You've seen him about in comedy circles and sitcoms but comedian Chris Forrest was probably better known for appearing in a variety of television commercials.
On Sunday night he upped his profile significantly by winning M-Net's first Celebrity MasterChef South Africa, beating singer Patricia Lewis by two points in the finale. In doing so he won R185,000 for his charity Villa of Hope, as well as a new car for the charity.
He also ensured months and months of mates and relatives popping over to sample his salmon trout ceviche and avocado sorbet.
It wasn't all bad news for Patricia either, who won R175,000 for her charity Food and Trees for Africa - only 10-grand less than Chris. Can't be a bad thing, since Africa will no doubt be getting lots more food and trees with that money. No flashy car for them, unfortch.
In case you missed the finale action, here's how it went down:
The two arrived in the MasterChef kitchen on the Nederburg wine estate in Paarl, to be met by their fellow contestants from the season, as well as representatives from the finalists' charities.
Judge Benny Masekwameng informed the contestants that this would be their final opportunity to significantly increase their charities' bank balances: the runner-up would receive R100,000 on top of their existing total and the winner would add R150,000 to theirs.
For their first challenge Chris and Patricia had to cook a seafood dish for their eight fellow contestants, who were no doubt mouthing "Bitch! Ho!" under their breaths, still bitter in defeat. This round wasn't scored by the judges but by their fallen comrades in a secret vote.
Patricia decided to make a seared tuna dish with roasted strawberries and gorgonzola, while Chris got adventurous with a salmon trout ceviche and an avocado sorbet. After tasting both dishes, the eight other celebrity contestants cast their votes and handed them to Pete, Benny and Reuben.
It was time to turn up the heat with a Pressure Test like no other. Chris and Patricia had to replicate a recipe for a saddle of lamb with a pistachio and dried apricot stuffing and a jus, accompanied by sweet potato dauphinoise and roasted cauliflower with breadcrumbs and pine nuts: a complex dish with many subtle elements.
Essentially, not mac and cheese. And here we thought a dauphinoise swam in the sea and was friendly with humans. Got a pile of 'em in uShaka Sea World, there by Durbs.
It turned out to be an incredibly stressful and emotional 2 hours and 15 minutes, especially for Patricia, but in the end they both plated and served complete dishes for the judges.
After some serious deliberation, the judges were ready to announce the scores from both challenges. The blind taste test done by the eight other celebrities revealed that Patricia scored 15 out of a possible 25 points, while Chris scored an impressive 22 out of 25 points overall, meaning that he went into the Pressure test with a clear points advantage.
Revealing their pressure test scores, the race became close, as Patricia received higher marks than Chris from both Benny and Pete. With just three points separating them, Reuben revealed that he scored Patricia 21 out of 25, and Chris 20 out of 25. Chris beat Patricia by a mere 2 points to clinch the title.
And years and years and years and years of bragging rights. Well, at least until next season. Dine out while ya can, Chris.
Bit of a rags to riches? A triumph for the EveryMan? We'd shed a tear, but we're still worrying about the dauphinoise. Is there such a thing as a manic Patricia fan base who are out for blood on this, their darkest of nights?
If so, find your way to the comments below.