Friends compete for friendship.

eMBALENHLE – Four friends won a cruise trip to Mozambique in December.

Messrs Sidney Mofokeng (23), Thabiso Msiya (23), Oupa Chewu (23), Ashtin Peterson (26) and Bob Manana (23) won this trip on the Friends Like These television programme.

Friends Like These is a South African television game show based on the British format by the same name and is produced locally by Urban Brew Studios.

Each week an all-male team of friends competes against an all-female group of friends to win a dream holiday.

To win their dream holiday, teams must complete in a series of challenges.

They play these challenges solo, one man against a woman.

Each person can play only once, so the pressure is really on to match the mate to the task.

Each challenge has been especially designed to suit both sexes – none of the tasks rely on strength, height or weight, but on control, balance, strategy, memory, technique and ability to remain calm when all else around you is a battlefield.

When the first five challenges have been completed, the winning team goes through to the final round where they get the opportunity to play for their own individual holiday tickets.

This is where their friendship really comes under the microscope, because each mate will be playing to win tickets for the others.

If a mate lets them down, they do not go away.

The pressure is on to win a ticket for your mates and the jeopardy is that you could win a ticket for your mate and they could then let you down and cost you the holiday.

They depend on each other.

Throughout the show, the teams are teased with a video clip of the holiday destination to show where they might or might not be going.

Mr Bob Manana said: “Friends Like These was a nice experience and it has strengthened our friendship.

“Though we had many challenges as we were going there, one of our friends could not go with us because of family problems so we had to find someone to fill his place.

“On the way we had a puncture which caused us to be late and we panicked even more.

“Fortunately when we got to the studio, they were still busy with another shooting which gave us a chance to relax and get to know our opponents.

“Finally our turn came and Sidney played and won the first game which was packing blocks.

“I lost the second game, chess, and the guys nearly ate me alive.

“Ashtin won the third game and Oupa played a game where he had to thread a needle with wool.

“Thabiso played the fifth game which was like golf and we won.

“We qualified for the last challenge which is called Face to Face and that was tough, but fortunately we know each other so we won again.”