While MTV did not publish any information about paying those people who appeared on the show True Life, anecdotal sources suggest that they don't get paid a monetary amount.
In an interview of Flayrah.com with the casting V.P. for MTV's 'True Life' Erika Dobrin. When asked about how do they respond to criticisms that compare them to some kind of exploitation shows, she said that:
"We want to make pure documentary... not staged, paid, or made up. We'll spend six months of shooting with someone to show what their life is really like."
We found an article from one of their featured personalities, male ex0tic dancer, Bailey, where he mentioned that they filmed for 1.5 years and had over 80 hours of footage but he was not paid.
Want to trade real life for reality-TV stardom? Check out some tips on how to avoid a wipeout and be a survivor in the shark tank that is reality-TV casting at ABC News.