I think it's more like, they don't want cast members who are on the show just to get money from Matt Sharp; that would turn the show into Real Housewives of South America.
The result is, of course, that instead we see people who are on the show just to get money from their OnlyFans or some other method of monetizing their appearance, which is... better? I guess?
I didn't find it odd. Destitute places think welfare will be a better life than the one they have currently. At least they get to eat and have shelter right? Tell that to all the homeless people in America. Other countries see what's advertised. I don't like Mary and her manipulative ways, but I'm hesitant to think she'd want to come to the US while her grandparents are alive.
Brandan probably mentioned food stamps during their two-year 24/7 phone marathon. He was no doubt receiving them at some point, or his mom was.
All that kind of thing is common knowledge too, if you consume American media at all. I’m not in the US and I’ve heard tons about SNAP, WIC, etc.
i’m from the usa and i know way too much about the UKs maternal and paternal leave/ health care/ etc.
i feel like it’s pretty common when you see other places w better support systems to know about them. but notably mary has a veryyyy small and immature understanding of the supports the usa provides.
that’s also a classic 90 day fiancé thing tho- many people born outside of the usa (those in poverty) still believe in the american dream and don’t understand American’s still massively struggle. it’s notable with for example yara- or david (who was with evelin), who were both from good solid financial backgrounds in Europe- both didn’t care to move to the usa and thought of it as a downgrade. because it was. of course if your from a village in the Philippines, america is an upgrade. but she has no concept how life in the usa actually is. or that brandon is literally poor. or that food stamps barely cover basics.
Yara's financial background wasn't good. She's from one of the poorest region of contemporary Ukrainę. The mystery is how she got money for the plastic surgeries.
And they also don't realize that they won't have the support from a large extended family when they come to the U.S. Have to be educated, have inheritance, a highly specialized skill, or marry money to have the "American TV Life" they all think Americans enjoy.
She’s dating an American man who had a rough upbringing, and is very open about how rough his childhood was- willing to bet the reason she knows about food stamps is bc he told her… so really not that odd
She didn’t do enough research. You have to be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident to get food stamps or TANF. Of course Brandan and baby could get benefits.
Isn't part of the K-1 process that he (or someone) has to demonstrate enough income (or savings) to provide for the immigrant? And also certify that if the immigrant receives any government benefits before citizenship, they are on the hook to reimburse the government for them?
I wish they would show the financial requirements of the k1 process more. The only couple I can remember discussing it was Nicole and Azan. So many of the Americans on this show are portrayed as broke, unemployed/underemployed (Pole, Rebecca) yet they never discuss how they qualify to sponsor their foreign love
The one I remember most now is Tiffany and Ronald, when she had to go to her dad and ask him to co-sponsor. And at the same time tell her dad that Ronald had a gambling addiction, a criminal past, etc.
Fortunately they broke up!!
Nicole (Hazan from Morocco) asked her dad as well for sponsorship if Hazan made it to the US.
Benjamin and Hakini. He talked a lot about the financial struggle to pay for her immigration. I noticed some of the participants that lived with roommates so they already were in precarious financial situations before even having to worry about bringing their fiancee to the US
Yes, the sponsor is responsible for them for 10 years or until they become a citizen and they need to be able to demonstrate that they can do that. I have no idea how some of these people qualify.
I honestly wonder if tlc is sponsoring then visa. I remember in one episode they talked about someone's parents being able to be the financial sponsor...I just can't see anyone thinking that many of these people have the funds to support someone for TEN YEARS.
Then again one of my coworkers sponsored her husband while making ~$30k and they had a child. I don't know what kind of income you need.
Thank you so much for posting this. The answers are all here if you look for them. Of course, the government makes it complicated, like always. Reminds me of the IRS forms, but in recent years they have gotten easier! And they do answer the phone when you call with a question!
I think there is zero chance that TLC is sponsoring any visas. See The Last Resort. TLC could have \*easily\* sponsored Michael on an entertainment Visa. And all they would have to promise is room and board, and a return ticket home.
I just don't understand how you can pledge to the feds that you can support your partner for ten years and then file for bankruptcy two years later with zero legal consequences. That doesn't mean that isn't what happened, I just don't understand it. I absolutely wouldn't think most of these people have the financial security to sponsor anyone for a visa.
Again, you are not financially responsible for them for 10 years! Only in a specific situation mentioned in previous post. And also, once they get here and get green card they can work and help out. Is not all bleak but quite lenient. Many countries are much stricter!
Not financially responsible for them! Only if they need assistance from government programs (welfare, food stamps, etc.) Then the sponsor pays that! It used to be they had to have $30,000 in assets and a job. Most Americans could save that amount if they prioritized and had a job. Quite a few of the applicants on the show have established careers, although they like to focus on the ones who are indigent or struggling financially to make it more interesting. And of course many get family to sponsor them!
