50 Fun Facts About Bigg Boss

Which Baywatch star entered the Bigg Boss house as a paid guest for three days in November 2010, during season 4?

Pamela Anderson's three-day stay, from day 44 to day 48, spiked the season 4 ratings and reportedly earned her 2.5 crore.

Which screen legend hosted Bigg Boss season 3, whose premiere drew a record audience of nearly 11 million viewers?

Amitabh Bachchan hosted only one season, but his debut lifted the launch to a 6.0 TVR and revived interest after a mixed second season. He handed the job on after 84 episodes.

Where do Bigg Boss housemates talk privately with Bigg Boss, the spot where nominations are sometimes made?

The Confession Room is where Bigg Boss listens and talks back, and the house around it has no television, phones, clocks, books, pens or paper. Big Brother's equivalent is the Diary Room.

In which Maharashtra hill station, in Pune district, did the Bigg Boss house stand for most early Hindi seasons?

Lonavala housed every early season except the fifth, and the same site was lent to the first Kannada, Bengali, Telugu and Marathi editions. From season 13 the house moved to Film City in Goregaon, Mumbai.

Which farmer won Bigg Boss season 10, the first to admit commoners, branded 'Indiawale', alongside celebrity housemates?

Manveer Gurjar became the first commoner to win Bigg Boss, beating Bani J in a season that was also the first streamed on Voot. The Indiawale had been chosen through public auditions.

What are the Saturday and Sunday Bigg Boss episodes called, where the host reviews the week and an eviction lands?

Weekend Ka Vaar gives the host the Saturday show to grade the housemates and the Sunday show for guests and the eviction. In seasons 16 and 17 it shifted to Friday and Saturday as Shukravar and Shanivar Ka Vaar.

Which television actress won Bigg Boss season 4, beating the WWE wrestler The Great Khali in the finale?

Shweta Tiwari took home a 1 crore prize in the first season hosted by Salman Khan, with The Great Khali, the season's first wild card, as runner-up.

Which Malayalam superstar has hosted Bigg Boss Malayalam on Asianet since the edition's debut in 2018?

Mohanlal has fronted every season of the Malayalam edition, which also holds the franchise record for the most housemates in a single season. Its first-season prize was a full 1 crore.

Which YouTuber entered Bigg Boss OTT 2 as a wildcard on day 26 and went on to win the whole season?

Elvish Yadav, a content creator known for comedy sketches and vlogs, won Bigg Boss OTT 2 in August 2023 with Abhishek Malhan as runner-up. It became the most successful OTT season of the three.

Which filmmaker hosted the first Bigg Boss OTT in 2021, a digital-only season streamed round the clock on Voot?

Karan Johar hosted the 42-day first season of Bigg Boss OTT, which had no television broadcast and a 25 lakh prize, half the TV show's usual 50 lakh. Nishant Bhat finished runner-up.

Which actor hosted the third and final Bigg Boss OTT in 2024, after Salman Khan had fronted the second?

Anil Kapoor's season proved the last: in January 2026 the OTT edition was cancelled and folded back into the television show. Naezy Sheikh finished runner-up in his season.

Which actor jointly hosted Bigg Boss season 5 with Salman Khan, the only Hindi season staged at ND Studios in Karjat?

Sanjay Dutt shared the stage for one season only; from season 6 Salman Khan hosted alone and became the franchise's longest-serving host. Juhi Parmar won that Karjat season.

Which choreographer hosted Bigg Boss Halla Bol, the season 8 extension, while its usual host shot Bajrangi Bhaijaan?

Farah Khan took over for a four-week Champions-versus-Challengers format in which five returning contestants faced the five season 8 finalists. Its finale scored a then record-low 2.82 TRP.

Which actress hosted Bigg Boss season 2, the first on Colors TV, where British guest Jade Goody walked out on day two?

Shilpa Shetty replaced the debut host after the show switched channels, and Jade Goody left the house when she learned she had cancer. Ashutosh Kaushik won the 98-day season.

Which Bollywood actor hosted the debut Bigg Boss season on Sony TV in 2006, the only season never aired on Colors?

Arshad Warsi presented an 86-day first season with a 1 crore prize, before the licence passed to Viacom 18 and the show moved channels. It averaged a modest 1.96 TVR.

Which Aashiqui star won the debut Bigg Boss season, beating model Carol Gracias in a three-housemate final?

Rahul Roy, a former actor best known for Aashiqui, won the first season in January 2007, and his Aashiqui co-star Deepak Tijori had entered the same house as a wildcard.

Which Balika Vadhu actor won Bigg Boss season 13, the first Hindi season filmed at Film City in Goregaon?

