Celebrity Earnings on Dancing With the Stars Revealed

Contestants on Dancing With the Stars earn significant sums for their participation, with reports indicating a base payment of $125,000 for the rehearsal period and the first two weeks of the competition. This figure was reported by Variety in 2019, which further noted that if contestants advance in the competition, they would receive increasing weekly payments, potentially reaching a maximum earnings cap of $295,000.

Bobby Bones, the winner of season 27 in 2018, claimed to have earned substantially more than the reported maximum. In a September 2025 episode of Jason Tartick’s podcast Trading Secrets, Bones explained, “That show pays OK. Like, first episode, no money. Second episode, $10,000. I think it’s like, $10,000, $10,000, $20,000, $20,000. It ends up being $50,000 an episode if you last.” He added that he received a base salary of around $110,000, leading to a total earnings estimate of close to $400,000 from the show.

Despite the details shared by Bones, ABC has not publicly confirmed any of these financial figures associated with the show’s contestants.

Special Credits: Image Courtesy of Eonline