An insider has spilled the tea on The Bachelors Australia 2023‘s contracts and leaked their salaries, and there is a massive discrepancy between what Jed McIntosh, Felix Von Hofe and Thomas Malucelli were paid.
One of them was reportedly paid immensely more than his counterparts. Like so much cash he could legitimately have a career as a Machine Gun Kelly knock-off just like the producers put him up to if you catch our drift.
As revealed on episode 277 of the So Dramatic! podcast, a Channel Ten insider spilled details of the three leading men’s contracts.
An insider reveals why Jed McIntosh was cast in The Bachelors Australia 2023
But first, a bit of context around casting Jed, Felix and Thomas.
The Bachelor franchise has been losing viewers in droves since the show’s eighth season in 2020 starring Locky Gilbert and Irena Srbinovska, who married last month.
So, the producers knew they needed something big.
Enter The Bachelors.
The insider revealed to So Dramatic! that Jed was hired as the major “attraction” and to “generate as much hype as possible” around the new iteration of the franchise.
Casting the musician as the “main man”, would bring in a new, and hopefully younger audience.
“The whole idea was to use Jed as their key to attracting the younger audience, as well as appealing to the LGBT audience and to play on the MGK punk trend that a lot of people like at the moment,” they dished.
The producers pushed Jed’s image so hard, they even staged his disturbing comments on Twitter being leaked because it would “assist publicity”.
Guess that old saying ‘any publicity is good publicity’ still rings true.
Jed McIntosh transforms into Machine Gun Kelly for The Bachelors
Lots of people were commenting on Jed’s uncanny likeness to Machine Gun Kelly at the time of his casting. And apparently, that was all part of the plan too.
“[Jed] was sent to a tattoo parlour in Gold Coast two days before filming, because they wanted more ink on him for filming,” the insider dished.
“He was given a stylist from the show to help him create an ‘MGK inspired’ mood board’ which was leaked on Pinterest.”
But this next part is really the icing on the cake.
The source said the 25-year-old was told by the production company behind the show, to “watch the MGK documentary”.
Did the producers really think Jed was going to become a revered method actor like Leonardo DiCaprio who prepared for The Revenant by sleeping in an animal carcass and eating raw bison and went on to win an Oscar for the role?
How much was Jed McIntosh paid for The Bachelors?
So with all of that in mind, it’s easier to understand the huge variation between the salaries which reportedly ranged from $50,000 – $400,000.
According to our source, Jed was paid the most. He was matched 12 months of his income as a drummer with his band Mood Monroe.
“He also knew from the start that the show wouldn’t air until 2023, which is why his fee was increased to cover the loss of his touring season over summer, and the US summer earlier in the year too,” the source said.
What were Felix Von Hofe and Thomas Malucelli’s The Bachelors salaries?
According to our insider, Felix was paid a much lower sum of $90,000, plus a $10,000 bonus.
However, the 27-year-old forfeited his bonus pay because he “refused to take part in any promo” while The Bachelors aired.
Meanwhile, Thomas who applied for the show was paid a meagre $45,000 plus a $5,000 post-show bonus.
The pay packet is said to have matched just six months of his normal salary.
But times are tough and the insider added that Thomas is now back working in his restaurant and has a book deal in the works.
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