Katie Thurston Could Have Gotten a Big Payday From 'The Bachelorette'

This upcoming season of The Bachelorette is about to look a little different.

After a tumultuous season of The Bachelor in which the final rose recipient was basically canceled and longtime host Chris Harrison stepped back from his role with the show, we're finally moving on from Matt James and the drama that played out during his season.

This year, there will be two women from Matt's season starring as the Bachelorette, each with their own separate season. Starting off, Katie Thurston will be the star of The Bachelorette, hopefully choosing one lucky man to be her future husband.

Katie was one of the final contestants standing on The Bachelor — and we already know who her final four are. But who is Katie outside of the Bachelor franchise?

This season of The Bachelorette is expected to be like none other, with new hosts to guide Katie on her journey. But what does Katie do for a living, and how much will she earn from this season of the popular ABC show?

In her life off-screen, Katie has been making moves, and one look at her Instagram makes it clear that she is successful in her personal life. The 29-year-old works as a bank marketing manager, according to her bio from ABC. She's based in Renton, Wash. — where she recently bought a house.

Despite the perils most people faced in 2020, Katie shared on her Instagram that she became a homeowner that year.

"S--t just got real! #firsttimehomebuyer," she captioned the post.

And according to her dating bio, it sounds like the 30-year-old is looking for the same drive in her partner. Before appearing on Matt's season, she said she was "looking for a mature man who has ambitions to succeed in everything he does, both personally and professionally." Will she find that on this season of The Bachelorette?

Many of the former leading men and women from the franchise haven't shared their final payouts from the franchise, but from what we know, the Bachelorette is compensated very fairly for her time on the show.

It's common knowledge that the contestants don't get paid for competing on any of the Bachelor shows, meaning that Katie voluntarily joined Matt's season without being paid for it. But her contract for the Bachelorette was likely tens of thousands of dollars.

The highest anyone has been paid to be on The Bachelorette was Emily Maynard, who reportedly received $250,000 from her season. But numbers that high are extremely rare, and given that Katie will have to share this title with Michelle Young this year, it's not likely she received a paycheck that big.

That being said, once you become a significant member of Bachelor Nation, you often become an influencer of sorts, meaning Katie will likely continue to be set up financially following the end of her season.

You can see who Katie chooses in the end on this season of The Bachelorette, airing Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.