# Are Adam and Jamie millionaires?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [March 11, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101 "2010-03-11T14:10:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/1 "2010-03-11T14:10:26Z")
Title says it all.
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### Author:  [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/2 "2010-03-11T14:17:35Z")
They may very well be.
Adam and Jamie who?
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### Author:  [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/3 "2010-03-11T14:18:39Z")
Who?
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/4 "2010-03-11T14:18:47Z")
I presume he means Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman of MythBusters.
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### Author:  [@wierdaaron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wierdaaron)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/5 "2010-03-11T14:22:57Z")
I’m guessing the people from Mythbusters.
And I’m guessing no.
Despite its success, Mythbusters is a Discovery channel show. They don’t get tremendously awesome advertising rates, so the show isn’t really making network TV money (which, today, isn’t all that great). They probably make a ton on DVD sales.
I doubt that Adam and Jamie have very good contracts, the type where they get a big cut of DVD sales or anything else. I’d bet they draw a straight salary, maybe with a bonus for each season.
Many movie stars aren’t even millionaires. Even if they get paid a million dollars for a role, it’s not like the money goes and sits in a big vault that they swim in. Like most people, when you make money, you spend it. I’d only consider someone a millionaire if they have at least a million dollars that they could throw around at any point.
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### Author:  [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/6 "2010-03-11T14:32:52Z")
> [@wierdaaron](#):
>
> I’m guessing the people from Mythbusters.
>
> And I’m guessing no.
>
> Despite its success, Mythbusters is a Discovery channel show. They don’t get tremendously awesome advertising rates, so the show isn’t really making network TV money (which, today, isn’t all that great). They probably make a ton on DVD sales.
>
> I doubt that Adam and Jamie have very good contracts, the type where they get a big cut of DVD sales or anything else. I’d bet they draw a straight salary, maybe with a bonus for each season.
It’s been on for 7 seasons. I’d have to think they’ve gone through at least one, probably two, salary negotiations since it began, and probably have very good contracts - it is one of Discovery’s marquee shows after all, and one they’ve had difficulty reproducing (Smash Lab, etc.). The show is just as much about Jamie & Adam’s interactions as it is the testing & blowing shit up, and I’m sure the Discovery corporate goons realize that. If they’re willing to live at the upper middle class level, they’ve got lots of cash socked away.
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/7 "2010-03-11T14:37:13Z")
I’m inclined to agree with **wierdaaron**. It’s a cable show. The demographics are probably desirable but I don’t think the budget is that big. There’s money in advertising movies and advertising, but I don’t think you make millions designing miniatures for movies or special effects for commercials. I’m assuming MythBusters is more lucrative than the other work they’ve done, since Jamie’s studio (M5) just does MythBusters now and isn’t working on commericals.
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/8 "2010-03-11T15:02:12Z")
Do you think Jamie insists on getting paid more than Adam? 😃
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### Author:  [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/9 "2010-03-11T15:07:07Z")
I think Adam has stated in interviews that both of them are now part owners of the show whatever that means salary wise I don’t know.
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### Author:  [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/10 "2010-03-11T15:13:38Z")
Jaime owns M5 studios which makes special effects props for many big screen movies, including Star Wars. He also seems to be a very sensible person when it comes to money. I’d be very surprised if he wasn’t already a millionaire when the show started production. Adam on the other hand seems to be a little more care free. He may or may not be one.
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### Author:  [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/11 "2010-03-11T15:20:48Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#):
>
> Do you think Jamie insists on getting paid more than Adam? 😃
He certainly get pays more than Adam. Jamie owns the warehouse where most of the show is filmed so they are paying him for that as well as starring in the show. He also runs his special effects props business out of the same building.
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/12 "2010-03-11T15:33:02Z")
[From the M5 site:](http://www.m5industries.com/m5i.html)
> [@](#):
>
> At this point, while M5 is still here, we are pretty well dominated by Mythbusters of the Discovery Channel. We aren’t doing special effects any more.[…] M5 is still doing some outside work, but it is mostly R&D. Pet projects I can’t resist taking on, as it were.
Maybe there’s more money in this than I’m guessing - and I am only guessing - but not every movie or commercial is a big nationwide deal. Jamie’s description (the comments about artisans especially) makes it sound more like a craft shop than what some of us might be picturing.
I meant to add that there’s also the question of what a millionaire is. I’m sure the on-camera talent all have very nice houses. Are they pulling in $1 million a year? Beats me.
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### Author:  [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/13 "2010-03-11T15:37:55Z")
> [@Marley23](#):
>
> I meant to add that there’s also the question of what a millionaire is. I’m sure the on-camera talent all have very nice houses. Are they pulling in $1 million a year? Beats me.
m-w defines it as a person whose material wealth exceeds $1million, not someone who makes $1mil income/year, or someone with $1mil in cash. So if you liquidate everything you own, and pay off all your debts, do you have $1mil left? If so, you’re a millionaire. I’m guessing after 7 seasons, unless they blew all their money on champagne bars or something, they’re both millionaires.
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### Author:  [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/14 "2010-03-11T15:46:54Z")
If they aren’t yet, they will be.
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### Author:  [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/15 "2010-03-11T16:26:38Z")
Without a doubt.
They are essentially the face one of the premier cable networks. They both own a piece of the show. Plus, they have ample opportunities to speak and present at any number of universities, trade shows, etc. Those are very lucrative deals.
Do they each pull down more than a million every year? I don’t know about that, but I would guess they do.
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### Author:  [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/16 "2010-03-11T16:31:03Z")
Will we get a Millionaire’s Myths episode?
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/17 "2010-03-11T16:46:28Z")
> [@phreesh](#):
>
> Plus, they have ample opportunities to speak and present at any number of universities, trade shows, etc. Those are very lucrative deals.
That’s probably where they’re making good money these days.
I know that Mike Rowe (host of “Dirty Jobs”, which is the highest-rated show on Discovery Channel now) gets five figures for personal appearances.
I don’t know if they’re millionaires, but I strongly suspect that they’re doing pretty well for themselves these days.
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### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/18 "2010-03-11T16:48:39Z")
> [@phreesh](#):
>
> They both own a piece of the show. Plus, they have ample opportunities to speak and present at any number of universities, trade shows, etc. Those are very lucrative deals.
They probably don’t earn 7-figure salaries from the show alone, but in combination with other things, they probably do.
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### Author:  [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/19 "2010-03-11T16:54:35Z")
Mythbusters is now on UK television as well (and probably elsewhere), so presumably as owners they’re picking up cash for overseas sales as well.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [March 11, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-adam-and-jamie-millionaires/532101/20 "2010-03-11T16:57:32Z")
> [@](#):
>
> They both own a piece of the show. Plus, they have ample opportunities to speak and present at any number of universities, trade shows, etc. Those are very lucrative deals.
There’s a lot of people in this position. They don’t make a huge amount of money doing what they’re well known for. But being well known presents them with opportunities to make a lot of money.
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