The top reality TV stars are also earning a very good amount of money for their work. While some may find this shocking, others might not be that surprised. There is no denying that these shows take a lot of time, effort and dedication to make them a success in the first place.
What is a reality TV star’s salary? The answer varies from show to show and season to season, but an overall average comes out to about $250,000 per year. However, many stars make more than that based on how long they stay on the show, how popular the show becomes, how much of their life ends up in front of audiences’ eyes (which can be lucrative endorsement opportunities), and even their ability to secure a contract with another network once their tenure on their current program comes to an end.
If you’re a reality TV star, you could be making an impressive amount of money each season. Some reality show stars have become household names and make more than $100,000 per episode. Today we’re going to be exploring some of the most popular reality TV shows and how much their leads make in comparison to celebrities who appear on scripted television shows.
Salary For Reality Tv Stars Overview
The highest-paid reality TV stars are paid an incredible amount of money for each episode. While many of them have not revealed their exact salaries, we can make educated guesses about how much they earn by comparing their net worth with the amount of money they take home per season.
Take 90 Day Fiance star Danielle Jbali, who was reportedly paid $10,000 per episode. She appeared in only two seasons before the show was canceled due to low ratings and her own scandalous behavior (she was accused of stealing money from her husband). If we calculate that she made $20,000 per season, and she had a salary like this for four seasons (two on 90 Day Fiance and two on Happily Ever After), then she would have made $80,000 per year off of her reality TV career alone.
In comparison, Danielle’s fellow castmate David Toborowsky has also appeared on four seasons of the show (three on 90 Day Fiance and one on Happily Ever After), but he makes significantly more: around $40K per season according to his Instagram posts. That’s $160K over five years—more than Danielle’s estimated earnings during her time.
Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Reality TV Show Jobs
We’ve identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Reality TV Show job is above the national average. Topping the list is Santa Clara, CA, with San Francisco, CA and Fremont, CA close behind in the second and third positions. Fremont, CA beats the national average by $14,931 (16.4%), and Santa Clara, CA furthers that trend with another $21,168 (23.3%) above the $90,774 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Reality TV Show appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top ten cities varies very little at 11% between Santa Clara, CA and Maple Grove, MN, reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Reality TV Show role.
| City | Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara, CA | $111,943 | $9,329 | $2,153 | $53.82 |
| San Francisco, CA | $108,338 | $9,028 | $2,083 | $52.09 |
| Fremont, CA | $105,705 | $8,809 | $2,033 | $50.82 |
| Marysville, WA | $104,222 | $8,685 | $2,004 | $50.11 |
| San Jose, CA | $102,328 | $8,527 | $1,968 | $49.20 |
| Oakland, CA | $101,324 | $8,444 | $1,949 | $48.71 |
| Jackson, WY | $100,940 | $8,412 | $1,941 | $48.53 |
| Alexandria, VA | $100,738 | $8,395 | $1,937 | $48.43 |
| Sunnyvale, CA | $99,878 | $8,323 | $1,921 | $48.02 |
| Maple Grove, MN | $99,667 | $8,306 | $1,917 | $47.92 |
