Love may not cost a thing, but becoming a Bachelor Nation contestant does.
While the stars of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” are rumored to take home a hefty payday — not to mention a potential life partner — the show’s contestants get their 15 minutes of fame but not much in the way of monetary compensation.
Take a look at the payday breakdowns between the ABC leads and those vying for their affections:
Do ‘Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelorette’ contestants get paid?
Note to those participating on “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette”: Don’t expect a windfall in your bank account.
Contestants on the ABC reality series do not get paid, according to multiple reports, and some have taken to extreme financial measures so they could appear on the show.
“I had re-mortgaged my house and I spent something like $8,000 on clothing,” former “Bachelorette” Jillian Harris wrote in a 2016 blog post.
Harris, 40, competed on Jason Mesnick’s season of “The Bachelor” in 2009. She became the Season 5 lead of “The Bachelorette” that same year.
Looking back at her time in the Bachelor Mansion, Harris also noted that while contenders received goodie bags, she didn’t have much use for it.
“I remember when I went on the show we got goodie bags filled with some stuff that they wanted us to wear but half of it didn’t even fit,” Harris stated. “And that was it!!! The girls do have to bring all of their own clothing and of course, they want to be wearing the best clothes EVER to be seen on TV in!!!”
As for the gentlemen appearing on “The Bachelorette,” some dropped close to $1,000 on new wardrobes.
“I literally went to H&M and I bought, like, every suit at H&M that they had,” Wells Adams of JoJo Fletcher’s season previously told Page Six Style of his $700 purchase.
Robby Hayes, who also appeared on Fletcher’s season in 2016, added how some of the men would swap suits and accessories for rose ceremonies.
“I lent out my suit to [contestant] James Taylor for two of the rose ceremonies,” Hayes said. “I was lending out ties to guys, pocket squares, the whole nine. We helped each other, even though we weren’t interested in helping each other.”
However, many contestants reap the rewards of being on the show once they are off the series.
For instance, Mike Johnson, a franchise fan favorite, recently released a book about his time on the show called “Making The Love You Want.” Former contestants including Courtney Robertson, Amanda Stanton and Melissa Rycroft also released books about their time on the show.
Others turn to social media to make quick cash. Agent Paul Desisto, who represents a number of reality stars, previously told Page Six that ads on Instagram can bring in anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000 per post.
“For anyone who is doing very well in this space, it’s very easy for them to make six and even seven figures a year,” Desisto told us.
For “Bachelor in Paradise,” however, former “Bachelorette” contestants Jason Tartick and Dean Unglert revealed in May 2021 that they negotiated their salaries for the spinoff.
Unglert previously signed off on $600 per day while Tartick, who never appeared on the show, opted for a $5,000 guarantee in case he didn’t make it past Week 1.
How much does ‘The Bachelor’ get paid?
Being the lead on the hit ABC series is a very different experience.
Pilot Peter Weber, for instance, reportedly took home a six-figure paycheck for his stint as “The Bachelor” in 2020.
Those handing out the roses are said to make around $100,000, “which is standard,” Bachelor Nation aficionado “Reality Steve” Carbone reported in 2011.
Meanwhile, former stars can also score paydays in other ways. Sean Lowe and wife Catherine Giudici, who got engaged on Season 17 of “The Bachelor” in 2013, landed a six-figure sum for their televised 2014 nuptials, per E! News.
How much does ‘The Bachelorette’ get paid?
When it comes to being the leading lady, former “Bachelorette” Emily Maynard reportedly cleaned up.
The Season 8 star — who dated then split from “Bachelor” Brad Womack — is said to have scored $250,000 for her 2012 appearance on the show, according to reports.
Many former “Bachelorettes” also go on to rake in the cash from jobs after they appear on the ABC show. Former leads including Hannah Brown and Kaitlyn Bristowe joined ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” while Rachel Lindsay, the franchise’s first black “Bachelorette,” joined “Extra” as a correspondent in August.
“I have always admired the engaging, informed, and entertaining stories they bring to life,” Lindsay said in a statement at the time.
In addition to her “Extra” duties, Lindsay also co-hosts the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast with Season 14 lead Becca Kufrin. She also hosts MTV’s “Ghosted.”