For me, this was a great success! They brought together a really interesting bunch of contestants. It definitely felt weird at times because of how empty the house felt and how fast paced everything was. The same show we are used to seeing for months and months was so quickly wrapped up within 6-7 weeks.
Obviously everything was scaled down. It was not at the level of BB on TV because the iconic host (love him or hate him) was out of the equation and we didn't have enough time to develop favorites the way we do in the main seasons. Still, for an accelerated season, I thought it was great. Very very happy with Divya winning. No matter whatever one's opinion is of her, the truth is that she really showed some amazing mental strength in withstanding all the second-class treatment she got in those first 3-4 weeks due to the bashing and aag-lagaing from KJo. Baki sab, Raqesh, Shamita, Neha, Pratik, Nishant, Moose, Zeeshan - really interesting group of people overall. They had a challenge to make an interesting show without fatiguing the audience for BB15, and I think they struck the right balance.
And finally I must say while KJo's hosting leaves alot to be desired, all in all I'm impressed with him. Obviously you cannot compare it to Salman because ek toh he has done the role for so long it has been kind of glove-fitted for Salman's personality in our minds. Plus he took time to grow into it as well - try watching one of his early seasons clips and you'll see it lol. Karan did a much better job than Farah when she tried it, and I think if they continue with this concept KJo should remain the OTT host. It adds a different flavor than Salman. Contestants are less scared of going against KJo, but he is also authoritative enough to put his foot down when needed so it is a new dynamic.
Based on how stretched and boring (in my opinion) season 14 was, especially in the middle with the revolving door on full swing and that bakwaas "challengers" track shifting the narrative to Vikas-Arshi and Rakhi for so long, I was really tired of BB. The excitement of BB13 was washed away by the pakao BB14. But this has got me in the mood again. Its like a small, crisp teaser for the upcoming season. So I'm happy with this experiment of theirs.
I'll give BB OTT a solid 7.5/10
Cheers to all for the fun, fights, and discussions here on this forum.
See you in a few weeks!