How much money is there to be made by starring on a reality television show?
If you're Ryan Seacrest, Christina Aguilera, or Gordon Ramsay, that number is in the millions and can exceed $10 million per season of a show.
But those kinds of paychecks actually go to very few people. Most people starring on reality shows are making salaries that supplement the ones that they make at their actual jobs, from their businesses, or from other opportunities afforded them by being on TV, such as licensing deals, book contracts, appearances, or food and liquor products.
Shows that air on broadcast television typically pay their talent larger salaries than those found on cable. And, of course, if the talent is also a producer or gets any cut of the profits, that can take in bigger paychecks.
Business Insider spoke to agents, producers, and development executives on the condition of anonymity to get a sense of what reality TV is paying its talent.
See how much reality stars are making below:
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Star/executive producer: $16 million and up annually
If someone is irreplaceable, created a show, and stars on it, a base salary can be compromised for an executive producer credit and profit sharing. Reality mega-stars in this vein include Simon Cowell and Gordon Ramsay.
Cowell, currently a judge/executive producer of "America's Got Talent," reportedly earns an annual income of $95 million. That includes his profits from reality shows and his music label.
Ramsay, who stars on and executive produces at least five shows, reportedly rakes in $4.5 million per season of a show. He adds another $45 million in earnings from his media and restaurant businesses.
Celebrity judges on a broadcast competition show: $300,000 to $17 million per season
The salary for judges on a broadcast competition like "The Voice" or "America's Got Talent" varies widely according to popularity. For example, Christina Aguilera made as much as $17 million a season from "The Voice." By comparison, Blake Shelton makes about $13 million.
For "America's Got Talent," Howard Stern was reportedly paid $15 million a season.
Why so much? In addition to expertise and name recognition, a source told Business Insider that their pay factors in what they could've made during the time they're shooting the show. For example, if they were able to tour.
Hosts of a broadcast reality TV show: $200,000 to $15 million per season
"If you’re hosting a show on broadcast primetime network, you get paid a lot," a source told Business Insider. "You start around 10 to $15,000 an episode."
That all depends on a host's popularity and how long a show runs.
Ryan Seacrest is probably the best example of how the salary for hosting a reality TV show can get huge. Hiring him when he was a popular radio DJ, "American Idol"tripled Seacrest's pay from $5 million to $15 million per season in 2009. Now that the show is over, Seacrest can fall back on other hosting gigs and media productions.
Not everyone has such a great deal. By contrast, "Survivor" host Jeff Probst was reported to be making just $4 million per season for the popular CBS competition in 2014.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider