Bigg Boss 19 contestant Gaurav Khanna is under fire after rejecting kitchen duties in the house. When Kunickaa Sadanand won the captaincy, she assigned Gaurav the task of cooking meals. He flatly refused, saying, “Ma’am, I won’t make it. I don’t know how to cook Indian food. The housemates will have to stay hungry all day.” He further added that his contract doesn’t require cooking as part of his role on the show The Indian ExpressIndia Forums.
From the live Bigg Boss feed, Gaurav was seen discussing the issue with fellow contestant Mridul Tiwari. He explained, “Kaam toh main accha karta hu, bas issi baat ka guroor hai. Khaana banane ko mera mann nahi hai aur mujhe aata bhi nahi Indian khaana banana. Maine voh show (Celebrity MasterChef), iss show ke liye thodi kiya hai. Ab tumhe kahen ki actor ho, acting karo sara din. Voh logon ne dekhliya mujhe cooking kitna aata hai.” His point: people signed up to see his personality and acting, not his kitchen skills The Indian ExpressHindustan Times.
The fact that Gaurav won the recently concluded Celebrity MasterChef India season has only intensified criticism. Viewers on social media and Reddit began questioning how a MasterChef champion could now claim ignorance in Indian cooking. As one Reddit user commented, “That means MasterChef was scripted — Gaurav is afraid that if people eat his food, they’ll figure out he actually can’t cook well.” Another said he was avoiding guilt by refusing kitchen duties altogether Hindustan TimesOBNews.
In response to the mounting backlash, Gaurav Khanna’s team issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter). It clarified that Celebrity MasterChef is vastly different from cooking daily meals in the Bigg Boss house. The team explained that on MasterChef, Gaurav cooked plated dishes under expert supervision, whereas Bigg Boss cooking involves preparing food for 20+ people with no professional guidance. They also mentioned he started as a complete novice before winning the title, emphasizing that his journey was built on “determination, not prior skill.” The statement concluded that judging him for a single comment about Indian cooking is unfair India ForumsThe Indian ExpressMoneycontrol.
Celebrity MasterChef alumnus Rajiv Adatia, who has worked with Gaurav both on that cooking show and outside, also came to his defense. He reiterated that managing kitchen duties for dozens of people in the constrained Bigg Boss environment is fundamentally different than crafting single dishes in a competition kitchen. He pointed out that Gaurav had no culinary background prior to competing, but adapted through practice and training on the MasterChef set The Indian ExpressMoneycontrol.
Inside the Bigg Boss house, the drama didn’t stop. Zeishan Qadri publicly called Gaurav a “kaamchor” (someone who avoids work), escalating tensions over shared duties during meal time situations. This added fuel to ongoing arguments among housemates and divided fan reactions The Times of India+1.
Social media sentiment remains sharply divided. Critics argue that winning a prestigious cooking reality show should logically equip one to handle household cooking situations. Fans and Redditors cite the contradiction and accuse Gaurav of using his MasterChef title as a shield to avoid kitchen tasks. On the other hand, his supporters—including friends and industry colleagues—urge viewers to consider context, arguing that the pressures and formats of the two shows are incomparable The Indian ExpressHindustan TimesThe Times of India.
As Bigg Boss 19 continues, Gaurav finds himself navigating a fine line between strategy and public perception. With seven contestants already facing nominations in week one—including Gaurav himself—the risk of eviction looms large. Meanwhile, viewers are closely watching whether his refusal to cook will impact his image inside or outside the house IndiatimesThe Times of India.
Summary of key events:
- Gaurav declined kitchen duty, citing inability to cook Indian food and contractual non-obligation
- He contrasted the demands of Celebrity MasterChef vs Bigg Boss cooking
- Fans questioned his MasterChef achievement; some called it scripted
- Gaurav’s team and Rajiv Adatia defended him, highlighting the differences in show formats
- Tensions heightened with housemate Zeishan branding him a “kaamchor”
- The controversy remains a polarizing topic as the season unfolds
