How Much Money Does the Celebrity Cast of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Make?

The First Two Weeks

Dancing With the Stars has been on television for literally (*breaks out old-lady-from-Titanic voice*) 84 years, aka 31 seasons. And no, the celebrities featured on the show certainly aren’t sashaying their way around the stage in humiliating outfits for free.

While I’m sure there are some “celebs” who would go on this show just for the press, Dancing With the Stars’ contestants get compensated. And the more effort they put into their dancing, the more checks they cash. Let’s break it down, shall we?

The contestants are cut a check the second they sign their lives away. According to Variety, everyone on the show makes $125,000 for the rehearsal period and the first two weeks on air.

And Then There’s the Rest of the Competition

Everyone who makes it to week 3 of DWTS starts earning extra money per episode on a sliding scale, although Variety reported in 2019 that the most they can take home is $295,000.

DWTS winner Kaitlyn Bristowe previously confirmed the whole sliding scale thing during an appearance on the Trading Secrets podcast, saying, “You get a bonus every week that you make it. The final four are in the final episode, they all get paid the same... But your signing bonus, I think you can negotiate a bit, like, to sign to say you’re going on the show.”

Back in 2010 (so a long time ago), Gawker reported (via Variety) that contestants earned $10,000 for weeks 3 and 4, $20,000 for weeks 5 and 6, $30,000 for weeks 7 and 8, and $50,000 for weeks 9 and 10. That’s clearly a lot of money, but here’s the thing…

Contestants Used to Make Way More

$295,000 is no doubt a huge sum, but according to Gawker, in previous seasons, the winner of Dancing With the Stars could earn up to $345,000. Damn.

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Fun fact before we go: The Mirror Ball Trophy costs a casual $10,000 to make. Just in case you were wondering!