Reality shows a cash cow for celebrities

Hong Kong celebrity couple Anita Yuen and Julian Cheung. [Photo/IC]

Dad, where are we going? Running Man (Chinese version), The Amazing Race (Shenzhen TV)... a wave of reality shows have captured the TV screens in China in recent years. Apart from the gossips and various tasks the celebrities indulge in these programs, it's the money the stars make that has captured the eyeballs.

'Appearance fee' sky high

Recent reports by Huabian.com reveal that stars taking part in reality TV shows earn big money; tens of millions of 'appearance fee' is not uncommon. For example, in the recent hit Running Man, produced and broadcast by Zhejiang TV, actor Deng Chao reportedly received 10 million yuan ($1.56 million), and actress Angelababy (Yang Ying) got 8 million yuan ($1.25 million) for one season. Meanwhile, in a reality travelling program called 'Being with You along the Journey' (Yi Lu Shang You Ni), the Hong Kong celebrity couple Anita Yuen and Julian Cheung earned 20 million yuan ($ 3.12 million).

It has also been reported that The Amazing Race (Shenzhen TV) once tried to invite A-star actress Fan Bingbing to participate in the show, but the astonishing 60 million yuan ($9.37 million) fee demanded by the actress scared the TV team away.