Two lakh applicants, 10 finalists, one sleep champion: How a Mumbai woman won ₹9.6 lakh — Inside Wakefit's 60-day competition

A woman from Mumbai won ₹9.6 lakh and a sponsored vacation after emerging as the grand prize winner of the fifth season of Wakefit’s Sleep Internship, a 60-day competition that combined sleep schedules with unpredictable reality show-style tasks and challenges.

Jiniya Chatterjee was selected as the winner after competing against nine other finalists in the competition organized by Wakefit Innovations Limited for home and furniture. The contest reportedly attracted more than 2 million applications from across India.

Unlike regular competitions where contestants are judged on physical or mental performance, Wakefit’s Sleep Internship required contestants to maintain healthy sleep habits, stick to a fixed routine and complete a series of unusual weekly tasks.

How did the 60 day sleep study work?

According to reports, the fifth season attracted more than 2 million requests. After several rounds of screening and personal interviews, 10 candidates were selected for the two-month selection process.

Participants were required to sleep nine hours a day, maintain consistent sleep schedules, and track their sleep patterns. Their performance was recorded on a leaderboard, with daily scores determining their position in the competition.

However, sleeping nine hours was only part of the assignment. Participants also had to complete creative weekly challenges that tested their ingenuity and ability to follow unusual instructions.

What were the unusual challenges?

According to several reports, some of the weekly tasks included:

– Cinema of Sleep: Participants had to recreate favorite movie scenes with a sleep twist.

– Sleep Bingo: Contestants were asked to rate and track their sleep habits during the week.

– Secret Sleep Mission: In one of the more unusual tasks, participants had to randomly use the words “blanket” or “pillow” 10 times during a conversation without being caught.

The top performer in each weekly creative challenge is awarded the title of ‘Professional Sleeper of the Week’, giving contestants another opportunity to improve their position.

What happened at the Big Bedd grand finale?

After around 60 days, Jiniya Chatterjee, Ratnagiri Manikandan and Mehek Khot emerged as the top three contestants.

However, Hyderabad’s Karim Khan, who won the highest number of weekly creative challenges, returned as a wildcard entrant, bringing the number of finalists to four.

The grand finale, titled Big Bedd, followed the reality TV format and featured two main challenges.

– Memory Foam Challenge: Contestants were shown reference images of a bedroom layout and had to recreate the layout from memory within a time limit. The task tested their perception, memory and teamwork.

– Sleep Auction: Finalists had to bid on the essential elements of their ideal sleep environment, including pillows, blankets, air conditioning settings, lighting and sound controls.

The contestants then spent their final night in their customized sleeping environments, with their sleep performance determining the final winner.

After comparing the final results, Chatterjee emerged as the sleeper champion and took home ₹9.6 lakh and a holiday sponsored by Wakefit.

Wakefit Sleep Internship: What About Season 6?

After wrapping up its fifth season, Wakefit has opened pre-registrations for season 6 on its official website.

Launched in 2019, the initiative aims to encourage people to prioritize sleep and develop healthier sleeping habits.