JR Wins Tropika Island of Treasure III
South African Hip Hop artist JR ‘showed dem’ he is more than just a nicely tuned vocal box, when he walked away with R1 million on e.tv’s Tropika Island of Treasure.

The third season of Tropika Island of Treasure was launched on Sunday 20 February on e.tv and saw seven celebrities and seven consumers all competing for the R1 millon grand prize. Set on the exotic Island of Phuket in Thailand contestants participated in a range of exciting and whacky challenges. At the end of each day, the winner would vote out another contestant, sending them home. Hosted by South African celebrity and radio personality, DJ Fresh and Lalla hirayama, Tropika Island of Treasure featured the likes of Khanyi Mbau, Loyiso Gola, Tatum Keshwar, Bonang Matheba, JR, Dionne Song and Snotkop.
JR sure was a crowd favourite avoiding elimination each time. He notes that the biggest challenge was getting along with all the different personalities, trying to adapt and compromise. With the final four – Thandeka Steenkamp, Dionne Song, JR and Latoya Ragebult competing in the finale, JR was not only the last man standing but the last male celebrity in the competition. JR was certainly no ladies’ man on this day and had us glued to our seats as he battled it out to locate three gold Tropika bottles before crossing the finish line. When asked what he is going to do with the money JR says, “I haven’t really thought about it, I think once the money is in my bank account it will become more real. But I’ll probably just spend it on my house.”
There is no doubt that the perseverance and dedication shown during this reality series is the same reason JR has experienced a rising and successful career in the music industry.