How much are dancing with the stars paid
‘Dancing With the Stars’ Salaries 2021: How Much Contestants, Pros Make
For celebrities who join the cast of Dancing With the Stars, the perks don’t just end at all free press that comes with the show. Their Dancing With the Stars salaries definitely sweeten the deal—especially when compared to how much their pro dance partners get paid.
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We’re diving into the details of how much everyone gets paid on Dancing With the Stars below, but for those who are new to the series, here’s what to know first. Dancing With the Stars, which premiered in June 2005, has aired on ABC for more than 30 seasons and seen hundreds of celebrities take to the dance floor since. But the premise for the beloved dancing competition dates back even before that. DWTS is the American version of the British television series, Strictly Come Dancing, which started airing on the BBC in 2004. Since its premiere, the Dancing With the Stars franchise has expanded to over 74 countries, including India, Brazil, France, New Zealand and many more.
The competition is pretty straightforward: Celebrities are paired with professional ballroom dancers, and together they practice themed choreographed routines each week. The pairs then go on to perform their routines in front of a panel of judges, who each score their performances on a scale of one to 10. Viewers in the audience and at home are also given a chance to place their votes for their favorite dancers. These votes by the judges and viewers are combined, and the couple with the lowest cumulative score is eliminated. This process continues for each round until the final, when one couple is finally declared the winner and takes home the Mirrorball Trophy.
Now that we know exactly how Dancing With the Stars works, we can dive into those Dancing With the Stars salaries. For everything there is to know about how much the contestants, pros, hosts and judges make on Dancing With the Stars, just keep on reading below.
How much do
Dancing With the Stars contestants make?Dancing With the Stars contestants are estimated to receive a starting salary of $125,000, according to Variety. This salary includes their rehearsal period, which takes place for 20 hours a week for several weeks before the start of the season, along with the first two weeks of their competition on the show. But their earnings don’t have to stop there.
For stars who make it past the first two weeks of the competition, they can expect to see their salary increased biweekly. Celebs who make it to weeks three and four get an additional $10,000 per week, while those who make it to week five get a bonus of $15,000. Weeks six and seven bring an added $20,000 per week. Those who last until weeks eight and nine receive an extra $30,000 per week.
Things get even sweeter for those lucky enough to make it to the semi-finals and the finale. According to multiple reports over the years, celebrities at this stage in the competition bring home an additional $50,000, plus the Mirror Ball trophy if they win the competition.
Altogether, these weekly bonuses can add up to over $360,000 depending on the length of the season. However, according to one report by Variety, the most a contestant can make in the competition has been capped at $295,000 as of 2020.
How much do
Dancing With the Stars pros make?Multiple reports have estimated that the Dancing With the Stars pros make only $1,200 per episode when first starting out on the series. That said, their pay apparently increases per episode and depending on how long they have worked for DWTS, with returning pros reportedly making anywhere up to $5,200 an episode. Just as celebrities have an estimated salary cap per season, their pro partners reportedly make no more than $100,000 per season.
How much do
Dancing With the Stars judges get paid?Although there are no exact figures for how much the Dancing With the Stars judges get paid per season, there are reports that they made an estimated $250,000 per episode during the early days of DWTS.
After season 2, however, it has been reported that some judges can make up to $1.2 million per season, as per ReelRundown.
How much do the hosts make on
Dancing With the Stars?While there have yet to be reports on how much host Tyra Banks is making, former Dancing With the Stars host Tom Bergeron was reportedly earning an estimated $150,000 per episode while hosting the series from 2005 to 2019. This means his salary would have amounted to anywhere between $1.5 to $1.8 million per season of Dancing With the Stars.
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45 Rules 'Dancing With the Stars' Contestants Have to Follow
There's something extremely entertaining about seeing Wayne Brady do the cha-cha and Teresa Giudice dressed in sequins — and that's exactly why Dancing With the Stars has remained a fan favorite show for 31 seasons. But what goes on behind-the-scenes as the stars compete for the Mirrorball Trophy? From the grueling rehearsals to the makeup guidelines that often get pushback, we're breaking down all of the rules the Dancing With the Stars competitors have to follow.
