How much does The Bachelorette get paid?
By Ariba Bhuvad
The Bachelorette Season 18 has only just begun and fans are already curious about how Michelle Young’s journey will come to an end. There is a lot more left to come on that front, so stay tuned to see how it all turns out.
But with this season (and every other season), many have been wondering about something apart from the journey itself–how much does the Bachelorette (or the Bachelor) get paid to be the lead? It’s a question that has forever plagued the minds of Bachelor Nation fans, and while we have a rough idea, Reality Steven recently gave us some estimates.
According to him, the leads usually make around $100,000. This is not a confirmed amount, nor is it from official sources, but it is more or less what folks think they make. Back in May, Jason Tartick revealed on a podcast that he along with Colton Underwood and Blake Horstmann were offered around $100K to be the lead.
Not too shabby for only doing two months of work, right?
However, while that might be the case for the leads nowadays, it doesn’t seem like this was always how much they got paid.
The Bachelorette and The Bachelor salary
It looks like the going rate to be the lead of The Bachelorette or The Bachelor was much less than $100,000 back in the day. In fact, Dean Unglert once revealed in an interview that he was offered $75,000. I mean, that’s still not too horrible if you’re asking me–a salary most would gladly take for two months of work. Although these particular two months of work come with a hefty price tag of your mental sanity.
Surprisingly, $100,000 isn’t the most a lead has been paid. Back in 2012, Emily Maynard was rumored to be paid a whopping $250,000 to be the Bachelorette. If she did indeed get paid this much, she’d be up there as one of the highest-paid leads in the franchise.
And then you have Meredith Phillips, the second Bachelorette, who reportedly only made $10,000 to be the lead. Yes, that’s a tenth of what leads make now which is wild to think about, but it was in the early days before the franchise truly became the pop culture phenomenon it is today.
It’ll be interesting to see if the salary cap ever surpasses $100,000 in the future. Given how much it is has increased since the shows first began, we won’t be too surprised to see that number go up exponentially. Plus, the paycheck isn’t the only thing that these leads get–we can’t forget the social media clout that comes with it!
Are you surprised by the paycheck the leads get? We sure are!
What do you think of the Bachelorette/Bachelor lead salaries? Tell us in the comments below!