LAST EDITED ON 07-11-03 AT 12:21 PM (EST)> I believe that "The bachelor" and "the bachelorette" get a fee
>simply for being on the show
Ya, they get some money:
http://www.realitytvworld.com/index/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1373
According to a copy Rehn's original contract for the series also obtained by The Smoking Gun, Rehn's original payment for "The Bachelorette" series was a paltry $15,000 for living expenses and personal trainer fees.
The Smoking Gun also reports that the contract stated Trista and the show's final four male contestants were also promised another payment "in an amount to be determined by Producer in its sole discretion," though the figure is not specified in the contract.
But IMHO, unless the backend amount is some huge six figures amount, by the time you figure out lost wages from the production and promotion time, potential damage to their careers in some cases, and the loss of respect that many of them end up getting, they really aren't getting much... except 15 minutes of fame that they'll be (in some cases) probably trying to live down the rest of their lives
-SB