There have been hundreds of celebrities and pro dancers who have competed on “Dancing with the Stars” over the past 20 years, but very few have talked about the salary they received. The prize for the ABC ballroom competition is a glitzy mirrorball trophy, but participants are also given a stipend and bonuses for each week they remain on the show.
In a new interview, DWTS Season 27 champion Bobby Bones revealed what he earned for his 11-week run in the competition back in 2018. Bones and his pro partner Sharna Burgess beat Disney Channel star Milo Manheim and pro Witney Carson for the DWTS trophy that year.
Bobby Bones Made a Mid-Six Figure Salary on DWTS in 2018
GettyIf anyone is going to get a celeb to talk salary, it’s Jason Tartick of the Trading Secrets podcast. Bones appeared on “The Bachelorette” alum’s financial podcast on September 15 and revealed that DWTS paid “pretty good.”
He revealed that the base salary for signing on was about $110,000, and it went up from there.
“Like first episode, no [extra] money, second episode, $10,000. I think it’s like, $10,000, $10,000, $20,000—it ends up being $50,000 an episode, if you last,” Bones said. “So I ended up making like close to $400,000 from that show. So financially, pretty good.”
His appearance on the show also paved the way for other ventures, including a lucrative stint with the National Geographic Channel reality series “Breaking Bobby Bones.”
“What I was able to do and get from that was so much greater than the money that they were paying me,” he said of DWTS.
One DWTS Pro Teased Some Details About the Salary
GettyBones’ salary admission is higher than past estimates from outlets such as Variety. In 2019, the outlet reported that contestants were paid $125,000 for the rehearsal period and their first two weeks on the show, then more if they made it longer. But at that time, sources claimed that the maximum amount DWTS contestants could earn was $295,000.
Longtime “Dancing with the Stars” pro dancer Johnson told The Morning After podcast that while there was no cash prize for winning DWTS, “whoever makes it to the finale, you all get paid up until then.”
“And you do get a nice bonus,” she added.
Of the contestants who get voted out early, she added. “You’re guaranteed until a certain amount of weeks. …There’s different contracts.”
1 thought on “DWTS Champion Reveals How Much Money He Made on the Show—And It Might Be More Than You Think”