By Saurav Mehra Bigg Boss Telugu is one of the most popular reality television shows in the Telugu entertainment industry. It is the Telugu-language edition of the Indian Bigg Boss franchise, which is based on the international Big Brother format. The programme places contestants inside a specially designed house where they live without normal contact with the outside world while participating in tasks, nominations, eliminations and other challenges.
Bigg Boss Telugu premiered on 16 July 2017 on Star Maa. Jr NTR hosted the first season, while actor Nani took over for Season 2. From Season 3 onward, Nagarjuna Akkineni became the regular host and has remained closely associated with the programme. As of 2026, nine regular seasons of Bigg Boss Telugu have been completed, with Kalyan Padala being the latest winner.
List of Bigg Boss Telugu Winners
| Season | Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Host |
| Season 1 | 2017 | Siva Balaji | Aadarsh Balakrishna | Jr NTR |
| Season 2 | 2018 | Kaushal Manda | Geetha Madhuri | Nani |
| Season 3 | 2019 | Rahul Sipligunj | Sreemukhi | Nagarjuna |
| Season 4 | 2020 | Abijeet | Akhil Sarthak | Nagarjuna |
| Season 5 | 2021 | VJ Sunny | Shanmukh Jaswanth | Nagarjuna |
| Season 6 | 2022 | L. V. Revanth | Shrihan Shaik | Nagarjuna |
| Season 7 | 2023 | Pallavi Prashanth | Amardeep Chowdary | Nagarjuna |
| Season 8 | 2024 | Nikhil Maliyakkal | Gautham Krishna | Nagarjuna |
| Season 9 | 2025 | Kalyan Padala | Thanuja Puttaswamy | Nagarjuna |
| Season 10 | 2026 | To Be Announced | To Be Announced | Nagarjuna |
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 1 Winner – Siva Balaji
The first season of Bigg Boss Telugu premiered on 16 July 2017 on Star Maa. Popular actor Jr NTR made his television hosting debut with the programme.
The inaugural season was filmed at a specially constructed Bigg Boss house in Lonavala and ran for 70 days. A total of 16 housemates participated during the season.
Actor Siva Balaji emerged as the first-ever Bigg Boss Telugu winner.
Aadarsh Balakrishna finished as the runner-up.
The grand finale aired on 24 September 2017. Siva Balaji received the Bigg Boss trophy and ₹50 lakh prize money.
The first season established Bigg Boss as a major reality television franchise among Telugu viewers and paved the way for a longer format in subsequent editions.
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 2 Winner – Kaushal Manda
Season 2 premiered on 10 June 2018 and introduced a major hosting change. Actor Nani took over from Jr NTR.
The Bigg Boss house was also moved from Lonavala to Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad, which has remained the main production location for subsequent seasons.
Season 2 ran for 112 days, making it considerably longer than the inaugural edition. It featured 18 housemates and also allowed selected members of the general public to participate alongside celebrities.
Kaushal Manda emerged as the winner after receiving strong audience support throughout the competition.
Singer Geetha Madhuri finished as the runner-up.
The finale aired on 30 September 2018, with Kaushal receiving the trophy and ₹50 lakh prize money.
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 3 Winner – Rahul Sipligunj
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 3 premiered on 21 July 2019.
Actor Nagarjuna Akkineni became the new host, beginning his long association with the programme. Actress Ramya Krishnan temporarily handled hosting duties during one week when Nagarjuna was unavailable.
The season featured 17 housemates and continued for 105 days.
Singer Rahul Sipligunj emerged as the winner of Season 3.
Popular television presenter Sreemukhi finished as the first runner-up.
The grand finale took place on 3 November 2019. Rahul received the Bigg Boss trophy and winner’s prize.
Season 3 also established Nagarjuna as the regular face of Bigg Boss Telugu.
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 4 Winner – Abijeet
Season 4 premiered on 6 September 2020 during a period when television production was operating under restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nagarjuna returned as host, while actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu appeared as a guest host for one week.
A total of 19 contestants participated, and the season ran for 105 days.
Actor Abijeet emerged as the Bigg Boss Telugu Season 4 winner.
Akhil Sarthak finished as the runner-up.
During the finale, finalist Sohel accepted part of the available prize money and left the competition. As a result, Abijeet received the remaining cash prize along with the winner’s trophy and additional rewards.
The finale was held on 20 December 2020.
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 5 Winner – VJ Sunny
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 5 premiered on 5 September 2021, with Nagarjuna returning as host.
The season included 19 contestants and ran for 105 days.
Television actor and video jockey VJ Sunny emerged as the winner.
Popular digital creator Shanmukh Jaswanth finished as the runner-up, while Sreerama Chandra finished behind the top two.
The grand finale took place on 19 December 2021.
Sunny received the ₹50 lakh winner’s prize, along with a motorcycle and a residential plot valued separately.
His victory came after a season in which he built significant viewer support through his interactions, tasks and entertainment inside the house.
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 6 Winner – L. V. Revanth
Season 6 premiered on 4 September 2022.
Nagarjuna continued as host for the fourth consecutive season. The programme featured 21 housemates and continued for 105 days.
Playback singer L. V. Revanth, who had previously won Indian Idol Season 9, emerged as the Bigg Boss Telugu Season 6 champion.
Shrihan Shaik finished as the runner-up.
The Season 6 finale had an unusual twist. Shrihan accepted a cash offer and exited before the final winner announcement, while Revanth ultimately received the Bigg Boss trophy.
