{
  "id": 7344592,
  "title": "‘I enjoy spending time in the kitchen’: Former Springbok captain John Smit beats a fan in a cook-off",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/i-enjoy-spending-time-in-the-kitchen-former-springbok-captain-john",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-14T15:20:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/lifestyle/entertainment/celebrity-news/former-springbok-captain-john-smit-beats-a-fan-in-a-cook-off/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Former Springbok captain John Smit emerged victorious in a cook-off challenge against Pick n Pay customer Penny Nhlapo, as revealed by The Citizen. The cook-off, hosted by former Springbok player Steven Kitshoff, saw Nhlapo qualify after correctly identifying Smit as the Mystery Driver in a Pick n Pay asap! competition, earning her R10,000 and the opportunity to participate. Smit and Nhlapo each had 20 minutes to prepare their own versions of a burger using a selection of South African ingredients, with the judges assessing the creations on flavour, presentation, texture, and overall execution. Smit's \"The Big John\" burger, featuring onions, mushrooms, peppadews, cheese, chakalaka, mayonnaise, and chutney, was declared the winner. Smit expressed his love for food and cooking, while Nhlapo, for her part, chose ingredients for their health benefits.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}