I just found out that somebody I know has been cast for the New York version of a reality TV program on one of the popular cable networks. It is a profession-based series, and it looks like she will be one of the several leads that the series will follow.
My specific question is what sort of compensation arrangements would the production company be likely to make for their reality show leads? Even if she weren’t getting paid, this would probably be a big plus for her professionally, but I’m suspect she’ll be getting paid.
More generally, how much are people paid for the various types of reality shows?
For competition shows, the people are trying to win the million dollars (or whatever the prize is), but do the losers get anything? What about those who, after they lose, get sequestered in the “jury house” or whatever, is there payment keeping them there? How about the follow-ups, reunion shows, post-elimination appearances on talk shows, etc., they have to be getting something more than a ticket to New York and a hotel stay to show up, particularly after not getting the big prize while missing a whole mess of work and being away from your family for weeks or months. How about the guest judges, industry mentors and the like?
For a show that follows a family or a celebrity (or a celebrity’s family), how much do the leads make? What about when Uncle Joey shows up, does he get paid?
Yes they get paid but they don’t always say how much for each show. On Survivor the first people voted off get the least money, everyone gets some cash. I read the Jersey Shore cast got big raises for year 2.
For a talk show like Leno or Letterman they get paid but it’s not much. The point of those shows is to promote yourself and the show, you don’t do it for money.
I read somewhere that the “real housewives” get $30K and up per episode. Someone from a message board was on either Wife Swap or Trading Spouses and said she was paid $20K.
Actors in the union have a thing called “scale.” This is the minimum pay for the role depending on what role it is and what it involves.
For instance, scale for an actor with a line, is more than scale for an actor without a line. This is why on a TV series you often see three or four actors but only one talks. The one with the line gets paid more, because scale for an actor with words is more.
Actors on talk shows get scale. But they may also get other perks depending on contract. For instance someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger, who reportedly got top of the line in compensation, got paid scale for the talk shows but he also gets a huge fee from the movie company each time he goes on a talk show to promote his latest movie.
Of course “scale” applies to union members, so I am not sure if reality show participants have to join a union.
Last season on Models of the Runway, one of the models had the opportunity to star in an Arby’s commercial and left the show. The reason why she left the show for a relatively small gig like that was that it would allow her to get her SAG card.
So based on that, I’m guessing that reality show participants don’t necessarily have to be SAG members.