It’s kind of ironic that one of the perks of being rich and famous is that people give you loads of stuff for free.
Take the always closely inspected awards show gift bags, handed out at the likes of the Oscars (or Academy Awards if you want to sound fancy) and the Golden Globes.
In case you didn’t know, the latter took place yesterday – you can see the full list of winners here, and watch Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh’s opening monologue here.
It’s 11 minutes long and it gives you a break from pretending to respond to emails – do it.
Anyway, back to being rich and famous and getting free stuff, which in this case means gift bags. When it comes to the Oscars, and in particular the 2018 edition, no expenses were spared.
If you cracked one of the more high-profile acting nominations, or were in the running for your directing, your “swag bag” was worth a whopping $100 000.
That included:
A 12-Night Trip to Zanzibar and Tanzania
The luxurious trip for two appears to be tailor-made for high-profile actors, with private meals and a private safari guide throughout the journey, according to Distinctive Assets. The nominees and their guests will also be able to go horseback riding, snorkeling, take walking safaris, take chef-guided cooking lessons, and more. Similar trips from International Expeditions cost upwards of $11,300 per person.
A Week’s Worth of Spa Treatments
Among the many spa treatments at Golden Door, just one 90-minute deep-tissue massage is $245. And with a week’s worth of spa treatments, that value could skyrocket to more than $1,000.
23andMe DNA Testing Kit
The ancestry report kit costs $99, while the ancestry report and health features package costs $199.
A Six-Night Trip in Hawaii
A six-night stay at the Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu in Hawaii in a one-bedroom luxury villa would cost around $500 per night, totaling to $3,000 for a six-night trip.
10 Personal Training Sessions
Nominees also get 10 personal training sessions with celebrity personal trainer Alexis Seletzky. According to Women’s Health, depending on the trainer, personal training sessions could cost up to $500 per hour. (Seletzky did not respond immediately to a request for comment from MONEY.)
A Stay at a Luxurious Greek Resort
One night at Avaton Luxury Villas Resort in Halkidiki, Greece, costs more than $460 per night.
Not at all shabby, and a few other goodies helped bump that value to the $100 000 mark.
When you compare it with the gift bags handed out at the Globes, it’s clear who the big dog is. According to Forbes, if you attended celebrity product placement company Secret Room’s event days before the event, you would get a goodie bag worth between $9 500 and $13 000.
Cheapskates – here’s what that contained:
Attendees get pampered with massages, manicures, Botox treatments and other services. They also receive a massive tote bag with gifts from 30 sponsors including skin and hair care products and jewelry…
The most expensive item is a seven-night Hawaii vacation gifted by American Luxury Tours. Guests can also unwind at the four-star Estancia La Jolla Hotel and Spa [below], which is giving away two-night stays with complimentary breakfast and massages.
Other gifts include organic, halal and vegan-friendly skincare products from Baroque & Rose, rose water beverages from H2rOse, spa products from Copper + Crane, and Bluetooth speakers from Nuvelon.
You think these celebs are getting out of bed for a measly $10 000 worth of freebies? Desperate influencers maybe, but not the big names.
On the night itself, attendees could choose between two gift bags, with this below from Metro:
Guests can choose between a leather Furla tote bag – itself worth $398 (£310) – which houses a ton of women’s products including a trio of L’Oreal products, OleHenriksen C–Rush Brightening Gel Creme and Mad Hippie Cleansing Oil.
Or the Dagne Dover Large Dakota Backpack, which retails for $195 (£150) and includes a plethora of male products such as Meet The Bulldog Organic Bamboo Razor and Aveda Grooming Clay, as well as an umbrella and socks.
Socks? I’m sure Bradley Cooper and Rami Malek are going to be super stoked with more socks.
I think it’s clear to all that the Oscars “swag bag” is the undisputed winner.
But hey, at least the Golden Globes had hosts, whereas the Oscars is still looking for theirs.
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