"Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" is back: Alana Thompson and her family will be back on television, as the TLC network confirmed it has ordered more episodes that will follow the pageant queen, dad Sugar Bear, mother June and big sisters Pumpkin, Chickadee and Chubbs. The Georgia-based family will also get three holiday specials -- dubbed "HOLLAday" special shows, celebrating Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it likely comes with a pay increase for the family. “Yes, they totally get a raise when more episodes are ordered,” Marianne Garvey, star of Oxygen’s reality show "Girlfriend Confidential: NY" tells me. “Usually a contract for reality stars is for two seasons but with blowout ratings, they have the upper hand. They will now get a huge raise.” Since the show debuted in August, the show has averaged 2.3 million viewers per episode, even managing to beat network broadcasts of the Republican National Convention on Aug. 19 among adults 18-49. “We don’t comment on salaries,” a TLC spokesperson tells me. But it has been reported the family currently makes $4,000 per episode, which is more than the $3,000 "The Real Housewives of New York City" cast members originally made. “There has never been any disputes about compensation,” one insider tells me. “They are now making more than double what they originally made and are very happy about it. They don’t have lawyers or greedy agents fighting to get them more, the network offered them a very generous amount and they were happy to accept.”
"Honey Boo Boo probably makes $2,000 per episode, max," says reality TV producer Lauren Weber. "This will, of course, go up with the success of the show ... and that rate all depends on ratings. A simple renewal of the series because the ratings were par for the course might be a slight bump, but if it's a huge hit for the network then the ball is in the talent's court and they can usually throw out a number that the network will try their best to meet ... does that make sense? Until it's a hit, sadly no one makes much [including the production companies]."
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