Nikhil Maliyakkal wins Bigg Boss Telugu 8, Gautham Krishna is first runner-up

Hyderabad: The grand finale of Bigg Boss Telugu Season 8, hosted by Nagarjuna Akkineni, aired on 15th December 2024. Nikhil Maliyakkal emerged as the winner, taking home the trophy, ₹55 lakh in prize money, and a luxurious car.

Gautham Krishna was named the first runner-up, while Nabeel Afridi secured the second runner-up position. Prerana and Avinash finished as the third and fourth runners-up, respectively. The finale aired on Star Maa and was also streamed on Disney Hotstar.

Actor Ram Charan was the chief guest for the event. Following his Ayyappa Deeksha, Ram Charan made a barefoot appearance while promoting his upcoming film Game Changer.

In his victory speech, Nikhil thanked his supporters and dedicated his win to his mother. "Thank you so much everyone for supporting me. This journey has been full of memories, smiles, laughs, tears, and challenges. All of you have supported me in some way, and I’ve learned a lot, which I’ll carry with me in life. I feel at home here, and not like an outsider. I’ll meet everyone after I come out," he said.

Season 8, which began on 1st September 2024, lasted over 100 days. The top five finalists were Gautham Krishna, Nikhil Maliyakkal, Avinash, Prerana, and Nabeel Afridi reached the finale after competing in the crucial 'Ticket to Finale' task. Voting trends revealed Gautham as the leading finalist with 46% of votes, followed by Nikhil with 30%. Nabeel earned 14%, while Prerana and Avinash secured 7% and 3%, respectively.

This season, titled Bigg Boss 8: Limitless, ended with Nikhil's victory. Previous winners of the show include Siva Balaji (Season 1), Kaushal Manda (Season 2), Rahul Sipligunj (Season 3), Abijeet (Season 4), VJ Sunny (Season 5), LV Revanth (Season 6), and Pallavi Prasanth (Season 7).