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

Unlike conventional competitions, where participants are judged on physical or mental performance, Wakefit's Sleep Internship required contestants to maintain healthy sleep habits, follow a fixed routine and complete a series of unusual weekly assignments.

A Mumbai woman has 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 contest that combined sleeping schedules with quirky tasks and reality-show-style challenges.

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

Unlike conventional competitions, where participants are judged on physical or mental performance, Wakefit's Sleep Internship required contestants to maintain healthy sleep habits, follow a fixed routine and complete a series of unusual weekly assignments.

How did the 60-day Sleep Internship work?

According to reports, the fifth season attracted more than 2 lakh applications. Following multiple rounds of screening and personal interviews, 10 candidates were selected for the two-month competition.

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

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

What were the unusual challenges?

According to multiple reports, some of the weekly assignments included:

- Sleep Cinema: Participants had to recreate popular movie scenes with a sleep-related twist.

- Sleep Bingo: Contestants were asked to assess and track their sleeping habits over a week.

- Undercover Sleep Mission: In one of the more unusual tasks, participants had to casually use the words "blanket" or "pillow" 10 times during conversations without being caught.

The best-performing participant in each weekly creative challenge earned the title of 'Pro Sleeper of the Week', giving contestants another opportunity to improve their standing.

What happened at the Big Bedd grand finale?

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

However, Karim Khan from Hyderabad, who had won the highest number of weekly creative challenges, returned as a wildcard entrant, taking the number of finalists to four.

The grand finale, titled Big Bedd, followed a reality television format and featured two major challenges.

- Memory Foam Challenge: Contestants were shown reference images of a bedroom setup and had to recreate the arrangement from memory within a limited time. The task tested their observation, memory and teamwork.

- Sleep Auction: Finalists had to bid for essential elements of their ideal sleeping environment, including pillows, blankets, air-conditioning settings, lighting and sound controls.

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

After the final scores were compared, Chatterjee emerged as the Sleep Champion, taking home ₹9.6 lakh and a Wakefit-sponsored vacation.

Wakefit Sleep Internship: What about Season 6?

Following the conclusion of its fifth season, Wakefit has opened pre-registrations for Season 6 on its official website.

The initiative, launched in 2019, aims to encourage people to prioritise sleep and develop healthier sleeping habits.