How much a 30-second ad costs for reality shows, from Idol ($467K) to Apprentice ($99K)

Despite having a new judging panel and losing its real star, American Idol is still the most expensive prime-time network reality TV show this year, followed by Dancing With the Stars, The Bachelor, and Survivor, according to AdAge.

Despite the singing competition’s number-one position, there’s been a decline in its value: while it was able to pull in $700,000 to over $1 million in season seven for a 30-second ad, that’s now down to well under $500,000. Other shows have declined, too; compare the numbers below to the end of the 2009 season.

AdAge compiled the average prices for 30-second ads, although it notes that these are “directional indicators, not the price that every advertiser pays for a 30-second spot. The estimates are based on what advertisers paid for ad time during this year’s upfront market, during which marketers commit to advertising months or weeks in advance, in exchange for locking down price guarantees.”

I filtered out and arranged the reality shows in order of most expensive to least expensive:

1. American Idol, Fox, $467,617
2. American Idol results, Fox, $400,546
3. Dancing With the Stars, ABC, $204,806
4. Dancing with the Stars results, ABC, $167,821
5. The Bachelor, ABC, $165,857
6. Survivor, CBS, $153,636
7. The Biggest Loser, NBC, $134,374
8. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC, $126,958
9. Hell’s Kitchen, Fox, $121,944
10. The Amazing Race, CBS, $114,584
11. The Apprentice, NBC, $99,074
12. Kitchen Nightmares, Fox, $72,562
13. America’s Next Top Model, The CW, $63,285
14. Secret Millionaire, ABC, $60,081
15. School Pride, NBC, $59,521
16. Who Do You Think You Are, NBC, $47,820