How Much Do Celebs Make on 'Dancing With the Stars'?
'Dancing With the Stars' is one of the more profitable shows on TV, making hundreds of millions each season through ad revenue, but, how much of that bounty is going to the celebrity contestants?
"When you sign up, every contestant gets $150,000 for 6 weeks rehearsals and the first two shows," an insider with knowledge of the arrangement tells me. "Then every week you survive you make an extra $10,000 then $20,000 then $30,000 and so on, so the winner takes home $350,000."
Which sounds like a huge amount of money, but not to one past contestant, who complained to me this week about 12-hour work days and "ridiculous" amounts of "stress and strain" on the body.
"The show doesn't pay for massages or anything else," the former contestant, who is not part of the current cast, alleges. "The amount of physical stress and strain they put your body through, rehearsing six days a week, eight hours a day, is ridiculous."
My source said "I have never worked so hard in my life" and described one particularly busy performance day: "Our call time was 6:00 AM and we were rehearsing with the band by 8 and then live on the dance floor that evening. That's a 12-hour day."
And although I agree it doesn't feel right that the cast of 'The Jersey Shore' earn far more than Kirstie Alley and crew, I say welcome to the real world, where we pay for own massages too!
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So how much do the judges and hosts make?
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That was what I was wondering.
The judges and hosts have lucrative contracts and make millions!
If they're getting anything more than minimum wage ... it's too much!
Unfortunately, that's not the case.
Dear Abbie might say 'just check your GF's pay stub'.
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I have never watched, but none of them are stars....LOL! At best a few are has beens if that!
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Obviously, they are grossly overpaid. How many donate their salaries to charitable organizations? Very few, I expect. Oh, and the show is fake and stinks.
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I'm sure you donate YOUR salary to charity too! What a stupid remark...
How much of your salary do you donate to charity?
Why should they be EXPECTED to donate all the money they make? Do you donate all of your money?
More than they should make, which should be 0 dollars.
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They probably pay Kristy with donuts and burgers, although that would really add up.
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If these people are supposed to be "stars", then one would imagine that they already would have a fair amount of money, yes?
It would be nice if the premise of the show was that the money earned would be donated to the charity of their choice like they do on Celebrity Apprentice.
Seems to me that donating to a charity is a far more honorable thing to do with that money rather than just further lining their pockets.
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"Stars" have bills to pay, just like the "regular" folks. Why should they donate their paycheck? Why don't YOU donate your paycheck to charity? Everyone wants to criticize if someone is making money - you are all just jealous that you don't have a way to make the big bucks. Get your own gig and make the big bucks, and quit putting down the people who have! Plus, I don't think most of the whiners on here would work as hard as these folks are. But you think it's cool to watch Snookie and her ignorant friends act like morons and make a HUGE amount of money. Talk about sad.
Susan ... my goodness!
Did somebody crap in your oatmeal this morning!
You seem just a wee bit grumpy!!
Toni............You mean more like fallen stars.
Oh shut up, you pig!
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KIRSTIE ALLEY IS DOING HER BEST, AND I THINK SHE IS GREAT.!!!!!!!!! AND ALSO HAS THE GUTS TO TRY IT.
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I agree with you Frank 100% Kirstie is giving it her all, she looks great.Her and Maks work well together. And for all those haters LEAVE KIRSTIE ALONE!!!!!!!!