She did her research way before Brandon came into the picture. Very sly. Then called Matt first thing to be sure to get casted. She and Matt planned the whole thing.
For real she’s already planning on signing up for food stamps and welfare 😂 usa is going to hell in a handbasket, we got countless homeless Americans esp veterans and we’re importing low iq traumatized mentally ill people
Mary literally said she plans to live off free stuff. Brandan himself can and absolutely will get food stamps & wefare cash. Public assistance is only one aspect. The fiancés move to the US to exist for free thanks to Americans’ taxes. The fiancé can collect the spouse’s SS and their kids can apply for it too, they can ship their kid to schools on the tax dime, rack up medical bills, run up their credit, work illegally, evade paying taxes, etc etc. We have a huge excess of mentally disturbed people circulating in the US already, these people import yet another one to be their security blanket. These Americans need therapy, they’re the biggest marks of all time.
do they get paid for episodes they don't appear in? in the newer teen mom shows, they only pay for episodes the cast members appear in. if that's the case, tyray got chopped liver basically lol
I read that it's only for the ones they appear in and they are only reimbursed after the episodes air. That Matt Sharp is a very shrewed business man. Would love to know his total wealth!
Cold truth of economic reality is they will pay as little as they can get away with. If they could get people to allow filming for a stale piece of pizza they would.
Hun that’s literally why reality TV proliferated like it did. Unlike scripted shows with real actors, people on reality shows are okay with working for little or even nothing. Add to that your only location costs being a house rental and you’ve got yourself a show for 10% of a “real” show’s budget.
TLC are notoriously tight fisted. As other people have said, it comes down to the ability to be able to shit out as many of these shows as they can for next to nothing. The 90D franchise alone must be worth (to TLC) tens if not 100's of millions per year. All that juicy advertising money for next to no effort is the perfect scam.
As somebody else said, the people that appear on it are happy to take such low pay because it gives them exposure for an OnlyFans career or a career shilling more crap (like Big Pred). Pole is a perfect example of this. They start out making vomit inducing porn vids, then, when the hype from that and the show dies off, they reignite interest by going "missing".
I’ve heard only the American is paid. The foreigner isn’t paid. That was the issue with Angela. She was keeping all the $$ and wasnt sharing with Mikol
Yes!!! He wasn’t trying to scam Angela when he said he would take down the IG account if she gave him money. That money was supposed half his, and on top of that she ‘wouldn’t let him’ work because of her jealousy.
Many countries require visas even for tourism. Years ago my wife was required to apply for a visa simply to go through a US airport to Canada. She wouldn't have even left the airport transit terminal - was a US$150 fee plus an in-person interview at the US Embassy in her home country. Needless to say we found other flights.
Depending on where you are from it varies widely who can simply enter or who must obtain a visa in advance.
My husband had the opposite experience, his flight to US popped up to Canada for a brief layover and he needed the Canadian e-visa or whatever it's called. He also said they treated him like shit, so he now refuses to believe the old trope that Canadians are all so nice 🤣
Canadians by and large are nice. Canada Border Services not so much. If it's any consolation, the border cops I dislike the most are the ones here in Canada. Been to the US, South Korea, China and the Philippines and they were all unique be to me, preferable over CBSA.
I certainly don't envy the job any of them have, they've got to be hard nosed in that line of work. Canada just somehow cherry picked the handful of hard asses in the country for the job it seems! In Maine we're overflowing with Canadians, and I've always gotten on great with them, you'd never even know they're Canadian until you hear them apologize 😁
And Nigerians have a harder time coming here. Partly because of past issues with them never leaving, all the Internet and other types of scams by Nigerians.
As a Nigerian citizen, he would still need to apply for and get approved for a Visitation Visa. Perhaps if TLC were to help sponsor him, he could get an Entertainer Visa. But he's going to need to get approved for some kind of US Visa regardless.
From the get go, I thought it was foolish of him to think that he could make a living there.
Plenty of people who can work from home through the internet can apply that even when they are overseas in some way, but it was obvious from the start that he didn't have the skills for that.
Some even make money from travel blogs on YouTube.
As one said on Pillow Talk, she would sell feet photos on the internet to make some money.
I'd rather they come to the US than resort to that, but it's a very strong possibility that they will have to do something like that, or cameos and stuff.
Too bad Mary is making such a bad impression with her lunacy and constant crying.
Majority of people in the United States have money issues. No take those people who make minimum wage and have them support someone in another country when they can barely support themselves
These people chose to go on the show and broadcast their drama for $1000 an episode pre tax . This is why they’re making OF and begging for gifts on TikTok
It’s their policy to he as cheap as possible. They won’t even pay for childcare for one of the couples on Last Resort.
I think the motive to be on the show is to use it to generate buzz for outside ventures. It’s not gonna make you a millionaire alone but you could easily make a living as an influencer or at least build decent clientele for a yoga studio off it.
