Bae Beyond Borders

Season 1

List of cast members with selected details.

Name	Real Name	Age	Occupation	Country	Status
Zeze	Zezethu Mniki	31	Architect	South Africa	Single
Zezethu Mniki is from Johannesburg, from a broken home, with an abusive father. She describes herself as an introvert. She says “I am a reserved person, but I am also outgoing. I love to dress up and do my makeup and go out and have fun. I love people; I love being around people. I love nature and animals and often enjoy outdoor activities. I also enjoy going to new places and interacting with people of different cultures.”[2]
Nande	Nande Ramncwana	24	Social media influencer YouTuber Content creator	South Africa	Single
Nande Ramcwana is from the Eastern Cape and holds a diploma in Local Government Finance and an advanced diploma in Public Management. “Entering this show changed my life for the better,” she says. “There were so many invaluable lessons I got to learn about myself. I am going to use these lessons in my everyday life.”[2]
Mali	Malibongwe Gumede	31	Radio presenter Radio producer	South Africa	Single
Malibongwe Gumede is from Midrand, and describes herself as a strong and dynamic woman. In her words, she says “I love shopping, traveling, and going out with friends to eat some good food,” and further says, “Sometimes I can be an introvert and keep to myself.”[2]
Vuvu	Vuvu Maseti	30	Make-up artist	South Africa	Single
Vuvu Maseti is from Johannesburg, and describes herself as a proudly South African girl who was raised in Manchester, England. In her words, she says “I love to socialise; I like to think of myself as an introverted-extrovert but I’m the life of the party (according to my friends). I’m attracted to intelligent, good-looking, tall men. I love the arts and being able to express my creativity through my makeup work.”[3]
Eric	Eric Oshiokhai Akhigbe	27	Fitness influencer Model Actor	Nigeria	Single
Eric Oshiokhai Akhigbe is from Edo State. In his words, he says “I am willing to put myself out there finally. In a relationship, you have to constantly choose your partner, during your ups and downs that's the commitment, actually, and am all about that.”
Luciano	Luciano Okere	32	Journalist Businessman	Nigeria	Divorced
Luciano Okere is from Lagos. In his words, he says “I am interested in getting to know South African women to see how dating outside of Nigeria is,”. He further says “I am big on love and exploring different cultures, so when this opportunity came about, I grabbed it with both hands. I am ready for my South African queen.”[2]
Chidubem	Chidubem Okeke	31	Software developer	Nigeria	Single
Chidubem Okeke who has visited South Africa, and his older brother is married to a South African woman. In his words, he says “I have seen the beautiful love my brother and his wife share, and it inspires me to seek a similar connection for myself.”[2]
Kingsley	Kingsley Okparaebube Ndubuisi	34	Content creator Actor Model	Nigeria	Single
Kingsley Okparaebube Ndubuisi from Imo State. In his words, he says “South African women are very beautiful; I like how they dance, how they move and how they look.” Kingsley also has relatives who are married to South African women. From what they have shared with him, he is very interested in finding one for himself. “I heard that South African women are good to build with and that they bring peace.”[2]
Joshua	Joshua Richard	26	Actor Filmmaker Writer	Nigeria	Single
In his words, he says “I'm Igbo, my native name is Ifeanyi, which I believe means "God is my straight", I don't speak my native language.”
Peejay	Edozie Peter Chigozie	31	Musician	Nigeria	Single
In his words, he says “What will make me fall in love is someone who would choose to be with me whether I mess up or I don't. You don't find the perfect woman. You find someone who perfects you.”
Daniel C.	Daniel Christian	27	Singer Songwriter	Nigeria	Single
Daniel Christian is from Anambra State. In his words, he says “A perfect relationship for me, has to be a calm woman. You can't be with a Nigerian man and be pompous. It won't work, you have to be patient and industrious, Yes we're not going broke, have to work hard together, side by side. Of course, I will be the major captain, then you can be the co-captain. That kind of thing.” Further, he says “Before I get into a relationship with you, I have to know how your family is. I have to see the structure of your family. It's very important because if her family is messed up, that woman is 100% a mess.”
Amazn	Promise Amazing	32	Singer Songwriter Model	Nigeria	Single
Promise Amazing is from Enugu State. In his words, he says “I am single because I want to be sure of what I want; I want to settle down. So basically get someone who is sure of what she's doing. I love it when a woman is caring, kind, compassionate, and a go-getter. I enjoy a woman who knows what she wants. A hardworking woman. A woman who can actually balance her emotions. I like a woman with a good sense of humor.”
Franklyn	Franklyn Chikezie	23	Model	Nigeria	Single
Daniel	Daniel Emuan Osaro	26	Fitness trainer	Nigeria	Single
Daniel Emuan Osaro is from Benin, the capital and largest city of Edo State. In his words, he says “I like very natural girls, like physical speaking, with the figure 8.”
Babatunde	Babatunde	28	Musician	Nigeria	Single
Jazzy	Odudu Otu	24	Fitness Fashion Model Actor	Nigeria	Single
Odudu Otu from Akwa Ibom, where he was born and raised with his two younger brothers and parents. In search of greener pastures, he relocated to Abuja at the age of 20.

Couples progress

 Name  Unconfirmed Perfect Match  N/A 

Weekly summary

The main events in the Bae Beyond Borders villa are summarised in the table below.

Season 1 (2023)

Matching progress

Decisions are made by Zezethu Mniki, Nande Ramncwana, Malibongwe Gumede, and Vuvu Maseti on who gets evicted while looking for a perfect match.

  Perfect Match

  Unmatched and Dumped

  Saved

  Nominated

  No Nominations

  Dumped

The reality television series is executively produced by Zinzi Velelo Alake.^[10] On 9 October 2023, Showmax Stories shared a hint about the series and introduced its cast with its official trailer,^[11] unveiling Zezethu Mniki, Nande Ramncwana, Malibongwe Gumede, and Vuvu Maseti as the main cast of season 1,^[2] to be supported by Eric Oshiokhai Akhigbe, Luciano Okere, Chidubem Okeke, Kingsley Okparaebube Ndubuisi, Joshua Richard, Peejay Edozie, Daniel Christain, AMAZN, Franklyn, Daniel, Babatunde, and Jazzy.

On 12 October 2023, Bae Beyond Borders became controversial as Showmax and DSTV channel Honey was dragged by Nombuso Thobejane and her business partner Kwaile Lebopo, after Bae Beyond Borders trailer went viral. Nombuso and Kwaile said in the viral video “We had pitched the idea to Honey on 29 May this year under the name Loving Beyond Borders.”^[12] They further said how Showmax and Honey rejected the proposal for the show, asking them to: “Hold off until next year as they were not commissioning at that time and noted that they would be launching a dating format later this year.” However, Honey channel head Izelle Venter; debunked the claims labelled against them.^[12][13]

• Bae Beyond Borders at Showmax
• Bae Beyond Borders at IMDb