Bachelor producers might be regretting creating an entire Bachelor Nation industrial complex hinging heavily on podcasts right about now. It turns out, by giving Bach alums a post-show platform, the powers that be also gave them the perfect place to spill all the BTS tea. A few weeks ago it was Rachel Lindsay dishing on how they mishandled her season; today, it's Dean Unglert revealing the truth about Bachelor salaries on Jason Tartick's new podcast, Trading Secrets.
Bachelor salaries have long been a mystery, though over the years some info has trickled out, specifically the fact that Bachelor contestants don't get paid, but Bachelor leads do. But what about on the spinoffs Bachelor in Paradise or Bachelor Winter Games — both of which relied on returning talent? And how much money can Bach alums earn doing spon-con on Instagram? Speaking with Jason on Trading Secrets, Dean painted a pretty good picture of what it's like making money as a Bach alum on Instagram.
Here are some of his biggest revelations:
- Dean was in debt when he booked The Bachelorette, and since contestants aren't paid, he rented out his room on Airbnb while he was gone.
- Post-Bachelorette, he got his first spon-con promoting a mattress and made $10,000.
- He was offered $75,000 to be the Bachelor lead in 2018. This is below the reported $100,000 fee Colton Underwood got (Jason said he was also offered a $100,000 contract at the time). But Dean said that he was happy with his offer, noting, "The money doesn't come from that contract, the money comes from after the fact."
- Bachelor in Paradise pays per day, so the longer you last on the beach, the more money you take home. According to Dean, producers offered him $400 per day in an initial contract, but he negotiated up to $600, and returned to BiP two seasons later for the same amount. Dean claimed that he suspects other contestants on BiP got paid up to $1,000 per day; however, according to Refinery29 and Reality Steve, BiP contestants all get paid the same rate, and end the season with anywhere from $7,000 to $15,000.
- Winter Games also paid per day — $400/day — but Dean said he really just did it for fun.
- He makes around $50,000 per year on his Help! I Suck At Dating podcast with iHeartRadio. Dean admitted that other podcasters might make more money, but his deal with iHeartRadio means he has to do less of the leg work, so he essentially makes $50,000 a year, which he said pales in comparison to other Bach stars who he's heard can make up to $300,000 per year just on podcasts. "I'm not like getting rich off of our podcast," he told Jason. But, he added, "I'm getting paid $50 grand a year to talk on a podcast for an hour and a half per week. I'm the luckiest guy in the world for that."
- Dean has also earned $8,000 doing in-person appearances at clubs or other events.
- Now, Dean can make a lot more on spon-con, but said his favorite brand to work with right now is Nikon, which sent him a lot of free cameras and photography equipment before paying him $30,000 for testimonials.
And that's how you make money as a Bachelor contestant.
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Image: ABC/Paul Hebert