'BB18': How much do contestants earn? Know the highest-paid celeb
What's the story
As Bigg Boss 18 kicked off on Sunday, fans are curious to know how much the contestants who entered the house are making.
The salaries of these participants differ every year, based on their popularity and celebrity status.
This includes a mix of personalities from television stars to social media influencers and Bollywood celebrities.
Here's a look at some of the highest-earning contestants in Bigg Boss history.
Record earnings
Pamela Anderson: The highest-paid 'BB' contestant ever
The highest-paid celebrity to ever enter the Bigg Boss house is Canadian-American actor Pamela Anderson.
For those unaware, the Baywatch star participated in the reality show's fourth season and reportedly earned a staggering ₹2.5 crore per episode.
Despite staying for only three days, she walked out with a cool ₹7.5 crore, making her the highest-paid contestant in the show's history.
Top earners
Other high earners in 'BB' history
Other notable high earners include actor Rimi Sen, who reportedly received ₹2 crore for her participation in Bigg Boss 9.
Wrestler The Great Khali and Indian former cricketer Sreesanth were both reportedly paid ₹50 lakh weekly during their stays in the house.
Karanvir Bohra took home a salary of ₹20 lakh/week for participating in Bigg Boss 12.
These numbers highlight the lucrative nature of the show for its contestants.
Prize evolution
'BB' prize money: A look at the past seasons
The first season of Bigg Boss, which aired in 2007, saw Rahul Roy taking home a cash prize of ₹1 crore.
This trend continued for the next four seasons with winners Ashutosh Kaushik, Vindu Dara Singh, Shweta Tiwari, and Juhi Parmar all receiving ₹1 crore each.
However, from Season 6 onwards, the prize money was reduced to ₹50 lakh and remained so until Season 10.
Prize decrease
Further reduction in 'BB' prize money from Season 11
From Season 11, the cash prize was further reduced.
Shilpa Shinde, the winner of Bigg Boss 11, took home ₹44 lakh.
Dipika Kakkar bagged ₹30 lakh as the winner of BB12 while late actor Sidharth Shukla won Bigg Boss 13 and took home ₹50 lakh.
In Bigg Boss 14, Rubina Dilaik won ₹36 lakh and Tejaswi Prakash bagged the winner's trophy in Bigg Boss 15 along with ₹40 lakh as a cash prize.
Host's salary
Meanwhile, Salman Khan is India's highest-paid TV host
When Salman Khan began hosting BB 15 years ago, he earned between ₹5cr to ₹10cr reportedly.
Per HerZindagi, his monthly fee surged to ₹60cr this year. During the last season, Khan earned ₹12cr per episode, totaling approximately ₹50cr per month. If the upcoming season follows the same format and runs for 15 weeks, he is expected to rake in nearly ₹250cr.
In comparison, Amitabh Bachchan matches Khan in earnings, frequently appearing on Kaun Banega Crorepati.