The money is outrageous for the people on the show. The min. wage per 'star' is half a million for a season, if the show becomes a hit, the 'star' makes the producers millions as well as themselves. Most of the reality shows of this type of junk are produced by Ryan Seacreast of American Idol.
The one show I did like was Little People and most of TLC, History, and Discover reality shows are informative and entertaining.