Before Bigg Boss Season 12 premiere, a look at the most memorable contestants over the years

Despite audiences often accusing the show to have been scripted , Bigg Boss is perhaps one of the few reality shows that has consistently garnered high television viewership. With its twelfth instalment round the corner, awaiting its premiere on 16 September, 2018, we take a look at ten of the most memorable contestants who carved an identity for themselves even after the show’s ending. Dolly Bindra [caption id=“attachment_5177041” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Dolly Bindra. Image via Facebook[/caption] Dolly Bindra, who participated in the fourth season of Bigg Boss, is still considered to be one of the most notorious contestants to have been a part of any Hindi reality show. On several occasions, she was heard verbally lashing out at co-contestant Shweta Tiwari, who went onto emerge as the winner for the season. Her loud utterance of  “bap pe mat jaana” has achieved cult status over the years. Armaan Kohli [caption id=“attachment_5177081” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Armaan kohli. Image via Facebook[/caption] The seventh season of Bigg Boss was one of most-watched instalments of the reality show. With such contestants as Kamya Punjabi, Gauahar Khan, Tanishaa Mukherji and Kushal Tandon, Bigg Boss season 7 became iconic for its tasks and its resultant tiffs. However, Armaan Kohli stood out amongst all, hurling abuses and traumatising fellow participants. He was even arrested for allegedly physically abusing Sofia Hayat, a wild card entry, inside the Bigg Boss house. Kamaal R Khan [caption id=“attachment_5177151” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Kamaal R Khan. Image via Twitter[/caption] The Deshdrohi actor started courting controversies as soon as he entered the Bigg Boss house in season 3 . Kamaal R Khan frequently resorted to violence, in an instance flinging a water bottle at designer Rohit Verma, which accidentally ended up hitting actress Shamita Shetty. Khan was eliminated from the house since he flouted one of the most important rules of Bigg Boss — of not displaying physical aggression. Rakhi Sawant [caption id=“attachment_5177191” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Rakhi Sawant. Image via Twitter[/caption] The opening season of Bigg Boss saw Rakhi Sawant, where she was seen constantly taking jibes at Kashmira Shah. Imaam Siddiqui [caption id=“attachment_5177221” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Imaam Siddiqui. image via Facebook[/caption] A fashion designer by profession, Imaam was a wild card entry in the sixth season of Bigg Boss. He came in with utmost abandon and flamboyance into the ‘doosra char’ but soon ended up terrifying fellow contestant Aashka Goradia with his loud gestures and utensil clanking. While Goradia cried her eyes out, Siddiqui draped himself in a body suit and amped up his antics. Akashdeep Saigal [caption id=“attachment_5177231” align=“alignnone” width=“970”] Akashdeep Saigal. image via Twitter[/caption] Saigal was a famous antagonist from the long-running daily Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, and his entry to the fifth season was pretty low profile. But soon, Sky (as he preferred calling himself) took up a controversial stance by often screaming at the ladies of the house. His squabbles with contestant Amar Upadhyay were the main TRP garnering elements. However, their fights could not match the showdowns that he had with Mahek Chahal. Swami Om [caption id=“attachment_5177251” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Swami Om. Image via Facebook[/caption] This godman entered the Bigg Boss season 10 house as a commoner but was arguably the most talked-about contestant on the show. Touted as a liar and ‘Dhongi’, Swami Om never missed a chance to attract the lenses towards him. He’d go to any lengths to win the show, which included an unfortunate episode of his alleged urination. Salman Khan screamed at Om, coaxed him and even threatened him with eviction, but Om was a trailblazer. Pooja Missouri [caption id=“attachment_5177271” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Pooja Missra. Image via Twitter[/caption] The VJ and model who competed in the fifth season of Bigg Boss was often labelled as the ’next Dolly Bindra’, owing to her combative nature as she often picked fights with her co-contestants Shonali Nagrani, Vida Samadzai and Amar Upadhyay. Sara Khan and Ali Merchant [caption id=“attachment_5177291” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Sara Khan and Ali Merchant. Image via Facebook[/caption] A season peppered with controversies, Bigg Boss 4 is most remembered for hosting the wedding ceremony of Sara Khan and her then boyfriend Ali Merchant. although several close friends of the duo alleged that the pair was paid an amount of Rs 50 lakhs to conducting their marriage inside the Bigg Boss house, but Colors denied all such allegations. In another reality show Sacch Ka Saamna, Merchant had confessed to having married Sara as a publicity stunt.