Stars have to get an offer from the casting director.
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In Hollywood, DWTS is often seen as a great career move and celebrities clamor to get cast on it, but it's the producers's jobs to seek out only the most interesting celebs for the show. "For your marketing, for your career, this is like Willy Wonka's golden ticket," former DWTS executive talent producer Deena Katz told Slate.
They don't have to be a trending celebrity.
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Sometimes the cast of DWTS reads like a crazy dinner party from a dream. That's because producers purposefully includes a mix of celebrities from across the entire pop culture zeitgeist, choosing nostalgia picks, people in the news, and even people who "the idea of them dancing makes you laugh," Katz told Slate.
Being a fan could help a star get cast.
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Why? Producers specifically look for celebs who are fans of the show, because this increases the odds that the star will sign on and helps ensure a good attitude during the process.
Stars can't tell anyone they've been cast.
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Sorry, but the show doesn't want any spoilers before their big reveal! During the first few rehearsals, the celebrities on season 31 wore face shields to protect their identity from paparazzi as they made their way into the studio.
They aren't locked into the show after the cast reveal, though.
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With all the fanfare that goes into announcing the DWTS cast, one would think that the contestants would be locked into an iron-clad deal by the big reveal. Nope. There are always loop holes in show business that keep stars from actually filming.
Stars can (but shouldn't!) drop out at the last minute.
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"Vincent Pastore was the guy from The Sopranos and was rehearsing with Edyta Sliwinska but had heart issues, so that's when John Ratzenberger joined. And Mark McGrath dropped out and Rocco DiSpirito came in," Katz told Glamour.
Some stars are cast as backups.
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In the event that a celebrity contestant doesn't show up, there is usually a backup person to take their place.
When producers were afraid Master P wasn't going to show, they had Kill Bill star David Carradine rehearsed and ready to go in a trailer on set, just in case.
There's no disclosed age limit.
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Dancing with the Stars has never disclosed an age limit and the youngest contestant to ever compete was 14-year-old Willow Shields. ABC also produced a spin-off show, Dancing With the Stars: Juniors, for child stars and children of celebrities.
Stars are matched with their pro dancer strategically.
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Ever wonder how the DWTS pairings come to be? Former showrunner Rob Wade told E! News it's a simple formula, "based on height, build and personality and compatibility."
Producers try to make sure partners like each other too.
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After all, the stress and rigor of live ballroom dancing is enough to serve up plenty of drama for the cameras.
"We don't pair people who aren't going to get on. It's too intense. It's not like The Bachelor or something, we couldn't do that," Wade told E! News. "You don't want to see two people who don't like each other."
Cast romances are encouraged.
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Romances between contestants are a big topic of debate on DWTS and producers love them, because they help generate buzz for the show. While a host of legitimate relationships have come out of the reality show, most of the flings fade with the spotlight.
Stars don't get to choose their dancing partner.
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"There are some celebs that have wishes, and we always say we can't guarantee," Katz told Glamour. In the end though, the producers have the final say.
Dancers don't get to choose their star either.
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Although fans think they've spotted trends in partners — why are Mark Ballas's partners always young? — the professional dancers have no input on who they compete with.
Same-sex partners are allowed.
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In 2021, JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson made history as the very first same-sex duo on DWTS. "I think it breaks a wall that's never been broken down before," JoJo told press during the Television Critics Association summer tour. "I think it's really special that, not only now do I get to share with the world that you're going to love who you want to love, but also you can dance with who you want to dance with."
Producers choose the music for the dances.
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According to dancer Kym Johnson, the pros are allowed to suggest songs at the beginning of the season, but since there are so many pairs to coordinate performances with, producers take the lead on deciding who will dance to what.
Contestants can't choose their theme either.
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Whether it's cha-cha night or all about Disney, the teams don't pick the themes and they vary from season to season.
Everyone on the cast gets paid.
