What is Traci Bingham's Net Worth?
Traci Bingham is an American actress and reality television star who has a net worth of $1 million. Traci Bingham began her professional on-camera career in the mid-90s, appearing in small roles in such television and film projects as, "Married… with Children" and "Demon Knight." She first caught the attention of audiences worldwide when she was cast on the long-running series, "Baywatch." She appeared on the show for three seasons from 1995-1998. Since then, she has appeared on multiple reality shows, including "The Surreal Life," "Celebrity Big Brother," "Celebrity Paranormal Project," and "The Surreal Life: Fame Games". She also appeared in the comedy "Strip Mall," hosted "BattleBots," and served as a panelist on the game show, "To Tell the Truth." In addition to her television and film work, she has also modeled for Playboy Magazine multiple times and is the face of Empire Poker online.
Early Life
Bingham was born on January 13, 1968, in North Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her parents are Betty and Lafayette Bingham. Her mother worked as a librarian, while her father was an aircraft technician who had served in World War II earlier in his life. Bingham is the youngest of seven children. She attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and graduated in 1986.
Career
Bingham began her early career in acting by taking minor roles in commercials and television shows. She had appearances in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Dream On," "Campus Cops," and "Married with Children" throughout the mid-1990s. She also appeared in the films "Demon Knight" and "Exposed Too: TV's Lifeguard Babes." Additionally, she appeared as a model in several music videos, such as "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
In 1996, Bingham landed her breakout role as a main cast member on the popular show "Baywatch." She remained on the show for its seventh and eighth seasons. While on "Baywatch," she also appeared in other shows like "Soul Train," "Light Lunch," "Head over Heels," and "Hollywood Squares." She also began appearing as herself in various reality and talk shows, often as a panelist or guest. In 1998, she posed for a "Babes of Baywatch" pictorial in "Playboy" magazine.
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In 2004, she appeared in the second season of "The Surreal Life" along with Ron Jeremy, Vanilla Ice, Erik Estrada, Tammy Faye Bakker, and Trishelle Cannatella. She continued appearing as a contestant on reality programs over the next few years. In 2006, she participated in "Celebrity Big Brother." She was one of the final six contestants on the show and was only evicted from the house on the final night. In 2007, she appeared on "The Surreal Life: Fame Games" and ultimately won the $100,000 grand prize. The next year, she appeared on "Gimme My Reality Show!" which involved competing against six other celebrities to win a reality show. In 2008, she appeared in "The 2008 World Magic Awards." Other reality-based shows she participated in include "Hell's Kitchen," "Sugar Baby," and "Battle of the Network Stars."
Later in her career, Bingham entered the world of adult entertainment. However, in 2014, a Massachusetts court issued an arrest warrant for Bingham after she failed to appear in court over a dispute regarding an adult entertainment contract. She had taken the money to appear in the project but ultimately did not show up for the shoot.
(Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
Baywatch Salary
In the 2024 docuseries, "After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun," Nicole Eggert revealed that the standard pay for every cast member throughout the series run was $3,500 per episode. There were typically 22 episodes per season. That would mean the cast members were paid around $77,000 per season. And while those numbers are worth roughly twice as much today after adjusting for inflation, it's still a relative pittance compared to how popular and profitable the show was. Ironically, with overtime pay and other benefits actual California lifeguards probably earned more every year in salary. Today some senior California lifeguards actually earn over $500,000 per year ($150,000 in base salary + $250,000 in overtime + $110,000 in other benefits and perks).
Personal Life
Traci Bingham married songwriter and musician Robb Vallier on August 29, 1998. They remained married until January of 2001. The couple did not have any children together.
Bingham is involved with PETA and various animal rights organizations. In May of 2002, she appeared in an advertisement wearing a bikini made of lettuce. A few years later, in 2006, she appeared nude in an ad for PETA as part of their "I'd Rather Be Naked Than Wear Fur."
