Were ‘The Challenge: All Stars’ Paid More Than Contestants on ‘Double Agents’?
The Challenge: All Stars just completed season 1, and it was a huge success. Fans loved seeing OG competitors that hadn’t appeared on the show in years.
What’s more, there was so much interest from former The Real World and Road Rules stars that MTV has a wide range of talent to choose from for future seasons.
Curious fans want to know how much money these All Stars contestants are making in the spinoff. Is it more than the competitors on Double Agents?
‘The Challenge: All Stars’ grand prize was $500,000
The most recent episode of the main Challenge series — season 36 Double Agents — saw winners CT Tamburello and Amber Borzotra take home the grand prize of $900,000. Since the show premiered in 1998, the prize money has increased exponentially. In the very first season — when the show was known as Road Rules: All Stars — each cast member won a trip to San José, Costa Rica.
For the first season of The Challenge: All Stars, the grand prize was half a million dollars. This was made clear in the spinoff’s logline, “With $500,000 and their legacies on the line, which of these All Stars will prove they are still the best of the best?”
Did ‘The Challenge: All Stars’ contestants get paid more than ‘Double Agents’?
The prize money on All Stars might not be as much as Double Agents. But, do the contestants on both series get paid just for being part of the cast? The answer is “yes.” But, not everyone gets paid the same rate.
As Showbiz Cheat Sheet has previously reported, everyone on The Challenge gets paid. However, not everyone receives the same paycheck. Contestants on both Double Agents and All Stars receive a rate based on how well they are known.
Newbies earn $1,000 per week
The Challenge has a tiered payment system that sees contestants earn more based on how well they are known and how many times they have competed.
New contestants that producers throw into the cast — like Natalie Anderson on Double Agents — make $1,000 per week while they are part of production. Contestants who are a bit more recognizable, but who don’t have a large following earn a weekly salary between $3,000 and $5,000.
Big names on ‘The Challenge: All Stars’ earned a nice paycheck for just showing up
The big money definitely comes with the prizes. But well-known vets of The Challenge can earn a nice paycheck for just showing up. This goes for both the main series, as well as All Stars.
Producer Justin Booth has said in the past that they offer pay as high as $80,000 for a season to well-known competitors. Win or lose, these cast members go home with a nice chunk of change.
Yes Duffy reveals how he will spend his winnings
Yes Duffy joined the cast of The Challenge: All Stars nearly two decades after his last appearance on the MTV reality series. He won The Road Rules: Semester at Sea before making his final appearance on the main series in 2003’s Battle of the Sexes.
The architect and activist never expected to make it past the first day, much less win the whole thing. He told E! News that the plan for his prize money is to take care of the people who made it possible for him to compete on All Stars.
“I am going to take care of the people who helped get me here, from the child care to the family and friends who need support. And then the second part is a bit more intentional,” Yes explained. “I’m really thinking of this $500,000 as a grant to elevate the social impact of our work and address this housing affordability crisis because that’s really where my blood has been for so long and that’s where this money will go.”
The Challenge: All Stars season 1 is available on Paramount+.