The grand finale aired on 18 December 2022.
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 7 Winner – Pallavi Prashanth
Season 7 premiered on 3 September 2023 with the theme “Ulta Pulta.”
Nagarjuna returned as host, and the competition featured 19 housemates over 105 days.
Farmer and social media personality Pallavi Prashanth emerged as the winner.
Television actor Amardeep Chowdary finished as the first runner-up, while Sivaji secured the next position among the finalists.
The grand finale aired on 17 December 2023.
Pallavi Prashanth’s victory was particularly notable because he entered the programme from a non-traditional entertainment background and developed strong support among viewers.
He received the championship trophy, cash prize, jewellery and a car as part of his winner rewards.
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 8 Winner – Nikhil Maliyakkal
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 8 premiered on 1 September 2024.
The season was promoted with the “Limitless” concept and again featured Nagarjuna as host.
A total of 22 housemates participated during the 105-day competition.
Actor Nikhil Maliyakkal emerged as the Season 8 winner.
Gautham Krishna finished as the first runner-up.
The grand finale was held on 15 December 2024.
Nikhil received the Bigg Boss Telugu trophy along with ₹55 lakh prize money and a car.
Season 8 also featured returning contestants and wildcard entrants, adding several twists to the traditional Bigg Boss format.
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 9 Winner – Kalyan Padala
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 9 premiered on 7 September 2025 on Star Maa and JioHotstar, with Nagarjuna returning as host for another season.
The edition was titled “Bigg Boss 9: Ranarangam” and introduced one of the biggest changes in the programme’s history.
The season placed a stronger emphasis on celebrities versus commoners. A selection programme called Bigg Boss Agnipariksha was used before the main season to choose members of the general public who would receive the opportunity to enter the Bigg Boss house.
A total of 22 housemates participated during the season, which lasted 105 days.
Kalyan Padala emerged as the winner of Bigg Boss Telugu Season 9.
Actress Thanuja Puttaswamy finished as the runner-up.
The grand finale took place on 21 December 2025.
Kalyan received the Bigg Boss trophy, ₹35 lakh cash prize and a car.
His victory was especially significant because he became the first commoner to win the regular Bigg Boss Telugu title. The result completed a season built heavily around the competition between celebrity contestants and participants selected from the general public.
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 10
Bigg Boss Telugu is preparing to return with its landmark Season 10 in 2026.
Nagarjuna is expected to continue as host, extending his association with the programme that began in Season 3.
The new season is being prepared for a September 2026 launch, with the makers once again using an Agnipariksha-style selection process to identify potential commoner contestants.
Since Season 10 has not yet concluded, there is no official winner or runner-up. Their names should be added to the Bigg Boss Telugu winners list only after the grand finale.
Bigg Boss Telugu Hosts Over the Years
Bigg Boss Telugu has had three main hosts since its debut.
- Jr NTR – Season 1
- Nani – Season 2
- Nagarjuna – Season 3 onward
Jr NTR launched the Telugu version in 2017 before Nani took over for the second season.
Nagarjuna became host in 2019 and has since become the personality most closely associated with Bigg Boss Telugu.
The weekend episodes generally feature his interactions with contestants, reviews of important incidents inside the house, discussions about behaviour and performance, eliminations and special tasks.
Ramya Krishnan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu have also temporarily hosted episodes when Nagarjuna was unavailable.
Bigg Boss Non-Stop Winner – Bindu Madhavi
Apart from the regular television series, the Telugu franchise introduced a separate digital edition called Bigg Boss Non-Stop in 2022.
The programme premiered on 26 February 2022 on Disney+ Hotstar and featured 24-hour streaming.
Nagarjuna hosted the digital edition.
Actress Bindu Madhavi emerged as the winner, while Akhil Sarthak finished as the runner-up.
The finale was held on 21 May 2022, after 84 days of competition.
Bindu Madhavi received the trophy and ₹40 lakh prize money.
As Bigg Boss Non-Stop was a separate digital spin-off, Bindu Madhavi is not included among the winners of regular Bigg Boss Telugu Seasons 1 to 9.
Bigg Boss Telugu House and Format
Bigg Boss Telugu follows the general structure of the Bigg Boss franchise.
Contestants known as housemates live together inside a specially designed house with very limited contact with the outside world.
The Season 1 house was constructed in Lonavala, while from Season 2 onward the programme has been filmed at Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad.
Cameras and microphones continuously record the activities of contestants.
Housemates participate in:
- Weekly tasks
- Captaincy challenges
- Nomination rounds
- Immunity tasks
- Luxury budget activities
- Elimination rounds
Contestants nominate fellow housemates for eviction, and audience voting generally determines which nominated contestants remain in the competition.
Wildcard contestants may also enter after the competition has begun.
As the season progresses, the number of contestants is gradually reduced until the finalists remain. Public voting plays an important role in deciding the ultimate winner.
Final Words
Bigg Boss Telugu has become one of the most prominent reality programmes in Telugu television since its launch in 2017.
Siva Balaji became the first champion, followed by Kaushal Manda, Rahul Sipligunj, Abijeet, VJ Sunny, L. V. Revanth, Pallavi Prashanth and Nikhil Maliyakkal.
The latest champion is Kalyan Padala, who defeated Thanuja Puttaswamy to win Bigg Boss Telugu Season 9 on 21 December 2025. His victory was notable because he became the first commoner to win the regular Telugu edition.
As of 2026, nine regular seasons have been completed, while preparations for Bigg Boss Telugu Season 10 are underway.