Exactly how much contestants on The Bachelor, Gogglebox, Big Brother and more, get paid.

There’s a reality TV show for everyone: Chefs, home renovators, singers, dancers, mango daiquiri enthusiasts, TV watchers, those wanting to starve on an island for months, those wanting to marry a stranger, those wanting to date 25 different people…

Heck, if it wasn’t for common sense and the risk of public humiliation, we’d probably all be on TV.

If you don’t win a big chunk of prize money (or #TrueLove), teeth whitening endorsements and being chased for paparazzi photos that end up on The Daily Mail might not quite cover all the bills… so, how much do reality TV stars get paid? It is… worth it?

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Basically, no. Here’s how much they get paid:

The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise.

On The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, contestants are reportedly paid $90 a day.

In 2018, a former contestant who chose to remain anonymous confirmed to The Daily Telegraph that the amount was under $100.

“You don’t get paid a wage as such, you get given a weekly expense allowance which is under $100 a day. It is below minimum wage,” she said.

“‘It’s ridiculous what you get paid. A lot of the girls were excited to get that amount a week, but I was like are you serious I wouldn’t get out of bed for that.”

For those who disappoint Osher and don’t find love the first time around, the option of flying to Fiji and drinking mango daiquiris in the sun will see them earn about $100-$200 per day, unless you’re Alex Nation-level important.

"Most of us have got full time jobs so we need money to pay for bills and stuff… it’s enough to get us through the week," avocado murderer and Kmart Magic Mike Ivan Krslovic told Hit 103.5’s Carly and Seamus in April.

"We’re sipping cocktails and sitting around in our board shorts, so it’s not too bad."

But according to The Daily Telegraph, the majority of the cast were making up to $500 a day on the show, while former Bachelor winner Alex Nation may have been receiving 10 times more than her fellow contestants on the show.

Yep, that’s $5000 a day to sit around a resort in Fiji.

Married At First Sight.

Earlier this year, former Married At First Sight contestant Telv Williams revealed the stars get paid a daily rate of $150, tax free on the reality show.

A fan of the 34-year-old asked "Did MAFS pay for new outfits each week or the dinner parties or commitment ceremonies?” and it turns out most of the essentials are out the pocket of the contestants.

"You gotta do all your own hair and makeup. You gotta do your own dress, buy your own clothes… You get paid $150 dollars a day, tax free. It’s sh**, it’s rubbish… everything is off your own f***ing back" he responded.

Another former MAFS star, Nasser Sultan, told Now to Love he got $150 a day, but other contestants received more.

"Sarah and a few others, like Davina, got more money," he revealed. "They got $50.00 more a day. Basically, the more you did for the show, the more you got."

Gogglebox.

It's the show we all want to be on, but if you're planning on applying for the next season of Gogglebox, don't quit your day job.

Former Gogglebox star Yvie Jones told Fox FM in August that she would like the cast of the show to unionise to protect them from exploitation.

"Well, they don’t pay a talent fee," Yvie revealed, when asked how much the stars are paid.

"You’re not employed. The house gets a location fee and that has to be whoever owns the house gets a fee. Our landlord would get the fee and she would have to forward it to us if she wanted to.

"It would be happening in all the rentals. This is how bad it was in the beginning, the first season, per day, per house we’d get $250 a day."

The stars, or their landlords, are now much better compensated, but it's still not much according to Yvie.

"Now they get a location fee that is a lot more, but it’s still nothing. Everyone on Gogglebox is doing it for the love.

"They really do love what they do. There needs to be a union I think, in this kind of TV, observation documentaries, we’re not employed so we don’t have a union."

Australian Survivor.

Um, it turns out you'd be better compensated walking down the aisle to marry a stranger and throwing fruit bowls at dinner parties than you would be battling it out on Survivor.

Season three contestant Lee Carseldine told Mamamia the money they were paid was just as pitiful as the food and shelter provided (of which there was... practically none ¯\_(ツ)_/¯).

"We only get paid $90 a day," Lee explained. "So apart from trying to win it (and take home $500K) you aren’t doing it for the money. It’s a whole lot of hurt for not a lot gained if you don’t win."

You’re basically being paid less than $100 to be wet, cold and hungry.

The Block.

If any reality TV contestants deserve to be paid well, it's The Block stars.

Unlike other shows, which involve lounging around a pool or watching TV on your couch, The Block requires months of renovating an entire house while sleep deprived and strapped for cash and no, thank you. Plus if your auction doesn't go well, you can be left with nothing at the end. That shit is cruel.

The contestants are paid living expenses during filming, but according to The Block Sky High contestants Bec and George this is barely enough to cover bills and food.

In 2014, the weekly payment was reported to be $700 per week. The ABC reported that some earned the equivalent of $7 per hour. And 2016 stars Andy Sunderland and Ben Toyne said the payments were only given during filming, not while the show was in post-production or airing.

We'll pass.

Big Brother.

Applications are open for the Big Brother revival, but before you hit 'submit', maybe make sure you have a few savings.

Michael Bric, known as John or Jono during his time in the 2006 Big Brother house, didn't manage to score the $1 million prize money, but was pretty happy with his weekly retainer.

"It sort of varied from $1000-$2000," he told Matt and Meshel. "For me at that stage, as a 20-year-old, I was loving every cent I could get... I definitely wasn't complaining about it."

My Kitchen Rules.

According to an 'unnamed source' who spoke to the Courier Mail, contestants on My Kitchen Rules received $1000 a week, but considering how much they need to cook, because... cooking show, this didn't go very far.

"It's hard. We were spending up to $600 a week on food because you're encouraged to cook as much as possible," they said.

MasterChef.

Even if we could cook anything requiring more skill than a lasagne, the weekly allowance handed to MasterChef contestants is... not that enticing.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, contestants on the 2013 season received a $630 allowance each week on top of having their food and accommodation expenses covered.

The Apprentice.

Now, this is a throwback.

Wedding venue director Mary-Anne was isolated from the outside world for nine weeks while filming The Apprentice in 2009, and said she clocked numerous 10 or 12-hour days.

In exchange, she told Matt and Meshel, she too was paid just $500 a week.

"I did it at the time because it would be a great experience, because obviously it was all based around business and I had my own businesses, so I thought it was a great opportunity," she said.

"But in reality it is a reality show. So it's all scripted, it's all actors that are there - not paying customers - that you're serving. It really left me quite jaded by the end."