‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 28 Cast Salaries Revealed, and They’re Lower Than Usual

Dancing With the Stars Season 28 cast members will walk away with a significant amount of money, though it is less that it was in previous years. According to a new report, contestants on the ABC competition series will make $125,000 for the rehearsal period and the first two weeks on the air.

Variety reports contestants who make it to Week 3 and beyond will start to warn additional fees each week with the maximum amount a contestant can earn is $295,000.

This is slightly less than contestants in previous seasons, according to the outlet, who made as much as $345,000. Potential earnings this year reportedly fall short of that number.

The outlet writes that being on Dancing With the Stars is a lucrative place to be itself, as many celebrities have used their time on the show to kickstart their careers and land new endorsement deals and opportunities.

This year, the ABC reality competition series will bank on star power. The cast list for this season includes Queer Eye star Karamo Brown, The Bachelorette star Hannah Brown, country musician Lauren Alaina, Dawson’s Creek actor James Van Der Week, former NFL player Ray Lewis, The Office actress Kate Flannery, former Fifth Harmony member Ally Broke, former NBA star Lamar Odom, All That alum Kel Mitchell, model Christie Brinkley, founding member of the Supremes Mary Wilson and former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

Spicer’s casting quickly drew backlash from fans of the series on social media, with host Tom Bergeron releasing a public statement he was against including him in the cast.

Returning to the ballroom this year on the pro side are Peta Murgatroyd, Cheryl Burke, Gleb Savchenko, Val Chmerkovskiy, Jenna Johnson, Lindsay Arnold, Sasha Farber, Alan Bersten, Witney Carson, Emma Slater and Brandon Armstrong, all of whom were shown dancing during the cast announcement. Additionally, two new dancers will be joining: Daniella Karagach and Pasha Pashkov. Notably missing from the line-up was Artem Chigvintsev, who is currently dating his former DWTS partner, Nikki Bella.

The show is also set to undergo some minor format changes this year, as ABC Entertainment President Katey Burke to shift “the focus of the show to really focus on it being a celebration of dance, and also focusing on the celebrities.”

Matchups will be announced during the show’s premiere episode. Dancing With the Stars will kick off Season 28 Monday, Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.