Jenna Johnson Spills the Tea on How 'Dancing with the Stars' Competitors Get Paid
Jenna Johnson Spills the Tea on How 'Dancing with the Stars' Competitors Get Paid

Published: June 3, 2025

Ever wondered how the competitors on Dancing with the Stars get paid? Jenna Johnson has the answer.

Johnson, who has won the show twice, opened up about the payment structure on The Morning After podcast.

Winners don't get paid extra, Johnson revealed. However, pros and contestants can get a nice bonus. Johnson has won Dancing with the Stars twice, winning the most recent season with Bachelor alum Joey Graziadei.

According to Johnson, competitors are "guaranteed until a certain amount of weeks," but admitted that there are different contracts, so she can't speak for everybody.

Johnson elaborated on how the pay works for those who do make it to the finals. "So if you make it all the way to the end, you're getting paid the whole season, which is amazing," she said. "And you get a bonus on top of that for making it to the finale."

Johnson knows all about what it takes to make it to the end of Dancing with the Stars — and even win.

Johnson has won Dancing with the Stars twice, first in season 26 with Olympian figure skater Adam Rippon and most recently in season 33 with Bachelor alum Joey Graziadei.

Winning is big in Johnson's household, too, because her husband Val Chmerkovskiy has also won the show three times and made it to the finals six additional times.

Dancing with the Stars is expected to return this fall on ABC.

Read more: Entertainment, TV, Reality TV

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