They may get criticized for lacking talent or offering up fraudulent versions of their lives and personalities, but the reality TV stars who help score the big ratings also bring in the big bucks.
Kris Jenner and her brood just earned $100 million for four more seasons of Keeping Up With the Kadashians. The imprisoned Teresa Giudice made $700,000 for her final year of filming The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
Not bad salaries for a bunch of non-college grads who can't sing, act, dance or play sports, but you know what's really shocking?None of those folks are even in the top five when it comes to reality show earners.
Check out the list below to see who's really getting rich from what's arguably America's favorite kind of entertainment:
15. Simon Cowell
Cowell raked in a cool $95 million a year for his final seasons on American Idol. Sometimes being a jerk can really pay off. Of course, Cowell is also a producer and co-creator of the former hit series, so he didn't earn that cash JUST from tearing people down.
14. Howard Stern
Divisive personalities do well on the reality stage and Stern has earned $15 by becoming an unlikely favorite amongst contestants and viewers alike on America's Got Talent. Of course, the show is just one of many revenue streams for the King of All Media.
13. Ryan Seacrest
Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood aren't the only ones who got rich off of American Idol. After earning $15 million every season since 2009, Ryan Seacrest is no doubt sad to see the series come to an end.
12. Christina Aguilera
X-Tina comes and goes from her judges' seat on The Voice, but that doesn't seem to be affecting her earnings. The pop star brings in a reported $12.5 million for each season as a judge/coach.
11. Adam Levine
Allowing a camera crew to document your life is all well and good, but the real money is in evaluating talent. Sources say Adam Levine pulls in between $10 and $12 million as one of the chair-spinning A-listers on The Voice.
10. The Kardashians
The K-Clan pulls in about $25 million a season, which sounds like a lot, until you remember how many ways they have to split it. Kim is the family's top earner (obviously) pulling an estimated $18 million a year from her shows, product lines and endorsements.
