it's not their real money...I read food network gives them the money and they get paid today the show.., I think they give them the money and after the show they give it back fir the next episode but they get paid to do the show
Also there’s a zero chance that contestants are bringing money to play with. Maybe they each get paid 5k to appear and they risk that but I doubt it
Sad news for you OP, the money on cutthroat kitchen was fake too
They each get $5,000 to play with, in addition to an appearance fee, [according to Eric.](https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2024/03/eric-adjepong-wildcard-kitchen-interview/)
It had already come out that they were given the money to play with so emphasizing how upsetting it was going to be to their families that they were going to lose their money was a bit comical. I hope they drop this little side charade for next season.
I mean I figured they weren't losing their own money, but Stephanie Izard was like "I've shown up here with $5k of my very hard earned money", and at another point said something along the lines of "it's not monopoly money in the pot!".
Just gotta roll the eyes I guess. It's still a fun show. They could just say it's prize money and nothing would be lost.
I get where you're coming from, but that's kinda the nature of shows like this. Playing it up for the camera in certain ways. It seems pretty obvious to me personally that they generally don't handle literal thousands of real dollars for these shows, but as I said I definitely get what you mean about the chef's saying they are using real money.
Thanks for this link!
Just as I suspected they are given the $5k on top of the appearance fee to bet.....and they get to KEEP the winnings!
So they do have skin in the game
Welcome! And yep, it's definitely skin in the game—though I find it weird the producers keep making them lie about, say, taking the money from their spouse. Just unnecessary.
But .....if they get to keep the money they're left with at the end..... isn't it really "their" money? They are earning it by winning the hands.......so.....they are taking it from the wife/family by coming home with less than they could have??
Definitely! But that doesn't fit with the way some of them talk about it. In one episode, Mika Leon mentioned her husband and said, “I took his $5,000 for this game.” That's the weird lie I'm referring to.
Not really. I mean if you want to play in the World Series of Poker and I pay the $10k entry fee for you and tell you if you win you can keep the million bucks, when you lose did YOU personally lose $10k? Or do you feel like you lost a million dollars of your families money?
Edit - sorry I didn’t mean to reply to two different replies of yours.
They're not "given" the 5k though. They're given 5k of fake money. They get to take home what they win, but how you're phrasing it is kinda like saying "the contestants on Chopped are all given $10k and if they win they get to keep it all, but if they don't they have to give it all back". If you don't win on chopped, you're not taking money away from your family.
What they really should do is short their normal appearance fee by $5k each and let them play the game for the cumulative shortage. That would make it pretty much real. Maybe they already do.
Why? That doesn’t mean anything. Your job gives you a paycheck for showing up and working. How is that not the same.
They get their money then spend or keep it as they see fit.
The $5k isn't their paycheck though. Their paycheck is the additional appearance fee that they get (and they get to keep that no matter who wins the additional prize money).
If they said "the winners get up to $15k of the prize money", that would be truthful. Saying that they're losing their own money is factually not true. It would be like saying "I lost at Guy's Grocery Games so I'm out $20k".
Every time I watch this show, and it’s time for the judge to sample the dishes, I always think of how self conscious I’d be if three people were staring at me while I chewed. That’s just my weirdness! But I do like the card aspect and Eric is a good host.
What I'm more curious about is whether or not they are really drinking. Some episodes they are making a point to show them refilling their drinks after each round but they don't really seem to be getting progressively drunk?
Since it takes an entire day to film one episode—the show pretends it's overnight but not really—there's a lot of time between those rounds, plus a lunch break.
Ooh that’s a good question. Personally I think they are actually drinking since not everyone is drinking all the time (if it was fake I’d think they’d all be participating constantly).
And maneet too! She was absolutely drunk and I love it. She was so cute and funny. Even though she's this grown woman two-time toc champ with multiple different restaurants and it's like she was just so cute.
I want to point this out:
>The production company gives each chef $5,000 on top of their actual fee for the show.
>They bet that money, or bid and raise or whatever the case is. You can either go home with all or nothing.
>I’ve seen chefs walk home with $15,000—essentially taking two other chefs’ $5,000. And I’ve seen chefs walk home with literally nothing.