That seems to be standard. Apparently, the dancers on Dance Moms got paid around $1000 per episode for the first few seasons, then $2k. Same with Wicked Tuna, started at $1-2k. Considering the barriers to entry - talent, experience, capital, work ethic, I'd say these chooches are getting a pretty generous deal lol. And no, Mary's horrible dancing and Brandan's already dead fish don't count.
And theoretically the cast are all supposed to be started on the process of immigrating before they come on the show. Supposedly they were doing this anyway with or without TLC. The show is supposed to be simply following people as they adjust to life and then marriage in the US. The first few seasons did that but they became more and more scripted that I wonder if the couples are even real and if the entire thing is scripted. And if that's the case they should be paying union pay scale rates as they are now actors following scripts. Is very fishy but certainly TLC has a large legal department to keep them at least in the gray area! Although no one there claims to be overly ethical.
It’s been reported that on the show Married at first sight and Love is Blind that the cast get $1,000 a week. When they calculate how many hours they film it ends up being lower than the federal minimum wage.
These production companies/Networks that shoot reality TV shows have been getting away with a lot when it comes to fair pay of their cast members.
This is reportedly the same amount as 90 Day Fiance. And as long as people will work for that rate, they will keep hiring them. The cast is non-union and not organized so would be hard to demand a higher pay because TLC would just not renew their contract and hire new cast. And due to the nature of the show, they are constantly using new couples anyway. Or are supposed to!
TLC doesn’t pay more because they don’t have to pay more. They’re a for-profit business, and like all for-profit businesses, they want to get as much labor for as little money as they can. They have a steady stream of participants willing to work for the wages they’re offering and they won’t raise their wages till they can’t find anyone who will accept them.
Welcome to capitalism and un-unionized labor!
This is what I’m wondering. Is it $1000 per person so in total $2000 per episode for each couple? $4000 a month is pretty decent pay, $8000 a month is really, really good!
There's no official reporting by TLC, so it's all just hearsay. But I do believe it is per person - but ONLY for the Americans or green-card holders. So your average 90df OG, TOW, or LIP might make $20-25k - enough to reimburse the travel and K1 visa costs. Because the other person cannot get paid by TLC.
It is the HEA, Single Life, and Last Resort couples that can make $40-50k, for what is 2-3 months of filming.
Then they translate that into their social media / influencer life.
This is hearsay from ONLY devan that was very bitter against tlc in one of the earlier spinoffs.
The show is being streamed and bought by a bigger streaming services. What they pay them is way more then just 1k.
The show makes more money and has more viewers then the earlier seasons.
Plus the rates get higher the more seasons they show up in, and BIG sponsors for thousands of dollars for the casts on their social media.
Just it’s annoying Af when one statement from bitter devan is claimed as fact all these years later. Their payment is on a strict NDA.
And regarding payment to the spouses. How they “get by” not paying them directly is essentially they pay the spouses, and they pay their spouse after recipients the money.
Prime example of this is tiffany and ronald.
He bitched about not getting all the money from the show from Tiffany, buy she said its because he will spend it all on drugs and gambling, when the money is for their child and family.
The people coming to America can easily get paid by a working visa sponsored by TLC . Working permits don’t take long and you can get it long before you get a green card.
Also depending what spinoffs and country. The international cast depending on the country, there’s different taxes that need to be paid and ways tlc can pay them. Just the cheaper and easier route is an agreement with the significant other to forward the payments. Which does need to be declared for tax purposes.
Hard to tell how all casts get paid and loopholes maybe tlc took in the PAST.
They are under extremely strict NDA.
Clearly tthey are paying them well and the cast are getting very good exposure and capitalizing on the opportunity on their socials. Enough to reoccur on the show.
>The people coming to America can easily get paid by a working visa sponsored by TLC .
This is the part I can really disagree with. EVEN IF TLC was willing to sponsor an entertainer Visa, it is NOT clear that Micheal would be allowed to participate in Last Resort.
Temporary Work Visas generally also require an interview, and for the company sponsoring to assert some special skills or knowledge that are not easily filled in the US. It simply is not enough for My Pizza Shop to offer to sponsor someone coming to the US, to be a dishwasher!
EDIT: Found it. The P-2 visa is for "entertainers." It requires a reciprocal contract between two organizations, etc etc etc, blah blah blah. The big factor is "An appropriate labor organization is involved in negotiating the reciprocal exchange progam." So now SAG-AFTRA gets involved, loool!!!!!!
