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The cast of Vanderpump Rules has been entertaining Bravo fans since 2013. What separates the reality TV show from other series is that the main cast has been reasonably untouched because of their longstanding friendships. While castmates like Jax Taylor, Stassi Schroeder, and Kristen Doute are no longer on the show, they continue to be a part of the Bravo universe. After 10 seasons, the Vanderpump Rules cast members have become rich in a multitude of ways due to the show's popularity. The contracts the Bravo cast members have signed continue to grow as the show continues.
The longer Vanderpump Rules goes on, the more side characters and new partners are introduced. However, which cast members are paid and how much money is Bravo paying them for their impact on the show? Compared to other stars on Bravo, the Vanderpump Rules cast is bringing in the big bucks.
The OG Cast Members Bringing In The Big Bucks
Season 1 of Vanderpump Rules saw Lisa Vanderpump, Jax Taylor, Katie Maloney, Tom Sandoval, Stassi Schroeder, and Scheana Shay as main cast members. At the time, the reality TV show was an extension of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills because Lisa Vanderpump was both a Housewife and the owner of the restaurant the cast worked at, SUR.
Cast member Scheana Shay's net worth has continued to grow with the rise of her podcast, Shenanigans. However, it's said she made between $10,000 and $25,000 per episode of VPR. Shay said on the Trading Secrets podcast (via Nicki Swift) that newbies don't make a lot on the show at first. "When you're brand new, you definitely need that hostess job," she said. Similarly, Life & Style Mag. noted that both Schroeder and Doute made $25,000 an episode before being fired in 2020. Ariana Madix joined the series as a full-time castmate in season 3, making $25,000 an episode, according to The Hollywood Reporter. And after being on the series for 10 seasons, Ariana is looking at $600,000. (give or take) per season!
As for the men of the group, Tom Sandoval grew from a reality TV star making a minimum $25,000 an episode to earning a whopping $4 million net worth, according to Yahoo! Life. The star used his popularity from the series and built two successful bars and created a brand with his ex-girlfriend and castmate Ariana Madix. While Tom was creating his brand with best friend Tom Schwartz, and Lisa Vanderpump created a dog foundation, cast member Jax Taylor went from $25,000 an episode (according to MSN) to having his own podcast and rewatch show with his wife (and former castmate) Brittany Cartwright. Earning between $10,000 and $25,000 seems to be the rumored rate for these stars, but what about Vanderpump Rules' side characters?
The Contrast Between Main And Side Characters
In an interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show (via Heavy), Shay's husband Brock Davies explained that he didn't earn anything from his first season on the show as Shay's new partner and earned "zero" dollars. Similarly, a fellow worker at SUR and friend of the group, Billie Lee, told Page Six that she struggled to get by as a friend of the series. "They have a system on how they pay their newcomers and it starts out at a low scale,” Lee said. She continued saying she had a hard time paying her bills but didn't want to outright say how low she was paid because of the importance of her image on the show.
As successful as the main cast members are from Vanderpump Rules, their jobs as podcasters and entrepreneurs are what continue to grow their net worths. While being a friend of the series (or side character) doesn't earn much money, it does lead to other opportunities that could lead to the same fame and fortune the main cast has.
Lisa Vanderpump Is The One True Star
Since Vanderpump is an executive producer of Vanderpump Rules, the co-owner of SUR, and a big part of the series, In Touch Weekly stated that the star made $50,000 per episode. Season 1 only had 10 episodes, meaning Vanderpump brought in a cool $500,000 from the show. And since the series added more episodes as time went on, she continues to add to her $90,000 net worth, according to Clutch Points.
The success of being a Housewife and being behind Vanderpump Rules has led Vanderpump to open her own dog foundation, Vanderpump Dogs. She also leaned into her celebrity and opened Vanderpump Cocktail Garden in Las Vegas and launched her own series of wine labels. And while most of the VPR stars are too famous to work at SUR anymore, Vanderpump is still running her empire, which always makes her an important part of VPR.
Sources: Nicki Swift, Vanderpump Dogs, Vanderpump Wines