Here's How Much Money the 'Dancing With The Stars' Cast Will Earn
Another season of dancing is happening, but it comes at a price. Dancing With the Stars’ salaries for the celebrity cast have been revealed — and it’s juicy to see how much everyone could make.
It was announced that Lamar Odom, Bachelorette star Hannah Brown, Christie Brinkley and — hello, politics! — former White House press secretary Sean Spicer are among the stars hitting the dance floor this season. Now, Variety reports that each contestant will earn $125,000 just for doing the rehearsals and starring in the first two weeks’ worth of episodes.
After the third week, fees go up — although they won’t be as high as in earlier seasons. Previously, a Dancing With the Stars participant could earn up to $345,000, but this year the maximum a winner will get is $295,000.
Still, that’s hardly shabby. And let’s be honest: For many stars the money is just a bonus, as the sheer nature of being on the show can lead to a career resurgence. Prime example: past winner Alfonso Ribeiro, who went on to host the newest incarnation of America’s Funniest Home Videos after winning season 19.
The announcement that Spicer, who has made appearances at the 2017 Emmys and was developing a pilot in 2018, was joining the cast created a wave of backlash on social media, with commenters saying this is another example of Spicer trying to clean up and normalize his image. Dancing With the Stars host Tom Bergeron even tweeted his thoughts about the casting.
Even with the reportedly lower earnings potential DWTS offers its cast members this season, it sounds to us like nice work if you can get it.
Season 28 of Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC September 6th.