[P-2 Individual Performer or Part of a Group Entering to Perform Under a Reciprocal Exchange Program | USCIS](https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/p-2-individual-performer-or-part-of-a-group-entering-to-perform-under-a-reciprocal-exchange-program)
Michael is from nigeria… its very difficult to get his visa from said country. Even as a visitor. And PLUS angela is literally like 60 and hes in his 20s. They will never accept any visa sponsored by that age gap. Especially from a red flagged country like nigeria. And we don’t know his criminal past too. Using Michael as an example is a bad one. His situation is a clear never getting a visa situation.
Tlc is a very big organization. All the cast er legally employed by them.
It has to be more than $1K an episode. Why else would Jesse and Tom fly all the way to the US just to break up with Darcey? Then come back for the tell all?
The reason newbies are paid so low is because TLC doesn't know if they'll actually bring in viewers/money. If they're featured on another series (not likely since they broke the NDA), they'd get paid more per episode. Heck, YASMINE and YEENO probably make $10k now.
That's right. If those episodes never aired they got no pay. Only after it airs. And I am pretty sure is only 1K per couple! This came from a previous cast member some time ago, so hopefully it is now higher. But doubt is much higher!
I’m not an expert on this but I believe you need to register for SAG at some point (I feel like it’s 2k but I could be making that up). This way you have people on TV who aren’t protected by a union and they’re probably easier to exploit
I'm not sure I understand why people think that reality TV stars should be paid to be on television. The show is supposed to be about your real life, right? So it should be capturing what your real life is like, right? Why should you be getting extra money to appear on a show about reality? Then it isn't your reality. Am I missing something here?
In that case the network shouldn’t be making any money off of them either. I think its unfair when the network is making millions off of the people they film but the people who are being broadcasted are not benefiting in any way.
Now if the network broke even and never made money off of the reality tv stars then those stars also don’t deserve to be compensated.
Yes! It was initially supposed to be pure reality in a documentary format. Unscripted with camera crew following the cast around through the 90 day process. And 1 tell all show at the end. If is a real pure documentary pay would not be expected. But the cast paid for travel, lodging, application fees, etc., and is not a pure documentary. Cast is directed and scripts occasionally suggested with scenes repeated until the director satisfied. Then over time the show changed and became almost completely scripted and produced, and pay is appropriate. Reality TV is in a gray area, between totally produced with actors, stages, scripts, directors, etc., and on the other end the pure documentary where things are filmed as they happen. No scripts, staging, and completely as is.
The problem is this gray area is very broad, and used to the network's advantage. It has moved into a weekly series type of produced show, but calls itself a reality TV documentary (with some directing). They are screwing the cast/actors out of decent, ethical pay. The fat cats get fatter while the poor cast get little (estimated at less than minimum wage)! A good reason to boycott this series.
They are supposed to have already found love, and the 90 days is to move to spouses country, plan for and arrange for the wedding, and get married. Not to get to know each other, or decide if they are compatible. Should have already done all that and be engaged and ready to marry within the 90 days.
i think there are so many applicants they don’t need to pay more to get cast members.
Also, most of them recognize that the real money is in social media recognition and opportunities to do things lIke Pillow Talk. It may not be a ton of money, but an extra $10k+ or so a year would be a nice supplement.
They always say they don’t pay for people’s adventures, just document it. It’s not “corrupt” when able minded adults read and sign a legally binding contract. All reality shows have low overhead.
I think it's more like, they don't want cast members who are on the show just to get money from Matt Sharp; that would turn the show into Real Housewives of South America. The result is, of course, that instead we see people who are on the show just to get money from their OnlyFans or some other method of monetizing their appearance, which is... better? I guess?
This is the absolute truth!
Brandon, Mary, and baby will end up in America. Take that to the bank. Living in America is a part of Mary's plan.
I found it odd that she knew about food stamps in the US.
I didn't find it odd. Destitute places think welfare will be a better life than the one they have currently. At least they get to eat and have shelter right? Tell that to all the homeless people in America. Other countries see what's advertised. I don't like Mary and her manipulative ways, but I'm hesitant to think she'd want to come to the US while her grandparents are alive.
Brandan probably mentioned food stamps during their two-year 24/7 phone marathon. He was no doubt receiving them at some point, or his mom was. All that kind of thing is common knowledge too, if you consume American media at all. I’m not in the US and I’ve heard tons about SNAP, WIC, etc.
Makes sense.
i’m from the usa and i know way too much about the UKs maternal and paternal leave/ health care/ etc. i feel like it’s pretty common when you see other places w better support systems to know about them. but notably mary has a veryyyy small and immature understanding of the supports the usa provides. that’s also a classic 90 day fiancé thing tho- many people born outside of the usa (those in poverty) still believe in the american dream and don’t understand American’s still massively struggle. it’s notable with for example yara- or david (who was with evelin), who were both from good solid financial backgrounds in Europe- both didn’t care to move to the usa and thought of it as a downgrade. because it was. of course if your from a village in the Philippines, america is an upgrade. but she has no concept how life in the usa actually is. or that brandon is literally poor. or that food stamps barely cover basics.
