How Saved By The Bell cast invested their TV salary in property

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More than 30 years since graduating from Bayside High, the original cast of Saved By The Bell have built impressive real estate fortunes.

The iconic teen sitcom, which ran from 1989 to 1993, followed the lives and misadventures of high school students Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez), Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Thiessen), Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley), Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies) and Samuel “Screech” Powers (Dustin Diamond).

When the series premiered, its young stars were making a decent wage for a Saturday morning program.

Lopez revealed he made $US3500 ($A5400) per episode. Many assume the main cast members earned the same during the show’s four-year run.

But unlike the cast of Friends who reportedly earn $US20 million ($A30.5 million) a year in royalties, the Saved By The Bell alums barely get paid from the show’s syndication deals.

“We made really bad deals,” Gosselaar admitted on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2019.

“Poor deals, back then. It is what it is. You move on, you learn. Great experience.”

Despite this, the Saved By The Bell cast poured their wealth into the real estate market.

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Saved By The Bell ran from 1989 to 1993. Picture: Getty

Here’s a look at the homes the Bayside crew bought and the properties they’ve cashed in on.

Dustin Diamond

Estimated Net Worth at time of passing: $US300,000 ($A462,000)

After his time with the Saved By The Bell franchise, Diamond experienced several unsuccessful real estate ventures.

According to CBS News, Diamond’s financial problems started before he turned 18.

The former child star said the issues with his parents spending his money and substantial tax miscalculations left him in debt as a young adult. He filed for bankruptcy in 2001.

The actor appeared on The Howard Stern Show in 2006 and asked listeners to visit his website and purchase a T-shirt that read “I paid $US15 ($A23) to save Screech’s house”.

The move was to raise $US250,000 ($A385,000) and avoid foreclosure on his house.

Six months before his death in 2021, Diamond was forced to put his longtime home in Port Washington, Wisconsin up for sale after a bank threatened foreclosure for unpaid dues.

The entertainer owed about $270,000 ($A415,000). He had initially put a $US68,000 ($A104,000) down payment on the home back in 2003 when he purchased the four-bedroom property for $340,000 ($A524,000), the New York Post.

Dustin Diamond became a household name as Samuel ‘Screech’ Powers on Saved By The Bell. Picture: Getty

Six months before his death in 2021, Diamond was forced to put his longtime home in Port Washington, Wisconsin up for sale. Picture: Realtor

Before his death, Diamond revealed in an interview with TMZ he didn’t understand how he owed such a huge sum and that a busted water main had flooded his basement and made him lose 30 years of memories.

“Foreclosure means nothing when a house is destroyed … with my items I’ve lost,” Diamond said at the time.

“It now feels like Wells Fargo is trying to kick me when I’m down.”

Diamond lost his battle with extensive stage four lung cancer only a month after his diagnosis. He was 44.

Since his death, two viral videos take viewers inside the home, which paint a very shocking picture of Diamond’s life.

A look inside the bedrooms. Picture: TikTok: @ashwill88

One of four bathrooms. Picture: TikTok: @ashwill88

The office. Picture: TikTok: @ashwill88

Described as a hoarder’s den, extensive clutter throughout the video is shown in the office of the home — and in one of the bedrooms and bathrooms of the property.

Clothes are scattered, several bottles collected, medicine and pill bottles are seen throughout the bathroom sink and tub, and what appears to be faeces on the bathroom floor.

It’s unclear if the abandoned house was vandalised or even faced squatters in the time since his passing, or if this was the state Diamond left the home in.

The property was finally sold in 2022 for $US276,400 ($A425,700) to a real estate developer with plans of tearing down the structure and turning it into some type of commercial property.

Mario Lopez

Estimated Net Worth: $US35 million ($A54 million)

Lopez has made some positive moves in real estate, buying and selling several properties over the years.

In 1994, the then 21-year-old actor paid $US240,000 ($A371,000) for a home in Burbank, California. He sold it in 2022 for a little over $US1 million ($A1.5 million).

The Access Hollywood host purchased a second Burbank house in 2004 for $US1.25 million ($A1.9 million). He sold residence in December 2022 for $US2.09 million ($A3.2 million).

Lopez snapped up a Spanish-style home in Glendale, California in August 2010 for $US1.95 million ($A3.02 million)

Mario Lopez played A.C. Slater. Picture: Getty

Lopez sold the Glendale pad for $US4.55 million ($A7 million) in April 2023. Picture: Wayne Ford via NY Post

In August 2022, he listed the property for sale at $US6.5 million ($A10 million) and for rent at $US25,000 ($A38,000) per month.

Amenities include a mirrored home gym, a family room, and a two-bedroom guest suite with a kitchenette.

The multi-tiered grounds boast a pool with a spa, an outdoor kitchen, a cabana, and a bocce court.

The TV personality eventually sold the pad for $US4.55 million ($A7 million) in April 2023.

In July 2022, Lopez paid $US9.4 million ($A14.5 million) for a mansion in the LA suburb of La Cañada Flintridge.

The six-bedroom estate includes a wine room, game and family room, home theatre, and a zero-edge pool.

Lopez upgraded to a mansion in the nearby town of La Canada Flintridge. Picture: Realtor

Mark-Paul Gosselaar

Estimated Net Worth: $US6 million ($A9.2 million)

Gosselaar proved his own real estate savviness in 2022 when he and his wife, Catriona, pocketed $US5.3 million ($A8.2 million) for the sale of their Sherman Oaks, California home.

The couple purchased the property in 2014 for $2.3 million ($A3.5 million). The residence has a private patio, granite countertops, and a large backyard.

In 2017, the pair reportedly decided to rent the house out, charging $US13,500 ($A20,900) per month for potential tenants.

The duo nabbed a townhouse in Los Angeles in November 2021 for $US1 million ($A1.5 million).

Mark-Paul Gosselaar played Zack Morris in Saved By The Bell. Picture: Getty

Gosselaar and his wife, Catriona, pocketed $US5.3 million for the sale of their Sherman Oaks, California home. Picture: Supplied

Tiffani Thiessen

Estimated Net Worth: $US6 million ($A9.2 million)

Thiessen has two primary residences: a 1920s mansion in Encino, California and a cabin in the Sequoia National Forest that was built by her grandfather in 1963.

The actress and her husband, Brady Smith, sold their previous home in Studio City for $US2.5 million ($A3.8 million) in 2014.

The couple also owned a vacation townhouse within the La Quinta Resort & Spa in La Quinta, California, which they sold in January 2025 for $US700,000 ($A1.08 million).

Tiffani Thiessen played Kelly Kapowski in the iconic teen sitcom. Picture: Getty

Elizabeth Berkley

Estimated Net Worth: $US10 million ($A15 million)

It is unknown where Berkley is exactly residing now. She and her husband, Greg Lauren (nephew of fashion designer Ralph Lauren) were previously residents of one of Los Angeles’ most exclusive buildings, the Century in Century City.

The 42-storey condominium tower is known for its high-profile celebrity residents and units selling for millions of dollars.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the luxe apartment complex boasts a 16-seat screening room, a pilates studio and several public parking spaces.

There’s a 75-foot lap pool, outdoor kitchens and dining rooms for entertaining.

Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano. Picture: Getty

Berkley and her husband, were previously residents of one of Los Angeles’ most exclusive buildings, the Century. Picture: Supplied

Lark Voorhies

Estimated Net Worth: $US500,000 ($A775,000)

Details of Voorhies’ current or recent real estate holdings are scarce. The actress, who has stepped back from the public eye, was last reported to share a home with her mother Tricia in Pasadena, California.