
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?
Listen to Mamamia’s daily news podcast, The Quicky, about exactly how much reality stars get paid. Post continues below.
On The Quicky, host Claire Murphy spoke to Rob McKnight from TV Blackbox about how much reality TV stars get paid.
“If we judge it by what the contestants on House Rules get paid, they would get a $500 fee per week and a $500 allowance,” McKnight explained, adding that the details were shared in a case taken to the Workers Compensation Commission.
“[Contestants] don’t have to pay for any meals as all their expenses are covered. But you’ve still got your mortgages, your bills, etc.”
McKnight also shared that reality TV contestants don’t often make money until after the show has aired.
“The reality TV appearance isn’t going to make you your money. What the non-celebrities are hoping for is to find that 15 minutes of fame where they can cash in,” he explained.
“We see Married At First Sight stars doing cameos, which involves paying for a recorded message from them, they might go to nightclubs and get paid for that, they might make $500 for emceeing an event depending on how hot they were within the show. But it’s very few and far between that the ones can actually make a career out of it,” he continued.
“We have seen it with Chrissie Swan, for example. She was on Big Brother and has had a huge career since in television and radio. She was able to transcend being a contestant and become a legitimate personality but that’s not always the case.”
Here’s what we know about the pay rates on other Australian reality shows:
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.
Top Comments
The fact that they don’t have to pay the ‘talent’ is the whole reason reality tv exists. If they start paying them wages then they may as well be employing actors. Which would be great actually, so hopefully they do unionise.
Also why would they be paid during post production or airing? Most people don’t get paid when they aren’t working.
Reality tv isn’t a job it’s a game, you’re lucky to be paid anything at all
And they are not forced to sign on the dotted line after reading the terms and conditions on reams of paperwork from a horde of lawyers
Now I'm wondering if their is a collective term for lawyers, so I went for Horde - but I digress