Bigg Boss Telugu Season 5 ran from September to December 2021, delayed several months from its original planned June launch due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India. It closed out with a former video jockey turned TV actor lifting the trophy in a starry, celebrity-studded finale. Here’s the complete breakdown.
Season 5 at a Glance
The season premiered September 5, 2021, on Star Maa, and concluded December 19, 2021, running a 106-day journey with 19 housemates. Nagarjuna Akkineni hosted for the third time. The original June 2021 launch date had to be pushed back several months due to the pandemic’s second wave in India.
Who Won Bigg Boss Telugu Season 5?
VJ Sunny — born in Khammam and known for starting his career as a video jockey on Just For Men before moving into acting with the Zee Telugu serial Kalyana Vaibhogam — was crowned the winner. He took home the trophy, ₹50 lakh in cash prize money, a bike, and a plot of land worth ₹25 lakh. Sunny’s season included a widely covered “cold war” dynamic with fellow contestant Priya, and viewers even called out host Nagarjuna at one point for perceived partiality toward Priya during one of their conflicts.
Runners-Up
Shanmukh Jaswanth finished as first runner-up, while singer Sreerama Chandra placed as second runner-up. Shanmukh had a season marked by visible emotional moments as his journey unfolded, including a notable public dust-up with fellow finalist Siri over comments about her boyfriend.
Notable Contestants
Season 5’s cast included actors, a singer, and a mix of personalities who became fan favorites over the season’s run:
- VJ Sunny — VJ turned actor — Winner
- Shanmukh Jaswanth — Runner-up
- Sreerama Chandra — Singer — Second runner-up
- Siri — Contestant, part of a widely followed conflict storyline with Shanmukh
- Priya — Contestant, known for her recurring conflicts with VJ Sunny
- Manas — Contestant, considered one of the strongest players despite dips in his weekly performance ratings
- Kajal — Contestant
- Vishwa — Actor, contestant
- Ravi — Contestant
- Anne — Contestant, exited mid-season, opening a spot for Kajal to enter
Hosting and Grand Finale
Nagarjuna Akkineni hosted his third consecutive Bigg Boss Telugu season, with a genuinely starry finale guest list that included filmmaker SS Rajamouli, and actors Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Nani, Naga Chaitanya, Shriya Saran, and Ayan Mukerji.
Final Thoughts
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 5’s pandemic-delayed launch didn’t slow down what turned into one of the more heavily-followed seasons of the franchise, with VJ Sunny’s win capping a run defined by strong rivalries — his own ongoing tension with Priya, and Shanmukh’s emotional clashes with Siri — that kept audiences invested throughout. The finale’s exceptional guest lineup, featuring some of Tollywood and Bollywood’s biggest names, also underscored just how much cultural weight the Telugu edition of Bigg Boss had built by this point in its run.