Bigg Boss 16: Gautam Vig in shock after eviction, says ‘was expecting Shalin Bhanot to take voluntary exit’

Gautam Vig is the latest Bigg Boss 16 contestant to get evicted from the show. He was evicted in the Sunday episode which came as not just a surprise for him but also for all his co-contestants. They thought host Salman Khan was joking but it turned out to be true. Gautam has now said that he is still in shock as everyone expected Shalin Bhanot to walk out voluntarily. Also read: Salman Khan says Shalin Bhanot will have to pay ₹2 crore to quit Bigg Boss 16

Gautam had earlier earned the ire of the housemates after he chose to become a captain over taking ration for the house. His closeness with Soundarya Sharma remained in spotlight and they continued to deal with claims that their relationship was fake.

Post his exit, Gautam told ETimes in an interview, “Everyone was expecting Shalin to take a voluntary exit, as that’s what he announced on Bigg Boss following a fight between him and MC Stan. So, we were sort of prepared for it and he had even packed his bags. Uske ego aur self-respect par aa gaya tha (It was a question about his ego and self-respect). When he revoked his decision, everyone thought that Soundarya would get evicted because she herself wanted to go out, wasn’t well, and had been dealing with a lot of stress. Mera toh kisi ne socha bhi nahi tha (No one had even thought about me). When Salman Khan sir announced my name, all of us thought that he was joking. I froze and zoned out.”

Gautam has however, confessed that his closeness with Soundarya overshadowed his game. “Our relationship was made so important that it became a hot topic for weeks… it became so important that it overshadowed my game. I was only justifying my relationship with Soundarya and everything else I did on the show was brushed aside,” he told the portal.

Gautam also said in a statement to the media, “I’m shocked and I wasn’t expecting my journey to end so soon. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been part of India’s biggest reality show. I will forever be grateful for all the love of the audience and to Colors for giving me this opportunity. The last seven weeks have been life-changing for me. This show has taught me to deal with distressing and uncomfortable circumstances. I witnessed friendships, love, heartbreaks, betrayals, and enmity under the roof of Bigg Boss. I’m more patient and empathetic and I have a better understanding of who I am. I wish all the housemates luck and hope that the best player wins.”

A day before, former Bigg Boss participant Rajiv Adatia had praised Gautam and had said that he was the one who deserved to stay in the house. He had tweeted, “Gautam Vig in my opinion out of the 4 nominated contestants should stay! He has given his all in the show and there is no Drama with him! He actually wants to be there! He deserves to stay more than the other 3 in my opinion! It will be a great shame to see him go!”