Highest-Paid Bigg Boss Contestants of Seasons 1 to 10: What Was Reported

Quick answer: Colors TV and the show’s producers have never officially published what Bigg Boss contestants are paid, so every figure here is a press report. By those reports, the highest-paid contestant of the early seasons was Pamela Anderson, said to have received about ₹2.5 crore for a three-day stay in Bigg Boss 4 (2010). Other well-reported fees include The Great Khali’s in season 4, Bani J’s in season 10 and Tanishaa Mukerji’s in season 7.

About this page

This article was written in 2017, just before Bigg Boss 11 began, to list the best-paid contestants of seasons 1 to 10. We have kept it as a record of what was reported about those seasons, checked each name and figure again in October 2026, and removed figures we could not trace to a published report. Treat all fees as unconfirmed: they come from media reports quoting unnamed sources, not from contracts or official statements.

Highest-paid Bigg Boss contestants of seasons 1 to 10 (as reported)

1. Pamela Anderson (Bigg Boss 4)

The actor Pamela Anderson entered the Bigg Boss house as a guest on 16 November 2010, during season 4, and stayed for three days. An earlier version of this article called her the first international celebrity on the show; in fact the British television personality Jade Goody had entered Bigg Boss 2 in 2008, though she left on the second day. At the time of Pamela Anderson’s visit, Gulf News, carrying an Associated Press report, said she was expected to stay three days and had reportedly been paid ₹25 million (₹2.5 crore). Later rankings of Bigg Boss fees, such as one published by the Siasat Daily in October 2024, still put her at the top for that short stay.

2. The Great Khali (Bigg Boss 4)

The Great Khali, whose real name is Dalip Singh Rana, is a former professional wrestler who signed with WWE in 2006 and became the first Indian-born world champion in WWE. (An earlier version of this article called him “India’s first man to enter WWE”; the record that is clearly established is the world title.) He joined Bigg Boss 4 as its first wild-card entrant in October 2010 and finished as runner-up to Shweta Tiwari when the season ended in January 2011. His fee has been reported at about ₹50 lakh per week.

3. Bani J (Bigg Boss 10)

Bani J (Gurbani Judge), known from MTV Roadies as a contestant and later a host, was the first runner-up of Bigg Boss 10, which ended on 29 January 2017 with Manveer Gurjar as winner. During the season, the news agency IANS reported that she was believed to have been paid about ₹1.5 crore. (The original version of this article said ₹1.55 crore; we could not find a source for that exact figure.) Read more in our Bani J biography.

4. Rahul Dev (Bigg Boss 10)

Rahul Dev is an actor and former model who has worked in Hindi and several South Indian film industries. He entered Bigg Boss 10 in October 2016 and was evicted on day 63. Entertainment site BollywoodLife reported during the season that he and Bani J were the highest-paid contestants that year, but we could not find a reliable source for the ₹2 crore figure the original article gave, so we have not repeated it. We have also removed the original’s comments about his family finances, which were not supported by any published source.

5. Tanishaa Mukerji (Bigg Boss 7)

Tanishaa Mukerji, the younger sister of actor Kajol, made her film debut in Sssshhh… (2003). She was the runner-up of Bigg Boss 7 in 2013, when Gauahar Khan won. Several outlets, including IBTimes and Koimoi, have reported her fee at about ₹7.5 lakh per week. (The original article said ₹7.55 lakh.)

Other high fees that have been reported

The same later rankings name a few others among the best paid, again without official confirmation. Actor Rimi Sen was reported to have received about ₹2 crore for Bigg Boss 9 (2015), and cricketer S. Sreesanth was reported at about ₹50 lakh per week in Bigg Boss 12 (2018).

Why the figures are uncertain

• Contestant contracts are confidential, and neither the channel nor the producers publish fees.
• Reports mix one-off signing amounts with weekly payments, so totals are hard to compare.
• The same figure is often copied from one website to another, which makes a number look better confirmed than it is.

Bigg Boss since season 10

Bigg Boss 10 was also the first season to bring non-celebrity contestants, called “Indiawale”, into the house. The show has continued every year since. Bigg Boss 11 ran from October 2017 to January 2018 and was won by Shilpa Shinde. Bigg Boss 19 ended on 7 December 2025 with Gaurav Khanna as winner, and Bigg Boss 20 premiered on 6 September 2026. For every season’s winner, see our Bigg Boss winners list; for the hosts, see Bigg Boss hosts of all seasons; and for the season 10 winner, our Manveer Gurjar biography.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the highest-paid Bigg Boss contestant?

By the reports available, Pamela Anderson’s reported ₹2.5 crore for three days in season 4 is the most cited figure. The channel has never confirmed any contestant’s fee.

Do Bigg Boss contestants get paid?

Celebrity contestants are reported to receive a signing amount and a weekly fee, and contestants have spoken about being paid. The amounts are not officially published.

How much was Bani J paid for Bigg Boss 10?

IANS reported during the season that she was believed to have been paid about ₹1.5 crore. This was not officially confirmed.

Who won Bigg Boss 4?

Shweta Tiwari won Bigg Boss 4 in January 2011, with The Great Khali as runner-up.

Names, seasons and results checked in October 2026 against the show’s published season records. Fees are reported figures from Gulf News (Associated Press), IANS, BollywoodLife, IBTimes, Koimoi and the Siasat Daily, and are not officially confirmed.