Niharika Tiwari is currently competing on Rise & Fall 2, where she held the Ultimate Ruler position and survived the season’s first Takhta Palat. She reached that point after finishing third on MTV Splitsvilla X6 in May 2026 with partner Sorab Bedi.
Image Credit: Social Media from Niharika Tiwari Instagram
Her career has an unusual shape. She first appeared on MTV Roadies: Real Heroes in 2019, then stepped away from television for roughly seven years before returning in 2026 and in the space of nine months has gone from a Splitsvilla contestant to a top-tier player on one of the year’s biggest streaming reality shows.
Niharika Tiwari quick facts
| Full name | Niharika Tiwari |
| Date of birth | 6 April 1994 |
| Age | 32 |
| Hometown | Geedam, Chhattisgarh |
| Known for | Rise & Fall 2, MTV Splitsvilla X6, MTV Roadies: Real Heroes |
| Splitsvilla 16 result | Third place, with Sorab Bedi |
| Current show | Rise & Fall 2 still competing |
| Profession | Model, actress and content creator |
| @niharikatiwari001 |
Niharika Tiwari on Rise & Fall 2
Rise & Fall season 2 premiered on 26 September 2026 and streams free on Prime Video and the MX Player app, with a new episode daily at 12 noon IST across a 42-day run. Former cricketer Virender Sehwag hosts, and the show is produced by Banijay Asia.
The format divides contestants into two classes. Rulers live in a luxury Penthouse and make the decisions. Workers live in the Basement and complete tasks to build the prize pot. Contestants move between the two as power shifts, and one Ruler at a time holds the Ultimate Ruler position, which carries decision-making authority and immunity from that week’s fall.
Niharika entered on Day 1 as one of 15 contestants, alongside Gautam Gulati, Swara Bhasker, Priyanka Chahar Choudhary, Karan Patel, Tej Pratap Yadav, Shehzad Poonawalla, Kajal Raghwani, Sara Gurpal, Anish Bhagat, Manish Kashyap, Raj Grover, Irina Rudakova, Kaira Anu the Splitsvilla 16 winner and Siwet Tomar.
From the Basement to Ultimate Ruler
Niharika started the season at the bottom. At the end of the third episode on 28 September she was in the Basement, among the Workers, while Tej Pratap Yadav, Shehzad Poonawalla, Priyanka Chahar Choudhary, Irina Rudakova and Raj Grover held the Penthouse.
She climbed out of it. When Shehzad Poonawalla’s tenure as Ultimate Ruler ended, the Workers chose Niharika to replace him a vote from the group she had been part of. In the 14 October episode, her first real exercise of the role, she eliminated Shehzad Poonawalla and Irina Rudakova from the Ultimate Ruler race and opened a path for new entrant Rishabh Jaiswal to challenge for a Ruler position.
Image Credit: Social Media from Niharika Tiwari Instagram
On a show literally built around rising and falling, going from the Basement to the single most powerful seat in the Tower is the arc the format is designed to produce.
Surviving the Takhta Palat
In the 23 October episode, the Workers won the Printing Press Challenge by getting 66 pamphlets approved and triggered the season’s first Takhta Palat a complete reversal, with the Workers seizing the Penthouse.
Every former Ruler was sent down to the Basement except Niharika Tiwari. Her Ultimate Ruler tenure was brought to an end by the Lift during Week 4, but she avoided the fall that took the rest of the old Penthouse group with it.
Current status
As of the 23 October 2026 episode, Niharika is still in the competition.
Two contestants have been evicted in the regular run of the season: Sara Gurpal and Kajal Raghwani, in a double elimination in the Week 3 episode on 20 October. Separately, Siwet Tomar was removed from the show on 28 September after a physical altercation with Shehzad Poonawalla, since physical violence is prohibited inside the Tower.
Because this show airs daily, positions change constantly. We update this page as the season progresses.
Early life and background
Niharika was born on 6 April 1994, which makes her 32. She is from Geedam, a small town in the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh not a part of the country that sends many contestants to national reality television, which has been part of her appeal.
She works as a model, actress and content creator, and posts on Instagram as @niharikatiwari001.
MTV Roadies: Real Heroes and the seven-year gap
Niharika’s first television appearance came on MTV Roadies: Real Heroes in 2019, where she auditioned in Indore.
That experience was a difficult one, and it did not launch a career. Instead of pushing for more television, she stepped back for roughly seven years and spent the time working on acting, performing arts and content creation. She has described the period as one of setbacks and rejections that she treated as learning rather than failure, and has credited family and friends for carrying her through it.
