Ant and Dec were amazed to find an American audience was paid to laugh at their jokes.
The TV presenting duo - full names Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly - were delighted with the reaction they received during the first day of filming for new show 'Wanna Bet', but their triumph was short lived when their were told the reason for their success.
"The show went unbelievably well and afterwards we said to the producer, 'What an incredible audience.' And he replied, 'Yeah, it's amazing what you can get for $15 an hour.'
Dec told Q magazine: "We were virtual unknowns but we walked out to thunderous applause on the first night.
"The show went unbelievably well and afterwards we said to the producer, 'What an incredible audience.' And he replied, 'Yeah, it's amazing what you can get for $15 an hour.'
"They paid the audience to be there for three hours."
'Wanna Bet' sees four celebrities take bets on whether American contestants can complete stunts.
The pair also spoke about 'Britain's Got Talent' judge Simon Cowell's decision to introduce a fourth judge Kelly Brook to the latest series of the TV talent show, which they present.
Ant said: "We had a bit of an issue with him bringing in a fourth judge. But we sat down and talked about it and he apologised for not consulting us first."
Dec added: "Simon's not that big a pain in the a**e. He's quite charming."
Kelly was axed six days after starting work on the show, after it was decided the new format didn't work.
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