Dr Terry Dubrow has confirmed that surgeries conducted on Botched are paid for by the show, along with the appearance fee that is given to the various participants.
Botched is one of the E! channel’s most popular shows. The cosmetic correction surgery premised show first premiered in 2014 and has since been responsible for many cautionary tales of the implications of having cosmetic surgery from unregistered or seemingly “more affordable” routes.
Fronted by leading cosmetic surgeons, Dr Terry J. Dubrow and Dr Paul Nassif, the two conduct corrective surgeries on the guests that come onto the show.
For viewers, the question has always been who is responsible for the costs of the surgery, especially considering that the guests on the show have to undergo expensive and multiple surgeries. Luckily, the participants do not pay.
What is Botched about?
In 2014, at the time, E! marked the premiere of its new and innovative reality show, Botched. The premise of the show initially was, “Horrible plastic surgeries gone wrong are looked at by two of California’s best plastic surgeons.”
The show was an immediate hit with viewers, as the cosmetic surgeries gone wrong served as cautionary tales.
However, ahead of the sixth season, it slightly changed its premise to include pro-bono cosmetic surgeries for people with deformities which they were born with or as a result of natural causes like skin-eating bacteria and the likes.
The new angle has breathed new life to the show, which is currently in its seventh season,
Who pays for the surgery on Botched TV show?
During the first five seasons of Botched, it was presumed that the participants that were on the show paid for the corrective surgeries, or paid a portion of the cost considering that they were sitting opposite Dr Dubrow and Dr Nassif.
However, as the show amended its angle to incorporate patients that suffer from physical deformity which they cannot afford to have surgically corrected, Dr Dubrow revealed the logistics in terms of who pays for the surgeries.
According to Dr Dubrow, , “The patients on Botched get an appearance fee and their costs are handled by the show.”
Therefore, by sharing their cautionary tales on the dangers of getting cosmetic surgeries from unregistered cosmetic surgeons or foreign countries due to cutting costs, the participants are not only helped but imbursed for sharing their stories of television.
How much does a corrective cosmetic surgery cost?
In explaining that the show takes responsibility for the surgeries conducted on E!’s Botched, Dr Dubrow went further to explain the reasoning by stating:
“The difference between Season 6 and the other seasons is it took me more than one surgery on several of the patients to get them fixed. In fact, they were so difficult and high risk, that I actually had to make them worse before I could make them better. That journey sometimes needs two or three more surgeries.”
Adding, “So the procedure, revisional surgery of the type we do, would vary between $30,000 to probably $90,000 or $100,000.”
Dr Dubrow on having realistic expectations
In these times of social media, there is an expectation that cosmetic surgery could have you looking like the Instagram image that you bring as a reference.
Or that the corrective cosmetic surgery can still yield the results of the Instagram image, after the consequences of the botched surgery are corrected.
However, Dr Dubrow warns against this expectation by stating, “We’re not operating on selfies. We’re not operating on photos. We’re operating on you in the mirror and you in real life.”
Therefore, it is important to come in with realistic expectations that are not based on social media and filters.
Requirements of being on Botched
The biggest requirement for interested participants that want to be on Botched, is that you need to be over the age limit of 21 years old.
The rest are highlighted through the participants on the show. Initially, you would need revisional surgery on a botched cosmetic surgery.
However, with the airing of season six in 2020, the show is now incorporating participants with deformities as a result of natural causes which have affected the patient’s confidence in most instances or with some has chronic consequences, if not addressed in time.
Final thoughts
Botched is one of the E! channel’s flagship shows. This might have been the reason that the show amended its premise to incorporate patients with naturally-caused deformities ahead of the season premier.
An amendment that has continued through the ongoing seventh season.
In light of the slight amendment to the initial premise, the question of how the patients pay for the surgeries, especially if it takes multiple surgeries, has been asked.
However, it was confirmed by Dr Dubrow that the cost is accounted for by the show, and the participants also get an appearance fee.