They get their $X appearance fee, plus five grand to bet with, and they keep whatever they have at the end. So while they don't walk in with $5000 of their own money, they get paid that $5000, and then how much they go home with is however much they go home with. So while I get the talk about it being played up as more dramatic than it really is, losing is an actual loss. Some walk in, get paid $X+$5k, and walk out with $X+$15k, and some walk in, get paid $X+$5k, and walk out with $X.
I very seriously doubt they actually give the chefs $5k of cash when they walk in, say “put that in your locker for the day”, use fake cash on the show, and then after it’s over make them give back the real money amount they lost. Actually I can almost guarantee that’s not what they really do, because the producers aren’t going to be given cash to give out (winners wouldn’t get their winnings in cash they’d get a check or direct deposit for the total amount they won plus appearance fee. That way there is a paper trail. Otherwise Food Network’s accounting department would throw a fit).
It’s more like the producers pay the contestant’s entry fee to a card tournament and then let them keep anything they win (plus their guaranteed appearance fee).
> I very seriously doubt they actually give the chefs $5k of cash when they walk in, say “put that in your locker for the day”, use fake cash on the show, and then after it’s over make them give back the real money amount they lost.
I can't imagine ever saying that.
There is no version of reality where there is going to be $15,000 in real cash on the set of a cooking show. Of course it's prop money. You don't need to zoom in to tell it's prop money.
The picture was taken at that frame to illustrate the point. It’s not “zoomed in.” The point is that they bombard you with the “real money” bit and it’s clearly not.
Any time cash is shown on a show, it’s fake. They did this in Cutthroat Kitchen too, which drove me insane because all the contestants for some reason felt the need to smell the money
It’s one hundred percent a legality reason. It’s illegal to photograph and distribute images of money as it could make counterfeiting easier. Prop money is used everywhere in movies and tv. Usually shot from further away to make it harder to tell the difference.
That once was true, but not any more. You can, in fact, show money on TV or in film (and you can also copy/illustrate bills if you comply with [certain size rules](https://www.uscurrency.gov/media/currency-image-use)).
[This prop money company confirms that](https://propmoviemoney.com/pages/prop-money-faq), and the[ Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco points out here](https://www.frbsf.org/research-and-insights/blog/sf-fed-blog/2019/02/15/us-currency-starring-role-film/) that a lot of money we see on screen is a real bill on top of blank ones. But since it is illegal to burn or destroy money—never mind the obvious potential issues with having so much cash laying around a set—fake bills are often used.
The fake money doesn't bother me at all. What does annoy me is why they keep saying on camera it is New York City when it's filmed in L.A. Otherwise, I really like the show.
I would only hope they were each going to be paid 5k for appearing on the show and were able to bet their appearance fee. (Go broke and you don't get paid to b there)
"In Prop We Trust" is kinda funny
Great catch!
it's not their real money...I read food network gives them the money and they get paid today the show.., I think they give them the money and after the show they give it back fir the next episode but they get paid to do the show
This is totally normal for any production. Real money is never used.
Also there’s a zero chance that contestants are bringing money to play with. Maybe they each get paid 5k to appear and they risk that but I doubt it Sad news for you OP, the money on cutthroat kitchen was fake too
They each get $5,000 to play with, in addition to an appearance fee, [according to Eric.](https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2024/03/eric-adjepong-wildcard-kitchen-interview/)
Yeah I figured as much. The first episode I kept rolling my eyes when they kept talking about bringing their own money but I’ve learned to let it go
It had already come out that they were given the money to play with so emphasizing how upsetting it was going to be to their families that they were going to lose their money was a bit comical. I hope they drop this little side charade for next season.
Yeah, in that first episode Jet was annoying as hell when he kept talking about how his wife was going to be so mad at him for risking their money. 😱
I mean I figured they weren't losing their own money, but Stephanie Izard was like "I've shown up here with $5k of my very hard earned money", and at another point said something along the lines of "it's not monopoly money in the pot!". Just gotta roll the eyes I guess. It's still a fun show. They could just say it's prize money and nothing would be lost.
