What Kate Could Get Paid If She Learns To Dance

My blog reader mocha brought up the discussion of what the "stars" make on Dancing With The Stars. The general idea is the same with most reality TV shows: The longer you stay on, the more you make. On some shows, like the bachelor/bachelorette franchises, you only get paid if you're one of the final three or four (some reports state they don't get paid at all.) That means all those 15 - 20 single guys and gals who didn't find true love spent a lot of money of their own for nothing (imagine the clothes alone, not to mention travel, lost work time or even lost jobs, and more.) Meanwhile the producers make millions of dollars on these shows. So keep that in mind when you hear these salaries. These figures are just a drop in the bucket compared to the huge paydays generated by ad revenue for these shows.

This report from The Insider online says each DWTS star gets $200,000 for being on the show no matter how soon they're voted off, with bonuses if they stay in the show to the end, with the longest stayer getting the highest bonus.

WikiAnswers says all the professional dancers get paid $5,200 a week. The celebrities get paid about $250,000 if they stay all nine weeks.

Here's WikiAnswers statement on what Jon and Kate made per episode of J&K+8. If it's true (and I'm sure it's not) that they as a family made $22,500 per episdoe, TLC got one hell of a deal. J&K+8 was TLC's highest rated show ever, which means they made more commercial revenue during that show than any other. Considering the high commercial revenue and Kate's financial savvy and insistence on only the best, $50,000 - $75,000 per episide is a much more realistic figure. Hopefully the kids had their own salaries and that money has been put into trust for their futures. After all, without them there would have been no show.

This link to Extra Online tells the salaries of several reality TV show stars. They report Jon and Kate made $75,000 per episode, which I believe to be accurate. J&K+8 became so popular that season three had 31 and season four had 41 episodes. When you compare the J&K+8 salaries of a half hour show taped in and around the convenience of your home (generating a total of anywhere from $400,000* to $3,075,000** per season) to an entire DWTS season of having to practice dancing for hours a day and the hassle and exhaustion of traveling 3,000 miles for weekly tapings for a grand total of $200,000 and maybe if you're lucky $250,000, which is really the better pay?

*based on minimum salary of 8 episodes at $50,000 per episode for season one

**based on maximum salary of 41 episodes at $75,000 episode in season four

Dancing With Klutzes

I worked late tonight and haven't had time to see the tape of tonight's episode of Dancing With The Stars, but this article from US Magazine online from 40 minutes ago doesn't have much good to say about Kate's second performance. It's got to be very hard on can-do-Kate to receive reviews like this, and it once again proves that those who appear the most confident and in control of their lives can really be the most insecure. It's one thing to go on national talk shows and smile pretty and say you plan to win (not that it's easy to do even that) but to have to then actually live up to that kind of self-promotion has got to be incredibly stressful. Talk about setting yourself up to fail. As my readers know I'm not a huge Kate fan but on the other hand I don't like to see anyone humiliated in public either. I hope she is able to let go of her self-consciousness and let her partner lead her instead of having to be in control, and I hope she can start to have fun and not take it all too seriously. Sometimes you just have to say "screw it" and go with the flow.

What It Takes To Be Famous Today

According to this article, Jon is no longer with his Utah girlfriend Morgan Christie. She's complained that he's a lazy bum and used her for friends instead of making his own (although that's kind of what happens when someone moves into a friend's home a thousand miles away, right?)

Hopefully she will quickly fade into oblivion and not try to hang onto her fifteen minutes the way Hailey seems determined to. According to Radar Online Hailey's planning to move to L.A. and has ambitions of legalizing marijuana. That fits perfectly since her Twitter page background shows a head shop with all sorts of drug paraphernalia. She's also reportedly been signed to her own reality show. Based on what? Having dated someone semi-famous for a few months, then complaining on Twitter about his deficits including how small his penis is?

Remember the good old days before reality TV when people had to actually do something admirable to be famous? Like stop a crime, create great works of art or walk on the moon? Remember when people did good things because it felt good to do them, not just to become famous? It seems like nowadays fame is confused with infamy, and it's the goal no matter what you have to do to get there.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

He makes the real Jon Gosselin look like Cary Grant (okay, so I'm dating myself.)

