‘Celebrity Big Brother’ US Houseguests Get Paid This Much For One Season

"Celebrity Big Brother" host Julie Chen received a pay cut just so the franchise could feature celebrities. Pictured: Chen attends the 'Who Do You Think You Are?' FYC Event at Wolf Theatre on June 5, 2018 in North Hollywood, California. Getty Images/Tibrina Hobson

The cast of “Celebrity Big Brother” US receive a huge sum of money simply by signing on to be part of the hit reality TV show.

According to TMZ, all 12 houseguests were offered $200,000 just to be part of “Celebrity Big Brother.” The pay that they will receive will become much bigger depending on how long they will stay inside the house.

The winner of “Celebrity Big Brother” will reportedly receive $500,000 in the end. It is unclear if this amount already includes the $250,000 grand prize that the winner will receive on finale night. The runner-up will also receive a $50,000 cash prize, and America’s Favorite Houseguest will receive $25,000.

It is also important to note that “Celebrity Big Brother” did not introduce a charity element during its first two seasons. Typically, a part of the celebrity’s cash prize is donated to their chosen charity, but this isn’t the case in “Celebrity Big Brother.” This means that the houseguests and the winner get to keep their entire paycheck and prize.

Two years ago, “Celebrity Big Brother” host Julie Chen revealed that she was forced to take a pay cut by her husband, Leslie Moonves, who was the chief at CBS at that time.

“If you know one thing about my husband, it has to make economic sense. He comes home from dinner and says in a very ‘Godfather’ mafioso-style, ‘Jules, tell your lawyer this is not a negotiation… This is what the deal is and you’re going to accept it,’” Chen told The Hollywood Reporter.

Moonves told Chen that everyone will receive a pay cut because it was the only way for “Celebrity Big Brother” to make sense financially. And since it’s not as long as the regular season of “Big Brother,” the entire team shouldn’t expect to receive the same salary.

“Celebrity Big Brother” airs three times weekly on CBS. The current cast includes Anthony Scaramucci, Tom Green, Jonathan Bennett, Lolo Jones, Tamar Braxton, Ryan Lochte, Joey Lawrence, Kandi Burruss, Kato Kaelin, Dina Lohan, Natalie Eva Marie, and Ricky Williams.