Tejasswi Prakash earned three times more money than Celebrity MasterChef winner Gaurav Khanna, but how...

After multiple twists and turns in the thrilling 55 episodes over 11 weeks, the first season of Celebrity MasterChef ended on Friday, April 11. The first season of the cooking-based reality show, which was telecast on Sony Entertainment Television and streamed on SonyLIV, was hosted by the celebrity chefs Ranveer Brar, Vikas Khanna, and the choreographer-director Farah Khan. Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor was the guest judge in the last two episodes. Gaurav Khanna defeated Nikki Tamboli, Tejasswi Prakash, Rajiv Adatia, and Faisal Shaikh in the Grand Finale and took home the cash prize of Rs 20 lakh, the winner's trophy, and a golden apron. Nikki Tamboli and Tejasswi Prakash ended as the first and the second runner-up, respectively. 

Even though Gaurav won the Celebrity MasterChef, his winning amount of Rs 20 lakh is three times less than the earnings of Tejasswi. As per FilmiBeat, Tejasswi was paid Rs 6-8 lakh per week and Gaurav received Rs 4 lakh per week for participating in the Sony TV show. A source was quoted telling the poral earlier, "Following her stint in Bigg Boss 15 and Naagin 6, Tejasswi Prakash now commands a premium for her shows. Considering her popularity, the channel and the production house have no qualms in paying her a decent sum of money." The actress was reportedly the highest-paid contestant in Celebrity MasterChef. 

After his victory, Khanna said in a statement, "Winning Celebrity MasterChef feels absolutely surreal. This show took me completely out of my comfort zone. Being a part of Celebrity MasterChef has been a tremendous honor, especially standing alongside legends like Chef Vikas Khanna, a Michelin-starred genius, and Chef Ranveer Brar, a true master of his craft - both guided and challenged us with so much grace. And of course, the ever-inspiring Farah Khan, whose energy and encouragement kept us going. Cooking in front of them was intense - every single day brought a new challenge that pushed me to dig deeper and give my absolute best. And today, standing here as the winner, I feel immense pride - not just for myself, but for everyone who has ever been called a misfit, for everyone who fell down but chose to rise, learn, and keep climbing until they reached the summit. It’s been an honor to compete with such wonderful and hardworking co-contestants, who inspired me daily with their passion and persistence. I’m deeply grateful to the audience and fans of the show whose love and support gave me the strength and belief that truly - nothing is impossible when you pour your heart and soul into it."

Apart from the five finalists, the other celebrities in the first season of Celebrity MaterChef were Archana Gautam, Usha Nadkarni, Ayesha Jhulka, Dipika Kakar, Kabita Singh, Abhijeet Sawant, and Chandan Prabhakar. The cooking show began on January 27 and its episodes aired and streamed from Monday to Friday.

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