You'd have to be really drunk to think he's really Jon.

You'd have to be even more drunk to actually sit next to this smarm and have your picture taken with his arm around you.

He pesters women and has been pursuing one woman in particular relentlessly for a few months now. What a jerk. Hopefully he'll step over the line and be arrested real soon.

Small Town Shopping Cart

As the world knows by now, Kate didn't do very well her first night on DWTS. She got the third lowest score, ahead of only the actor Aiden Turner (hubba hubba) and astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who is this season's oldest contestant.

I have to admit to feeling sorry for Kate after weeks of hearing her brag about how she was in it to win it. The humble fall hard, but the narcissistic crash and burn the hardest. IMO she appeared defensive and uncomfortable in the clips shown of her getting feedback from her partner during the practice sessions, and doubly so during the live feedback. Maybe it was the editing, but I didn't get the sense that she's been practicing as much as former "stars" on the show, which surprised me because she's such a perfectionist. And speaking of stars, it was noted on the show that she was the only contestant in history who isn't officially one. (Bet that was news to her. :) But Melissa Rycroft isn't a star and I'm sure there have been others too.

The star performer was Pamela Anderson, whose picture is next to the phrase Red Hot Sexy Babe in the dictionary. Whooeee, she had me hot and I'm straight and not even looking for love. To me she epitimized what good entertainment dancing is about, technically correct or not ~ letting loose and having fun. Looking that damn good doesn't hurt either. I hope she lasts 'til the end and I look forward to seeing what tricks she'll be up to as the season goes on.

In an unrelated vein, what was it with Brooke Burke's girls? Her implants were so torturous that their vertical edges could clearly be seen cutting ridges inside her chest. Girlfriend, you were beautiful to begin with. You don't need fake tatas to look pretty and you sure don't need them to appear intelligent. I suggest taking those superficial man pleasers out and using them for floatation devices in your Hollywood swimming pool, where they'll serve some purpose other than distracting from your lovely face.

Lastly, kudos to Jon for wishing Kate the best on the show. Maybe he meant it or maybe it was spin control, but either way it was a gracious gesture.

The Untimely Death of Corey Haim

Another former child star has died, this time of an apparent drug overdose. I used to think 38 was old but now that I'm older I can truly appreciate what a waste of a young life this is. The sad thing is that it's no surprise that Corey Haim is gone. He's struggled with drug addiction and trying to find his place in adulthood ever since he grew up and was abandoned by that seductive siren known as stardom.


Being thrust into the public eye is traumatic, even for adults who know who they are and have established successful careers and relationships. It is way too much of a burdon for many adults. It is certainly much harder on children.


Kate Gosselin, are you listening???

Kate's Plan to Conquer The World

Kate has a plan for winning DWTS. The kind of plan a narcissist needs when she can't dance.

Can't you just hear her excuse once she flunks out? "A certain someone who I bullied into continuing our phony marriage for months on end because I wanted fame and money more than I wanted to be a healthy and honest role model for my children who will remain unnamed because I am too much of a class act to publicly throw my children's father under the bus made me lose."

This couldn't possibly be about wanting that DWTS winner bonus, could it?

Here's a novel idea, Kate: How about just practicing as hard as you can, performing to the best of your ability during the live shows, and then either being thankful you're safe for another week or accepting it gracefully if you're voted off, the way any reasonable, and mature adult would do?

Because if you win by soliciting oodles of telephone votes instead of actually winning by fair and honest competition, you haven't really won, just like we as honest and responsible role models teach our children, right?

Kate on Dancing With The Stars' New Season

It's just been officially anounced on ABC-TV that Kate will be on this season's Dancing With The Stars. She was the last one named in the lineup and will be on with such stars as Shannon Doherty and NFL star Chad Ochocinco. One final dancer is yet to be announced for the tenth season of the show, which will debut March 22.

Kate will be Jimmie Kimmel Live tonight so that will probably be a good place to get the scoop on this one, right from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

Just announced: The final contestant on DWTS with be Jake Povelka, the bachelor in the season that ended tonight.