by Most popular boys and girls were ranked in Episode 3 of MTV Splitsvilla 16 (Pyaar Ya Paisa), which aired on January 11, 2026. During this episode, mischief makers Nia Sharma and Uorfi Javed made big revelations in front of the contestants, and many fights and arguments took place throughout.
Although hosts Sunny Leone and Karan Kundrra were completely absent from Episode 3, the entire episode focused on a power play by Uorfi Javed and Nia Sharma. The in‑game currency of MTV Splitsvilla 16, called Split Coins, was also introduced for the first time and Paisa Villa contestants got their first chance to earn it.
Episode 3 began with mischief makers Nia Sharma and Uorfi Javed entering the Mischief Den and saying that the contestants did not even know what they had in store for them this season, promising absolute chaos. All the Paisa Villa contestants then entered the Mischief Den one by one for a private one‑on‑two session, where the mischief makers explained that this was a new Splitsvilla twist in which contestants would have to make tough choices that could turn their world upside down.
Reminding everyone of the choice Uorfi gave in the grand finale of MTV Splitsvilla 15, Nia and Uorfi asked each contestant to choose between Pyaar or Paisa (Love or Money). All 16 contestants made their choices and left the Mischief Den, but were warned not to reveal their choice to anyone or their MTV Splitsvilla 16 journey would become very difficult.
Back in the villa, many girls were seen giving extra attention to Gullu, and Mohit Magotra discussed this with Anuska. Mohit and Anuska had a private conversation in a corner, while the other girls called Mohit to come and talk to them, which Anuska did not like.
Keona Walke and Niharika Tiwari had a heated argument when Niharika called Keona a “madhumakhi,” which Keona did not appreciate. Keona said she felt Kaira was the main boss of the girls’ group.
Ron and Asmita went to talk in a room but found Mohit and Anuska already there, and Anuska repeatedly cut Asmita’s conversation, which upset Asmita. She then went to another room with Ron, where the two had a sweet conversation.
The next morning in the Pyaar Villa, the boys went swimming in the pool before Himanshu Arora visited Diksha Pawar’s room to gift her a flower, leading to a short romantic conversation. Sadhaaf and Sorab Bedi discussed which girl Yogesh, Himanshu, and Tayne might choose to go in front of the Oracle with, and Sadhaaf disagreed with Sorab’s opinion about Tayne’s choice.
Anjali and Yogesh shared a romantic poolside conversation, with Yogesh calling her the best girl in Pyaar Villa but admitting he was still confused between her and Akanksha.
Meanwhile in Paisa Villa, Gullu threw Kaira in the pool and had fun with her and the other boys, then tried to set up Vishu with Khushi. Vishu and Khushi had a private pool conversation where he admitted he was also here to play the game, not just for love, and Khushi said she needed commitment before he asked for more time.
Zalak was talking to Aarav when it emerged that Gauresh was attracted to her, so Gullu called Zalak over to set them up. In their private conversation, Gauresh complimented Zalak about her maturity and age, and she admitted it was a tough choice between Aarav and Gauresh.
In Pyaar Villa, Yogesh told Akanksha that his gut feeling was to choose her to face the Oracle with him, and she was happy to hear that. Sadhaaf and Tayne also shared a romantic moment, with Tayne saying he would choose her for the Oracle because he no longer wanted to explore and wished to build a connection with her, kissing her hand and making her blush.
In Paisa Villa, contestants received a notification to assemble in the garden, where Uorfi and Nia arrived and complimented everyone on their looks, calling them a good‑looking lot. They then asked about the connections formed so far.
When Mohit spoke about his bond with Anuska, Asmita made faces, prompting the mischief makers to ask why. Asmita claimed Anuska was not a good girl and that Mohit had made a big blunder, adding that as her roommate, Anuska once locked her in the washroom because she was scared to sleep alone. Anuska countered that Asmita had issues with everyone except Keona, and Ron said he could even fight with his best friend Mohit for Asmita, so she was not alone.
On Uorfi’s request, Kaira taught belly dancing to her connection Gullu in a funny moment, with Gauresh and Vishu also joining the dance. Nia joked that the belly dancing class felt more like a kids’ birthday party.
Gauresh told Nia and Uorfi that he had given flowers to Zalak, which Aarav saw as a betrayal for trying to snatch her away. Niharika informed them that Preet’s connection Ayush had pointed out that he and Niharika had matching tattoos, and Preet considered it a manipulative move by Niharika to create friction between them.
Deeptanshu told the mischief makers that Khushi had initially said she did not like Vishu and wanted to connect with him instead, but Gullu and others advised her not to talk to him, and now he felt he had a better connection with Niharika.
Keona complained that no boy had made an effort to impress her. Aarav accused Gauresh of trying to snatch Khushi from him, but Khushi said it was her own choice to connect with Gauresh because he was making more effort.