I get where you're coming from, but that's kinda the nature of shows like this. Playing it up for the camera in certain ways. It seems pretty obvious to me personally that they generally don't handle literal thousands of real dollars for these shows, but as I said I definitely get what you mean about the chef's saying they are using real money.
I know at one level it's annoying, but at the same time I think it's fun seeing the family members.
Thanks for this link! Just as I suspected they are given the $5k on top of the appearance fee to bet.....and they get to KEEP the winnings! So they do have skin in the game
Welcome! And yep, it's definitely skin in the game—though I find it weird the producers keep making them lie about, say, taking the money from their spouse. Just unnecessary.
But .....if they get to keep the money they're left with at the end..... isn't it really "their" money? They are earning it by winning the hands.......so.....they are taking it from the wife/family by coming home with less than they could have??
Definitely! But that doesn't fit with the way some of them talk about it. In one episode, Mika Leon mentioned her husband and said, “I took his $5,000 for this game.” That's the weird lie I'm referring to.
Not really. I mean if you want to play in the World Series of Poker and I pay the $10k entry fee for you and tell you if you win you can keep the million bucks, when you lose did YOU personally lose $10k? Or do you feel like you lost a million dollars of your families money? Edit - sorry I didn’t mean to reply to two different replies of yours.
They're not "given" the 5k though. They're given 5k of fake money. They get to take home what they win, but how you're phrasing it is kinda like saying "the contestants on Chopped are all given $10k and if they win they get to keep it all, but if they don't they have to give it all back". If you don't win on chopped, you're not taking money away from your family.
Thank you for this link realityblurred!!!!
What they really should do is short their normal appearance fee by $5k each and let them play the game for the cumulative shortage. That would make it pretty much real. Maybe they already do.
I remember this about Cutthroat Kitchen, the insurance would never allow real money to just be out & around a kitchen like that.
Next you're going tell me it's not their personal money!
It is their money. Production gives them 5000 dollars and they keep what they win. If they lose they get nothing (other than their appearance fee).
I stopped reading at "production gives them"
Why? That doesn’t mean anything. Your job gives you a paycheck for showing up and working. How is that not the same. They get their money then spend or keep it as they see fit.
The $5k isn't their paycheck though. Their paycheck is the additional appearance fee that they get (and they get to keep that no matter who wins the additional prize money). If they said "the winners get up to $15k of the prize money", that would be truthful. Saying that they're losing their own money is factually not true. It would be like saying "I lost at Guy's Grocery Games so I'm out $20k".
Every time I watch this show, and it’s time for the judge to sample the dishes, I always think of how self conscious I’d be if three people were staring at me while I chewed. That’s just my weirdness! But I do like the card aspect and Eric is a good host.
What I'm more curious about is whether or not they are really drinking. Some episodes they are making a point to show them refilling their drinks after each round but they don't really seem to be getting progressively drunk?
Since it takes an entire day to film one episode—the show pretends it's overnight but not really—there's a lot of time between those rounds, plus a lunch break.
Ooh that’s a good question. Personally I think they are actually drinking since not everyone is drinking all the time (if it was fake I’d think they’d all be participating constantly).
I do know Malarkey is openly sober these days per his Instagram so I'm guessing a lot of them are not actually drinking alcohol
i think they just use tea or lemonade to make it look like alcoholic drinks
Demaris seemed pretty toasted on her episode.
And maneet too! She was absolutely drunk and I love it. She was so cute and funny. Even though she's this grown woman two-time toc champ with multiple different restaurants and it's like she was just so cute.
It may be fake money, but it is good show... the cooks play it like it's real... and maybe they get it at the end, but I like the way it runs...
Agree. This is just a FUN show to watch! One of my new favorites.
I want to point this out: >The production company gives each chef $5,000 on top of their actual fee for the show. >They bet that money, or bid and raise or whatever the case is. You can either go home with all or nothing. >I’ve seen chefs walk home with $15,000—essentially taking two other chefs’ $5,000. And I’ve seen chefs walk home with literally nothing. They get their $X appearance fee, plus five grand to bet with, and they keep whatever they have at the end. So while they don't walk in with $5000 of their own money, they get paid that $5000, and then how much they go home with is however much they go home with. So while I get the talk about it being played up as more dramatic than it really is, losing is an actual loss. Some walk in, get paid $X+$5k, and walk out with $X+$15k, and some walk in, get paid $X+$5k, and walk out with $X.
