Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe eliminated Jonathan Holloway early in the season, but the single dad from Michigan isn’t done with reality TV. The 33-year-old former automobile spokesman recently filmed Bachelor in Paradise, perhaps to solve some of his financial issues.
According to Radar Online , Jonathan filed for bankruptcy on April 22, right after filming for the Bachelorette Season 11 ended. Did weeks of filming put a strain on his bank account, or was he in financial trouble before he signed a contract to become part of the Bachelorette cast?
Contestants on both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette don’t get paid for their time on the show (they are supposedly there for love), only the leads do. Former Bachelor Sean Lowe tells She Knows that becoming a non-paid contestant is “a pretty big commitment to leave home for.”
The network does offer up some cash to contestants who join the Bachelor in Paradise cast. However, after weeks away from his young son, and a quick pitstop to file bankruptcy before filming in Mexico, he may not be able to pay off his debts with his BIP salary. Contestants only make a moderate amount of money to appear on the show, unless they are extremely popular, like Michelle Money or Graham Bunn .
How much will Jonathan make while he enjoys sun, fun, and a fair amount of drama? Last season, blogger Reality Steve couldn’t confirm exactly how much contestants were paid to appear on Bachelor in Paradis e , but he did state that everyone was paid a different amount. This could be based on how long they stay on the show, and/or their popularity.
“From what I’m hearing, the range was anywhere from about $7,000 to $15,000… not everyone made the same amount.”
Each cast member will spend anywhere from a day to three weeks filming the show in Mexico. The lure of several thousand dollars for a few days or weeks of filming, coupled with the potential for paid appearances after the show, may be the very reason Jonathan hopped from one reality show to the next, leaving his son back home.
Finding love? That’s probably an afterthought based on the marriage success rate of the Bachelor franchise.
Watch the remaining six week of The Bachelorette on Monday nights on ABC. Then get ready to watch Jonathan Holloway and the rest of the 2015 Bachelor in Paradise cast as they date, drink and play beach volleyball starting August 2 at 8 p.m. ET.
[Image: ABC]