How Much Do Jersey Shore Cast Members Make?

There is no question that in three seasons of Jersey Shore, the cast has become some of the hottest reality tv stars. Snooki, The Situation, Pauly D, JWOWW, Sammi, Ronnie, Vinny, and Angelina are all up and coming stars in an industry where being a big personality pays off. The personalities they cultivated on the show are leading to big payoffs on and off the screen.

Some the cast members are considered breakout stars and are commanding more money per episode in the third season. Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, Paul "Pauly D" DelVecchio, and Jenni "JWOWW" Farley are all earning $30,000 or more per episode and commanding major fees elsewhere. Here is a breakdown of what each Jersey Show cast member earns right now compared to what they were making before the show.

Surprisingly, the three highest earning stars are Mike, Pauly D, and Snooki.

The Situation

Before Jersey Shore: Mike was working as an assistant gym manager in Staten Island. Estimated salary: $35,000.

Now: Mike Sorrentino is reported to be the highest paid part of the cast earning 5 million dollars or more each year. How does he earn so much? He has utilized his part in the show for multiple deals outside leveraging his brand as The Situation. He earned $135,000 for appearing on Dancing with the Stars, a $400,000 signing bonus to promote a protein enriched vodka, and an alleged six figure deal to write his first book Here's The Situation.

That's not all! The Situation also charges anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000 for appearances. He has a profitable line of "pre-workout" vitamins, a clothing line, a jewelry line, a fragrance line, and a fitness DVD. The Situation has branded almost anything he possibly can and is making a tidy profit from it. It's rumored also that Mike earns $60,000 per episode of Jersey Shore.

Pauly D

Before Jersey Shore: Paul DelVecchio was working as a DJ in Rhode Island, where an average salary for a DJ would be $16,000.

Now: Pauly D is estimated to earn around 2 million a year, mostly thanks to the fact that he is still a working DJ. He charges more now and earns up to $80,000 a week from his DJ work. He has charged up to $40,000 for a gig. He also charges $7,500 for appearances and is the first cast member to make a deal for a spin off show.

Snooki

Before Jersey Shore: Nicole was working as a receptionist in New Jersey making $13 an hour for an average salary for a receptionist is $28,000.

Now: Nicole Polizzi is now earning $750,000 a year. Most of this comes from the show and making personal appearances where she commands anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000. She also earns up to $20,000 for red carpet appearances. She has released her own line of slippers and plans to release a line of hair products. She is also in talks to get her own reality spin off show.

How much do other Jersey Show cast members make per year?

No other cast members are making as much as these three. There are all earning tens of thousands for each episode but it's possible that some are earning much less than the others. Jenni "JWOWW" Farley, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Sammi "Sweetheart" Giancola, Vinny Guadagnino, and Angelina Pivarnick also all command less for personal appearances and are falling behind in the branding game. It's possible that they will never earn as much as there more ambitious and bold co-stars. However, they are all certainly in a much better place financially than they were before the show where the highest paid was a bartender.

Reality tv really does pay. At least for the Jersey Shore cast.

Sources:

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/jersey_core_qgsboCvwAh3Wb2Fry3Lg9L

http://www.onlineschools.org/blog/jersey-shore/