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Married at First Sight, the popular reality series featuring couples who meet at the altar, airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. The show follows 10 participants as they attempt to find their soulmates with the help of three relationship therapists. Once the experts match the contestants with their new “stranger” spouses, they typically throw together a wedding in less than two weeks, head off to their group honeymoon, and move in together shortly after.
However, the MAFS stars still have lives outside of reality television, including jobs, apartments, house payments and other bills. So how much does the cast of MAFS actually make per season? Is it a lucrative opportunity to sign up for the show? Does the network pay for the wedding, or do the stars pay out-of-pocket for their shotgun ceremonies?
Here’s what we know about how much the Married at First Sight stars make for appearing on the popular reality series, and details on how much the network contributes toward the experience:
The MAFS Cast Reportedly Make Upwards of $25,000 Per Season
Back when the first season of Married at First Sight aired in 2014, the reality stars weren’t offered anything to appear on the show, according to an article by Reality Blurred. After Season 1 first premiered, producer Chris Coelen told the publication that cast members received “a nothing stipend. We did not want people who were motivated by the wrong things.”
However, a source close to the cast of MAFS told Radar Online in 2018 that the Season 1 stars actually received $15,000 each for participating in the first season. Since then, due to the rising popularity and expanding fan interest in the show, the network started to compensate the reality stars a little bit more, with the Season 3 cast reportedly earning between $20,000 and $25,000 per season, according to Radar.
As for how much the reality stars make per episode, someone who claimed to be a production assistant during the second season of MAFS shared on a message board that the couples are actually paid $1,500 per episode, which would make sense if the cast is making around $25,000 per season (since the show typically features 15-17 episodes).
It’s worth noting that the network has not publicly disclosed the cast salaries on the show, so these numbers are specifically based on sources close to the cast and former production crew members who have insider knowledge. The numbers stated above may have also increased over the years due to the rising popularity of the show, but likely not by much.
The Network Pays For the Weddings & Contributes to Divorce Fees
The network does pay for the weddings featured on the show, and will contribute a certain amount of money to the divorce attorneys for those who split in the end. Season 1 star Monet Bell told The Knot that she and her costars “had the luxury of not having to pay for our weddings,” so they likely foot the cost of the honeymoon as well.
However, when it comes to the dozens of breakups the show has also featured over the years, producer Chris Coelen told The Wrap in 2015 that the network doesn’t specify a certain amount for divorce costs, although they do contribute some money toward the attorney fees. He also noted that each couple signs a prenup to help protect their assets ahead of the wedding.
“There is not any money specifically built in for divorce costs, no,” Coelen told The Wrap. “We will contribute within a certain period of time if they get divorced. We will help them cover the costs of an attorney if they choose to do that. I don’t know what the amount is. It’s nominal.
Married at First Sight airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. You can find updates on the Season 11 cast, couples predictions and more MAFS coverage here.
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