Bigg Boss Kannada season 8 is all set to begin this Sunday with a grand opening event. Given that the reality TV show, hosted by Sandalwood star Sudeep, is taking place as the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic, the showrunners have taken all necessary precautions to ensure a COVID-free environment for everyone involved in the show.

The show’s director Parameshwar Gundkal until Thursday was unable to confirm whether there will be 15 or 17 contestants in the house on the opening night. “All the contestants have been quarantined for the last two weeks. They have all been subjected to RT-PCR tests twice already. Before we let them enter the show, we will conduct another round of testing on them. And only those who test negative will be allowed inside. So I can’t confirm anything at the moment,” Parameshwar said during a media event in Bengaluru on Thursday.

Parameshwar said that this time the showrunners have selected contestants from various backgrounds, including films, sports, digital sensations and politics. Sudeep was taken back when he found out there will be a politician on the show. It turns out that the details of the contestants are kept from Sudeep until the eleventh hour. “I keep pestering Parameshwar to share the names of contestants with me,” said the Pailwaan star.

He said hosting Bigg Boss Kannada was a very stressful job. “Like all of you, I am also curious about the contestants. See, they (showrunners) will bring in the contestants of their choices and put them on the show, but I am the one who has to deal with them after that. You know what I am talking about. Even film shoots don’t stress me out this much. So I am always curious about what kind of contestants they bring in,” he said.

Sudeep was also asked whether he has developed an ability to predict the winnability of contestants after observing them for the first few weeks. And he said it was highly impossible to make such predictions owing to the nature of the show.

“I have seen people’s opinion changing (about contestants) in a day or two. I have seen contestants who had ruined their good reputation with a few missteps. And I have seen unpopular contestants gain a lot of popularity over time. Things happen that you can never predict. Actually, had ‘Huccha’ Venkat not engaged in violence, he had a solid chance of winning that season. He was getting so much of a vote. People liked him. I feel bad for him,” he added.

For the uninitiated, ‘Huccha’ Venkat (Mad Venkat) used to dominate the headlines with his maverick, aggressive and uncanny behaviour on public platforms. And his public persona made him a popular choice for season 3 of the Bigg Boss Kannada. However, the showrunners were forced to evict him from the house after he physically assaulted singer Ravi Mooruru on a weekend episode, in front of Sudeep.

And Sudeep wasted no time in announcing that Venkat will be evicted from the house right away for his behaviour.