I am pretty sure the way payment on this show works, is like this…
Both sides start out with getting $5,000 from the show.
The maximum claim can be for no more than $5,000.
The side that loses has to pay from the $5,000 they would have gotten. So, – if the judge HAD awarded them the $3,000 they were asking for, they would have ended up with a total of $8,000 and the other side $2,000.
In this case, it would seem they both went home with their $5,000.
THAT is the motivation (some one asked what the motivation is) to go on this type of show.