We all know that finding love on Reality TV is rare, but acquiring an Instagram career is almost certain.

In fact,somewould go as far to say that a few contestants only go down the reality path to become Insta famous. Shock, horror!

But how lucrative exactly is the Instagram career path?

Well it would seem, very. But only for a limited time.

On Friday Married at First Sight 2019 contestant Jessika Power revealed she is now the proud owner of her first house.

“As some of you may know I’ve recently done some adulting and proud to say I have just received the keys to my FIRST investment property in Perth!” the admin officer-turned-reality TV star revealed to her 210,000 followers.

“It was a big step for me, but I had to do it at some point, while the market is good!”

FellowMAFScontestant Martha Kalifatidis shared on the same day that she is casually in possession of a Lamborghini.

And whilst some questioned whether she actually owned the luxury car, she certainly didn’t deny it.

“It’s gemini season… and we don’t play,” Martha, who married Michael on the show, wrote as the caption.

So, how much do they actually earn?

Max Markson, who represents severalMarried At First Sightalumni including Jessika Power, Ines Basic and Cyrell Paule, claims his clients can earn up to $10,000 for one social media deal.

Appearing on the Mumbrellacast podcast recently, the publicist said: “I’m getting people ringing up, wanting to spend money.

“I’m charging $5,000 for three posts and three [Instagram] Stories, or $10,000.”

There is also of course nightclub appearances, which are similarly lucrative.

Daily Mail Australia revealed after the Channel 9 show aired that Cyrell made $27,000 for nine days work in night club appearances around the country.

Oh. That’s… a lot.

That's... a lot. Image: Nine.

Influencer Fee is a social analytics website that estimates how much influencers and celebrities can charge for a post, based on their followers and engagement.

Here's their estimates for theMAFScontestants.

Considering prior to appearing onMAFSthey could charge.. $0 for a picture, it certainly was a profitable move.

Markson further shared that Jessika Power once received "12 million impressions" in a single week on Instagram.

"These are phenomenal numbers," he claimed.

"Might only be 12 months"

However, as Markson points out, the lucrative side of being a reality TV contestant often doesn't last long.

The publicist explained there is only a small window of time to leverage the fame.

"It might only be 12 months and then there will be another fresh set."

Some former stars have spoken how their appearance on reality TV has actually prevented them from getting jobs.

Apollo Jackson, who appeared on Sophie Monk's season ofThe Bachelorette,revealed in May this year that his 196,000 followers on Instagram has not translated into reliable income.

"The last few months have challenged me intensely,” Apollo wrote in an Instagram post.

"Work's dried up, I’d had just 2 paying gigs this year, my phone, subscriptions both entertainment and work cut off for the last few months, my stage show I worked my ass off for 6 months on only sold 11 tickets so I had to cancel it." [sic]

He admitted he has been "unable to afford a dentist [so] a nerve exposed broken tooth has made me unable to sleep most nights while I’ve worked my butt off developing new skills and chasing work, applying for jobs that I had no luck getting."

His struggle is not an isolated case: money woes can often hurt former reality stars, especially as many leave their ‘normal’ jobs to appear on television.

So it seems reality TV is lucrative in the short-term, but not so much in the long-term.

Want to know more? Listen to our The Quicky podcast to see what life is really like after reality TV.