03 August,2026 03:48 PM IST | Mumbai | Shruti Sampat
Payal Gaming and Kushal Tandon (Pictures via Instagram)
Just a week before the grand finale of Alliance, Payal Gaming's journey came to an end. Speaking exclusively to mid-day after her eviction, the content creator looked back at her time on the reality show, opening up about feeling isolated, being allegedly targeted by fellow contestants and her equation with Kushal Tandon, Sabby and other housemates.
Describing her experience as emotionally exhausting, Payal admitted, "It was a tough journey since the beginning. I felt very targeted." She claimed that alliances were formed against her from the very first week. "People did a lot of planning and plotting against us. I had a very strong connection with Vanshaj. They got rid of him. Then they came to me and threatened me that now it's your turn, they'll get rid of you," she said.
Calling Alliance her first reality show, Payal confessed that the atmosphere inside the house wasn't what she had expected. "I thought people would be welcoming and treat me nicely because I was doing something new. I had a feeling that maybe I'd get support. But that didn't happen. From the beginning to the end, there was a one-sided thing going on. It was Payal versus all."
Payal didn't hesitate to name Kushal Tandon while speaking about the alleged bullying she faced. "Kushal did it on the face. In the first three weeks, he came and spoke directly," she said. After watching the episodes, she claimed she realised others were also involved. "When I was watching the episode at home, I found out that Mini ma'am and Nikhil sir were also involved. They were saying, 'We'll get rid of Payal. She's going against us.' Kushal used to come and speak on my face, but Mini ma'am and Nikhil sir also had a big hand in this."
Reacting to being called part of the "bachaparty," Payal said the label never sat well with her. "I didn't feel like I was babysitting anyone because I was on my own all the time. But yes, we were called bachaparty, kids of the building, which I found to be very weird comments. I'm 25 years old. I'm not a kid. I was shocked."
She, however, had only good things to say about Delbar Arya. "Delbar Arya was a very nice friend. She supported me a lot. She was really caring and used to take care of me a lot when we were in the same alliance," Payal shared.
Speaking about Sabby, Payal expressed disappointment over how their friendship unfolded. "Sabby didn't support me; it was Vanshaj for sure. Even my OG ally backstabbed me. She nominated me in the first week and used to tell Kushal everything about me," she alleged. Explaining that they had only met at events before the show, Payal said, "I thought if we became allies, we'd support each other till the end. But she chose her own people. If I explained the right thing, she never listened to me."
Payal also reflected on the arrival of wildcard contestant Aly Goni, saying it didn't change her own game. "Particularly, I didn't feel empowered because I was already keeping my opinions," she said. She recalled encouraging fellow contestant Vriddhi to stand up for herself against Kushal. "I told Vriddhi that if you speak against Kushal behind his back, then you should also say it to his face. He used to go to people and say, 'Look, I saved you.' I told her to start taking a stand for herself."
According to Payal, Aly's entry gave contestants confidence because he had seen audience reactions from outside the show. "He knew people were hating Kushal outside. Because of that, people got the feeling that the audience hates him, so let's speak now. Until then, no one had the courage. People like Dolly were saying it from the beginning, but later everyone realised she was right," she concluded.
