Mumbai, Jan 15 (India Today) : Though there's no official confirmation yet, gossip mills are abuzz with the news of Priya Malik defeating Mandana Karimi, Rochelle Rao, Keith Sequeira, and the other wild-card contestant in the house, Rishabh Sinha, to qualify for the finale, scheduled to be held on January 23.
According to reports, Imam Siddique, who was sent into the house this week with the task of choosing one contestant as the finalist based on their performance in various tasks, chose Rishabh and Priya as the best two. Bigg Boss then asked the other contestants to vote for the most deserving out of the two and Priya won the majority of votes. Priya will now vie for the title with Prince Narula who had won a direct entry to the finale last week after Kishwar Merchant voluntarily gave up the Ticket to Finale task, walking out of the house with Rs 15 lakh cash. The finals are also likely to have two other remaining contestants, depending on audience votes. Also read: This is what Priya Malik thinks about other contestants
Former Bigg Brother Australia contestant Priya was introduced in the middle of the season, as the fourth wild-card contestant after the first three--Rishabh Sinha, Puneet Vashisht and Kanwaljit Singh--failed to up the entertainment quotient of the show. Priya proved to be the producers' best choice as she did just what she was entrusted to do. Ever since her entry, the house hasn't been quiet. The 28-year-old is vocal and upfront in her conduct, a tough competitor in physical tasks, and a master strategist. She even snatched the most hated contestant title from Mandana Karimi within a few weeks. She received praise from host Salman Khan on several occasions; he even called her a 'one-woman army' in the Sand task. Also read: Who is Priya Malik?
Kishwer Merchant, touted as the strongest contender to win the show before her sudden elimination, too admitted that Priya has a chance of reaching the top three. Also read: Bigg Boss 9 - Whom are you placing your bets on?
Earlier, there was speculation that Priya might be eliminated this week, but it seem the 28-year-old has beaten the odds to bag a place in the finale. Now, it remains to be seen who out of Keith, Rochelle, Mandana and Rishabh will reach the finale. Also read: Priya urinates inside a car to win immunity
Priya is the fourth wild-card contestant, after Pravesh Rana (season 3), Khali (season 4) and Imam Siddique (season 6) to qualify for the finale. And she is well deserving. What do you think?