[2][1] Her father owned a local Reno construction[3] company called "Wells Cargo" (not to be confused with the trailer manufacturer).

[4][5] In Hollywood, Wells made her debut on The Roaring 20's and the movie The New Interns and was cast in episodes of such television series as The Joey Bishop Show, 77 Sunset Strip with Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Cheyenne with Clint Walker, Maverick with Jack Kelly, and Bonanza with Lorne Greene and Dan Blocker.

with Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Vega$ with Robert Urich, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island with Ricardo Montalbán, Matt Houston with Lee Horsley, Growing Pains, Herman's Head with William Ragsdale, Three Sisters with Vicki Lewis, Pastor Greg with Greg Robbins, and Roseanne with Roseanne Barr.

[8] In 1993, Wells published Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook with co-writers Ken Beck and Jim Clark, including a foreword by Bob Denver.

Alan Hale Jr., who played The Skipper on Gilligan's Island, contributed a family recipe (Kansas Chicken and Dumplings) to her cookbook.

"[9] In 1997, Wells starred as her Gilligan's Island character in a music video for the song "Mary Ann" by the pop-punk band Squirtgun.

The song describes an infatuation with Mary Ann and sings praises to the wholesome character, specifically choosing her over Ginger.

[12] A recurring theme, in the form of a rivalry, developed from the show that posed the question, mainly to men, as to which one of the young female stars they preferred: Ginger or Mary Ann?

During a 2014 interview with the Vancouver Sun, Wells said that she had a t-shirt that read: "Ginger or Mary Ann, the ultimate dilemma."

Her other films include The Town That Dreaded Sundown, Return to Boggy Creek, Lover's Knot, Soulmates, Forever for Now, and Super Sucker.

In November 2009, she appeared at the Denver Foundation's Christmas Wish Celebrity Auction, helping to raise funds for the disabled and disadvantaged in West Virginia.