The first season of Celebrity MasterChef has wrapped up, but the excitement refuses to fade. Audiences across India have showered the show with love right from its premiere.
The grand finale aired a few days ago, with actor Gaurav Khanna walking away with the title. His consistent performance throughout the season earned him the coveted trophy and the prized Chef’s coat. Nikki Tamboli was declared the first runner-up, while Tejasswi Prakash secured the second runner-up position.
However, behind the scenes, tensions brewed between Gaurav and Nikki. Right from the initial episodes, Nikki made it clear that she didn’t warm up to Gaurav. On several occasions, she voiced her opinion that he didn’t deserve to be part of the competition. Her visible displeasure whenever he was praised by the judges added fuel to the simmering rivalry. Despite working in the same kitchen space, the two never found common ground. Nikki maintained her distance till the very end, and it was one of the most talked-about dynamics of the show.
After lifting the trophy, Gaurav Khanna finally opened up about the uneasy equation with Nikki. Speaking to BollywoodLife, he reflected on their time together and cleared the air about any lingering misunderstandings. “I was always friends with her. She is a nice girl. She is a competitive girl and I like people who want to win,” Gaurav shared.
He explained that while Nikki was driven by a fierce competitive spirit, his approach to competition was different. According to him, everyone in such a high-pressure environment experiences moments of calm and times when they get triggered. He admitted that though he comes across as composed, even he can lose his temper sometimes. “Everybody has their own high and low points and everybody is calm and everyone gets triggered but threshold is little more. But, even I can get triggered. I am a human being,” he said.
Describing his way of dealing with conflicts and negativity, Gaurav offered a thoughtful comparison. “It is my way to be calm and sometimes you don’t take a lot of things in your radar like there is a concept when I was doing my MBA, when you read some articles, you skim through them but don’t read all the lines and just take the important points and move forward,” he explained.
The actor confessed that winning was never his ultimate goal. “Once I understood the show that my focus was only to be better than my last episode, I never wanted to win. I never want. I never knew that I will win, but I always knew that my today’s dishes better than my yesterday’s dish. That’s my only thing lies,” he added.
Despite the underlying rivalry, Gaurav maintained a positive attitude. His calm composed demeanor in the face of criticism earned him praise from both judges and viewers. Now, as Celebrity MasterChef closes its first season on a high note, Gaurav Khanna’s journey stands as proof that steady growth and inner focus often outshine loud competition.