Do ‘The Challenge’ Cast Members Get Paid Just for Being on the Show?

Being on The Challenge can mean taking home a significant payday. Those who complete the final challenge often walk away with some money, and the prize pots have gotten significantly larger in recent years.

For example, Ashley Mitchell took home $1,000,000 after she won The Challenge: Final Reckoning and stole her rival partner Hunter Barfield’s portion of the winnings. Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio and Jennifer West both won $500,000 on The Challenge: Total Madness, and Turabi “Turbo” Camkiran banked $750,000 as the sole winner of The Challenge: War of the Worlds.

But is there any money to be made without making it to (and completing) the final? After all, the show requires contestants to be away from home for weeks at a time competing in challenges that can be quite grueling.

Scroll down for what we know about the payouts!

Do contestants get paid to be on The Challenge?

Yes, contestants make money just to show up. Rookies are paid $1,000 a week, while returning players who aren’t “top vets” make between $3,000 and $5,000 a week for the time they last on the show, according to Us Weekly. However, the “elite” longtime players can make $80,000 just for arriving to day one of filming, the site reported!

A Reddit user who claimed to work on Fresh Meat II in 2010 alleged that rookies were making $500/week they were on the show, while vets were raking in $1,000 per week they lasted. The more well-known players at the time were allegedly guaranteed to be paid for the entire season, regardless of how long they lasted. For example, the Reddit commenter claimed that Cara Maria Sorbello, a rookie at the time, and Darell Taylor, a longtime player and former champion, walked away with $500 and $12,000, respectively, after being the first pair to go home.

The same commenter said they did not believe anyone was getting paid $80,000 just to show up, even all these years later, but it’s been quite some time since Fresh Meat II, so things may have changed since then!

Related

Making Bank! 'The Challenge' Stars Who Have Won the Most Money

Tori Deal once addressed the salary speculation on the Official Challenge Podcast. “Don’t know if we can really answer it, but we’ll give you this much. I promise you, we don’t go on the show for free,” she confirmed. “My ass is not going on a 40-foot platform, hanging over a helicopter, eating cabbage for no reason, okay? You’re gonna pay me. And the more shows we do, the more we get paid.”

However, at the end of the day, the majority of their income likely comes from sponsorships and appearances made while not filming the competition show. Plus, for a select few, winning multiple seasons has probably helped!

Who has made the most money on The Challenge?

Based on total cash winnings from the show, Jordan Wiseley is the most successful contestant. He’s won a total of $1,536,000 during his years as a contestant. He’s won five total seasons and has the winnings to show for it.

Johnny Bananas is not far behind thanks to his seven championships, resulting in a $1,277,720 prize pot, while CT Tamburello has raked in $1,124,750 during his decades as a competitor.