The first week of Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 5 marked the beginning of exciting tasks, alliances, and competition inside the house. Hosted by Mohanlal on Asianet, the fifth season premiered on 26 March 2023, introducing 18 contestants, including one commoner selected through a public campaign.
As the game officially began, the housemates faced their first challenge of the season with the selection process for Week 1 House Captaincy. The opening week also set the stage for future nominations, eliminations, and online voting.
Week 1 Overview
| ๐ Category | Details |
|---|---|
| ๐บ Show | Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 5 |
| ๐๏ธ Host | Mohanlal |
| ๐ Premiere Date | 26 March 2023 |
| ๐ฅ Total Contestants | 18 |
| ๐ Week | Week 1 |
| โญ Theme | Battle of the Originals |
| ๐ก Streaming Platform | JioHotstar (formerly Disney+ Hotstar) |
House Captaincy Contenders โ Week 1
The following contestants were in contention for the Week 1 House Captaincy:
| Contestants | Contestants |
|---|---|
| Reneesha Rahiman | Anjuz Rosh |
| Rinosh George | Maneesha K. S. |
| Cerena Ann Johnson | Aniyan Midhun |
| Sobha Viswanath | Nadira Mehrin |
| Sagar Surya | Aishwarya Suresh (Lechugram) |
| Vishnu Joshi | Shiju Abdul Rasheed |
| Angeline Mariya | Sruthi Lakshmi |
| Sreedevi Menon | Gopika Gopi |
| Junaiz V. P. | Akhil Marar |
The opening week focused on helping contestants settle into the Bigg Boss house while introducing viewers to their personalities, strengths, and strategies.
Gopika Gopi Entered as the Commoner
One of the highlights of Season 5 was the inclusion of Gopika Gopi as the commoner contestant.
She earned her place in the Bigg Boss house through a public selection campaign and was working at a courier agency before joining the reality show. Her entry demonstrated the show’s continued effort to provide opportunities for ordinary viewers alongside celebrities.
Week 1 Inside the House
The first week revolved around contestants getting familiar with each other while beginning to form friendships and alliances.
Viewers witnessed:
- ๐ First interactions among contestants
- ๐ค Formation of early friendships
- ๐ฏ Initial strategies emerging
- ๐ฌ Discussions and disagreements
- ๐ฎ The first set of Bigg Boss tasks
- ๐ Selection process for house captaincy
These early moments laid the foundation for many of the rivalries and friendships that developed throughout the season.
Online Voting
During the first week, online voting had not yet begun because eviction nominations had not been announced.
Public voting starts only after the first nomination process is completed, allowing viewers to save their favourite contestants from elimination.
For Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 5, online voting was available through JioHotstar (then known as Disney+ Hotstar).
How Online Voting Worked
Once nominations were announced:
- ๐ฑ Open the JioHotstar application.
- ๐ Search for Bigg Boss Malayalam.
- ๐ณ๏ธ Select your favourite nominated contestant.
- โ Submit your votes within the permitted voting limit.
Voting remained open only during the official voting window announced each week.
Season Theme
The fifth season was launched with the theme:
“Battle of the Originals”
The concept encouraged contestants to remain authentic while competing inside the house, making originality one of the key themes throughout the season.
Looking Back at Week 1
Week 1 successfully introduced the contestants and gave viewers a glimpse of the personalities that would dominate the season. From the selection of captaincy contenders to the formation of early alliances, the opening week set the tone for one of the most entertaining seasons of Bigg Boss Malayalam.
