After a series of enthralling twist and real-life challenges, Salman Zaidi was declared the winner of MTV Ace of Spaces season 2 on Sunday. The Hyderabad-based boxer won the hearts of fans from across the country with his approach towards tasks testing survival skills and became one of the most voted contestants on the show as well. “The win was unexpected. I had zero space towards the end. But the feeling is beyond words. I’m thankful to my fans and family —inside and outside the house,” he says.
Hosted by television producer Vikas Gupta, the show takes viewers through a world replete with confessions, clashes, chaos and shrinking walls, where 18 contestants are deprived of sunlight and fight it out to save their space in 72 days. In the second season, Salman defeated Adnan Shaikh, Baseer Ali, Shruti Sinha, Prakruti Mishra, Krissann Barretto and Rashami Jha, among others, and took home a cash prize of Rs.5 lakh.
.JPG?w=640&auto=format%2Ccompress)
Considering this was his first time in a reality show, Salman says that he was rather overwhelmed on entering the house. “A lot of the other contestants were popular models or actors and I was new. I had no experience or understanding of how this worked. It was a challenge emotionally as well,” he says.
What worked for him, Salman says, is how he was his true self with no pretence. “Some of the challenges like the one with a scarecrow were difficult. But right at the beginning of the show, I had decided to be myself and handle everything the way I would in real life,” he concludes.