With one of the smartest reality show premises out there, Married At First Sight has enjoyed a massive fanbase since it premiered in 2014. It's easy to be drawn in by seeing people tie the knot before even getting to know each other. It's also easy to wonder if Married At First Sight couples stay together because it's a pretty unique way to get married.
Whenever a reality show has more than 10 seasons, it's definitely a hit. But although starring on a reality TV series can be lucrative, that doesn't seem to be the case with Married At First Sight. Is there a reason why couples aren't paid high salaries to star on the hit show?
How Much Do Married At First Sight Couples Get Paid?
It seems that the Married At First Sight salaries are lower than people might expect them to be. According to The Sun, Nasser Sultan, who starred on Married At First Sight Australia, said that he got $150.
Nasser explained, "You get $150 for the day, that's it. But on top of that, you have to pay expenses - your living expenses with the woman that you marry. "It's not $150 clear. You still have to pay rent if you're renting, you've gotta pay your rego and it's 12 hour filming days."
According to The Sun, a source who worked on the realty series explained to Women's Health back in 2020 that the payment is a "stipend." They said, "They receive a stipend — essentially a per diem since we often film 50 to 60 hours a week with them."
It's interesting to hear that the Married At First Sight couples don't get paid much. And some say they actually dipped into their bank accounts for the show.
Weddings aren't cheap, and the whole process can definitely cost a lot. It's easy to assume that Married At First Sight would cover wedding-related costs. And that does seem to be the case.
Clark Sherwood, who starred in season 2, explained his experience with the reality show in an interview with Cosmopolitan UK. Clark said, "But there’s no financial gain from going on the show. There’s budget for things – her wedding dress, a small budget for the suits. There’s some money for hen-do and stag-dos, but it was mainly out of my pocket. I think they put money towards travel or something."
Clark continued, "But there was genuinely no monetary gain. Lots of people think, ‘No one would do that for free’, but actually I spent quite a lot of money on the process."
There seem to be differing answers on the payment that Married At First Sight couples get, however. While several people who appeared on the reality series have shared that they were paid very little, Radar Online reported that several season 1 cast members were given $15,000. This includes Vaughn Copeland, Monet Bell, Jason Carrion, Cortney Hendrix, Doug Hehner, and Jamie Otis.
Radar Online said that cast members were paid between $20,000 and $25,000 in season 3. Vanessa Nelson, Tres Russell, David Norton, Ashley Doherty, Sam Role, and Neil Bowlus are said to have made this amount.
It's tough to know if every Married At First Sight cast member is paid tens of thousands of dollars since not everyone's salary is available. And producers haven't confirmed the salaries. But even if most do make between $15,000 and $25,000, that's still pretty low compared to more well-known reality stars.
Why Don't The Married At First Sight Couples Get Paid More?
It doesn't appear that the creator of Married At First Sight, Chris Coelen, has commented on why the couples aren't paid a higher salary. Coelen also created Love Is Blind, another very entertaining reality series about finding that special person in a unique way. And it doesn't seem like the producers have talked about this subject, either. However, it's possible to guess why this is the case.
Because Married At First Sight is a show about people trying to find a life partner, it's possible that it would seem strange to pay them a lot. After all, the Love Is Blind cast doesn't get paid much, either. And people seem to like appearing on these reality shows. Even if they don't find love, they have an interesting time. Some make lifelong friendships and others learn more about themselves along the way.
The producers are very thoughtful about who they want to appear on Married At First Sight. They really want people who are searching for real, true love. And perhaps they thought that if they offered a really high salary, that would make it harder to know who wanted a genuine experience.
In an interview with Reality Blurred, creator Chris Coelen talked about finding people to star in season 1 of Married At First Sight. He said that the producers didn't share the idea behind the show because that would change things.
Coelen said, “We pretty much told them everything except for the fact that they would meet their husband or wife at the altar and see them for the very first time there."
Coelen continued to Reality Blurred, “we wanted to find people who were serious about wanting to be in a relationship, were serious about wanting to find love who had enough previous relationship experience that they had been through heartbreak, perhaps several times, but still had enough positivity about relationships and love that they really were ready to find it. We wanted it to work.”
It's also possible that the Married At First Sight couples aren't paid very much because the show is very different from other series like The Real Housewives. The cast isn't signing on to become reality TV personalities in the same way.
Of course, as is often the case on a reality show, many Married At First Sight cast members become well-known after. And they see their social media followings increase once viewers start watching them and following their journeys. But when they are cast on Married At First Sight, they're regular people who haven't become famous yet.
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