Bigg Boss 20 has its first wild card contestant: TV actor Manish Goel, who walked into the house during the Week 5 Weekend Ka Vaar. This page tracks every wild card entry of the season and is updated as new contestants arrive. Last updated on October 12, 2026.
| Order | Contestant | Known for | Entry | Status |
| 1 | Manish Goel | TV actor (Kasautii Zindagii Kay, Bhabhi, Anupamaa) | Week 5 Weekend Ka Vaar (October 10 and 11) | In the house |
Manish Goel’s entry was staged as a surprise. He first appeared on the Weekend Ka Vaar stage with Salman Khan as if he had dropped in to promote a new project, and the housemates welcomed him as a guest. Salman then revealed that he was not leaving: Manish was joining the house as the season’s first wild card contestant.
He brings more than two decades of television experience with him. Manish made his name as Anupam Sengupta in Kasautii Zindagii Kay and later played the lead role of Tilak in Bhabhi. He is married to actor Poonam Narula. His other credits include Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and, more recently, Anupamaa. Reality television is not new to him either: he took part in the first season of Nach Baliye, and he won the celebrity hosting show Welcome: Baazi Mehmaan Nawazi Kii in 2013.
That background makes him one of the most experienced faces in a house filled with influencers, musicians and first-time reality contestants, and how he gets along with the established groups will be one of the stories to watch in Week 6.
Before the wild card, 17 contestants had entered the house: 16 on premiere night and Love Gill through the Fans Ka Faisla vote. Three of them have since been evicted, so Manish Goel’s arrival takes the confirmed number of housemates to 15. You can see who has left, and how, in our Bigg Boss 20 eliminated contestants list.
Wild cards also arrive with a fresh view of the game. They have watched the first five weeks from outside, so they already know who has been fighting, who has been aligning with whom and who the audience appears to favour. This season also gives the original housemates two lifelines each, and it has not yet been reported whether the new entrants start with the same protection. For the full original line-up, see our Bigg Boss 20 contestants list, and if you want to back a housemate in the coming weeks, our Bigg Boss 20 voting guide explains how to vote on JioHotstar.
Mid-season entries are a long-running Bigg Boss tradition, usually used to shake up a house once the early alliances have settled. We tracked the new arrivals in previous seasons too, including the Bigg Boss 15 wild card entries and the two wild cards who joined Bigg Boss 16.
TV actor Manish Goel, known for Kasautii Zindagii Kay and Bhabhi, entered as the first wild card during the Week 5 Weekend Ka Vaar.
One so far: Manish Goel. This page will be updated if more wild cards join the house.
Fifteen confirmed housemates: 14 from the original line-up after three evictions, plus Manish Goel.
This page is based on the show’s episodes and published reports from several news outlets, and it is updated as new wild cards enter the house.
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