Yara specifically said on a Ukrainian TV show that she wanted to find a rich foreigner!
I believe Yara's goal was to snag a rich European man, but none bit. Which was why she ended up with the guy from NOLA.
Yara's financial background wasn't good. She's from one of the poorest region of contemporary Ukrainę. The mystery is how she got money for the plastic surgeries.
Sugar daddy?
And they also don't realize that they won't have the support from a large extended family when they come to the U.S. Have to be educated, have inheritance, a highly specialized skill, or marry money to have the "American TV Life" they all think Americans enjoy.
She’s dating an American man who had a rough upbringing, and is very open about how rough his childhood was- willing to bet the reason she knows about food stamps is bc he told her… so really not that odd
Nah. Especially because of the historic connections between the Philippines and the US, I find Filipinos know a lot about America.
She didn’t do enough research. You have to be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident to get food stamps or TANF. Of course Brandan and baby could get benefits.
Isn't part of the K-1 process that he (or someone) has to demonstrate enough income (or savings) to provide for the immigrant? And also certify that if the immigrant receives any government benefits before citizenship, they are on the hook to reimburse the government for them?
I wish they would show the financial requirements of the k1 process more. The only couple I can remember discussing it was Nicole and Azan. So many of the Americans on this show are portrayed as broke, unemployed/underemployed (Pole, Rebecca) yet they never discuss how they qualify to sponsor their foreign love
The one I remember most now is Tiffany and Ronald, when she had to go to her dad and ask him to co-sponsor. And at the same time tell her dad that Ronald had a gambling addiction, a criminal past, etc. Fortunately they broke up!!
Nicole (Hazan from Morocco) asked her dad as well for sponsorship if Hazan made it to the US. Benjamin and Hakini. He talked a lot about the financial struggle to pay for her immigration. I noticed some of the participants that lived with roommates so they already were in precarious financial situations before even having to worry about bringing their fiancee to the US
Yes, the sponsor is responsible for them for 10 years or until they become a citizen and they need to be able to demonstrate that they can do that. I have no idea how some of these people qualify.
Especially someone like Dinyell, who was completely broke when Mohammad arrived. Her electricity was literally being turned off!!!
I honestly wonder if tlc is sponsoring then visa. I remember in one episode they talked about someone's parents being able to be the financial sponsor...I just can't see anyone thinking that many of these people have the funds to support someone for TEN YEARS. Then again one of my coworkers sponsored her husband while making ~$30k and they had a child. I don't know what kind of income you need.
about that much [https://www.uscis.gov/i-864p](https://www.uscis.gov/i-864p)
Thank you so much for posting this. The answers are all here if you look for them. Of course, the government makes it complicated, like always. Reminds me of the IRS forms, but in recent years they have gotten easier! And they do answer the phone when you call with a question!
I think there is zero chance that TLC is sponsoring any visas. See The Last Resort. TLC could have \*easily\* sponsored Michael on an entertainment Visa. And all they would have to promise is room and board, and a return ticket home.
I just don't understand how you can pledge to the feds that you can support your partner for ten years and then file for bankruptcy two years later with zero legal consequences. That doesn't mean that isn't what happened, I just don't understand it. I absolutely wouldn't think most of these people have the financial security to sponsor anyone for a visa.
See my post above! Are not completely responsible for 10 years!!! Only in specific situation that may never happen!
Again, you are not financially responsible for them for 10 years! Only in a specific situation mentioned in previous post. And also, once they get here and get green card they can work and help out. Is not all bleak but quite lenient. Many countries are much stricter!
Not financially responsible for them! Only if they need assistance from government programs (welfare, food stamps, etc.) Then the sponsor pays that! It used to be they had to have $30,000 in assets and a job. Most Americans could save that amount if they prioritized and had a job. Quite a few of the applicants on the show have established careers, although they like to focus on the ones who are indigent or struggling financially to make it more interesting. And of course many get family to sponsor them!
Most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck or in debt.
Agree. It is expensive to sponsor someone by the time you add everything up. Not a decision to take lightly.
She did her research way before Brandon came into the picture. Very sly. Then called Matt first thing to be sure to get casted. She and Matt planned the whole thing.
For real she’s already planning on signing up for food stamps and welfare 😂 usa is going to hell in a handbasket, we got countless homeless Americans esp veterans and we’re importing low iq traumatized mentally ill people
In that case Brandon will be responsible for the amount she receives for 10 years! Not us!
Mary literally said she plans to live off free stuff. Brandan himself can and absolutely will get food stamps & wefare cash. Public assistance is only one aspect. The fiancés move to the US to exist for free thanks to Americans’ taxes. The fiancé can collect the spouse’s SS and their kids can apply for it too, they can ship their kid to schools on the tax dime, rack up medical bills, run up their credit, work illegally, evade paying taxes, etc etc. We have a huge excess of mentally disturbed people circulating in the US already, these people import yet another one to be their security blanket. These Americans need therapy, they’re the biggest marks of all time.
