Airing for more than two decades, The Amazing Race is widely considered one of the best reality TV series, and a new season is going to be hitting the 2025 TV schedule. The show does a great job of following the journeys contestants take around the world, and Phil has never shied away from announcing prizes at the end of challengers or seasons, but given the time required and all the varying prizes involved, I’ve always wondered how much do The Amazing Race contestants make?
The answer is, well, complicated, but there are quite a few things we know about what happens during the season, as well as the total prize. Let’s take a look at what could happen if CBS loves your audition tape one day, too.
The Big Prize On The Amazing Race Always Stays The Same
While the final leg(s) of TAR have been very different over the years, the end result is the same. Each season, the first team to see both participants reach Phil and touch the mat earn the $1 million dollar prize. This number is oft-repeated on the series, though over the years the show has made plenty of changes to the ways the final legs have played out on the show. Last season, for example, there were no non-elimination legs for the first time, so someone went home every single episode.
Typically the show has competed in teams of two (with the exception of a very memorable family season featuring a young Stassi Schroeder, who later starred in and was fired from Vanderpump Rules.) This is an important distinction because not every twosome that competes is a married couple, which means prize winnings are typically split in half, with $500,000 going to each contestant. Then you have to factor in American taxes, which still need to be paid despite winning the money across the globe, with experts in varying states estimating the government pulls a cool $300-$350,000 from that million total.
That’s still not too shabby, though, as contestants (likely) take home around $350,000 apiece or so. In fact, the Holderness' admitted a few years ago in a podcast that after taxes they took "a little over half" of the prize money home.
Speaking of Season 36, however, boyfriends Ricky Rotandi and César Aldrete took home the big prize, but they also took home way more than just the big prize, thanks to dominating challenges as varied as dancing theatrical performances and welding. The couple actually won 7 of the 11 total legs, and six of those were before the finale.
How Additional Compensation Works On The Amazing Race
In fact, there are two routes to additional money and prizes on The Amazing Race. The first is to -- and I'll borrow a phrase from my other favorite reality TV series Survivor -- outwit, outlast and outplay the other contestants in the race. How does this work? The longer you make it on the show, the higher the cash payout from CBS.
Early on in the series during Season 6, one outlet found the 11th place contestants only took home $1500 as a duo, which is admittedly not a lot to split between two people and have taxes taken out. The money continues to climb from there though the longer contestants are on the show. In that same season (via Men's Health), the second place team took home about $25,000 in additional money while the third place team took home $10,000.
Given Season 6 happened in 2004, there's every reason to think these numbers have changed over time, but unlike Survivor contestant salaries, TAR tends to keep the numbers way under wraps. An Australian version of the show in 2024 did note that prize packages for that version of the series varied wildly, with Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe allegedly taking home around $350,000 while additional contestants took home between $50-$75k for their appearances. It's worth noting this was a celebrity edition of the show in another country, but it does show how salaries can vary widely.
Which brings us to the final way to "make money" on The Amazing Race. The show often has prize packages ranging from cash amounts to free trips and even cars that can extend the goodies contestants can take home if they win specific legs. Of course, those prizes also come with a caveat; like The Price is Right and other prize-specific shows before them, contestants must pay taxes on these prizes.
One of the most unique prizes the show gave out came in Season 8, the Branson family won "free gas for life." Patriarch Wally later clarified that actually meant $1,200 in gas for 50 years, and to make it less of a hassle, BP and Arco actually let the family cash out after one year.
Contestants Are Paid In Exposure -- And A Trip Around The Globe
Some famous names have chosen to participate in TAR over the years, including The White Lotus' Mike White, Big Brothers' Rachel, Alison, Survivor's Rob and Amber and so many more. Some athletes have competed as well, including Alexander Rossi and Conor Daly, pro eater Joey Chestnut and a slew of former NFL and NBA stars, among others. Hopefully there will be more notable names to come.
Even for those who aren't famous before the show, fan-favorites can sometimes build followings on social media or land outside opportunities after their time on the show. Then, of course, there's the whole point of The Amazing Race: the unique opportunity to travel around the world with someone you love (or at least hopefully like.) The real prize is the priceless experience.
