When Dancing With The Stars season 29 ended, the winner took home more than just the Mirror Ball Trophy. The stars actually all get paid for being on the show. Bachelor alumni Kaitlyn Bristowe and pro partner Artem Chigvintsev won the dancing competition on Monday, November 23.
Dancing With The Stars aired its first season in 2005. Now, 15 years later, the show just wrapped up season 29! Over the years, the show has featured celebrities from different niches. There have been actresses/actors, reality TV personalities, including Bachelorettes, and singers. There has even been an entire season dedicated to athletes. The show received some backlash this season due to the shocking change in host. So many longtime Dancing with the Stars viewers were upset when news broke that beloved co-hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews would no longer host the dancing competition. Tom was the original host. Erin was brought on to co-host alongside Tom in 2014. The two were replaced by Tyra Banks, and plenty of fans missed Tom and Erin.
What many Dancing With The Stars fans may not realize is that the stars actually get paid for their time in the ballroom. International Business Times reported that the final four couples, Justina Machado and Sasha Farber, Nev Schulman and Jenna Johnson, Kaitlyn Bristowe and Artem Chigvintsev, and Nelly and Daniella Karagach all received equal paychecks. During DWTS season 28, ABC "gave a pay cut to its celebrities." Each star received $125,000 as a sign-on bonus. Finalists received $295,000 apiece at the end of the season. While Kaitlyn and Artem won the Mirror Ball Trophy, they did not make more money than the other three couples standing next to them on finale night.
This was not always the case. Back in 2010, each star on the show received a $10,000 payday for the first two weeks. Dancing with the Stars celebrities that made it past week three had their pay increased to $20,000. This pay then increased again (to $30,000) up until the last two episodes. The final couples in the competition then earned $50,000. In all, the finalists would bring home about $345,000 by the end of the season. That is an awfully large paycheck.
It does not really seem too fair that a Dancing With The Stars winning couple doesn't get anything extra, besides the glittering Mirror Ball Trophy. However, it does seem reasonable that the final four couples make more than the rest of the couples on the show. They do in fact spend the most time on the show. However, it must be frustrating for couples who put in a lot of time and effort and then get the same pay as DWTS couples who may not try as hard or do as well. Either way, the amount of money these couples bring home is insane, especially for the professional dancers that return season after season and make it far in their respective competitions.
Source: International Business Times