Big Brother Stars Reportedly Make $1K a Week to Ignore Email and Be on TV

From Oprah Magazine

At the end of a long day, sometimes the best way to feel like you're living your best life is with some comfy PJs, a glass of wine, and gratuitous reality television. In our series"Not-So-Guilty Pleasures," we remove the "guilt" and break down the latest happenings in your favorite TV indulgences.

• Big Brother is America’s summertime smash reality competition series.

• The “social experiment” has been running for over 20 seasons, with its latest set to premiere on June 25 at 8 p.m. ET.

• The houseguests (all 16 of which are just announced) are in the house for a possible 13 weeks, and fans are always wondering if they’re paid-we've got the answer.

For nearly 20 years, Big Brother has been an American summer TV obsession. The show’s premise is simple, but not that simple: A group of contestants, also known as “houseguests,” live together in a large, customized house under constant 24/7 surveillance, without any access to the outside world for 99 days. Every week, the contestants compete in various challenges in hopes of being the final Head of Household and win the grand prize of $500,000. The show has spawned two spinoffs, Celebrity Big Brother and Big Brother: Over the Top, and there are no signs that it'll slow down.

The 21st season of Big Brother will return with a two-night premiere event on June 25 and 26 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and CBS All Access. But the one question fans always have is: How do these people afford to give up their lives for an entire summer? Well, guess what? Big Brother houseguests get compensated for their time in the competition.

CBS lays this all out rather clearly on the official website for Big Brother casting, making it clear before one submits their audition tape:

"One participant will receive the grand-prize of $500,000 (subject to change in Producers' and/or the network's discretion). (Except for the two finalists who will receive prize money, a weekly stipend will be provided for each participant for each week that he or she remains in the Big Brother House.) Stipend payments and prize winnings will not be paid until after the broadcast of the final episode of the show," the official rules read.

Pretty vague, right? If you’re going to leave your job to compete on a reality series, you probably want an idea of what it is you’re in for. What we do know for sure is this: The Big Brother winner gets to take home a prize of $500,000, the runner-up $50,000, and the houseguest voted “America’s Favorite Player” walks home with $25,000.

But there’s even more of an incentive. Part of the other reason why contestants desperately want to make it into the Jury House is that they get paid for every week they’re involved in the series, and Houseguests who are evicted before jury do not get any additional stipend money. Getting paid to sit around and not compete? Sounds like a dream.

According to Reel Rundown, the weekly stipend for Big Brother houseguests is $1,000, which was revealed during Big Brother 19 when Jessica Graf and Cody Nickson discussed personal finances and how much Graf would be taking home if she was evicted. That's an increase in payment from the weekly $750 stipend Reality Blurred reported houseguests made in 2011.

$1,000 a week to participate in physical competitions, not answer your email, and hang out? Not too shabby.

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