Real Reason ‘600-Lb. Life‘ Cast Receives Such Low Pay?
Rumors about how much the cast members on My 600-Lb. Life make for their appearances have been circulating for some time. It has been questioned as to why they receive such low pay. However, fans of the show believe they might know the real reason the 600-Lb. Life cast isn’t paid much. Keep reading to see their theories.
How Much Do 600 Lb. Life Cast Members Make?
It has been reported that the cast members only make $1,500 for filming an episode. Considering each episode of the show can take up to 12 months to film, $1,500 is next to nothing in terms of compensation.
There have been rumors that cast members are paid more for shower scenes, but there are no figures to back those claims. Additionally, cast members are not paid anything if the episode airs more than once. They only receive a one-time $1,500 “talent fee.”
Credit: YouTube/TLC
Recently, Reddit users have started to wonder why they would agree to be paid so little, especially considering some of the cast have to relocate for surgery. There are several theories. Of course, the production company reportedly provides a $2,500 relocation stipend for individuals who go through bariatric surgery within the 12 months of filming.
The show also covers medical expenses with Dr. Now for the first 12 months, or while they are filming. There are a number of other expenses that could be potentially covered by the production company too. There has been skepticism as to whether or not Megalomedia or TLC actually helps cover any of these costs though.
Medical expenses and stipends set aside, why would the cast members of My 600-Lb. Life accept such little payment for 12 months of filming? Redditors have a few ideas.
The Real Reason They Receive Low Pay?
A recent post on Reddit asked about the cast members being encouraged to whine and yell for food. In addition to wondering whether the production company motivated this poor behavior, they wondered about how much each person was getting paid.
“I recently underwent gastric bypass in Phoenix and we have tons of bariatric programs here so it boggles my mind to move to a different state for only $1500 for the taping,” the post concluded.
Credit: YouTube/tlc uk
Another person jumped in saying, “Yeah, $1,500 doesn’t go that far when you are moving across states. I never understood that either.” One viewer provided a possible explanation for the low payment that hasn’t been considered much.
To qualify or collect Disability Social Security Income (SSI), you have to have less than $2,000 in your bank account. Due to the health condition of many of the people who appear on the show, it can be safely assumed that many of them collect SSI. This could be a valid reason for the lower payment.
What do you think? Are the cast members on My 600-Lb. Life compensated fairly? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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Bariactic surgery hasn’t been around for too long. When the series started, people frequently commented on how other doctors have turned them away. If you watch the show from the beginning, Dr. Now was trying to operate on these 600lb people on a standard size OR table. He had the tables modified to accommodate the morbidly obese.
You could also argue that Dr. Now holds these people accountable for their actions. Not many would be willing to do that. And even if they are only getting paid $1500 per episode, for someone on disability, that’s a lot of money.