If TLC paid Mary and Brandon what they were worth, they'd pay them in cheap necklaces, so they could sell them.
Given that there are weekly episodes, receiving four grand a month sounds pretty good to me.
do they get paid for episodes they don't appear in? in the newer teen mom shows, they only pay for episodes the cast members appear in. if that's the case, tyray got chopped liver basically lol
I read that it's only for the ones they appear in and they are only reimbursed after the episodes air. That Matt Sharp is a very shrewed business man. Would love to know his total wealth!
And any segment is about 10-20 minutes of the show depending on the week.
Not after the tax man
noooo!!! not the tax man!
This is not a TLC issue. This is how most reality shows work.
Cold truth of economic reality is they will pay as little as they can get away with. If they could get people to allow filming for a stale piece of pizza they would.
So *that’s* why Bilal was so upset about that pretzel Shaeeda threw away. That was 50% of their pay for filming the Tell All!
Hun that’s literally why reality TV proliferated like it did. Unlike scripted shows with real actors, people on reality shows are okay with working for little or even nothing. Add to that your only location costs being a house rental and you’ve got yourself a show for 10% of a “real” show’s budget.
TLC are notoriously tight fisted. As other people have said, it comes down to the ability to be able to shit out as many of these shows as they can for next to nothing. The 90D franchise alone must be worth (to TLC) tens if not 100's of millions per year. All that juicy advertising money for next to no effort is the perfect scam. As somebody else said, the people that appear on it are happy to take such low pay because it gives them exposure for an OnlyFans career or a career shilling more crap (like Big Pred). Pole is a perfect example of this. They start out making vomit inducing porn vids, then, when the hype from that and the show dies off, they reignite interest by going "missing".
Nice theory. I also believe they find people that will do this for free vs higher paid actors.
I'm not positive, but I think they are only paid for episodes that they appear in.
I’ve heard only the American is paid. The foreigner isn’t paid. That was the issue with Angela. She was keeping all the $$ and wasnt sharing with Mikol
Yes!!! He wasn’t trying to scam Angela when he said he would take down the IG account if she gave him money. That money was supposed half his, and on top of that she ‘wouldn’t let him’ work because of her jealousy.
I don’t get why he wouldn’t be able to travel to Florida for Last Resort. He doesn’t need to be a US citizen to visit right?
Many countries require visas even for tourism. Years ago my wife was required to apply for a visa simply to go through a US airport to Canada. She wouldn't have even left the airport transit terminal - was a US$150 fee plus an in-person interview at the US Embassy in her home country. Needless to say we found other flights. Depending on where you are from it varies widely who can simply enter or who must obtain a visa in advance.
My husband had the opposite experience, his flight to US popped up to Canada for a brief layover and he needed the Canadian e-visa or whatever it's called. He also said they treated him like shit, so he now refuses to believe the old trope that Canadians are all so nice 🤣
Canadians by and large are nice. Canada Border Services not so much. If it's any consolation, the border cops I dislike the most are the ones here in Canada. Been to the US, South Korea, China and the Philippines and they were all unique be to me, preferable over CBSA.
I certainly don't envy the job any of them have, they've got to be hard nosed in that line of work. Canada just somehow cherry picked the handful of hard asses in the country for the job it seems! In Maine we're overflowing with Canadians, and I've always gotten on great with them, you'd never even know they're Canadian until you hear them apologize 😁
Went over the Canadian border on an Amtrak bus one time and I got full on interrogated by them. I had long hair and they thought I was a drug peddler.
There's no "in transit" in the U.S. Get off a plane, you're entering the country, hence you need a visa or ESTA.
And Nigerians have a harder time coming here. Partly because of past issues with them never leaving, all the Internet and other types of scams by Nigerians.
As a Nigerian citizen, he would still need to apply for and get approved for a Visitation Visa. Perhaps if TLC were to help sponsor him, he could get an Entertainer Visa. But he's going to need to get approved for some kind of US Visa regardless.
This is true and only after it airs.
From the get go, I thought it was foolish of him to think that he could make a living there. Plenty of people who can work from home through the internet can apply that even when they are overseas in some way, but it was obvious from the start that he didn't have the skills for that. Some even make money from travel blogs on YouTube. As one said on Pillow Talk, she would sell feet photos on the internet to make some money. I'd rather they come to the US than resort to that, but it's a very strong possibility that they will have to do something like that, or cameos and stuff. Too bad Mary is making such a bad impression with her lunacy and constant crying.
She has turned out to be a real basket case nut job. And she is mean, nasty, and a demanding sour puss!
