The one week that my watch group and I are unable to watch, the whole show turns on its head and the vibe completely changes. 😞
I still haven't seen last weekend's shows but after knowing what happens, I have no interest in watching Sunday's and maybe I'll watch Saturday's episode for Hemant Kumar.
Menuka getting eliminated is sad but since she apparently messed up again and peaked a while back, her elimination makes sense. Still shouldn't be gone before Adya and Obom at least, but it makes sense.
Utkarsh's elimination was 100% rigging I feel. Every year they do this with one or two contestants who feel guaranteed to make the finale. The higher ups on the show know they can't rig the finale, but they can try and diminish opportunities for certain Finale hopefuls before eliminating them in the weeks before the finale. Last year it was Vineet and Senjuti. The year before was a dumpster fire where several people were eliminated too early. I'll never forget Sawai getting eliminated, with him and Pawandeep being on the block together. It's been 2 and a half years but people still remember it.
This season felt like we were finally done with the filth that plagued previous seasons. There were a few red flags lately but nothing too bad. Both Menuka and Utkarsh being eliminated kills all that goodwill. especially Utkarsh. The idea of him being eliminated while Adya and Obom are still around is not defensible. Anyone who doesn't think that there wasn't some form of rigging/favoritism on display here has not been following this show's recent history, or of reality shows in general, especially Hindi ones.