Million Dollar Secret

I am hooked on THE TRAITORS and this is similar concept except a hell of a lot more money to win. $1,000,000.00 will make you lie, for sure. You can't blame the contestants. Some seem so sweet as they backstab again and again. Just don't be fooled by that sweet exterior - EVERYONE WANTS THAT MILLION!!!!!

The money keeps ending up in someone else's box - you don't know where it's gonna land, you just know you want to have it at the very end.

I'm not going to disclose who wins the $1,000,000.00 but it's not someone you would expect from the beginning of the show.

This show is worth watching. HOPE THERE IS A SECOND SEASON!!!!

Besides the amazing host I love the scenery and the nature where they filmed this show- in a stunning waterfront villa in Canada. At the start of the game, the players move into a stunning lakeside estate called The Stag. The private chateau sits on 44 beautifully kept acres in Kelowna, Canada.

Also I like the game itself; the millionaire must hide in plain sight and evade elimination to keep the money and win the game. Very tense, sometimes funny, sometimes surprising. And in order to keep the prize, the new millionaire needs to keep their identity secret for the duration of the game, and the other 11 contestants are tasked with figuring out the millionaire's identity.

I had so much fun watching, they all had funniest reactions and stress coping mechanisms.. when some cried their eyes out others would stuff their faces with spaghetti:)))

I'm not much of a reality tv fan, nor did I ever drink the kool-aid regarding "The Traitors". When it boils down to it, I'm sure there is overlap with many shows of these kinds. Simply put: abandon your preconceived notions and comparatives, and just enjoy the ride for now.

The show is quite grasping and I love the diversity of its cast (though I probably would've included a few more brown people just to hit the nail). The contestants are your typical, every day American folk, which makes them more relatable. As viewers, we essentially become hidden spectators, gaining access into the Machiavellian insights of our cast as they all vie for these funds. It's quite interesting observing how quickly these members switch allegiances as well. As everyone competes for the one-million dollar prize, hoarded in a box by some unfortunate contestant, the show really encapsulates the greed, covetousness and incipient corruption that gradually consumes the guests one by one. They can trust no one. And we, as viewers, can't seem to trust them, either.

Firstly, to address my main gripe with Million Dollar Secret, I personally think a million dollars is an obscene amount of money to offer as a prize for winning a gameshow that lasts only 8 episodes. If it was just $100K it wouldn't make any difference to the watchability of it and that's still a life-changing sum of money. The issue with stupendous prize money is that you really want someone deserving and likeable to win it, but reality show contestants are very often the opposite, especially after they've been forced to lie and deceive in acts of sheer selfishness in order to win. It hardly endears them to the viewer.

Anyway, with that out of the way I do like the concept. 12 players have a box, but only one contains the cash. At the end of each episode there is a Traitors-esque banishment in which the players try to eliminate the current 'millionaire' in order to randomly shift the cash to another persons box (preferably their own!).

Along the way there are games and challenges with a chance of rewards and secrets for those who win, to help them either follow the money or hang on to it.

On the whole I'm enjoying it, it's entertaining and it fills a gap until the next season of The Traitors!

6 episodes in, I'm giving this show a generous 9 stars because it delivers where it matters most: entertainment. It's a fun watch, and I've genuinely enjoyed it.

That said, there are a couple of issues with the game itself.

This is one of those reality shows where the producers seem to have immense power to tip the scales however they like-handing out advantages or disadvantages to players as they see fit.

Want an early millionaire with heat on them to stay in the game? Give them an easy secret agenda with the reward of moving the money. Want a millionaire to go home? Give the winning team a hint that practically spells it out.

Of course, producer interference is par for the course in reality TV-but it's a bit next level here. There have already been a few questionable moments, one in particular that felt especially egregious.

Another flaw in the game design: there's no real incentive for identifying the millionaire early. If the group were 100% sure who it was from the start, they'd actually be better off not voting them out-because all that does is transfer the million to someone else (randomly, supposedly) and reset everyone back to square one. There should be some reward or bonus for correctly voting out the millionaire early-maybe $10K for each person who got it right.

All that aside, it's the kind of guilty pleasure I'm here for. I've enjoyed it a lot so far. Perfect for a lazy weekend binge.