They’re under the pump in the kitchen, pouring their passion, sweat and tears into their culinary creations with a view to taking home a hefty cash prize – but how much are MKR contestants actually paid for being on the hit show?
Certainly, the winner’s pot has decreased from $250,000 to $100,000 over the years – something that My Kitchen Rules fans have taken issue with.
When winners Simone and Viviana took the crown in the 2024 season, social media unleashed on Channel 7.
“My thoughts are that $100,000 is not the best prize money for a competition of this intensity, and I presume it takes a toll on their personal lives and livelihood,” one critic shared on Facebook.
“I am sure that Channel 7 would make a very hefty profit and that prize money is a drop in the bucket for them; the prize money should be at least $250,000 and maybe $50,000 for runners-up,” the viewer added.
Indeed, 2023 winner Monzir Hamdin spoke candidly about just how much effort the contestants pour into the filming of the show.
“I had no idea what I was going into,” he told Yahoo Lifestyle after walking away with the cash prize with partner Janelle Halil.
“I just thought it would be three to four hours of filming a day, and you cook and give it out, and then it’s all done.
“And then I went on there and we were filming for 12 to 14 hours, and then they cut it down to one hour. And behind the scenes, everything you see is different; you have to keep repeating yourself. I’d never been in front of the cameras, so seeing it all was very, very different.”
Do My Kitchen Rules contestants get paid?
2014 competitor Anna Lisle, who competed on MKR with her mother Cathy, previously told news.com.au that contestants received a “weekly wage” aimed at covering their “life costs” while on the show.
“It was tight, especially because Mum and I were obviously cooking a lot, practising, and spending a lot on ingredients,” the reality star revealed.
“But at the same time, the whole production is very full on, so you don’t have a lot of time to spend money.”
“For me, it was hard being on the show financially, but contests are on there for the opportunity, the experience and the chance to fulfil their dream, not to make money,” she added.
“Money doesn’t make you happy, and I think that for me, I have met the most incredible people on MKR, and I wouldn’t put a dollar sign on it, you can’t.”
Do contestants get paid on cooking shows?
That same year, the Daily Telegraph reported that reality TV contestants were paid around $700 a week, although an MKR insider has since told Now To Love it’s now more like $1000 a week.
“It’s hard. We were spending up to $600 a week on food because you’re encouraged to cook as much as possible,” the source explained.
One concrete indication of how much contestants are paid came from Season 10 competitor Piper O’Neill, who lodged a workers’ compensation claim against Channel 7 after she became the focus of a salacious plotline on the show.
Piper – who was separated from her husband when she appeared on MKR – found herself embroiled in a “sex scandal” storyline when she began dating rival contestant Victor Aeberli.
Her teammate Veronica Cristovao, later told News.com.au the relationship revelation had been edited as if it were a bombshell, but said that most contestants were aware of it.
Piper said in her claim that she was paid $500 a week by the network, plus extra for expenses.
“I was paid $500 per week for being on the show,” Piper told the Personal Injury Commission of NSW.
“I was given an additional $500 a week for food for myself to eat and to aid in the purchase of food that would need to be bought and to practise cooking for the show.”
In September 2024, an unnamed contestant from the 2024 season told the Daily Mail that the going rate on MKR was now $1100 per week, only just above minimum wage.
“It certainly didn’t cover our usual salaries,” the contestant told the publication. “I think one of our cast-mates was in debt after filming.”
A Channel 7 casting exec shed more light on the matter.
“A lot of people still think getting on TV will make you rich and famous,” the unnamed executive said. “It doesn’t”.
But they explained that the lure of being on TV was often enough to soften the blow.
“By the time you have seen your contract, most applicants are so excited to be picked, they don’t care about the money, and that’s what producers expect,” the insider added.
“TV is wild,” they concluded. “If you are the host of the show, you could be making millions.
“However, if you are the main character and usually the reason why people are talking about your series, you are on anything as low as $70 a day.”
