Everything the Dancing With The Stars pros have said about their shockingly low salaries
The difference in pay is astounding
Dancing with the Stars might be one of the biggest shows on TV, but the professional dancers behind it aren’t earning as much as you might think, and some of them have spoken out about it.
According to Us Weekly, pro partners start on $1,200 a week when they first join the show. Their pay goes up the longer they stay, with the highest-paid dancers reportedly earning around $5,000 an episode. That sounds like a lot, but with only 10 to 15 episodes a season, it works out at between $50,000 and $75,000 a year.
The show does give the pros plenty of exposure, and many of them go on to become influencers, which brings in extra money on the side.
But it’s a different story for the troupe dancers, who perform in the background and don’t get partnered with celebrities. They earn a lot less, as Lindsay Arnold found out first-hand.
Speaking on Jason Tartick’s Trading Secrets podcast, Lindsay reportedly said her salary was cut by “more than half” when she went from pro partner to troupe dancer. And with only one season a year, she said the money simply isn’t enough to live on.
“I guess it depends on the kind of life that you live, but living in L.A., paying rent, buying food there, paying for gas, like, you’d be really tight,” she said.
Even making it all the way to the end doesn’t come with a huge payday. After pro dancer Jenna Johnson won season 33 with Joey Graziadei, she spoke about whether winners get extra money on The Morning After podcast in 2025.
“I think there’s different contracts, so I can’t speak for everybody. But, if you make it all the way to the end, you’re getting paid the whole season, which is amazing. And you get a bonus on top of that for making it to the finale,” she said. “If you win, it’s not like you win a million dollars and split it with your partner. You’re just getting a cute trophy together.”
How much do the celebrities get paid?
The pros’ pay looks even lower when you compare it to what the celebrities take home. According to Variety, every celebrity on the show earns $125,000 for the rehearsal period and their first two weeks on air. After that, they’re paid a weekly salary, which increases the longer they stay in the competition, so it pays to avoid being voted off.
There is a cap, though. Variety reported in 2020 that the most a celebrity contestant can earn is $295,000.
Celebrities can also get a signing bonus, depending on how famous they are and how well they negotiate. DWTS winner Kaitlyn Bristowe confirmed this on Trading Secrets, saying: “Your signing bonus, I think you can negotiate a bit, like, to sign to say you’re going on the show.”
That means even a celebrity who gets voted off in week two will take home $125,000, more than double what the highest-paid pros earn in an entire season.
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