A raunchy British reality-TV show, Love Island, has set up camp in a Cape Town neighbourhood better known for royalty, business tycoons and villains.
Upper Constantia is famous for residents such as Mark Thatcher, son of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Charles Spencer, brother of Princess Diana, who enjoyed swimming in a pool with a view across to Table Mountain, as well as German fraudster Jurgen Harksen and the Guptas.
But there are likely to be more amorous encounters at The Midden estate, in Belair Drive, where 12 British singletons will compete for a R1m prize in a risqué reality TV show.
The set of the latest Love Island series has been a closely guarded secret, although pictures of builders on site at a leafy location were leaked this week in the Daily Mail newspaper in the UK.
The Sunday Times has since established that:
- The Midden Cottage, designed by Cape Town architect Jon Jacobson, is an ultra-luxury lodge on an estate that hosted Miley Cyrus in an episode of Black Mirror;
- The house has a 1,600m² footprint with four bedrooms and five bathrooms, but has been extensively renovated to accommodate the Love Island contestants; and
- The house is on the market for R103m.
According to City of Cape Town records, the owner of the site is Italian tycoon Luca Bechis, 50, who made his fortune in hedge funds and now has interests in mines in Kenya and Mozambique, including one that holds the world’s largest deposit of vermiculite.
The Midden is nestled among Cape Town’s ultra-wealthy, flanked by wine estates on the slopes of the Vlakkenberg where owners include Stephanie Getty-Waibel and Cecile du Preez, both granddaughters of US oil baron Jean Paul Getty, once considered the world’s wealthiest man.
The Midden’s immediate neighbour is Constantia Mist, owned by property developer John Schooling.
The Sunday Times visited the area on Friday and saw film crews working on Schooling’s property, which is being used as a logistics centre for the filming.
A truck carrying portable toilets was leaving the property, while several shipping containers flanked a fence adjoining the neighbouring Eagle’s Nest wine estate. Eagle’s Nest staff were aware of the show, but did not know what it was about.
Pierre du Preez, Cecile’s husband, who owns Beau Constantia boutique wine farm and its celebrated restaurant, said some of the film crew had visited his farm.
He said he had also noticed a lot of recent helicopter activity.
Nick Schooling confirmed the crew were using Constantia Mist as a base. “We are just doing the logistics, sort of like a package deal,” Schooling said.
Hayley Agnew, of the location company Amazing Spaces, declined to confirm the identity of The Midden’s owner but said her company marketed the upmarket location.
Love Island is a dating show that recruits good-looking “Islanders” in their early 20s who must live in isolation under permanent video surveillance. The aim is for contestants to find their ideal match, and avoid being eliminated by other contestants, or via public vote.
The show is structured to facilitate steamy couplings, with a special tryst area where several memorable moments have occurred in the first five series, filmed in Spain in the European summer. The Constantia series is the first made in winter.
The ITV2 show is presented by British personality Caroline Flack, who visited the site earlier this year. On its website, ITV2 says of the latest series: “Our Islanders will spend time in a luxury villa in the hope of finding love, but to remain in paradise they must win the hearts of the public and their fellow Islanders, who ultimately decide their fate.”
The Daily Mail said the South African venue was the swankiest in the series’ history, thanks largely to the exquisite mansion. “Key areas instantly recognisable to Love Island fans are the circular fire pit, the pool and the lavish outdoor seating area, including the day beds and roof terrace,” it said.
“The spacious abode, which is located in one of SA’s most exclusive areas, looks even more lavish than the regular villa in Mallorca — and certainly twice the square footage.”
The series is scheduled to debut on January 8, about a week after contestants arrive in Cape Town, according to the Daily Mail.
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