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Both the dancers and stars are compensated for appearing on the show. According to reports in 2019, celebrities earned a $125,000 signing bonus and could earn up to $295,000 in total.
Stars can compete for bonus payments.
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How, exactly, do celebs make more than their $125,000 signing bonus? Their paycheck increases the more they advance on the show, with finalists reportedly earning up to $50,000 for the final two episodes. This creates an incentive to keep stars committed to the competition.
Pro dancers don't get paid as much as the stars.
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It's been reported that the professional dancers make close to $5,200 per episode, which adds up to about $100,000 per season.
Teams have to practice seven days a week.
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DWTS has a reputation for having a demanding rehearsal schedule and, as former Olympian Amy Purdy told The L.A. Times, there are "no days off." Celebrities meet and rehearse with their partner every day to prepare for the Monday night live show.
Stars have to use the show's hair and makeup teams.
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The show receives a lot of pushback on this rule. "Women have had this fear about [wanting] to have their own hair and makeup artists, but you can't have that here. Our team is award-winning and fantastic. Kirstie Alley had a really hard time with it and really fought it. Now Kirstie uses our makeup artist for her. I get that fear, but they just have to take a leap with all of it. We promise they're going to look great," Katz told Glamour.
The same rule applies to wardrobe.
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The wardrobe team is award-winning and is specially versed in ballroom dancing costumes.
Because of this, the show insists that all wardrobe decisions are made by their team.
Being flexible with wardrobe is a must.
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Former dancing pro Tony Dovolani says that costumes usually aren't finished until an hour before the show. "People don't get to wear their costumes until dress rehearsal," he told Glamour. "There are alterations being made from dress rehearsal until the live show."
Contestants have to get spray tans every week.
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The show's rumored "Spray Tan Sundays" are all too real — or, at least they were. The show's former head makeup artist, Zena Shteysel, revealed to People in 2013 that each contestant was bronzed from head to toe once a week in preparation for taping. Who knows if that's still true today!
Teams have to arrive early on the morning of the live show.
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Every pair must arrive at 7:45 a.m. ahead of the run through with the live band.
Pairs don't hear the band's arrangement until the day they perform.
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On show days, couples are finally able to practice along to the live version of the song. "Sometimes the band's arrangement will be a little different from the track," former executive producer Joe Sungkur revealed to Insider. "So it's very useful for the couples, because they might give notes to the musical director."
The dress rehearsal is mandatory.
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This is when producers and the show's director make sure the show is mapped out the way they want.
Know your angles.
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Another important part of dress rehearsal includes camera blocking. With 18 cameras operating at once, dancers need to practice their movements (as well as understand the camera movements) so that every step is captured on-screen.
Producers can change anything in a performance.
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During the dress rehearsal, producers and the director have control over the performance and are allowed to tweak any aspect of it — from wardrobe to lighting.
Stars are expected to contribute to the choreography.
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While the pro dancers take the lead, celebrities aren't just along for the ride. Both team members are expected to contribute — which often ends up being a great source of drama on the show.
For the group number, stars don't get a say.
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The group opening number that fans have come to love is choreographed by an on-staff head choreographer. Contestants don't have any say in the creative direction for this dance, but are required to participate each week.
Teams have to give an interview after every performance.
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As soon as the pair steps off of the dance floor, they're thrown in front of the camera for an interview. While it may be a welcome distraction for some of the stars, as they wait for their scores to be determined, it's also necessary for the show to get their reactions to their performance.
Producers have control over the storylines.
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However, Wade insists they only follow emerging storylines that develop from the contestants. To do this, producers keep a close eye on what’s going on with each team and build on any potential drama.
Dancers must be willing to be vulnerable on camera.
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The show's producers told Glamour that the cast opening up to viewers is one of the key parts of the show. "You have to open yourself up to the process. Seeing Maks [Chmerkovskiy] at his most vulnerable with Meryl [Davis] made people want to see his journey," Sungkur said.
And the stars can't be camera shy either.
