‘Million Dollar Secret’ season 1 finale review: Gut intuition seals a satisfying victory

A new millionaire has been crowned on Netflix’s cutthroat reality TV competition, Million Dollar Secret. And no, we don’t mean another in-game Millionaire who’s trying to keep their identity a secret. We mean the real one – the winner who walked away with the big prize. We’ve been curious since the series premiere about how Million Dollar Secret would claim its winner … and how the show’s structure would progress with twists and strategy. The remaining rounds didn’t disappoint, pushing these players to cut one another to get to the end. Even with several glowing high points, some stumbles need to be fixed for a future second season.

A Millionaire’s lesson to learn

By the final batch of episodes, the players of Million Dollar Secret learned some big lessons through big mistakes. For instance, what not to do when you become the Millionaire. Sam did a great job of not revealing that the money had been stolen from her due to Corey’s successful agenda. Lauren was a prime example that it didn’t matter if being the Millionaire was tough; it was still lying and a power over the group. Sydnee’s fake clue wouldn’t have protected Sam because everyone suspected that the money had been moved to a different person. Players, like Kyle, only needed a reason to justify booting Sam from the game. If she had come clean, it could’ve tipped some people on the fence to get her out. Sam needed to keep the lie going, which she rightfully did.

The decision to play or not play Millionaire agendas was another good learning lesson. Luckily, Sam and Cara hid back into the group with their agendas. However, Phil’s blunder during “The Kill Shot” proved that Million Dollar Secret isn’t shy about throwing their Millionaires under the bus. These agendas are a “high risk, high reward” game, so it’s the player’s fault if they complete them. Phil got everyone to scream, so he got caught. Cara switched seats with everyone and hid, so she was rewarded. Now, future Millionaires will be prepared to take the risk or not.

Bag of tricks

Speaking of the agendas, the twists that unfolded due to the tasks pleasantly spiced up the game. The kill shot is by far the best twist from Million Dollar Secret. In both of its uses (Sam knocking out Lydia and Cara taking out Kyle), the move kept players on their toes. No one suspected either individual to get the chop, let alone the Millionaire getting the sole vote. The kill shot is a great way for the Millionaire to take power into their hands and eliminate a threat. Lydia and Kyle were major threats that had no chance of being voted out. Don’t get me wrong, it’s sad to lose great strategic players, but this power opened up the game for different strategies to arise.

And similar to the kill shot, the secret immunity twist should return for another season. What would have happened if Cara used her kill shot on Syndee (who had been immune)? Would the kill shot not have worked? What would’ve happened if the group voted Syndee to be eliminated? Would the vote have eliminated the second-highest-voted player instead? This power can shake up the game.

Plus, safety is just as important as finding the clues about the secret Millionaire. Just look at how hidden immunity idols have changed the game for Survivor! Immunity has a way of shifting strategies and thinking outside of the box. If Million Dollar Secret reins this twist in, like only keeping this to 1-3 times a season, the effects could positively expand how competitors strategize.

To lie or not to lie

“The Tale of Two Sisters” introduced two elements that will cast doubt on clues for future players. Firstly, the concept of not receiving a clue / giving a fake clue. Until Sydnee heard she wasn’t getting a clue, every player in the trophy room received a clue and told the group the truth. Interestingly, not giving Sydnee the clue gave her more power than if she had received one. She had all the room to shift the game as needed: lie, target a clear player, or come clean to shape her honesty. I wish she used her clue to further her strategy; it was too safe and only cleared one person (e.g., Sam). If she had taken a beat to reframe her targets, she could’ve shifted the target onto someone she wanted out. It’s a missed lesson that will help someone in the future not to repeat.

The second new strategy came from Cara’s lie. Did anyone else love how she quickly picked up on Sam’s fishing? Her one lie and intuition became the driving force that helped win her the game. A problem with Million Dollar Secret Season 1 was how honest and self-incriminating these contestants were. Why would Corey reveal to everyone that he has two half-sisters?! The group was already targeting Jaimi for having two sisters based on Sam’s clue; this only incriminated him too. It was refreshing for Cara to pick up on the clue and stick to her lie.

Since she won because of this, it will be a lesson for future players to not trust everyone. No one doubted Cara when she claimed to have one sister; they were too fixated on Jaimi and Corey for coming clean. These little slip-ups have knocked out players like Chris, Jaimi, and Sydnee; they create blinders for everyone to take the easy vote. It’ll be interesting to see if future players lie more about themselves, like how people lie often about their profiles on The Circle.

A challenging game to play

On the other hand, Million Dollar Secret needs to fix its challenges. Was there only enough budget for a few mini-games? The season felt imbalanced because the range of challenges was inconsistent round-to-round. For example, we went from a laser room crawl on “The Tale of Two Sisters” to putting a thread through five needles on “Get Rich or Lie Trying”.

Yes, you read that right: a thread through needles! The final challenge of the season was placing a thread through five needles. I can’t even make that up. The challenge that determines how players make a million-dollar decision came down to items you can pick up at a dollar store. People question the importance of the challenges on The Traitors, but at least those games are challenging enough for the competitors to earn their group pot. In the case of Million Dollar Secret, the weekly prizes give clues or potential power advantages. It’s a different type of prize, but it’s valuable nonetheless. If Million Dollar Secret gets a second season, the challenges need a serious overhaul.

The victory within the box

But for the final endgame decision, it’s perfect. A room where players can strategically decide whether they switch or keep their box creates a lot of possibilities. Granted, it’s a tad similar to the finale of The Anonymous. However, unlike them trading face-to-face, Million Dollar Secret presents the option confidentially. For a player, you’ll never know if someone switched or kept their box until after all decisions have been made. This format opens up the game so that anyone could win; one bad gut move and the money slips through your fingers.

Cara did a great job of reading Corey and preventing his ploy. If Corey hadn’t switched his box with Cara’s, he would’ve walked away with the money. Instead, Cara relied on her intuition to deduce that Corey would use his move to take her box. Cara was an underestimated player in the game; she stayed quiet, so once she became the Millionaire, no one suspected her of being quiet again. And by watching her friends, like Corey and Sam, she could sense where they leaned for big decisions. Sure, she could’ve lost the game had she switched with Sam or kept her box, but games are won by luck and intuition. Cara was a worthy winner for Million Dollar Secret Season 1.

Overall

The Season 1 finale of Netflix’s Million Dollar Secret created a satisfying end for a fun new game. Accusations flew, strategies were formed, and lies were told in the hopes of winning the million dollars. While the challenges were inconsistent from round to round (even right to the end), the players made up for it with their secret agendas. And the tension in the final round landed home for a reveal that kept us on our toes.

Million Dollar Secret Season 1 is available to stream on Netflix.