Kriti Mehrotra
ABC’s ‘The Bachelorette’ is back again with another season, and this time, with Katie Thurston calling all the shots, you can bet that it’ll be a complete package. Having already met her on Matt James‘ season (25) of ‘The Bachelor,’ we know that she is not only a good storyteller and funny but also outspoken and a boss in her own rights. In addition, Katie’s messages on sex positivity and empowerment helped her earn popularity from the get-go. So now, if you are curious about the amount Katie, a girl from humble beginnings, managed to negotiate and make for herself as the lead of season 17, we’ve got you covered.
How Much is Katie Thurston Getting Paid For The Bachelorette?
It is common knowledge that those who appear as contestants on ‘The Bachelor’ or ‘The Bachelorette’ don’t receive any compensation from anywhere. So, even Katie Thurston made absolutely zilch from her time with Matt James. Yet, that’s not the case for the stars of the program. ‘Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure,’ penned by ‘The Bachelor’ expert Amy Kaufman in 2018, reveals that it’s “incredibly rare for someone to make less than six figures” as the feature. With that said, though, it has also been reported that the Bachelorettes might often make more than the Bachelors.
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We know that Season 17’s Sean Lowe reportedly earned between $75,000 to $90,000 back when he filmed his season in 2012. But around that same time, Bachelorette Emily Maynard supposedly landed a massive payday of $250,000 after a few negotiations. Thus, we think it’s safe to assume that even Katie would have agreed to the six figures, maybe at over $200,000, especially considering how the standard is $100,000. Viewers had adored her pure, simple, and genuine nature, so to give them what they want, we don’t see why producers wouldn’t have expanded their budget a bit more around this time.
We should also mention that Katie’s day job as a bank marketing manager, as per the average salary for the post in the Washington area, would also be making her more than $110,000 regularly. Furthermore, as she has over 602k followers on her Instagram as of writing, it would not be surprising if Katie’s raking in $5,000 to $15,000 per month with the help of sponsored or endorsed content. If all this wasn’t enough, since Katie is a definite part of the franchise now, the fact that she frequently receives invites for podcasts, shows, or speaking events also earns her money. So, it’ll only open more doors for her.
The most significant payday for Katie, though, might come in the future. If she stays with the person she chooses during her time as ‘The Bachelorette‘ and decides to have their wedding televised, the network might pay up to an additional $1 million to the couple. The debut season’s Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter, who are together to this day, were reportedly presented with this exact amount by ABC for the broadcasting rights of their union. Plus, if that doesn’t work out, Katie can always take her chances in ‘Bachelor in Paradise,’ where contestants are paid between $400-$600 (up to $1,000 after mediations) daily.
Read More: Who Are Katie Thurston’s Parents?
