‘Below Deck’ star Eddie Lucas: Cast was paid peanuts compared to ‘Housewives’

nypost.com:

purchased his first house at the start of the year in the hip neighborhood of Hampden. To snag it, he had to pay over the $330,000 asking price.

But for the veteran of the hit Bravo series — currently in its ninth season — his journey to find that perfect home was not all sunshine and roses. “The goal has always been to settle down, put some roots down, buy a house,” Lucas told The Post. “But it’s been difficult to be able to try and do that and for a lot of people my age and my generation, with housing prices the way they are, student loan debt at an all-time high, it is difficult.” Life on the water did help a little, though.“The yachting industry that I did gave me more of a foundation to be able to reach those goals, but I still have student loans to pay off,” Lucas said with a laugh.

A post shared by Eddie Lucas (@eddielucas)However, despite being a reality star on Bravo’s top-rated series — with ratings that can surpass even the “Real Housewives” franchise — Lucas explained they don’t exactly get paid the same as the other reality stars.

He also weighed in on why, for so many in the yachting industry, buying a house in this market has been burdensome. “There is somebody monetizing off of the show, but it’s definitely not us,” Lucas claimed. “‘Below Deck’ — regardless of it being the most popular show on Bravo — we are the lowest-paid cast members.” Lucas explained that even though they put in labor and need to obtain specialized licenses for what they do, it has been “frustrating” watching other reality stars earn millions. “While we do get paid better than a normal yachtie, of course, we are still not getting paid what people like the ‘Housewives’ are making, which is a little frustrating, because they’re not.