Just How Much Money Do the Bachelor and Bachelorette Make?

How much do the stars of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette get paid? Do the contestants make any money at all? Well, we don't really know. It has been rumored that Ali will rake in six figures as Season 6's Bachelorette, and Ed Swiderski, the winner of Season 5 of The Bachelorette, told Us Weekly that he made a big fat zero dollars as one of Jillian's suitors. Surprised?

When Reality Steve speculated as to why Ali would elect to quit her job to be the Bachelorette after leaving The Bachelor for work, he wrote, "If I had to guess, I'd say it's a little different being one of the 25, then it is having an eight-week, nationally televised show watched by millions of people focused solely on you." And if she's actually making some money, then it's even more understandable that she opted to sideline her job at Facebook in favor of finding love on the small screen.

Although the contestants may not make anything on the show, it certainly pays to win — and stay with your Bachelor or Bachelorette. In an interview with In Touch, Season 4's Bachelorette DeAnna Pappas said, "Hours after my finale, I was bombarded with offers for endorsements, special appearances and more. But the catch was they wanted both me and my fiance (Jesse Csincsak)."

Four months following the final rose ceremony and proposal, DeAnna and Jesse broke up — and offers for $10,000 for both to appear at a nightclub and $5,000 for them to appear at a mall rolled in. "If Jesse and I stayed together, we could have easily cashed in," DeAnna continued. "But for me, it felt like selling out."

Trista and Ryan are also proof that it's worth it to make it down the aisle: ABC paid them a cool $1 million in 2003 to televise their wedding and subsidized the over-the-top ceremony. Given that, it's highly likely that Jason and Molly said their I do's in front of the cameras for a tidy sum, though an exact figure has not been released.

Finally, now that Jake has moved from The Bachelor to Dancing with the Stars, how much could he make in his third reality TV appearance on ABC? TMZ.com reported last March that if gymnast Shawn Johnson made it to the final two, she'd earn $365,000. That included a $125,000 base salary for appearing on the show; $10,000 a week for weeks three and four; $20,000 a week for weeks five, six, and seven; $30,000 a week for weeks eight and nine; and $50,000 a week for weeks 10 and 11. Little Miss Limber ended up winning Season 8 of the C-list dance competition, so she waltzed home with the entire $365,000. If Jake — currently one of Season 10's longshots — manages to shake his stiffness and make it to the final two, he could return to Dallas with some serious cash. No matter what, he'll walk away with $125,000. Not too shabby!

Basically, it pays to star in The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, and it's only worth it to be a contestant if you're pretty damn sure you're gonna win the Bachelor or Bachelorette's heart (or you're ready to make yourself memorable — ahem, Rozlyn). Also, if ABC invites you to do Dancing with the Stars and your career is in a downward spiral, go for it! What do you have to lose?

To read more about The Bachelor, check out our sister site, TheBachelorShow.com.