She led the scoreboard from the beginning of the season until the grand finale on Wednesday night so it may not have shocked many when she was crowned winner of season two of the Social House. Still, for Tonya ‘Ton Travels’ Williams, the moment left her gasping, mouth wide open, because, despite her dominance on the show, she didn’t expect to be named ‘ruler’ of The Social House.

“I was absolutely shocked, you can see it in the video,” she said about the moment she was declared winner. “I was gasping mostly just because I knew Ethan and I were tied for points at that time, so it was based on sponsors and what we did throughout the season. I am a little bit more unconventional than Ethan is so I didn’t know who the sponsors would be vibing with more in terms of their brand and brand image.”

“Plus Ethan put out equally as much effort as me so it definitely could have gone either way,” she told OBSERVER ONLINE.

A million dollars richer today, the influencer says she plans on using her victory cash to pay off some debt but, most importantly, invest in brand building.

“I’m going to pay my credit card off because I just came from Peru and I have a bit of debt there but I definitely want to invest it into Ton Travels. I want to travel more this year and show other brands and countries what I can do,” she said.

The financial perk is perhaps the most obvious thing the new millionaire is grateful for but Ton Travels revealed that she’s also walking away from the show rich in lessons. The latter, she said, were many, but one from executive producer Tara Playfair-Scott has been embedded in her thoughts. So much so, she intends to carry that message with her as she seeks to take Ton Travels global.

“I think the most valuable lesson I have learnt this season on The Social House was from Tara. She taught me to look at the bigger picture and not necessarily act on what I feel in the moment but on what my future goals are and what I want for myself. She said that in doing that, I won’t internalize other people’s opinion of me or internalize things I definitely have no control over,” she said, indicating that she will close the doors to The Social House not only having gained new followers but a newfound pride.

“I feel really proud of myself. I feel a bit more accepted in the industry and I’m just grateful to God for giving me this opportunity because I really did enjoy it from start to end and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.”

As for the show’s production team, Ton Travels said she hopes to see the Social House grow from strength to strength. She expressed that she was pleasantly surprised at the quality show local talent was able to produce, indicating that, for her, the Social House standards were just as high as any other international reality TV series.

“I thought the production for the Social House was absolutely incredible. This did not feel like a Jamaican television show, it felt international. I need the producers to go bigger because, WOW,” she said. “I’d like to see this as a Caribbean competition. Like influencers from different countries competing. I thought the show was impeccable. From the editing to the feel of it. It felt international but it was also Jamaican. Only Jamaicans could understand certain parts. There were little quirks and hints here and there that embraced our culture. It was so professionally well done, I’d give it 1,000 out of 10.”

Meanwhile, Playfair-Scott, the show’s executive producer, says she’s filled with a mix of emotions now that the second season of the show has ended. As her brainchild, The Social House undoubtedly holds a special place in her heart. With that said, the entrepreneur and businesswoman says she believes the production is proof that Jamaica can do reality TV and do it well.

“I feel like we delivered on our promise of quality entertainment for everyone, good Jamaican entertainment,” she told OBSERVER ONLINE. “I think we’ve shown that we’ve grown from season 1 to season 2. It was just our first time trying this in season one. It had not been done before and season two, I think we stepped up our game in our look and feel, our content, how it was delivered, what it felt like. The cast was also different and I think we did live up to my expectations but more importantly I think we lived up to the viewers’ expectations.”