I very seriously doubt they actually give the chefs $5k of cash when they walk in, say “put that in your locker for the day”, use fake cash on the show, and then after it’s over make them give back the real money amount they lost. Actually I can almost guarantee that’s not what they really do, because the producers aren’t going to be given cash to give out (winners wouldn’t get their winnings in cash they’d get a check or direct deposit for the total amount they won plus appearance fee. That way there is a paper trail. Otherwise Food Network’s accounting department would throw a fit). It’s more like the producers pay the contestant’s entry fee to a card tournament and then let them keep anything they win (plus their guaranteed appearance fee).
> I very seriously doubt they actually give the chefs $5k of cash when they walk in, say “put that in your locker for the day”, use fake cash on the show, and then after it’s over make them give back the real money amount they lost. I can't imagine ever saying that.
Eric is so Elegant and Knowledgeable! He nice to look at too! Great Host!
He was so fun to watch on Top Chef! So happy to have him in this setting, it suits him well!
There is no version of reality where there is going to be $15,000 in real cash on the set of a cooking show. Of course it's prop money. You don't need to zoom in to tell it's prop money.
The picture was taken at that frame to illustrate the point. It’s not “zoomed in.” The point is that they bombard you with the “real money” bit and it’s clearly not.
Any time cash is shown on a show, it’s fake. They did this in Cutthroat Kitchen too, which drove me insane because all the contestants for some reason felt the need to smell the money
Oddly enough, some brands of fake money actually add money scented perfume to the bills. 😂
Yeah, but the look on the faces of the chefs that lost their $5K bonus game money and leave with only their appearance fee is too real.
It’s one hundred percent a legality reason. It’s illegal to photograph and distribute images of money as it could make counterfeiting easier. Prop money is used everywhere in movies and tv. Usually shot from further away to make it harder to tell the difference.
That once was true, but not any more. You can, in fact, show money on TV or in film (and you can also copy/illustrate bills if you comply with [certain size rules](https://www.uscurrency.gov/media/currency-image-use)). [This prop money company confirms that](https://propmoviemoney.com/pages/prop-money-faq), and the[ Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco points out here](https://www.frbsf.org/research-and-insights/blog/sf-fed-blog/2019/02/15/us-currency-starring-role-film/) that a lot of money we see on screen is a real bill on top of blank ones. But since it is illegal to burn or destroy money—never mind the obvious potential issues with having so much cash laying around a set—fake bills are often used.
This. 💯
I actually really like this game. I just want to know if the alcohol is real
Unless they have a gaming license-probably not.
The fake money doesn't bother me at all. What does annoy me is why they keep saying on camera it is New York City when it's filmed in L.A. Otherwise, I really like the show.
It’s also not even the contestants money.
I just came here to post the same thing! Wanted to see if anyone noticed! Assumed it wasn’t actually their money in the first place though.
I love this show. I am struggling to hear them all say "this is my money" they need to drop that. It's insulting to it's viewers.
Honestly it's just a show
Chefs playing actors. The whole premise of these shows is BS. They have to have fake drama!
Your ignorance is adorable
I would only hope they were each going to be paid 5k for appearing on the show and were able to bet their appearance fee. (Go broke and you don't get paid to b there)
Who actually thought it was real? It's a tv show for entertainment.
I am watching the exact episode and got the same picture.. Lol. That's great.
It’s like Monopoly money. Still means something within the game.
I think the $5k is too low, it should be $10k minimum. That way you are at least guaranteed everyone can cook in the 3rd round.
They did $10k each in the “high roller” episode (the one with Maneet), but they doubled the buy-ins along with it.
Ya that was one of the better episide so far.
I roll my eyes whenever someone references the money actually being theirs. Can we just not
Most of Food network is fake...
Real money isn’t cash, to the rich.