Do “Bachelorette” and “Bachelor” Contestants Get Paid?

Dozens of people appear on each season of 'The Bachelor' and 'The Bachelorette' in hopes of falling in love

NEED TO KNOW

• Contestants on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are not paid to appear on the dating show
• The contestants are also responsible for their own wardrobe, with past contestants claiming they spent thousands of dollars ahead of their appearance
• Some lucky former contestants can make a living off social media and other appearances after the show

While The Bachelorette and The Bachelor brings in millions of dollars each season, the contestants don't receive any of the earnings.

The ABC reality dating competition show pays its lead star — with former hopefuls saying they were offered salaries of $75,000 to $100,000 for one season — but the contestants do not receive a salary while appearing on the show.

The Bachelorette and The Bachelor are both filmed over the span of six to nine weeks, so many of the contestants have to either quit or take a leave from work in order to participate. In addition, the contestants are also responsible for bringing their own wardrobe and looking TV-ready; some past stars estimate they spent thousands of dollars on their appearance before coming on the show.

Although contestants do not get paid for their time, they can often leverage their exposure and newfound fame for brand deals, social media campaigns and other TV opportunities — like Bachelor in Paradise — that do pay them.

ABC made headlines in March 2026 when they canceled The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul's season of The Bachelorette just days before it was scheduled to premiere on March 22. The cancellation followed the release of a 2023 video that showed Paul throwing chairs at her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen.

"After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm," a spokesperson for Paul said in a statement to PEOPLE.

Mortensen said in his own statement, "As anyone who has seen the video will understand, this is a deeply upsetting situation. I am, unfortunately, used to these baseless claims about me and our relationship, which I categorically deny. I am focusing on our son and his safety, and hope that Taylor will do the same."

The last-minute cancellation could reportedly cost the network millions of dollars.

Here's everything to know about The Bachelorette and The Bachelor contestants' lack of compensation.

Do Bachelorette and Bachelor contestants get paid?

Contestants on both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette do not get paid. Several former contestants have openly spoken about not making money during their time on the show.

"You don’t get paid as one of the girls on The Bachelor," Ashley Iaconetti, who appeared on Chris Soules' season of the show, said on her Instagram Stories in March 2025.

Meanwhile, Dean Unglert, who competed on Rachel Lindsay's season of The Bachelorette, also confirmed in May 2021 that he was not offered a salary as a contestant.

However, some past contestants have said they received a sponsored gift bag with clothing and beauty items, according to Business Insider.

How much money do contestants spend to go on The Bachelor or Bachelorette?

Although the hopeful singles don't earn a salary for their time on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, they are responsible for their clothing, hair and makeup needs. Jillian Harris, who competed on Jason Mesnick's season of The Bachelor, claimed that she spent an estimated $8,000 on her wardrobe for the show.

"The girls do have to bring all of their own clothing and of course, they want to be wearing the best clothes EVER to be seen on TV in!!!" she wrote in a 2016 blog post. "I had re-mortgaged my house and I spent something like $8,000 on clothing (which is still a lot) … but now that designer labels are even more important, I can see how someone can spend that … easily!!!!!"

Although contestants must pack to impress, they can also enlist the help of their friends and borrow clothing.

“I have really great friends, and they have even better closets,” The Bachelor season 17 alum Lesley Murphy told MarketWatch in 2017. “Other people said they spent a ton, a lot of people came with four or five bags."

Meanwhile, the contestants on The Bachelorette also have to bring their own clothing — which often consists of similar suits — and some men have also broken the bank over their wardrobe.

Chad Johnson, who was vying for JoJo Fletcher's heart on season 12 of The Bachelorette, claimed to Glamour in 2016 that he spent an estimated $7,000 on clothing, via Business Insider.

In addition to funding their own clothing and glam, contestants must also find a way to leave work or even quit their jobs to appear on the show for two to three months.

JJ Lane, who appeared on Kaitlyn Bristowe's season of The Bachelorette, recalled only having about "two and a half weeks" to prepare for the show and plan how he was going to pay for everything. Lane, who was unemployed at the time, added that he had trouble getting back into the finance industry after the show.

"I didn’t understand the magnitude of the show and how hard it is to get a real job right after,” Lane told MarketWatch. “Everyone knows who you are and employers see it as a distraction.”

What do Bachelorette contestants receive outside of the show?

If contestants are fortunate enough to remain on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette for awhile and develop a following on social media, they can earn money from paid and sponsored content after the show airs.

"Overnight you have this huge following, so all these brands are like, ‘Here, do you want to work with us?’ ” Bristowe told The Cut in 2017. "So you get offers to do the Flat Tummy Tea and the teeth whitening and all that. For somebody who has worked a regular job before, you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re going to pay me to do that? Glorious.' "

However, it's also up to the individual person on any companies they choose to work with. As Bristowe explained, "I have turned down money to stay true to who I am and brands that I want to work with."

In addition to potentially getting paid to post content on social media, past contestants have also found success with hosting opportunities, paid appearances and their own podcasts. Some people have also gone on to get paid on other competition shows — like Dancing With the Stars.

Are contestants on other Bachelor Nation shows paid?

For couples who find love on one of the Bachelor Nation shows and choose to have a televised wedding, they often get paid a substantial amount for ABC to air the nuptials.

Trista and Ryan Sutter, who met on the inaugural season of The Bachelorette in 2003, reportedly earned $1 million for their three-episode wedding special, while Sean and Catherine Lowe allegedly made a similar amount for their wedding in 2014, per The Cut.

Of course, not everyone falls in love on the show, so many memorable contestants get another shot at love on Bachelor in Paradise. Unlike The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise does pay their contestants.

"They hit me up, and they're like, 'Hey, do you want to do Bachelor in Paradise, this other show? It pays 400 bucks a day, and you could be there for up to 30 days, or something like that,' " Unglert told fellow Bachelorette alum Jason Tartick on his Trading Secrets podcast in May 2021. "So I was like, 'Oh, yeah, great. $400 a day, 30 days, $12,000, that's fantastic.' "

After chatting with some friends, Unglert said he decided to counter at $800 a day, and, according to him, producers agreed to $600 per day.

Meanwhile, Tartick said he was offered $600 a day, with a $5,000 guarantee in case he didn't make it beyond the first week, to appear on season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise, but he ultimately turned down the offer.

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