Kaira and Asmita had a heated argument in which Asmita showed Kaira the middle finger, calling her too bossy and accusing her of doing groupism while she wanted to play her own game. Keona then shared an emotional story about her face being burned in an incident last year, which crushed her acting dreams, and broke down in tears as she claimed Kaira mocked her looks, calling her ugly and saying she looked like a ghost with too much makeup.
Kaira accused Keona of creating drama, but Niharika took a stand for Keona, arguing with Kaira and calling her fake while telling her to go back to Canada. Nia Sharma scolded Kaira harshly for making such indecent remarks about Keona’s appearance, and Ron also felt very bad for Keona.
Choose Most Popular Boy and Girl Task
Nia and Uorfi then asked all the boys to vote for the most popular girl in the villa and all the girls to vote for the most popular boy. Before voting, Mohit impressed everyone by showing his muscular body, while Keona sang a self‑written song and went down on one knee to offer a ring to Gauresh asking him to be her connection, which he did not accept, though the mischief makers praised her confidence.
Their votes were as follows:
For Most Popular Boy (girls’ votes):
- Anuska – Mohit
- Preet – Mohit
- Keona – Gullu
- Niharika – Deeptanshu
- Asmita – Gullu
- Khushi – Mohit
- Zalak – Mohit
- Kaira – Gullu
Mohit Magotra was chosen as the most popular boy with four votes.
For Most Popular Girl (boys’ votes):
- Mohit – Anuska
- Gullu – Keona
- Vishu – Keona
- Gauresh – Zalak
- Deeptanshu – Niharika
- Aarav – Niharika
- Ron – Asmita
- Ayush – Preet
Keona and Niharika tied with two votes each, so “Mr. Popular” Mohit got the tiebreaker vote and chose Keona, making her the most popular girl in the villa.
Nia then said they should also decide the 2nd to 7th positions and the least popular boy and girl.
For the girls:
- Keona chose Asmita as the 2nd most popular girl.
- Asmita chose Kaira as 3rd.
- Kaira chose Zalak as 4th.
- Zalak chose Niharika as 5th.
- Niharika chose Anuska as 6th.
- Anuska chose Khushi as 7th.
- Preet became the least popular girl.
For the boys:
- Mohit chose Gullu as 2nd most popular boy.
- Gullu chose Gauresh as 3rd.
- Gauresh chose Vishu as 4th.
- Vishu chose Deeptanshu as 5th.
- Deeptanshu chose Ayush as 6th.
- Ayush chose Aarav as 7th.
- Ron became the least popular boy.
Final Popularity Rankings
Girls:
- Keona Walke (Most Popular)
- Asmita
- Kaira
- Zalak
- Niharika
- Anuska
- Khushi
- Preet (Least Popular)
Boys:
- Mohit Magotra (Most Popular)
- Gullu
- Gauresh
- Vishu
- Deeptanshu
- Ayush
- Aarav
- Ron (Least Popular)
After this, the mischief makers revealed the full concept of Pyaar Villa and Paisa Villa and informed everyone that they were currently in Paisa Villa. They explained that love would rule in Pyaar Villa, while Paisa Villa would revolve around money and power, with Split Coins as the main currency. They also showed the Paisa Villa contestants the Pyaar Villa cast and highlighted some of their detailed profiles.
Predict the Dumpings and Earn Split Coins
In a twist, Nia and Uorfi gave contestants a chance to earn Split Coins by predicting who would be dumped in that night’s Pyaar Villa dome session, without revealing that Yogesh, Himanshu, and Tayne were already safe. Boys had to predict one boy each, and girls had to predict one girl each, with no duplicate choices allowed.
Boys’ Predictions (for boys to be dumped from Pyaar Villa):
- Mohit – Harshit
- Gullu – Chakshdeep
- Gauresh – Ayush
- Vishu – Anuj
- Deeptanshu – Tayne
- Ayush – Sorab
- Aarav – Himanshu
- Ron – Yogesh Rawat
Girls’ Predictions (for girls to be dumped from Pyaar Villa):
- Keona Walke – Sadhaaf Shankar
- Asmita – Soundharya Shetty
- Kaira – Simran Khan
- Zalak – Suzanne
- Niharika – Anisha
- Anuska – Diksha Pawar
- Khushi – Anjali Schmuck
- Preet – Akanksha
Nia and Uorfi told the contestants that by the end of the night, boys and girls in Paisa Villa would find out who topped the Split Coins chart and moved one step closer to power, marking the end of Episode 3.
Next Episode Precap: In Episode 4 of MTV Splitsvilla 16 (Pyaar Ya Paisa), the first dome session of the season will take place, where one couple will get a chance to go in front of the Oracle, and one boy and one girl will be dumped from the villa.
Keep coming back for more episode updates of MTV Splitsvilla 16 (Pyaar Ya Paisa), and if you have any questions regarding Episode 3, feel free to drop a comment below.