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Both the judges and viewers loved watching Olympic gymnast Suni Lee break out of her shell in season 30. "Having Sasha, we’re complete opposites, he’s crazy outgoing and fun and all that and I’m super shy. I'm getting there," she told Access Hollywood at the time.
Contestants can't compete if they get injured.
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DWTS has survived 31 seasons, but not without a few injuries. Sometimes contestants are cleared to dance, but if an injury is deemed too serious, they're forced to drop out of the competition.
Stars can be replaced.
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Sometimes, the show must go on — with another star. In the case of Christie Brinkley, who broke her wrist and needed surgery, the model subbed in her daughter, Sailor Cook-Brinkley.
Contestants can't wear logos on television.
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Due to licensing rights, no logos, brand names, or sports teams can be featured on any clothes on the show. But Master P got to break this rule. "I was at a couple of [meetings] when Master P threatened to leave," Sungkur told Glamour. "He wanted to wear this jacket with a logo on it and threatened to leave because of it, and I was like, 'OK, you can wear the jacket!'"
There's a strict no lift rule.
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DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba has made it clear that she supports the ban, "which was to keep the playing field level for the older and less physically strong contestants so that all the dances didn't just become show dances with lifts and tricks," she wrote in an essay for FEMESTELLA in 2013.
The teams aren't just scored by the judges.
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In 2019, DWTS debuted a new voting system, where live votes from the audience determines a bottom two and then the judges have the final say on who stays and who goes.
This choice was QUITE controversial.
Scores must be verified before being announced.
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After judges write their scores down, the papers are taken to the control room. "Standards and practices from ABC then verifies that everything is fair and checks those scores, and we then go to the judges to reveal their scoring and we double-check that the score they hold up reflects the score they wrote down," Sungkur told Insider.
Contestants have to be patient during live eliminations.
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In 2020, host Tyra Banks infamously told the wrong couple they were in the bottom two, later saying it happened because of a mix-up in the control room. It's live television, after all, so the cast has to be prepared for anything!
Contestants have to promote the show.
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There is a ton of press attention that goes with appearing on DWTS.
From revealing the team pairings to weekly elimination updates, the cast has to agree to doing the morning talk show circuit.
The winners take home more than just bragging rights.
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In addition to their salary and, of course, the title of DWTS champion, the winning team receives the Mirrorball Trophy, which they can take home and display wherever they like.
For some, the competition doesn't end at the finale.
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ABC puts on a live tour after the season wraps. The tour means that some contestants, whether they were Mirrorball Trophy winners or not, get more time on the dance floor.
Janaya Wecker Lifestyle Editor Janaya is a Lifestyle Editor for Hearst Magazines.
How much do participants in the Dancing with the Stars contest receive?
Entertainment
We saw more familiar faces, from reality TV stars to actors and professional athletes.
compete on Dancing With the Stars than we can follow. While DWTS can help boost their careers, it turns out the pay to appear on the show could allow some of our favorite stars to take their turn on the show.
Here is how much DWTS participants are paid, plus the net worth of each judge.
what is Charles Barkley's fortune
Kim Kardashian about Dancing With the Stars | ABC
How much do members earn?
Immediately, participants are paid $125,000 just to register to compete. DWTS . The longer celebrities stay on the show, the more they get paid. So, in addition to trying to win the season, the members have an incentive to stay here to get a big paycheck every week.
Gawker reported that celebrities featured in episodes 3 and 4 earn another $10,000 on top of their initial $125,000.
Asks for more pay each week, raising between $20,000 and $30,000 for the next episodes. By the time they get to the last two episodes, they will have earned another $50,000.
How much do professional dancers earn?
So far it has been discovered how much members earn for appearing on DWTS The amount earned by professional dancers is kept secret. However, it is clearly impressive. When Maxim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd returned the following season, an insider revealed their reasoning: The pay was too good to turn down.
