María Pía Copello, a former host of the Peruvian reality competition show 'Esto es guerra', criticized cast member Said Palao after he made his salary public, calling the move "ridiculous."
Palao had shared a payment receipt showing he spent 5,400 euros on a Dior bag he gave his wife, Alejandra Baigorria, for her birthday. He posted the proof after facing repeated accusations on social media that he is financially supported by Baigorria, a claim often summed up in Peru with the word "mantenido," meaning a man who is kept or supported by his partner.
Copello made her comments on Friday, September 11, alongside her fellow hosts on the show 'Sin más que decir'. She said that everyone gets piled on with criticism at some point, but that going public with financial paperwork was not the answer.
What Copello said
According to Copello, it made no sense for Palao to show how much he earns, what he spends it on, whether he personally paid for an item or had it charged to his account, or whether he went to the store himself. She said all of that was ridiculous to display publicly.
Copello also questioned why Palao spent time responding to the controversy at all, saying she wondered what the point was and who the reaction was even for. She made the remarks while noting that Palao had traveled to Japan with Baigorria, where the couple went to celebrate her 38th birthday, rather than focusing on the trip.
Copello added that other cast members of 'Esto es guerra' are likely unsettled after learning that Baigorria's husband is one of the better-paid competitors on the show.
Who is involved
Said Palao, known on the show by the nickname "Samurai," is a longtime competitor on 'Esto es guerra', a popular reality competition program broadcast on América Televisión in Peru that pits two teams of contestants against each other in physical and mental challenges. He is married to Alejandra Baigorria, a businesswoman and fellow television personality who also competes on the program.
María Pía Copello previously hosted 'Esto es guerra' herself before moving on to other projects, including her current program 'Sin más que decir'. Her past role on the show gives her direct familiarity with how salaries and public perception affect the cast.
Possible fallout for negotiations
Copello warned that Palao's decision to reveal his earnings could complicate salary negotiations for other members of 'Esto es guerra'. She said the disclosure gives other competitors a concrete figure to point to, and that they are likely to use Palao's pay as a benchmark when asking for raises of their own.
She suggested that this puts pressure on Mariana Ramírez del Villar, the producer and owner of 'Esto es guerra', since cast members now have a specific number to compare their own contracts against rather than relying on rumor or speculation.
The controversy adds to a run of headlines around the show and its cast, though Copello's remarks focused specifically on the precedent set by publicly sharing pay details rather than on any dispute over the amount itself.
