Whilst most of us would likely pay to appear on The Traitors, it will still come as a surprise for many that contestants on the show don’t really get paid that much.
The BBC series is getting record-breaking viewership in its fourth season, with last week’s secret traitor reveal bringing in a whopping 7.3 million average viewers.
While contestants get the opportunity to win up to £100,000 in prize money, even the losers can sometimes be the most iconic people on the show.
Even in just this past week alone, already-legendary secret traitor Fiona was banished, and last night’s episode saw Harriet, who many had been calling the best faithful in years, overplay her hand and get booted.
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Yet though these contestants who don't end up winning are often the lifeblood of the TV show, they only earn a pittance.
The Traitors contestants are paid a daily rate to ‘subsidise your wages’
The Traitors contestants are paid £100 for each day they are filming to cover for missed wages.
They of course are provided with food and lodgings (though they aren’t actually staying in the castle we see on TV), and don’t have anywhere to be spending anything, but for a show of its size it may come as a surprise to some fans.
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Aaron Evans, one of the winners of season one, revealed this in a YouTube video: “They don't technically pay you, they subsidise what you would have got for work with the show, it's roughly like £100 a day.
“It's not that much... but it's definitely worth it.”
The BBC show is filmed over the course of three to four weeks, meaning that contestants that make it far earn roughly £2,000-£3,000 for their time on the show, but that unlucky faithfuls will have left with only a few £100. That doesn’t mean though that the people who don’t win can’t end up earning loads from appearing on The Traitors.
The Traitors is worth the low pay as it can also end up earning you lots of money in the future
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Whilst the £100 a day is a pittance compared to the £40,000 celebrities were paid to appear on the spin-off version of the show, nearly everyone who appears on the show gives glowing reviews of the experience.
Many of us would probably pay £100 a day to be on it, but appearing on the show (even if you don’t win a share of the £100,000) can set you up for major earnings in the future. Case in point? Iconic season three contestant Francesca has managed to take her success on the show and become a regular on This Morning.
Fellow season three contestant Minah Shannon now works on BBC One as a radio presenter, whilst Mollie Pearce from season two leveraged her fame from the show into appearing on Dancing On Ice and gained over 120,000 Instagram followers in the process.
Add to this regular TV appearances from Linda and Aaron Evans, including Love Island USA bizarrely, and it’s clear that if you’re clever and play the long game on The Traitors, you can be set up to earn a decent amount from TV appearances.
The Traitors returns tonight, January 15, on BBC One at 8pm.
Topics: The Traitors, BBC, TV, Entertainment, TV and Film, Money
Michael Slavin