We Found Out How Much the Celebrity Cast of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Makes
Dancing With the Stars has been on television for literally 84 years, aka 29 seasons, with the 30th season premiering at 8 p.m. ET tonight on ABC. And no, the celebrities featured on the show certainly aren’t sashaying their way around the stage in humiliating outfits for free.
While I’m sure there are some “celebs” who would go on this show just for the press, Dancing With the Stars’ contestants get compensated. And the more effort they put into their dancing, the more checks they cash. Let’s break it down, shall we?
The First Two Weeks
The contestants are cut a check the second they sign their lives away. According to Variety, everyone on the show makes $125,000 for the rehearsal period and the first two weeks on air.
This season, DWTS is kicking things off with 15 contestants:
Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore
The Bachelor’s Matt James
Spice Girl Mel C
Actress Melora Hardin
Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby
Influencer Olivia Jade
Country music singer Jimmie Allen
The Talk host Amanda Kloots
Actor Martin Kove
Actor Brian Austin Green
WWE wrestler Mike “The Miz” Mizanin
Entertainer JoJo Siwa
NBA star Iman Shumpert
Bling Empire’s Christine Chiu
Olympic gymnast Sunisa “Suni” Lee
…meaning the show spent about $1.87 million just to get people to agree to be on it, lol.
And Then There’s the Rest of the Competition
Everyone who makes it to week 3 of DWTS starts earning extra money per episode on a sliding scale, although Variety reported in 2019 that the most they can take home is $295,000.
^Me cheerfully saying hi to my empty bank account.
Back in 2010 (so, a long time ago), Gawker reported that contestants earned $10,000 for weeks 3 and 4, $20,000 for weeks 5 and 6, $30,000 for weeks 7 and 8, and $50,000 for weeks 9 and 10. That’s clearly a lot of money, but here’s the thing…
Contestants Used to Make Way More
$295,000 is no doubt a huge sum, but in previous seasons, the winner of Dancing With the Stars could earn up to $345,000. Here’s to hoping they go back to that in season 29, because everyone’s literally dancing their way through a pandemic. Either way, we won’t find out who takes home the final paycheck till this season is over, but I’m personally rooting for Skai Jackson, who’s actually donating a portion of her earnings!
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