Featured Image Credit: Married at First Sight Australia/Instagram
Topics: Married At First Sight, Australia, TV and Film
Emma Xerri
Topics: Married At First Sight, Australia, TV and Film
While many people on Married At First Sight Australia go on to find influencer fame, previous contestants have disclosed how much they earn on the show and, spoiler alert, they don’t think it’s enough.
In an exclusive with Now to Love, one of season 5’s most divisive contestants, Nasser Sultan, revealed there's a daily allowance for their time on the popular Nine Network show.
"You get $150 for the day, that's it," said Nasser.
"But on top of that, you have to pay expenses - your living expenses with the woman that you marry…you still have to pay rent if you're renting, you've gotta pay your rego and it's 12 hour filming days."
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According to Nasser, the Married at First Sight contract states that contestants 'get a per diem' or a daily allowance.
That means the money is to cover expenses rather than to pay them for any work they do for the show.
"None of our groceries were covered," he said.
"They filmed us going shopping and we had to shop at the same grocery store - which was really expensive, but it was out of our own money."
However, Nasser believes the per diem rate is not the same for all contestants.
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He alleged others, like Sarah Roza and Davina Rankin, got $50 more a day.
"Basically, the more you did for the show, the more you got," he said.
But Nasser revealed that extra money wasn’t the only perk the brides received.
"The girls would message companies on Instagram and ask for free clothes to be sent to them," he said.
"Basically, they were getting everything that they wanted. If they cried, they got counselling, and to stay on the show, they asked for more money. It worked out really well for them."
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Another contestant, Mikey Pembroke, said contestants should be properly compensated for giving up their personal lives and careers for filming.
That's despite it being their decision to apply in the first place. And they’re on the show to find love, right? Right?
“The show makes an incredible amount of money,” Pembroke explained on the I’ve Got News For You podcast.
“And say you were on, you know, a TV show that does really well, the actors get paid more and more because it's doing so well. And that's the way it should be for MAFS."
"They're the ones putting themselves out there, and then the channel makes millions and millions of dollars in advertising," he continued.
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So, while it seems the $150 per day is not sufficient for these contestants, hopefully the post-show fame and perks make up for it.