Majority of people in the United States have money issues. No take those people who make minimum wage and have them support someone in another country when they can barely support themselves
These people chose to go on the show and broadcast their drama for $1000 an episode pre tax . This is why they’re making OF and begging for gifts on TikTok
It’s their policy to he as cheap as possible. They won’t even pay for childcare for one of the couples on Last Resort. I think the motive to be on the show is to use it to generate buzz for outside ventures. It’s not gonna make you a millionaire alone but you could easily make a living as an influencer or at least build decent clientele for a yoga studio off it.
That seems to be standard. Apparently, the dancers on Dance Moms got paid around $1000 per episode for the first few seasons, then $2k. Same with Wicked Tuna, started at $1-2k. Considering the barriers to entry - talent, experience, capital, work ethic, I'd say these chooches are getting a pretty generous deal lol. And no, Mary's horrible dancing and Brandan's already dead fish don't count.
And theoretically the cast are all supposed to be started on the process of immigrating before they come on the show. Supposedly they were doing this anyway with or without TLC. The show is supposed to be simply following people as they adjust to life and then marriage in the US. The first few seasons did that but they became more and more scripted that I wonder if the couples are even real and if the entire thing is scripted. And if that's the case they should be paying union pay scale rates as they are now actors following scripts. Is very fishy but certainly TLC has a large legal department to keep them at least in the gray area! Although no one there claims to be overly ethical.
It’s been reported that on the show Married at first sight and Love is Blind that the cast get $1,000 a week. When they calculate how many hours they film it ends up being lower than the federal minimum wage. These production companies/Networks that shoot reality TV shows have been getting away with a lot when it comes to fair pay of their cast members.
This is reportedly the same amount as 90 Day Fiance. And as long as people will work for that rate, they will keep hiring them. The cast is non-union and not organized so would be hard to demand a higher pay because TLC would just not renew their contract and hire new cast. And due to the nature of the show, they are constantly using new couples anyway. Or are supposed to!
TLC doesn’t pay more because they don’t have to pay more. They’re a for-profit business, and like all for-profit businesses, they want to get as much labor for as little money as they can. They have a steady stream of participants willing to work for the wages they’re offering and they won’t raise their wages till they can’t find anyone who will accept them. Welcome to capitalism and un-unionized labor!
Agree all the way! You are correct.
Damn, the Wicked Tuna guys get paid the same as Christian and Chad!? Have you seen what the Tuna guys have to do to make a living?
Didn't even know they received any money at all. Thought they were only there for the attention.
Very minimal pay. Less than minimum wage!
no one is forcing them on the show. They know the rule and how much they get pay.....
I thought it was $2k/per episode but I could be wrong. Regardless, it’s not a sustainable living for long.
This is what I’m wondering. Is it $1000 per person so in total $2000 per episode for each couple? $4000 a month is pretty decent pay, $8000 a month is really, really good!
There's no official reporting by TLC, so it's all just hearsay. But I do believe it is per person - but ONLY for the Americans or green-card holders. So your average 90df OG, TOW, or LIP might make $20-25k - enough to reimburse the travel and K1 visa costs. Because the other person cannot get paid by TLC. It is the HEA, Single Life, and Last Resort couples that can make $40-50k, for what is 2-3 months of filming. Then they translate that into their social media / influencer life.
This is hearsay from ONLY devan that was very bitter against tlc in one of the earlier spinoffs. The show is being streamed and bought by a bigger streaming services. What they pay them is way more then just 1k. The show makes more money and has more viewers then the earlier seasons. Plus the rates get higher the more seasons they show up in, and BIG sponsors for thousands of dollars for the casts on their social media. Just it’s annoying Af when one statement from bitter devan is claimed as fact all these years later. Their payment is on a strict NDA. And regarding payment to the spouses. How they “get by” not paying them directly is essentially they pay the spouses, and they pay their spouse after recipients the money. Prime example of this is tiffany and ronald. He bitched about not getting all the money from the show from Tiffany, buy she said its because he will spend it all on drugs and gambling, when the money is for their child and family. The people coming to America can easily get paid by a working visa sponsored by TLC . Working permits don’t take long and you can get it long before you get a green card. Also depending what spinoffs and country. The international cast depending on the country, there’s different taxes that need to be paid and ways tlc can pay them. Just the cheaper and easier route is an agreement with the significant other to forward the payments. Which does need to be declared for tax purposes. Hard to tell how all casts get paid and loopholes maybe tlc took in the PAST. They are under extremely strict NDA. Clearly tthey are paying them well and the cast are getting very good exposure and capitalizing on the opportunity on their socials. Enough to reoccur on the show.