Sidharth Shukla won a 141-day season that shut the BB Jail in week 16 to open a BB Elite Club, and it ranks among the most watched in the show's history. Asim Riaz was runner-up.

Which rapper won Bigg Boss season 16, the first season to stage its evictions on Saturdays rather than Sundays?

MC Stan, a rapper and music producer, won a season whose weekend shows moved to Friday and Saturday and which added a Sunday Bigg Bulletin segment. It ran 134 days.

Which stand-up comedian won Bigg Boss season 17, the 'Dil, Dimaag aur Dum' season, ahead of Abhishek Kumar?

Munawar Faruqui, a stand-up comedian and rapper, won a season that added a Sunday 'Just Chill' segment hosted by Arbaaz and Sohail Khan. The finale aired on 28 January 2024.

Which actress won Bigg Boss 14, the 'Ab Scene Paltega' season that opened with ex-contestants as Toofani Seniors?

Rubina Dilaik won a season that let Voot Select subscribers watch each episode 15 minutes early as 'Before TV', with Rahul Vaidya as runner-up.

Which Anupamaa actor won Bigg Boss season 19, the 'Gharwalon Ki Sarkaar' season that ran the house like a parliament?

Gaurav Khanna won a season whose housemates formed a government and held assembly debates, and which posted the show's most successful debut ever. Farrhana Bhatt was runner-up.

Which Sasural Simar Ka actress won Bigg Boss season 12, the 'Vichitra Jodis' edition, ahead of cricketer Sreesanth?

Dipika Kakar won a season built around 'strange pairs', with friends, co-workers, spouses and siblings entering the house together. Its launch night was billed 'Bigg Night'.

Which model-actress won Bigg Boss 7, a 15-week season longer than any before it, with Tanishaa Mukerji runner-up?

Gauahar Khan won the 'Saath 7' season on 28 December 2013, the fourth that Salman Khan hosted, after 104 days in the house. Ajaz Khan and Sangram Singh finished third and fourth.

Who won Bigg Boss 9, the 'Double Trouble' season in which housemates entered the house in pairs rather than alone?

Prince Narula won a season whose house exterior recreated the Garden of Eden and whose premiere twist paired the housemates up from day one. Rishabh Sinha was runner-up.

Who won the first Bigg Boss OTT, a 42-day digital season whose prize was 25 lakh rather than the TV show's 50?

Divya Agarwal beat Nishant Bhat in the September 2021 finale of a season that had no television broadcast at all. The OTT trophy came with 25 lakh.

Which model-actor won the first Bigg Boss Tamil, the edition's shortest season, beating lyricist Snehan in the final?

Arav took a 50 lakh prize from a 98-day season, and fellow housemate Bindu Madhavi went on to win the Telugu spin-off Bigg Boss Non-Stop. Snehan later returned for Bigg Boss Ultimate.

Which actor won the first Bigg Boss Telugu, the only Telugu season staged in Maharashtra before Annapurna Studios?

Siva Balaji won a 70-day first season hosted by Jr NTR, with a 50 lakh prize; every later Telugu season has run 105 days or more.

Which actor won the first Bigg Boss Kannada, the franchise's first regional edition, launched on ETV Kannada in 2013?

Vijay Raghavendra won a 99-day season watched by 47 cameras in the Hindi show's own Maharashtra house, with Arun Sagar as runner-up. The prize was 50 lakh.

Who won the first Bigg Boss Malayalam in 2018, a 98-day season with Pearle Maaney as runner-up?

Sabumon Abdusamad won the first Malayalam season, whose 1 crore prize matched the Hindi original's launch purse. Shiyas Kareem and Srinish Aravind were the next finalists.

Which Bigg Boss Marathi 2 winner went on to finish runner-up to a rapper in the Hindi show's season 16?

Shiv Thakare, an MTV Roadies Rising alumnus, won Bigg Boss Marathi 2 in 2019 and then lost the Hindi season 16 finale in February 2023. He later won The 50.

Which Kannada star has hosted every Bigg Boss Kannada season since 2013, across four different channels?

Sudeep has fronted the edition from ETV Kannada through Suvarna, Colors Kannada and Colors Super, and his hosting contract was extended five seasons at a stretch from season 3.

Which actor took over as host of Bigg Boss Tamil for season 8 in 2024, ending a seven-season run by his predecessor?

Vijay Sethupathi's first season launched with a 9.0 TVR and drew over 32 million television viewers in its opening week. Muthukumaran Jegatheesan won it.

Which actor has hosted Bigg Boss Telugu since season 3, after the first two seasons each used a different host?

