The Real World s season 1 roommates earned very little money for their time.
The Real World: New York star Eric Nies pictured in New York City in 1993.Catherine McGann/Hulton Archives/Getty Images
According to several season 1 cast members who appeared on E!’s
For Real: The Story of Reality TV, each of the roommates earned just $2600 for filming an entire season of
The Real World: New York. More recent cast members have reportedly seen their pay bumped up to $5000 per season. (In contrast, long-running
The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice is said to earn $62,000 per episode, totaling almost $1.2 million per season).