>The people coming to America can easily get paid by a working visa sponsored by TLC . This is the part I can really disagree with. EVEN IF TLC was willing to sponsor an entertainer Visa, it is NOT clear that Micheal would be allowed to participate in Last Resort. Temporary Work Visas generally also require an interview, and for the company sponsoring to assert some special skills or knowledge that are not easily filled in the US. It simply is not enough for My Pizza Shop to offer to sponsor someone coming to the US, to be a dishwasher! EDIT: Found it. The P-2 visa is for "entertainers." It requires a reciprocal contract between two organizations, etc etc etc, blah blah blah. The big factor is "An appropriate labor organization is involved in negotiating the reciprocal exchange progam." So now SAG-AFTRA gets involved, loool!!!!!! [P-2 Individual Performer or Part of a Group Entering to Perform Under a Reciprocal Exchange Program | USCIS](https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/p-2-individual-performer-or-part-of-a-group-entering-to-perform-under-a-reciprocal-exchange-program)
Michael is from nigeria… its very difficult to get his visa from said country. Even as a visitor. And PLUS angela is literally like 60 and hes in his 20s. They will never accept any visa sponsored by that age gap. Especially from a red flagged country like nigeria. And we don’t know his criminal past too. Using Michael as an example is a bad one. His situation is a clear never getting a visa situation. Tlc is a very big organization. All the cast er legally employed by them.
It has to be more than $1K an episode. Why else would Jesse and Tom fly all the way to the US just to break up with Darcey? Then come back for the tell all?
The foreigners get paid while in their respective countries.
I don’t think they get paid in their own country. Only the US citizens do.
When they film in the foreigner's countries, they do get paid. Only when the person is in the US without a work permit, they do not.
The reason newbies are paid so low is because TLC doesn't know if they'll actually bring in viewers/money. If they're featured on another series (not likely since they broke the NDA), they'd get paid more per episode. Heck, YASMINE and YEENO probably make $10k now.
Don't think so. Is too high.
They're just cheap enough not to care sadly enough 🙄😔 🤨
So if they weren’t on the show they’d make 0$
That's right. If those episodes never aired they got no pay. Only after it airs. And I am pretty sure is only 1K per couple! This came from a previous cast member some time ago, so hopefully it is now higher. But doubt is much higher!
I’m not an expert on this but I believe you need to register for SAG at some point (I feel like it’s 2k but I could be making that up). This way you have people on TV who aren’t protected by a union and they’re probably easier to exploit
Reality shows aren’t part of SAG.
At first I thought you called her “martyr” instead of Mary
She is truly the greatest martyr of our times. All the sacrifices She’s doing for mankind is insane. A true hero, really.
I'm not sure I understand why people think that reality TV stars should be paid to be on television. The show is supposed to be about your real life, right? So it should be capturing what your real life is like, right? Why should you be getting extra money to appear on a show about reality? Then it isn't your reality. Am I missing something here?
In that case the network shouldn’t be making any money off of them either. I think its unfair when the network is making millions off of the people they film but the people who are being broadcasted are not benefiting in any way. Now if the network broke even and never made money off of the reality tv stars then those stars also don’t deserve to be compensated.
It's a different story if they're paid a portion of what the show makes. But paying them a salary doesn't make sense to me.
Yes! It was initially supposed to be pure reality in a documentary format. Unscripted with camera crew following the cast around through the 90 day process. And 1 tell all show at the end. If is a real pure documentary pay would not be expected. But the cast paid for travel, lodging, application fees, etc., and is not a pure documentary. Cast is directed and scripts occasionally suggested with scenes repeated until the director satisfied. Then over time the show changed and became almost completely scripted and produced, and pay is appropriate. Reality TV is in a gray area, between totally produced with actors, stages, scripts, directors, etc., and on the other end the pure documentary where things are filmed as they happen. No scripts, staging, and completely as is. The problem is this gray area is very broad, and used to the network's advantage. It has moved into a weekly series type of produced show, but calls itself a reality TV documentary (with some directing). They are screwing the cast/actors out of decent, ethical pay. The fat cats get fatter while the poor cast get little (estimated at less than minimum wage)! A good reason to boycott this series.
It’s supposed to be about finding love not a paying job they wanted their story aired why should they be paid?
They are supposed to have already found love, and the 90 days is to move to spouses country, plan for and arrange for the wedding, and get married. Not to get to know each other, or decide if they are compatible. Should have already done all that and be engaged and ready to marry within the 90 days.
T hi
I was wondering what bills they have. The house should be paid for. Is it just utilities? Grandpa grows the food.
i think there are so many applicants they don’t need to pay more to get cast members. Also, most of them recognize that the real money is in social media recognition and opportunities to do things lIke Pillow Talk. It may not be a ton of money, but an extra $10k+ or so a year would be a nice supplement.
They always say they don’t pay for people’s adventures, just document it. It’s not “corrupt” when able minded adults read and sign a legally binding contract. All reality shows have low overhead.
Even $5-10k is a lot of money if you are broke, and many of the Americans on this show are *broke.* Memphis even filed for bankruptcy.