Tables seem to have turned on the popular TV show 'Bigg Boss 2', with participant Rahul Mahajan - initially considered one of the weakest contenders - having sprung a surprise as the hot favourite of punters. If bookies are to be believed Rahul is presently the strongest of the six contenders in the show, and the current bet on his winning has almost reached an astounding Rs 100 crores.

One of the bookies, on the condition of anonymity, said: "Earlier Rahul was seen as one of the weakest candidates. But now, no one doubts his chances of winning the show. He is witty, sharp and also the most popular among housemates as well as the audience."

Rahul's closest contender is model-turned-actor Zulfi Sayed with bets of Rs 60 crores on him. Of the others, Raja Chaudhary, TV star Shweta Tiwari's ex-husband, shares space with Ashutosh Kaushik, winner of the another reality show, with bets of Rs 20 crores each.

While hardly any punters are favoring former Miss Universe Diana Hayden, who is seen as the lame duck in the race; Monica Bedi has a slim chance.

Bookies say the total betting amount on the game show could be something around Rs. 4-5 billion, barely 1/15th or even less than what is at stake for reality shows like 'Big Brother', 'Survivor' and even 'American Idol'.

A Mumbai-based bookie, said: "This sort of betting still has to take root in the country as most people don't have any knowledge. Either they bet on cricket matches or on elections which have a bigger market."