Jemma joked that despite leaving South Africa at the age of six, her South African accent still slips through at times.
Image: X/@OtakuKart
Reality shows are not going anywhere, whether you love them or roll your eyes at them. And if it is your guilty pleasure, then you are probably already watching "Confidential Calabasas" on Netflix.
The streaming series taps into the familiar Calabasas reality TV world, where wealth, image and social status all blur into one carefully managed lifestyle.
It follows a group of people navigating relationships, ambition and life in one of California’s most talked-about areas, where presentation often matters just as much as reality.
However, I am not here to talk your ears off about yet another reality series meant to rot our brains.
What actually stood out in episode five was a familiar voice for South Africans. Jemma, one of the cast members, opens up in a conversation with her father about their move to the United States and what life has really looked like since leaving home.
Hearing that classic South African accent come through from her parents, Marius and Charlene, is oddly comforting in the middle of all that California gloss.
The family is seen relaxing outside their stunning home, the kind with views that stretch for days, even if we will politely argue that nothing quite beats South African skies.
During the conversation, her father mentions, “So you know mom and I are going back to South Africa in December,” before turning the question to Jemma about whether she will join them.
Because who does not want to be in Mzansi in December? Jemma, however, is not entirely sold on the idea, brushing it off with, “I feel like it is a long flight.”
Okay girl.
The moment then shifts into something more grounded. Jemma reflects on their early days in America, revealing that things were far from glamorous.
The family of five lived in a small two-bedroom apartment, with her sleeping on a mattress in her parents’ room for two years while they tried to find their footing. Her father worked multiple jobs, including delivering newspapers, just to keep things going.
“We did not live the typical American dream after moving,” she explains.
She further quipped that her South African roots occasionally resurface in her speech, noting that her pronunciation of "o" sounds is sometimes even confused for a speech impediment by others.
You can take the person out of South Africa, but clearly, you cannot take South Africa out of the person.