Since Gabby Windey was in the 2025 TV schedule for the third season of The Traitors, she’s only become a more popular reality star, reportedly gaining 200k more followers on Instagram by the time the show ended. But if there’s one thing she’s gone viral for aside from being one of the winners of Season 3, it’s for all her hilarious call outs about waiting so long to get paid. Windey has elaborated on how she actually got on the show in the first place, and it only expands her personal brand we’ve loved going down the rabbit hole on since seeing her on the show.
While recently talking to Variety, Windey explained the story behind being cast on The Traitors, and apparently she needed some convincing. In her words:
Basically, they won an Emmy, and then I did a vibrator ad for money — and I was like, ‘OK, I’m going back on TV.’ I was like, these are the people who want me the most, and it’s not, like, love related. I was in the airport, and [NBCUniversal casting executive Christine Cowan] was like, ‘Gabby, we’re having to turn people away. Everyone wants to get on this show so bad.’ Exclusivity is a way to get me. If I know I’m going to be chosen over others, I’m in. And it was the best thing I’ve done for my career.
The Bachelor before starring on Season 19 of The Bachelorette and being a runner up on Dancing With The Stars.
Gabby Windey won The Traitors with her fellow final-standing Faithfuls, Dylan Efron, Ivar Mountbatten, and Dolores Catania, they split $204,300 between them (yes, she finally updated in April that she got it after previously having her wedding for $799), which means they each theoretically got $51,075. It’s not a mind-blowing sum, but she and the contestants also get paid for appearing on the show. When discussing dollar signs further, she said this:
Yeah [you get paid]. Not as much as people might think. After I was screaming about my money on all of the press tour, the internet thought I was broke, which I think is great. I made it to my first blind item that was like, ‘This former reality star needs another gig fast — apparently has no money.’
Following her appearance on The Traitors, it doesn’t look like her career is slowing down again anytime soon, but as she noted, it’s not like she’s a multi-millionaire. She has a podcast called Long Winded With Gabby Windey and nabbed a ton of brand deals lately with the likes of Taco Bell, AT&T, Olly, Dominos, and Cheetos. She’s in the big leagues now. As she continued:
After that, everyone was so supportive of my brand deals — which is great. But yeah, I mean, it’s not as much as you would expect, I don’t think, for being on TV — but it wasn’t nothing. Obviously I needed money, RE: vibrator ads the month before! I’m counting down the days until I can take it off my page, and it’s coming up.
Gabby Windey will always be famous in the eyes of The Traitors fans, but we do have to wonder how the reality star will continue to level up her career following the big win.