You Won’t Believe How Much the Dancing With the Stars Contestants Make Compared to the Pros
It’s time for the show to cha cha back into our hearts. Dancing With the Stars is back for another star (and Olympic) studded season, but the real question is how much are the contestants making per week?
For those who aren’t initiated, the competition show 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. Whoever wins in the final week takes home the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy and a grand prize of thousands of dollars.
That being said each competitor has a hefty paycheck each week they’re not eliminated. Here’s a breakdown of their earnings.
Related: Here’s what the Dancing With The Stars Host took home each season
How much do Dancing With the Stars contestants make?
Variety reported that contestants make $125,000 for the show’s rehearsal period and their first two weeks on the air. If the contestants advance throughout the several weeks, they can earn more. 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, then weeks eight and nine reach a bonus of $30,000. The winning dance team brings home the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy and an additional bonus of $50,000.
Previous rumored reports say that contestants earned as much as $395,000 but now Variety reports that the maximum contestants can earn is $295,000.
How much do Dancing with the Stars pros make?
Us Weekly reported in 2022 that when pros first start out on the show, they earn $1,200 per episode. This increases the longer they stay with the series and those who returned frequently were making closer to $5,000 per episode. This puts their total salary for the season around $100,000.
However, dancers who have tenures obviously have a say on whether they want to stay or not based on pay. Some dancers who stayed on the show had drama in season 24 regarding pay. “Contracts are renegotiated each season, and obviously there’s going to be pay increases based on longevity and other factors,” a source told GossipCop via International Business Times.
How much do Dancing with the Stars judges make?
Dancing with the Stars judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli make an estimated $250,000 to $1.2 million per season. In the early days of DWTS, The Sun reported that judges made $250,000 per season.
Who is on Dancing With the Stars season 34?
Below is a list of all the dancing couples on season 34 of the show.
- Alix Earle (Influencer / Social media personality) — dancing with Val Chmerkovskiy
- Andy Richter (Comedian / Actor) — dancing with Emma Slater
- Baron Davis (Former NBA player) — dancing with Britt Stewart
- Corey Feldman (Actor) — dancing with Jenna Johnson
- Danielle Fishel (Actress, Boy Meets World) — dancing with Pasha Pashkov
- Dylan Efron (Reality TV / Social media personality) — dancing with Daniella Karagach
- Elaine Hendrix (Actress) — dancing with Alan Bersten
- Hilaria Baldwin (Yoga instructor / Influencer / Reality TV star ) — dancing with Gleb Savchenko
- Jen Affleck (Reality TV star, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives) — dancing with Jan Ravnik
- Jordan Chiles (Olympic gymnast) — dancing with Ezra Sosa
- Lauren Jauregui (Singer, Fifth Harmony) — dancing with Brandon Armstrong
- Robert Irwin (Conservationist / TV personality) — dancing with Witney Carson
- Scott Hoying (Singer, Pentatonix) — dancing with Rylee Arnold
- Whitney Leavitt (Reality TV star / Social media personality, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives) — dancing with Mark Ballas
