The world of reality television is a weird and wacky place. Whether they are gossiping about proper manners on The Real Housewives, exposing love triangles on Vanderpump Rules or trying out parenthood on The Valley, the people that orbit these reality TV worlds have to lay bare all their fascinating quirks and endure an unpleasant level of scrutiny — and are hopefully paid handsomely for it.
We’ve already gotten a glimpse at just how these efforts pay off for the women of The Real Housewives, but what does a salary look like for the cast of 90 Day Fiancé? The whole concept of the TLC show — which follows couples who’ve agreed to get married within the 90 days outlined in the K-1 visa process — requires castmates to undergo romantic trials, constant surveillance, and audience responses, so just how are they compensated?
How much do ’90 Day Fiancé casts get paid?
Reports indicate that castmates of 90 Day Fiancé are paid between $1,000 to $1,500 for every episode they feature in within a given season. Former cast members have revealed that this sum does not include payment for travel, food or parking costs while filming, and only sometimes includes reimbursement for clothes or additional items needed to feature on the show.
For context, that is a much lower sum than the casts of The Real Housewives, some of whom were earning up to $1 million per season. Us Weekly reported that the 90 Day Fiancé castmates are paid an additional $1,500 to $2,500 for filming the tell-all specials. If a castmate were to appear in all episodes plus the tell-all, they would earn somewhere between $10,000 to $15,000.
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Meanwhile, the cast of the spinoff show Before the 90 Days — which follows couples who meet on the internet before their 90-day marriage process — reportedly earn $500 to $1,000 per episode. While this provides a general idea of the 90 Day Fiancé cast salaries, comments from former castmates prove that this figure varies.
For example, Deavan Clegg, who appeared on 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way, said she was “severely underpaid” for her time on the show, and was only close to breaking even when accounting for the travel and wardrobe costs she paid out from her wallet.
Meanwhile, fellow castmate Danielle Jbali claimed to have made $10,000 for her time on the show, while Jibri Bell suggested that TLC doesn’t pay the foreigners that move to the US to appear on 90 Day Fiancé.
In any case, castmates are free to profit from the exposure granted by their time on the show. Big Ed, arguably the series’ breakout star, is reportedly worth $800,000, while former castmates like Bilal Hazziez and Rebecca Parrott — both of whom are still with their partners from the show — have net worths within the millions.
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