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USA Insider Temptation Island

What Do Dating Show Contestants Win?

Some contestants are looking for love and others looking for their fifteen minutes of fame, but winners of these dating shows can make some serious cash.

By Shameika Rhymes
Temptation Island contestants sitting on a couch

Reality shows come with the promise of some kind of fame, but does it always mean fortune?

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Some dating show contestants are in it to win it, while others are genuinely looking for love and their happily ever after. Whether they are single and ready to mingle or trying to fix a rocky relationship, some dating shows offer a chance at a large monetary reward at the finish line that may be more appealing to lovelorn contestants. Meanwhile, other shows don’t have any cash to soothe the aches and pains that come along with dating on national television. 

Here’s a look at how much dating show contestants win in the finale. 

“Love Island”

Love Island couple

Love Island” contestants not only get the chance to walk away with a promising relationship, they also get some cold hard cash if they win. The couple that makes it to the end splits the $100,000 grand prize. 

RELATED: Everything To Know About 'Temptation Island' Host Mark L. Walberg's Wife Robbi Morgan

The twist is that one person can decide to take all of the winnings for themselves, but that could signal the end of the relationship. So far, out of four seasons, no one has decided to take all of the money for themselves – but a viewer can dream.

“Temptation Island”

Temptation Island couple kissing

Temptation Island” has a unique set of rules where four couples put their already vulnerable relationships to the test by traveling to a tropical paradise where more than two dozen singles are waiting to find true love. There’s no cash prize on this show, but contestants do receive clarity on their relationships, find a new love, decide to fix their relationships or head into the abyss of heartbreak. Sometimes the temptation is to leave the island solo to venture back into the real world alone. There's no grand prize. Instead, there are life lessons. 

“Love Is Blind”

Love Is Blind couple at their wedding

Each season, a group of men and women spend hours getting to know other singles in individual pods where they can’t see anyone, only hear each other’s voices. After ten days of getting to know each other, a contestant can propose. If the proposal is accepted, the couple meets face-to-face for the first time. After a couple’s retreat, meeting each other's families and planning a wedding, they ultimately decide whether they want to get married at the altar. Just like “Temptation Island,” there is no grand prize. Instead, they meet new people and take part in a cool experiment. If they are lucky enough to find love, they don't have to pay for their own weddings, according to Newsweek

“Too Hot to Handle”

Too Hot To Handle couple

The Netflix show “Too Hot to Handle" brings together a group of young men and women struggling to form long-term, meaningful relationships as they make connections. They are competing for the grand prize of $100,000. However, any kind of intimate, physical contact is forbidden, with each rule break that occurs resulting in a deduction from the grand prize fund. 

“Are You The One?”

Four contestants of MTV's 'Are You The One?'

On the show “Are You The One?” twenty men and women all agree on one thing, they suck at dating. They undergo a comprehensive matchmaking process designed by psychologists, matchmakers, family members and even exes on their quest to find the right one. The catch? The results of this process are kept secret while all twenty singles are put in a house together knowing only that their perfect match is somewhere among them. If all the contestants are able to complete the mission of finding their perfect match, everyone splits the grand prize of a whopping $1 million. If so much as one couple is off, everyone goes home empty-handed.  

For more dating reality shows, check out the many streaming now on Peacock!

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