The gap matters to understanding her, because the contestant who walked into the Splitsvilla villa in 2026 was not a newcomer. She was someone returning on a second attempt, seven years better prepared.
Image Credit: Social Media from Niharika Tiwari Instagram
Splitsvilla X6: third place
Splitsvilla 16 ran from 9 January to 16 May 2026, filmed in Mahabalipuram and hosted by Karan Kundrra, with Nia Sharma and Uorfi Javed as Mischief Makers. Sunny Leone co-hosted the grand finale.
The season’s theme was Pyaar Ya Paisa love or money splitting contestants between a Pyaar Villa and a Paisa Villa and forcing repeated choices between a connection and the prize. Niharika entered from the Paisa Villa.
She was noted during the season for her sharp one-liners and for a composure that stood out in a cast full of volatile players — the benefit, plausibly, of being a 32-year-old on her second run at reality television rather than a first-timer.
She reached the finale paired with Sorab Bedi and the two finished third.
Grand finale standings
| Result | Couple |
|---|---|
| Winners | Kushal Tanwar (Gullu) and Kaira Anu |
| Runners-up | Yogesh Rawat and Ruru Thakur |
| Third place | Sorab Bedi and Niharika Tiwari |
| Fourth place | Tayne De Villiers and Soundharya |
Gullu and Kaira Anu took the INR20 lakh prize. Gullu went on to enter the Bigg Boss 20 house in September 2026, while Kaira Anu joined Niharika on Rise & Fall 2.
Niharika Tiwari and Sorab Bedi
Niharika and Sorab Bedi were paired on Splitsvilla 16, finished third together, and continued the relationship after the show. Fans followed the pairing under the name #Sorika.
They have since separated. Niharika confirmed the breakup herself in an Instagram video, saying she is single and is not currently dating anyone, and has described the relationship as having been real while it lasted.
She returned to the subject inside the Rise & Fall 2 house, where she said the decision to end things had been mutual: “Humne decide kiya ki nahi rehna hai” we decided we didn’t want to stay in it.
Beyond what the two of them have each said publicly, claims circulating about either of their private lives are not established, and we do not report them as fact.
What’s next
Niharika is in the back half of a 42-day Rise & Fall 2 run that began on 26 September. With an Ultimate Ruler tenure already behind her and a Takhta Palat survived, she is one of the season’s more consequential players heading into the final stretch.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Niharika Tiwari?
She is an Indian model, actress and content creator from Geedam, Chhattisgarh. She finished third on MTV Splitsvilla X6 in May 2026 with Sorab Bedi, and is currently competing on Rise & Fall 2, where she held the Ultimate Ruler position.
What is Niharika Tiwari’s age?
She is 32. She was born on 6 April 1994.
Where is Niharika Tiwari from?
Geedam, a town in the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.
Is Niharika Tiwari still in Rise & Fall 2?
Yes. As of the 23 October 2026 episode she is still in the competition. She survived the season’s first Takhta Palat, which sent every other former Ruler down to the Basement.
Was Niharika Tiwari the Ultimate Ruler on Rise & Fall 2?
Yes. The Workers voted her into the Ultimate Ruler position after Shehzad Poonawalla’s tenure ended, and in the 14 October episode she eliminated Shehzad Poonawalla and Irina Rudakova from the Ultimate Ruler race. Her tenure was ended by the Lift in Week 4.
Did Niharika Tiwari win Splitsvilla 16?
No. She and Sorab Bedi finished third. The season was won by Kushal Tanwar (Gullu) and Kaira Anu, with Yogesh Rawat and Ruru Thakur as runners-up.
Are Niharika Tiwari and Sorab Bedi still together?
No. Niharika confirmed the breakup in an Instagram video and said she is single. On Rise & Fall 2 she said the decision was mutual.
Was Niharika Tiwari on Roadies?
Yes. She appeared on MTV Roadies: Real Heroes in 2019, auditioning in Indore. She then took a roughly seven-year break from television before returning for Splitsvilla 16 in 2026.
Where can I watch Rise & Fall 2?
It streams free on Prime Video and the MX Player app, with a new episode daily at 12 noon IST. Virender Sehwag hosts.
What is Niharika Tiwari’s Instagram?
Last updated: 25 October 2026. This page is updated while Niharika remains in the Rise & Fall 2 competition.
