If there was a time when the Discovery Channel wasn't known for reality TV, most of its audience today doesn't remember that era. Back in 2014, Alaskan Bush People emerged from Discovery and began charming audiences as it wove the tale of Billy and Ami Brown moving to the Alaskan bush with their young family.
By the time the show began airing, the kids were older (the youngest were tweens), but the family's story of building a homestead in the wilderness and sticking together through tough times apparently resonated with audiences. An impressive 14 seasons later, fans were still as enamored as ever with the show — but that doesn't mean the cast is earning big bucks. In fact, though salary figures have been thrown around, an insider is adamant that the numbers are all wrong.
The Alaskan Bush People Is A Huge Draw For Discovery Channel
It might seem surprising that one of the biggest reality series in 2022 happened to be Alaskan Bush People, a reality series that's seen nearly half the cast wind up in jail. The show also has some questionable origins, including underage marriage and shady behavior by the late patriarch of the family.
Despite all the drama (or perhaps because of it), Alaskan Bush People continues to see high demand. Parrot Analytics ranks the series at over 98 percent, saying that it has higher demand than more than 98 percent of reality shows in the US.
The analytics data also suggests that demand is increasing for the show as of late; the spike in demand seemed to correlate with the release of the latest season — and heightened drama over Snowbird's medical issues, which play a significant part in season 14's plot.
But does that demand mean that the cast is paid $500,000 per episode, as some sources have suggested?
A Reality TV Producer Says There's 'No Way' The Browns Make $500K Per Episode
One baffled viewer posed the question of just how Alaskan Bush People's cast earns its rumored $500K per episode, asking other fans to give their opinions. Given that other series have successfully created spinoffs and other sources of revenue for Discovery, it didn't make sense, said the fan.
Considering that Discovery also has shows like 90 Day Fiancé, which has produced countless spinoff shows and specials at a low cost, fans were confused as to why the Browns would make so much money.
Those earnings also don't seem to line up with the Brown family's way of life; they don't appear to be rich, by any means (despite the late Billy Brown's reported net worth of about $6 million).
One commenter had a simple answer to the cash conundrum: there's "no way it's 500k per episode."
The Redditor stated that they were a reality TV producer for over a decade, and offered the detail that they worked on shows with E! and MTV, not specifically Discovery Channel. However, they stated that they "know how it works."
How Much Do The Alaskan Bush People Make Per Episode?
The consensus among Redditors was that the $500K estimate was misstated somewhere, then circulated among fans. According to Distractify, the $500K amount was the estimated net worth of Ami and Billy Brown prior to Billy's passing.
Distractify suggests that the Browns actually receive what amounts to a yearly salary between $60,000 and $65,000. That information appears to stem from calculations on their per-episode pay; Distractify suggests that Rain makes $8,000 to $15,000 per episode of ABP, but all other salaries are stated as yearly amounts.
Though the amounts are nowhere near $500K per episode, the Browns do seem to be earning far more than their reality TV counterparts over at TLC (which is a subsidiary of Discovery).
For example, 90 Day Fiancé cast members are reportedly paid about $14,500 for a season (which spans 12 episodes).
While the Browns probably aren't making hundreds of thousands per year, they do seem to be making more per episode than other reality TV cast members make in a full season.
After 14 seasons, their net worths are looking pretty good, too. At this point, fans wouldn't be surprised if Discovery threw the Browns a hefty raise, given how much demand the show is still creating.