This season of adventure based reality show Roadies has been creating a buzz ever since it’s inception. From it going international to Sonu Sood stepping into the shoes of host Rannvijay Singha after 17 years of his stint in the show, Roadies season 18 returned in an all new avatar. But what remained the same were the arduous tasks and trials that each contestant had to face. This time the show twisted the format and invited the contestants who dreamt of being a roadie in pairs, known as ‘buddy pairs’. This marked the collaboration of some old contestants who were a part of previous seasons with the new contestants.
The journey to becoming a Roadie has already begun in the landscapes of South Africa and surpringly we witnessed the first elimination of the season as well with Arushi Chawla and Arshvir Singh Wahi. In an exclusive chat with India TV, the duo reflected upon their journey, opened up about the regrets if any and how they think their game suffered.
Talking about their early elimination, Arshvir claimed that they became the targets for keeping quiet from early on. “We became the targets for keeping our mouths shut. We got saved a couple of times, we got immunity and this vote out was a litmus test for people’s loyalty in their friendship for that matter.” He shared that the elimination came as a shocker to him. “We never saw this coming. We never really anticipated this because we had the numbers. If this would have been a normal vote out then we had the majority because one person would have wasted his vote. So the catch line of roadies is expect the unexpected.”
Arushi said that she wanted to live the journey once again but for a longer time. “It feels bad because roadies is a platform, a journey which I wanted to live again for a longer time and yes it feels bad but then it's part of the game, somebody has to get out.”
When asked about the concept of ‘buddy pair’, Arushi mentioned, “It’s unfair to an extent because you are always dependent on what your buddy pair chooses to do and as a contestant on a competition it would have been better if things would have clicked.”
She further said, “Everybody would have shown their true self and performed to their best abilities if given a chance to play individually.”
On the other hand Arsh drew comparisons on how the previous seasons of the show had gang leaders who were there to guide the contestants at every step unlike this year. He said, “The concept of Roadies 18 was primarily very different from the previous seasons because earlier there used to be gang leaders who used to take stands for their team members. However, it is like both a blessing and a boon for having a buddy pair because you get that reach, sort of spoon feeding, emotional, mental support like any action you take you know you can go talk to your buddy pair and learn so much.”
“While the disadvantages are if someone was targeted since day 1 so like the fellow person also gets targeted. Probably we weren’t able to fully expose our personalities this time to the audience because there was some ‘lajja aur sharam’, that respect because all buddy pairs were seniors from their respective seasons and like huge people. For me it was all about respecting them, gaining wisdoms from them. Jo kabhi hua kabhi nahi hua so it was a mix of both.”
On Sonu Sood taking Rannvijay Singha’s duty as a host, Arushi said, “Both of them hold a very strong and important role in their ways of conducting the show. Rannvijay sir has his own charm and strong hold on how to create more drama and make us more nervous. Since he was a part of the show since 18 years he had a good grip on the audience and overall contestants.”
“On the other hand Sonu sir was a wave of fresh air and positivity on the show where we were all away from our families and I personally would felt low and would speak to him. One day when I was about to quit the show, I went up to him and told him what I was feeling. He was so kind and nice to hear me out and encourage me. So I feel both of them have their charms there is no comparison between the two.”
Arushi Chawla and Arsh Walia’s exit from the show has definitely left their fans disappointed. They wish to see the duo entering the show once again as wild cards.
