This season of The Bachelorette will be like nothing fans have ever seen before. Because Clare Crawley ends up finding love and leaving early, Tayshia Adams is going to step in to finish out the season. But what does that mean for their paychecks? For now, there’s no telling how producers will handle paying the two leads for their time on the show, but let’s take a look back at how much other stars have gotten paid. It’s probably more than you would think! See spoilers for Clare’s season, here.
Although the network keeps the specific contracts very tight-lipped and under wraps, the star of the season does bring home a paycheck at the end of their journey (unlike the contestants). Former Bachelor star Ben Higgins dished in 2016 that the amount that’s agreed upon usually mirrors your ~real life~ salary. “They really just match whatever you’d be making in the real world during the months that it tapes. And then you have the experience that kind of pays for the rest,” he explained.
He noted, “You don’t do The Bachelor to make money, I will say that.” However, the Colorado native agreed that the opportunities that the stars receive after the show are pretty sweet (read: sponsored Instagram posts).
Author Amy Kaufman agreed with this sentiment in her book Bachelor Nation but added that today’s standards are very different than the past. While season 2 lead Meredith Phillips claimed that she took home $10,000 for her time on the show, Amy divulged that it’s now “incredibly rare for someone to make less than six figures.”
This aligns with Reality Steve stating that $100,000 is a standard deal for a Bachelor or Bachelorette. Keep in mind, this is about eight weeks of work. It’s been disputed that the women make significantly less than the men but this hasn’t exactly been proven since most people shy away from talking about their reality salary.
Another huge perk of being the Bachelorette is the wardrobe. Stylist Cary Fetman confessed to In Touch back in 2012 that Emily Maynard had the highest clothing budget of all-time at a whopping $350,000.
The clothes he chooses depend on the woman. The fashion guru told The Hollywood Reporter in 2016, “So much of the clothes — the day to day clothes — I try to make that reachable … Sometimes it’s Bloomingdale’s, sometimes it’s Neiman Marcus. Sometimes I go to Old Navy for tanks. For example, the coat will be designer, but the tank top she’s wearing underneath it is Zara or H&M.”
More recently, Becca Kufrin rocked a $22,000 Randi Rahm gown on night one and a $6,000 Tom Ford dress for her promotional photos. Amy confirmed in her book that the leading ladies do get to keep the clothes after filming.
Love or no love, it looks like Clare and Tayshia will be just fine.