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Feb. 10 2021, Updated 12:13 p.m. ET
The hospitality business has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, and that includes island getaway resorts too. So people felt for the Baeumlers, who spent a pretty penny fixing up their resort on Renovation Island, but how much did HGTV pay the family to be on the show?
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So how much did HGTV pay the Baeumlers for 'Renovation Island'?
It's important to note that Bryan and Sarah Baeumler rocked some impressive net worths before even appearing on TV. Estimates placed Bryan's personal wealth at around $20 million before even showing up on the series — and he invested a reported $10 million renovating the Bahamas resort after moving his family from Canada down south.
Typically, those who appear on reality TV shows are paid by the production companies that own the TV show, and those companies are then paid by the network for a certain number of episodes. Which means that the "talent" on said shows have their salaries handled by the production companies themselves.
However, this isn't the case for Bryan Baeumler and his family, as his TV shows are handled by Bryland Entertainment, which he owns and operates.
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This means that he's able to command a price from HGTV himself, and seeing as it's the third-highest rated series in its target demographic, according to Nielsen ratings, and has garnered some 8.8 million total viewers since its inception, that's not bad. He should be able to command a decent amount of money for the series, but how much did HGTV pay?
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This is where a lot of math comes into play, depending on the size of the crew that's shooting the projects and when you consider how much "appearance fees" cost for similar shows. It's said that Tarek El Moussa for Flip or Flop earns at least $10,000 in appearance fees for the show. Since Bryan is heading all production costs for his show, the amount of money he's raking in, in total, is probably way higher.
#RenovationIsland we have a drinking game. Every time Sarah wears something white we take a drink. We are running out of booze.
— terry daugherty (@tdaugher2001) August 17, 2020See AlsoResort
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Plus, since Renovation Island is mostly restricted to one location, those kinds of "stationary" jobs are usually preferred by production crew members and companies alike because there are way fewer travel and accommodation costs and are usually shot consecutively. Plus crew members can block out several weeks of filming and then plan out their schedules for other shows accordingly.
House Hunters, for example, costs anywhere from $45,000 to $50,000 to produce each episode. Using this measure of production, it's safe to assume that HGTV forked over at least $50,000 per episode of Renovation Island — but it could very well be more (Bryan needs to turn a profit on these, anyway).
So with 13 episodes in season one, it's not crazy to assume the network paid at least $650,000 for the entire first batch of episodes.
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Girl, quit complaining and help your husband out for once. #RenovationIsland
— Kaitlyn (@kaitlynv21) August 17, 2020
Now, again, this cost could fluctuate depending on how streamlined Bryan's company was able to get the filming process down, or because of the show's high ratings, he could command a higher price depending on the advertising dollars the network was able to secure.
Typically, additional seasons yield higher prices from the network, so it could be that if Renovation Island continues this trend, Bryanland Entertainment could easily charge more.
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I wish they’d price everything on #renovationisland like they do on other shows. What is their budget? How far over are they?! I have questions!
— Lindsay Nagy (@LindsayNagy) August 17, 2020
Reflecting on #RenovationIsland- the hotel is hardly unique. Its just like any island resort, with the features and design aesthetic of every upscale hotel chain. The show is a great view of white privilege in full bloom. Oh the challenges that multimillionaires face...
— Claire Dunham (@clairedchicago) August 17, 2020
Are you a fan of the show and will you be tuning into see the continued situations the Baeumlers get themselves into while trying to make their resort a premiere destination for those vacationing in the Bahamas?
