‘Real Housewives Of Orange County’ Cast Allegedly At War Over Who Gets Paid What
The Real Housewives of Orange County may have been the first, but not everyone is on equal footing on Bravo’s original series. There are big differences between salaries on the show; some of the ladies bring in serious cash flow while others are barely scraping by. Who gets paid what on RHOC?
Kelly Dodd debuted on the last season of RHOC and stirred up plenty of drama with the other cast members. According to Radar Online, Dodd is coming back for a new season but has the smallest salary out of everyone. Producers are paying Dodd a measly $150,000 per season, which is one of the lowest incomes in the history of the franchise.
Dodd’s best friend on the show, Vicki Gunvalson, is making five times her salary. The OG pulled down $750,000 last season and it doesn’t look like that is going to change anytime soon. From her cancer scam with Brooks Ayers to entering the dating world once again, Gunvalson knows how to create drama. Not to mention that she might by Andy Cohen’s favorite on the show.
Tamra Judge comes in at a close second to Gunvalson, at least in terms of salary. Judge has been a part of the series since Season 3 and is currently making around $600,000 per year. That’s a significant jump in salary from what Dodd brings home and is due to the fact that Judge has fought with just about everyone in the series. She starts so much drama, in fact, that even some of her kids are getting paid.
An insider claims that Ryan Vieth, Judge’s son, makes around $200,000 between him and his girlfriend, Sarah Rodriguez. Their storyline is intriguing enough that producers feel the need to pay them more than Dodd’s salary her first two seasons.
Although most of the Real Housewives of Orange County ladies earn their money via salary, Radar Online reports that producers offered everyone a bonus in Season 12 if they stopped feuding on Twitter. A source claims that each cast member was awarded a $30,000 bonus check, but only if they kept their fights off social media.
“Bravo has added a $30,000 bonus to each of their contracts. But the only way they will get the money is if they stay completely silent on social media.”
The source continued, “They cannot bash each other, or reveal any secrets until the show airs. The producers really seem to want this upcoming season to be a surprise!”
Last season, the drama didn’t end once the cameras stopped rolling. While fans watched the women fight on the show, Gunvalson and Dodd slammed Judge, Shannon Beador, and Heather Dubrow in a series of social media posts. Dubrow is not returning for another season, but it sounds like Beador and Judge will be back for another round. While they can’t bash each other online, the two parties are free to finish their fight on the show.
“Basically, they are paying all of them to stay silent and not throw shade on social media or anywhere else until they are given permission to do so,” the source added.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, filming for the new season of RHOC started a few weeks ago. An official cast list hasn’t been announced, but Gunvalson, Meghan King Edmonds (who previously hinted she would not return for the new season), and Lydia McLaughlin have been spotted together. The three women were seen hanging out with a possible newcomer, Peggy Sulahian.
Dodd and Judge were not spotted on the outing. McLaughlin decided to rejoin the series in order to promote her new magazine, Nobleman. Bravo has not commented on the rumors surrounding the bonuses or salaries for the coming year.
Tell us! Which of the Real Housewives of Orange County do you think deserves the highest salary? Let us know in the comments below.
[Featured Image by Bravo]
