"Can't Be Right": Canadian-American TikToker Cooks and Rates SA’s Smiley and has Mzansi Defending It

• A TikTok creator cooking South African Smiley on day 26 of his worst-rated dishes challenge left Mzansi with a lot to say
• The creator boiled a whole lamb head seasoned with only salt and water, following what he understood to be the traditional method
• South Africans flooded the comments to defend Smiley, question the ranking, and debate whether he even cooked it correctly

A Canadian-American TikTok creator has ruffled some feathers after cooking and rating South Africa's Smiley as part of his ongoing food challenge series. His reaction to the dish, and the way he prepared it, sent Mzansi rushing to the comment section with plenty to say.

The creator, posting under the handle @bilaldawson, is documenting what he calls:

"Day 26 of trying a country's worst rated dish until I throw up."

On 27 September 2026, South Africa came up on the wheel, and the result was Smiley, the beloved township delicacy made from a whole sheep's head.

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He reacts to the sheep's head

Visibly stunned after discovering what he would be cooking, he looked directly at the camera and said,

"What is wrong with you South Africans? This can't be right."

He boiled the lamb head using only salt and water, claiming that traditional South African preparation relies on minimal seasoning. He did, however, sneak in some extra spice of his own before the taste test.

After working up the courage to try it, his verdict surprised even him. He admitted:

"Sadly, it's pretty good. It's actually good. That cheek meat, very soft, very tender."

He concluded that Smiley's real barrier is purely visual, arguing that if the meat were shredded and served without context, most people would enjoy it without a second thought.

View the TikTok video below:

Mzansi defends Smiley

The comment section erupted with South Africans who had strong feelings about both the dish and its ranking. Below are some of the reactions:

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@⚕𝐒⋆⋆𝐌☠︎︎ fired back:

"Don't disrespect us 😡,this is very tasty 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦"

@Nai_Adelaide questioned the whole premise:

"Smiley is the worst? Over mopane worms?"

@ACIO disagreed with the ranking entirely:

"That is NOT our worst dish. It's prolly mugodu(tripe)"

@sfundoh_06 was just excited their country finally featured:

"Been here since day 1 finally get to see South Africa😭🔥"

@𝓣𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓰𝓸𝓯𝓪𝓽𝓼𝓸𓃵 had cooking notes:

"That's not how you cook it 😭😭"

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Source: Briefly News