Katie Thurston stuck it out to the end on her season despite having a moment where she adamantly wanted to walk away. Some have questioned whether money is the reason Katie stayed when it seemed so many of her frontrunners were breaking her heart and leaving the show.
While Katie’s explanation for completing the journey had nothing to do with money, it does turn out that the leading stars of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette get paid a pretty penny, according to several sources.
The Bachelor and The Bachelorette stars make six figures
Starring on the franchise allegedly means walking away with a hefty paycheck, with the latest leads having been reported to make around $100,000 from their time on the show. The Bachelorette Season 8’s leading lady, Emily Maynard, is even reported to have made $250,000 on the show.
It used to be stated that the show would pay stars whatever amount they would have made at their job during the time of filming, so different stars would be paid different amounts. But now it appears that six-figure paychecks are reportedly standard for leads, especially considering they are the main attraction of a hit show on a major network.
While the paycheck for being on the show is reportedly pretty enticing, the money that leads stand to make after their stint on the show is even better. Being a part of The Bachelor franchise opens the doors to a plethora of opportunities.
Many former Bachelor and Bachelorette leads gain huge social media followings after appearing on the show and go onto be influencers, podcast hosts, TV personalities, and authors of tell-all books.
As popular influencers, the stars stand to make thousands of dollars from advertisements and social media promotion. Some standout leads like the historic first Black Bachelorette, Rachel Lindsay, leverage their time onto the show into tons of lucrative hosting opportunities such as being a a corespondent on Extra.
The franchise is so huge and has such a devoted fanbase through Bachelor Nation that many people keep up with the stars of the show long after their season ends and support their business endeavors.
The Bachelor franchise contestants do not get paid
It’s a very different story for those who are just contenders on the series. Contestants on the show allegedly do not get paid and in fact spend a lot of their own money in preparation for the show.
Considering the contestants bring their own clothing, many contestants have admitted to spending thousands of dollars on nice clothes for their TV appearance. Especially due to the fact that there’s several cocktail parties, contenders spend their hard earned money on multiple pricey formal evening gowns and suits.
Many former cast mates have admitted to swapping clothes with fellow cast members because they don’t want to repeat outfits and only brought so many.
While the cast does not get paid, they do allegedly get goodie bags and a ton of clout from the show, with almost all cast members seeing a significant rise in their social media following once they’re on the show.
There are a lot of rewards to reap from starring on the show, as well as a lot of scrutiny and challenges. After her devastating breakups, Katie claimed that she remained on the show because she was following her heart but it’s not hard to believe that the paycheck could also be a nice incentive.
The Bachelorette returns this fall on ABC.