Bigg Boss Telugu 2 Finale: A look at journey of the contestants still in the race to be a winner

With few hours to go for the much anticipated grand finale of Nani’s Bigg Boss Telugu 2, here’s a quick look at the journey of all the five finalists:

Kaushal Manda:

Kaushal Manda has emerged to be the undisputed superstar of Big Boss season 2. From an absolute nobody to the opium of masses today, the growth of Kaushal in the reality show is beyond comprehension.

Kaushal, the ‘one man army’ in the house, was initially supposed to be evicted in the third week of the season until Kireeti appeared as his knight in shining armour in one of the captaincy tasks. The ‘Good vs Evil’ task witnessed the rise of a new star and his army. Kaushal army burgeoned beyond imagination and shielded his vote bank whatsoever. Kaushal, on the other hand, maintained his image with his sincerity, clarity of thought, undeterred focus towards the game, tenacity, and hardwork throughout the season. He never succumbed to nomination pressure or other counter forces that he stood against.

The online fan frenzy reached new heights when Kaushal Army, the self-proclaimed online fan community of Kaushal, for the first time ever in the history of Bigg Boss, conducted 2K and 5K rallies in cities like Hyderabad and Vijayawada to prove they are not "bots". Finding Nani roasting Kaushal in one of the episodes, the online fan club even trended the hashtag #NaniUnfitasBBhost, the first-of-its-kind trend on social media.

Kaushal has checked all the boxes right to be the winner of the title and his solid vote bank proves why he is the frontrunner in this game.

The world knew Geetha Madhuri as an eminent playback singer with many chartbusters to her credit until she stepped into Bigg Boss Telugu 2.

She kickstarted her journey with zero expectations and viewers had no clue about to what can be expected of this playback singer in the show.

Geetha adorns fans for her honesty and her sense of righteousness especially in the ‘Good vs Evil’ task. Geetha always stood up for whatever she believed in and did not shy away to differ with anyone; be it Bigg Boss or a ‘Bigger Boss’ like Babu Gogineni.

The 'Murder Mystery' task proved that she is a beauty with brains. Well, Geetha is known for her ability to read between the lines well.

Regardless, Geetha had her share of setbacks and controversies in the show. While her equation with Samrat Reddy turned controversial, her over analysis and unnecessary explanations and arguments got her nowhere in the show.

She is currently one of the five finalists and a title favourite besides Kaushal in the ongoing second edition of Bigg Boss Telugu 2.

Deepthi was unarguably the underdog of the season and today, if there is an organic growth in anyone’s graph in the second edition, it is Deepthi, according to host Nani.

Deepthi has demonstrated that patience and perseverance can win hearts and take you places. Even Bigg Boss is in awe of the character and commitment that Deepthi displayed throughout the season. She constantly battled criticism of ‘safeplay’ almost every week with undeterred determination. The way she performed in the physical tasks, be it the captaincy task or the Ticket to finale (both with Tanish) is commendable.

“Safe play” was the major complaint against Deepthi. The inmates in most occasions cited the same reason during the nominations.

There is a belief amongst the inmates and Bigg Boss fandom that Deepthi performs only during nominations; else she is laid back.

Though her lengthy replies and explanations were made fun of, this side of hers is still under the scanner. While her sketch in the Pictionary task was one of the most hilarious moments in the house, her equation with Bigg Boss is also special. Deepthi rose to power in the last quarter of the show and she is currently one of the title favourites.

The renowned actor was one of the most prominent celebrity contestants in Bigg Boss Telugu 2. In no time, Tanish proved to be one of the strongest contestants in the show. Today, he is one of the five finalists and title favourites of Bigg Boss Telugu 2, which is quite expected of this 'Angry Young Man'.

Relationships were his top priority right from day one which won people for him in the house. He always stood by the people who meant the most to him (Tejaswi, Sunaina, Samrat and Deepthi), come what may.

He is one of the finest readers of the game and strategies. The clarity and articulation of thoughts that he maintains is revered even by his co-inmates like Kaushal. Tanish is physically and mentally strong which is quite evident in tasks like Ticket to Finale and Race to Finale. This Mr. Charmer was indeed known as 'Prema Poojari' due to his intense romantic side and flirtatious nature.

However, his close proximity with Tejaswi and then Sunaina made his family and fans uncomfortable. His ‘midnight hugs’ with Nandini Rai was one of the massively trolled topics of the season.

He locked horns with Kaushal many-a-time due to ideological differences but he is a fan of Kaushal’s daughter. He has recently admitted that he is growing spiritual of late. And Bigg Boss house deserves the credit for sure.

After following the entire season, anyone would want at least a friend or boyfriend like Samrat in life. His equation with Tanish and Tejaswi speaks volumes about this.

He was the first captain of the Bigg Boss house this season and taking punishments (taking a dip in the swimming pool) for the repeated mistakes of the inmates (talking in English) without picking fights stands a testament of his responsible nature.

Samrat's proximity with Tanish and Tejaswi in the early days was regarded as 'Group-ism'. The fight with Nutan Naidu regarding families earned him the tag of a 'bad boy'. His intimacy with Tejaswi projected him to be a spineless contestant too. In spite of repeated warnings from host Nani, he couldn't break the shell until Tejaswi was eliminated. Given the sensitive and emotional person he is, Samrat quickly adapted to the situations after the departure of Tejaswi and proved his worth in the house. He eventually made it into the finale, making his fans and most importantly his parents proud.

He proved or in other words, evolved to be the nicest person in the house, according to host Nani. He has been a friend for a lifetime to Tanish, a brother to Kaushal, a kid to Geetha and Deepthi, a buddy to Roll Rida and Amit and something special to Tejaswi. The arch of anyone in the house doesn't get any better.

His first captaincy, performance as a girl, fairy tale story with Tejaswi, fights with Nutan Naidu and Kaushal, giving up ‘Ticket to finale’ for Syamala, arrival of his mother into the house and lastly winning ‘Race to finale’ with the support of inmates are few of his highlight moments.