As the highly anticipated finale of the popular and controversial television reality show Bigg Boss 17, hosted by Salman Khan, approaches, fans are eagerly awaiting the announcement of the winner. The season, which commenced on October 15, made headlines every day due to various reasons. From wildcard entries to controversial moments, the show managed to keep the audiences hooked.
Before Bigg Boss 17 comes to an end, take a look at some of the major highlights that contributed to the overall popularity and buzz surrounding the show.
'Mastermind' Vicky's dominance
Businessman Vicky Jain, who entered the BB17 house with his actress-wife Ankita Lokhande, emerged as one of the dominant and controversial contestants in the house. His strong personality and conflicts with other contestants were major talking points. Because of his game plans, he was also called the 'mastermind' of this season.
Ankita and Vicky's constant fights
Time and again, Vicky and Ankita had heated arguments and fights. Their conflicts ranged from emotional unavailability and a lack of mutual understanding to numerous allegations made against each other. At one point, they even talked about getting a divorce after the show.
Samarth's wildcard entry and Abhishek breakdown
Bigg Boss 17 has been full of surprises and Isha Malaviya received the biggest one when her 'current' boyfriend, Samarth Jurel, entered the show as a wildcard contestant. However, on seeing Samarth, Isha refused to accept that he is her boyfriend. She was hesitant to accept him because of her ex-boyfriend and co-contestant, Abhishek Kumar.
Abhishek always maintained that he had feelings for Isha even after they broke up and on seeing Samarth, Abhishek got overwhelmed and had the biggest break down. He cried inconsolably and also had a panic attack. On the other hand, Samarth accused Isha of being fake, alleging that she had been toying with two hearts on the show.
Ayesha's shocking allegations against Munawar
Prior to her entry into the show as a wildcard contestant, Ayesha Khan levelled accusations against Munawar Faruqui, accusing him of two-timing. She mentioned that Munawar had professed love to her before entering the show, saying things like 'I love you' and expressing a desire to marry someone like her. During one of the episodes, Ayesha was seen accusing Munawar of having multiple relationships outside the house, and keeping her in the dark about the same. They had a major showdown and made several headlines.
When Abhishek slapped Samarth
In one of the episodes, Samarth and Abhishek engaged in a heated argument after the former and Isha made fun of Abhishek's mental health.
The conflict between the contestants unfolded during a nomination task and their disagreement intensified, leading to a heated altercation. Isha referred to Abhishek as 'mental bhopu,' and in response, Abhishek said, "Tere pyaar mein hi mental tha main. Tune mujhe mental karke chod diya." Subsequently, Abhishek slapped Samarth, leading to his eviction from the show. However, he was later brought back.
Jigna's press conference
For the first time in the history of Bigg Boss, only one contestant gave a press conference. Jigna Vira, a former journalist, faced false accusations linking her to the murder of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey. She was booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act. During the press conference, Jigna opened up about her horrifying experience in prison and how she overcame the difficult phase.
Vicky's mother receives hate
Vicky's mother and Ankita's sasu maa, Ranjana Jain, made headlines for her appearance in the Bigg Boss house, not once but twice. While she came to support his son, she also exemplified why marriages and relationships with in-laws in India are often referred to as walking red flags. During the family week, Ranjana had a private conversation with Ankita, revealing that after watching the episode in which Ankita kicked Vicky, she and her husband contacted the actor's mother.
She went on to mention that Vicky's father inquired with Ankita's mother if she used to kick her husband in a similar manner. This revelation visibly distressed the Pavitra Rishta actress. She was also trolled for not letting Ankita's mother speak when they were given a chance to interact with Vicky and Ankita.
Biased Bigg Boss!
Bigg Boss 17 always created buzz for its new biased format. Right at the start of the show, Bigg Boss addressed the contestants and talked about the potential for accusations of bias in the future if decisions do not align with certain individuals. To avoid such claims, Bigg Boss asserted that he has been and will continue to be transparent about the possibility of bias. "Ab se mai Danke ki chot par biased rahunga... Jo mere show ke liye kaam nahi aayenge, woh mere liye naa ke barabar hi hai," Bigg Boss had said.
Also, unlike previous seasons, Bigg Boss also interfered in conversations of the contestants and played along with them.
Ankita-Vicky vs Neil-Aishwarya
Initially, the real life couples, Ankita-Vicky and Neil-Aishwarya, were quite cordial with each other. In fact, they also admitted that they knew each other very well outside the Bigg Boss house and were good friends. However, during the game, especially after nomination tasks, they used to often engage in verbal spats. Their dynamics changed completed after Vicky called Aishwarya 'chudail' amid one of their major fights.