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.
In the new interview, Gabby Windey revealed that she said no to being on the Peacock series, but a few things ultimately changed her mind. For one, she was told that the show was so popular that the casting department was turning down a bunch of reality stars who wanted to be in it, and they wanted to choose her over other potential picks. Then, there was the issue of money. Windey felt like her career was slowing down after a few whirlwind years doing Season 26 of The Bachelor before starring on Season 19 of The Bachelorette and being a runner up on Dancing With The Stars.
Before Gabby Windey broke into entertainment with her various appearances on hit shows, she was actually a nurse in an intensive care unit at University of Colorado Hospital, notably winning a humanitarian award for being on the frontline during the pandemic. She decided to retire from nursing in 2021 to explore her other passions for dance and entertainment, as she was an NFL cheerleader for the Denver Broncos for five years.
When 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.