A source told People, “Having a baby isn't cheap and being on the show gives them a lot more financial freedom. Max had a fear that being a father would consume his whole life, but since [his son] Shai arrived, he and Peta realized that they could handle the show and become parents.0003
The pros' contracts are reported to be "renegotiated every season" and "salary [increases] depending on life expectancy and other factors", so we can understand why they wanted to stay.
How much does a winner earn?
Surprisingly, the winner does not receive any extra money for bringing home the Mirrorball trophy. The three finalists who made it to the last two episodes are each paid the same amount, totaling $345,000 per season.
How much do hosts earn?
No wonder Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews continue to host DWTS . According to HubPages, Bergeron earns $150,000 per episode. Meanwhile, Andrews has a $2 million annual salary (including her $90,005 DWTS $90,006 income and her career as a sportscaster).
See this post on InstagramOur judges are looking forward to the Mirrorball Trophy - but which pair will be champions? We'll find out in TWO DAYS! #DWTS # Finals
A post shared by Dancing With the Stars (@dancingabc) on November 19, 2017 at 10:36 AM PST
How much do judges earn?
It is not known how much judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli are scoring at DWTS.
But in 2014 they were rumored to be making $1.2 million per season.
What college did Terry Bradshaw attend?
Len Goodman net worth is $12 million.
As a professional dancer and ballroom dance coach, Goodman has achieved great success throughout his career. He has been DWTS judges since 2005 and doesn't seem to be leaving the show anytime soon. And now he's reportedly worth $12 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Goodman is also a judge on BBC One Dancing with the Stars , providing professional dancers with an even higher income.
Carrie Ann Inaba net worth is $9 million.
Fan-favorite Judge Inaba has an impressive net worth. During her career as a dancer, choreographer, actress, singer and TV presenter, she managed to earn $ 9 million. She gained attention by playing "Flying Girl" in a comedy sketch show. In vibrant color , and has since seemed to be everywhere in Hollywood.
Bruno Tonioli's net worth is $10 million.
The famous choreographer, dancer and TV presenter Tonioli made a name for himself as DWTS to judge. He has choreographed for the likes of Tina Turner, Duran Duran and The Rolling Stones, so it's safe to say he has a lot of experience. And now he has amassed a net worth of $10 million.
The amount of the fee depends on the status: Ukrainian stars are paid for "Dances with Stars"
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Author: Alena Zolotareva
13:57 06.07
How much and who gets paid?
The Dancing with the Stars project has been popular among Ukrainian viewers for many years.
Going it lies in the fact that famous personalities from other spheres are put in a pair of choreographers. Now the producer of the project told how much the stars get for their participation in the filming.
Dancing with the Stars. Photo: 1+1, screen
According to the news portal ivona.bigmir.net, this topic was raised in the program "The Interviewer" by Anatoly Anatolich, whose guest was the producer of the show "Dancing with the Stars" Vladimir Zavadyuk. According to him, all the artists who take part in the project receive fees for this.
However, the producer declined to give exact figures. Moreover, he noted that the fees are different for everyone. The amount of payment for participation in the project depends on what status a certain star has and what this artist can give to the project. At the same time, there are cases, Vladimir Zavadyuk noted, when the team cooperates with artists on barter terms.
Representatives of the star band, financial department and executive producers do their best to make the artists understand what they will get from participation in the project and what they will give it themselves, Zavadyuk noted.
By the way, not that long ago it became known that the new season of dancing with the stars will take place, despite the quarantine.
It was noted that the team was inspired by how, during quarantine, the Voice of the Country final was held with the help of technology. For this reason, the audience will not be deprived of Dancing with the Stars, but on the contrary, they will find something to surprise them with.
Let us remind you that earlier the Sten portal wrote that the Ukrainian ballerina Katerina Kukhar is known to many both for performances with her participation and for the Dancing with the Stars project, where she is a member of the jury. Fans often think that this woman has a steely character, but Kukhar admitted that she was already thinking about her departure from the stage. It became known when the ballerina can leave the stage.
It was also reported that the winner of the show "Dancing with the Stars" Ksenia Mishina will become the hero of the new show "The Bachelorette".