Nagarjuna also hosts the digital spin-off Bigg Boss Non-Stop, and Ramya Krishnan stood in for him as a guest host during season 3.

Which director-actor hosted the first four seasons of Bigg Boss Marathi before Riteish Deshmukh took over for season 5?

Mahesh Manjrekar launched the only adaptation that carries its language in the show's official name, first from the Hindi show's hill-station house and then from Film City in Goregaon.

Which veteran actor hosted the first Bigg Boss Bangla in 2013, launched as the first Kannada season was wrapping up?

Mithun Chakraborty's edition offered a 20 lakh prize, the smallest in the franchise, and the Bengali version's only other season, hosted by Jeet on Colors Bangla, aired in 2016.

Which megastar's hour as chief guest at the Bigg Boss Telugu 3 finale drew a 22.4 rating for that hour alone?

Chiranjeevi's segment lifted a four-and-a-half-hour finale to 18.29 TVR overall, at the time the highest rating achieved by any Bigg Boss edition in India.

From its third season, Bigg Boss Kannada moved into a purpose-built house at Innovative Film City in which city?

Bengaluru got its own house because the Hindi and Kannada schedules were expected to overlap, and that house burned to ashes in February 2018 and had to be rebuilt for season 6.

Bigg Boss Tamil, the only edition never to use the Hindi show's Maharashtra house, films at EVP Film City in which city?

Chennai's EVP Film City has hosted every Tamil season, and the Malayalam edition borrowed it too for its second, third and sixth seasons.

Since its second season, Bigg Boss Telugu has been filmed in a house built at Annapurna Studios in which city?

Hyderabad's Annapurna Studios house gained a courtyard in season 3 and a balcony in season 7, and its unseen footage airs as Bigg Boss Buzzz.

How many housemates does each Bigg Boss contestant nominate weekly, under the Kannada, Telugu and Marathi rules?

Two nominations each, and those with the most face a public vote, usually losing one housemate on the weekend episode. Bigg Boss can also nominate directly for rule breaks.

What is the weekly allowance called that Bigg Boss housemates earn through tasks to buy food beyond the basic supplies?

Luxury budget money buys luxury food items on top of the supplied essentials, and it rises or falls with the outcome of the week's task. Season 1 even let housemates gamble on task results.

Which voice artist has been the unseen voice of Bigg Boss since the first season, across both the TV and OTT editions?

Atul Kapoor has voiced the authority figure since 2006, while Vijay Vikram Singh narrates the OTT edition. Housemates only ever hear him, never see him.

Which Bigg Boss Tamil 8 contestant set a franchise record by being nominated and saved every week of a 15-week stay?

Jacquline Lydia survived 15 consecutive public votes, more than anyone before her in the Indian franchise, in a season won by Muthukumaran Jegatheesan.

What slogan did the first Bigg Boss Kannada season adopt, with a theme song sung by Vijay Prakash?

Howdu Swami, 'Yes Sir', set the tone for a season that borrowed its logo, visual elements and house from the sixth Hindi season, with slight alterations. Season 2's slogan was 'Thamashene Alla', 'Not a Joke at all'.

Why did Bigg Boss Malayalam's second season stop on 20 March 2020 without crowning a winner?

The COVID-19 pandemic halted a 22-housemate season at EVP Film City that had promised its winner a flat worth 50 lakh. It remains the edition's only season without a winner.

Bigg Boss 9's house, with a Garden of Eden exterior and a Santorini kitchen, styled its bathroom after which city?

Las Vegas glitz lined the bathroom walls with mirrors and crimson furniture, in a house whose sections copied places from history and around the globe. It also featured a fortune-teller machine.

Who won Bigg Boss Halla Bol, the Champions-versus-Challengers extension that followed the season 8 finale?

Gautam Gulati beat Karishma Tanna by less than one percentage point of the vote, a photo finish confirmed by the tabulators Ernst & Young. The finale scored a then record-low 2.82 TRP.

Who won the third and final Bigg Boss OTT in 2024, a JioCinema Premium season with rapper Naezy as runner-up?

Sana Makbul lifted the trophy on 2 August 2024, and within eighteen months the OTT edition was cancelled and merged back into the television show.

Which actress guest-hosted a week of Bigg Boss Telugu season 4 while the regular host was away filming in Manali?

Samantha Akkineni's week 7 episode stretched to three hours and opened at 11.4 TVR. The season finale then hit a record 21.7 TVR.

Which actor won the 84-episode Bigg Boss 3, the show's second season on Colors TV, with Pravesh Rana runner-up?

Vindu Dara Singh won on 26 December 2009, at the end of a season also billed as 'Bigg Boss Tritiya'. Its host never returned for another season.