The show Bigg Boss, hosted by Salman Khan, has long been a beloved source of entertainment and drama for its audience. Nevertheless, since the thirteenth season, the reality program appears to have diminished in appeal. The consistently declining TRPs and viewership figures serve as evidence of this trend. Season 18 is facing challenges in breaking into the top 10, attributed to several factors.

Bigg Boss 18 low TRP

Bigg Boss 18 commenced with a commendable rating of 2.3 during its premiere. However, it has since encountered difficulties in maintaining its viewership, struggling to achieve a rating of 2.0. Last week, the show recorded a rating of 1.3, despite Karan Veer Mehra delivering a strong performance and the presence of several contentious altercations. The most successful instalment, season 13, debuted with a rating of 2.8 and maintained an average TRP ranging from 2.1 to 2.5 weekly. In contrast, subsequent seasons have not replicated this level of success; season 14 averaged a TRP of 1.8, while season 15 reached a low of 0.9. Season 16 experienced a modest improvement, achieving a rating of 1.9, and season 17 managed to secure a rating of 2.0.

Despite its promising beginning, this season appears unable to recapture the enchantment that season 13 provided to its audience. Several factors may contribute to season 18's diminishing appeal among viewers.

Bigg Boss' interference and bias

Bigg Boss has explicitly stated his intention to show favouritism towards certain contestants in season 17, a decision that has not been well received by the audience. Despite this backlash, Bigg Boss continued to endorse Vivian Dsena as one of his top two contestants, thereby establishing a narrative that appears to benefit him within the game. The ongoing intervention by Bigg Boss in the contestants' gameplay, including instances of overtly supporting his preferred participants, has diminished the show's original appeal as a platform focused on individual personalities.

Fewer known faces

The ongoing derogatory remarks and provocations directed at contestants by Bigg Boss have resulted in several prominent individuals turning down invitations to participate in the reality show. Among those is Shoaib Ibrahim, a television personality and husband of Deepika Kakkar, who declined the opportunity, stating that the program has ceased to be a platform for showcasing personalities. Recently, Bigg Boss also launched a personal attack on Karan Veer Mehra, mocking him for his inability to sustain relationships both within the Bigg Boss house and in his personal life.

In contrast to Bigg Boss 13, which featured numerous familiar personalities such as Sidharth Shukla, Rashami Desai, Arti Singh, Shefali Bagga, and Devoleena Bhattacharjee, this season presents a different scenario. Aside from Vivian Dsena, Eisha Singh, Shilpa Shirodkar, and Karan Veer Mehra, the majority of the contestants are relatively unknown to the audience.

Stupid tasks

Bigg Boss 13 successfully captivated the audience, keeping them engaged with its intriguing tasks and the strategic interventions of Bigg Boss, which altered the dynamics within the house and enhanced the overall excitement of the game. In contrast, the current season appears to feature tasks that are unbalanced and lack excitement. For instance, a musical chair challenge designed to determine the household rations and a domino construction task that seemed nearly impossible to accomplish, given the existing rivalries among the contestants. This season, the tasks seem primarily focused on selecting a new Time God.

Dull Weekend Ka Vaar episode

The Weekend Ka Vaar episodes of this season exhibit a clear bias. The persistent criticism directed at Karan Veer Mehra, coupled with the evident favouritism towards Vivian Dsena and his associates, alongside the unreserved commendation for Karan, highlights a troubling inconsistency. This pattern suggests that even the producers of Bigg Boss are uncertain and are resorting to a trial-and-error approach to determine what will resonate with the audience.

Forced content

The content of this season appears to centre on trivial disputes regarding food and intimidation aimed at stifling conversations. From Avinash Mishra's efforts to emulate Asim Riaz from the outset to Bigg Boss orchestrating artificial relationships, such as the one between Avinash Mishra and Vivian Dsena, while undermining others by selectively disclosing incomplete information to preferred contestants—there is an overarching sense of a frantic endeavour to captivate the audience.

Unnecessary wildcard entries

The audience was already struggling with the underwhelming performances of the current contestants when Bigg Boss introduced wildcards, Digvijay Rathee and Kashish Kapoor. Initially perceived as formidable, they quickly revealed themselves to be just as directionless as their predecessors. Following them were Edin Rose, Yamini Malhotra, and Aditi Mistry, who have proven to be as ineffective as the tasks set by Bigg Boss. Yamini appears eager to mimic Shehnaaz Gill, while Edin is making a concerted effort to embody the "angry young woman" archetype.

The absence of strong competitors has rendered the game one-dimensional. Furthermore, it seems that no contestant possesses the same level of strategic prowess as Bigg Boss himself. Bigg Boss has emerged as the most unpopular 'contestant' this season, largely due to his incessant meddling in the proceedings.

Season 13 was characterized by a vibrant mix of personalities, featuring star power and fresh faces like Shehnaaz Gill and Asim Riaz, who captured the audience's attention. The season was marked by entertainment, engaging Weekend Ka Vaar segments, dynamic tasks that shifted the house's dynamics, and minimal interference from Bigg Boss. These elements contributed to its blockbuster success, a feat that has yet to be matched by Bigg Boss 18.

Read Also: Priyanka Chopra recalls working on Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Don: 'Important to focus on craft, not your relationships with...'

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON!