Bigg Boss 11: Here’s a primer on all 18 contestants of the new season

Bigg Boss 11: Salman Khan’s reality TV show has welcomed 18 new contestants on the new season and here’s all you should know about them.

This time, the number of contestants on Bigg Boss is higher than ever and sure to cause confusion among the viewers. So many of the inmates are commoners and even the ‘celebrities’ might make you scratch your head wondering where you’ve seen them before.

Now, we don’t want you to suffer through the confusion so here’s a list of all 18 contestants on the show this season and a bit of intel on their lives so far. Check them out and let us know who is your favourite.

1. Shilpa Shinde

Shilpa Shinde is a television actor who rose to fame for her work in &TV’s Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain. She was also seen in shows like Bhabhi, Hari Mirch, Lal Mirch, Waaris, Chidiya Ghar and more. Last year, Shilpa was forced to exit the show after disagreements with the makers. Shilpa, earlier this year, went a step ahead and filed a sexual harassment case against Sanjay Kohli, co-producer of the show and producer Benafir Kohli’s husband.

2. Hina Khan

Hina Khan was forever Star Plus’s favourite bahu. She began her career as Akshara in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. She was also recently seen in Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi. She hails from Kashmir and is an MBA graduate.

3. Hiten Tejwani

Hiten Tejwani is a TV actor who found fame with Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. He was also seen in Kutumb and Pavitra Rishta as Sushant Singh Rajput’s replacement. He married Gauri Pradhan in 2004 and they have two sons and a daughter together.

4. Priyank Sharma

Priyank Sharma is a model-choreographer who was seen in Splitsvilla. He is all set to enter the Bigg Boss house, his third reality show after Roadies Rising and Splitsvilla X.

5. Benafsha Soonawalla

Benafsha Soonawalla is a video jockey and was also seen in MTV Roadies X4 last year. Her social media following is massive and she is known for her devil-may-care attitude.

6. Arshi Khan

Arshi Khan is a model and an aspiring actor who has been embroiled in several controversial events in the past. Arshi, a Bhopal-born girl, has done several nude photoshoots, including one where she pasted pictures of Pakistani cricketers on her breasts, and another shoot where she painted the Pakistani flag on her bust and lower body. While her Urdu dialect and obsession with Pakistani cricketers make many believe that she is a Pakistani citizen, but according to reports, she is of Indian origin.

7. Zubair Khan

Haseena Parkar’s son-in-law Zubair Khan reportedly produced Apoorva Lakhia’s Haseena Parkar that starred Shraddha Kapoor in the eponymous role. Parkar was Dawood Ibrahim’s sister who managed his crime empire in Mumbai after the don fled India after the 1993 Mumbai blasts.

8. Sapna Choudhary

Haryanavi singer and dancer Sapna Chaudhary has entered the Bigg Boss house as a commoner. She is one of the most popular singers in the region. After she was trolled and slammed online, she got depressed and even attempted suicide last year.

9. Shivani Durgah

A tantrik/godwoman, Shivani holds two PhDs from Chicago University and hails from Noida. She takes pains to set herself apart from Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and last year’s contestant, Swami Om.

10. Jyoti Kumari

Originally from Masaudi, Patna (Bihar), Jyoti is a student of Hans Raj College (DU) in Delhi. She is a peon’s daughter. In the inaugural episode, she left Salman impressed.

11. Puneesh Sharma

Puneesh is a civil contractor from New Delhi. He is also has a few clubs in the capital. He participated in Sarkar Ki Duniya in 2009, of which, he emerged as the winner. On the show, he had to live on an island with other contestants.

12. Vikas Gupta

Vikas Gupta is a television producer and he has worked on shows like Gumrah, Kaisi Yeh Yaariyan, and MTV’s Webbed. He has a running feud with Shilpa Shinde and their fight started from day one.

13. Bandgi Kalra

Bandagi Kalra is a model from Mumbai. She was introduced on the show as a commoner contestant.

14. Sabyasachi Satpathi

Sabyasachi Satpathi is a designer from Odisha. According to reports, he is the brother of former Ranji cricketer Jitu Satpathy. He is a part of the padosi team.

15. Lucinda Nicholas

Lucinda is an Australian model. She was crowned Miss World South Australia in 2010 and even had a part to play in Akshay Kumar’s Boss. She is also a padosi.

16. Luv Tyagi

Luv Tyagi is from Budhana, Rajasthan and also a part of the padosi team.

17. Mehjabi Siddiqui

Mejabi Siddiqui calls herself an anaconda and promises a big chaos inside the home. She too is a part of the padosi team.

18. Akash Anil Dadlani

Akash Anil Dadlani is a rapper and has worked with Meet Brothers. His entry inside the Bigg Boss house was via the jail aka kaalkothri.