What do the people whose lives and/or businesses are documented for cable shows get paid? I’m sure it varies widely based on the network, hours of filming access, ratings, et cetera, but does anyone have a ballpark idea? Examples of the shows to which I’m referring include, Miami Ink, LA Ink, American Chopper, Little People Big World, John and Kate Plus Eight, Flip that House, Landscapers Challenge, and House Hunters. There are many others. The first five of those listed above are ongoing by design. The last three are temporary for the individuals being showcased. My guess is that a flat fee might be paid to the short-term individuals, and that ratings might come into play when negotiating payment for shows that feature the same people from one season to the next. Any ideas as to how much the people are paid? Roughly?
(I’m not interested in typical “Reality” shows like Survivor or American Idol; They’re usually gunning for a set prize, anyway.)
We had the dubious distinction on appearing on Trading Spaces. There was no pay per se, but we did get a 500 Gift Card at the end of the shoot. We also had to pay taxes on the designer and carpenter’s time. About 900 sheckles if I remember correctly.
ymmv.
To my knowledge, clients are not paid to appear on Miami Ink or L.A. Ink, at least not the ordinary ones. They simply pay the studios for the tattoos they receive. I imagine there could be some kind of compensation for celebrity clients, however.
I didn’t think the clients on the tattoo shows got paid. But what do you suppose the folks at Miami Ink and LA Ink are paid? I guess it’s possible that the publicity is enough, but if the networks are making money from the shows, then I figure they must share some of the profits with the parlors. And while the Roloff family from Little People Big World owns businesses that might benefit from publicity, John and Kate (from John and Kate Plus Eight) do not, so publicity alone hardly seems like ample compensation for having camera crews all around you and having to wear microphones in your daily life.
They have to submit (via the shows website) an idea for a tattoo, which artist they want to have do it and why. It’s reviewed by a producer who talks with the artist and if they like you, you pay to fly to Miami, stay, and have the tattoo done, so you’d most likely be out a few thousand bucks to be on Miami Ink. I really want a tattoo done by Chris Garver so I checked the whole thing out.
No details, but I work in reality tv (sorry, don’t stone the messenger)… I met one of the owners of one of the tattoo parlors, and he said the show turned his place from a ghost town into a locale with a huge line of people trying to get a tattoo done there.
No idea if he got paid on top of that, but most likely they have to pay him SOMETHING.