate other people's opinions from his identity.

“You can tell me my food wasn't your favourite, and that's fine. But please don't start questioning my entire existence because of a potato.”

For Lasizwe, a dinner party is about more than what ends up on the plate. It is about the atmosphere, the conversations and the connections that emerge when people share a table.

“I wanted people to leave feeling like they had experienced something memorable.”

He also wanted his dinner party to reflect South African culture, bringing a sense of local personality to the food and its presentation.

“I think South African food has so much personality, and I wanted that to come through in my dinner party.”

The experience also offered an opportunity to see his fellow contestants beyond the personalities people might recognise from television or social media.

“We sometimes form opinions about people based on what we've seen online or heard about them. But sitting around a table, sharing food, and having conversations can reveal a completely different side of somebody.”

It is a sentiment that seems to mirror Lasizwe's own career trajectory.

While Awkward Dates remains a defining part of his brand, the entertainer is looking beyond a single format as he explores opportunities across television, entertainment and business.

“I'm at a point in my career where I'm becoming very intentional about the opportunities I accept. I don't want to spend the next ten years simply repeating what worked in the previous ten.”

His recent YouTube Creator of the Year win, after a decade of content creation, serves as a reminder of how far he has come.

The award was an emotional milestone, one that brought his late parents to mind.

“I remember sitting in my car afterwards, closing my eyes and having a moment with my late parents. I just wanted to tell them, ‘Guys, we finally did it!’”

For Lasizwe, the recognition represented more than an award. It was an acknowledgement of years of showing up, reinventing himself and continuing to create, even when the results took longer than expected.

Now, with Come Dine With Me South Africa, he is once again embracing the unfamiliar.

“I want to grow as an entertainer, a television personality, and a businessman. And sometimes growth means being willing to look completely ridiculous while trying something new.”

As for whether his fellow contestants should be worried about his cooking, Lasizwe is leaving audiences to make that decision.

“All I'm saying is that I came to serve. Whether it was food, entertainment, or both, you'll have to tune in to find out!”

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