However, unlike the host and the girls who got paid along the way, none of the army guys goy money for being on the show. And this was made clear to them before they signed on. But these guys who were looking for thrills with their glamorous partners did not mind it. Initially. It was only after they got to know what their partners were getting that they started feeling the pinch. Specially those who reached the semi-finals and finals. Says Squadron Leader Jaisimha Ravirala who was one of the semi-finalist, “Everybody from Akshay to the girls were paid a huge amount but we did not get a penny.” But wasn’t that part of the deal? “Yes, but I still think the channel and the production house played on our emotions,” he reckons. Adds another officer on condition of anonymity, “We were not aware of many aspects which we learnt on reaching there. They took a lot of advantage of that.” Ravirala claims to have taken up the issue with the channel and the production house too.

There is also some confusion about how much the winners got. Even those who have seen the show are not sure whether the prize money was announced, while some are of the opinion that it was Rs 50 lakh! According to sources, the winner Nethra Raghuraman walked away with Rs 25 lakhs while her partner Captain Saurabh Dutta got Rs10 lakhs. Except the winners, nobody got any reward either in cash or kind.
Apart from the monetary aspect, what rankled the officers was the disparity in the treatment meted out to them and the celebs. While the guys had to suffice with one pair of shoes, an army uniform, T-shirt, jacket and a pair of trousers, the girls were given three pairs of shoes, around six costumes and sports dresses according to a couple of officers. “Even that one pair of shoes and uniform was not of good quality,” says Ravirala. Adds Captain Navin Sabharwal who partnered Deepanita Sharma. “I don’t want to be nit-picking but we did expect some respect and standing from the channel. After all, we are officers,” he points out.
Also, while the idea of pairing up with Bollywood celebs was definitely a big plus, the officers were excited about doing the stunts. However, except for one or two guys in the initial rounds and those who reached the finals, most of them had to be content as onlookers, egging on their glamorous partners into performing the stunt. “We were as good as cheerleaders,” says Captain Navin Sabharwal who along with his partner was eliminated early on in the show.

When asked why army officers were chosen, Ashwini Yardi, Programming Head, Colors said, “We chose them on the basis of their causes and dreams and the winner got a cash prize to fulfill it. Also, Akshay Kumar gave a cheque to Captain Patil whose sister was diagonised with bone cancer. All of them had a good time there and I don’t think they should be complaining.”
Despite the grievances, everyone is unanimous about being happy with the “experience.” “I stayed in a different country and got to know their culture,” says Captain Patil who partnered Yana Gupta. Ravirala who thought that stars were inaccessible and hoity-toity struck a good rapport with his partner Bedi. “On the show everyone used to say we were made-for-each-other,” he smiles. Captain Dharam Veer Singh has become a family friend of his partner Urvashi and vice versa.