Over the last few years, The Traitors has created a craving for a specific flavor of game show, one in which players deceive each other in hopes of a high-stakes reward; strategize in a stunning setting; and lean in to all things camp. And fortunately, just weeks after its Season 3 finale, Netflix has entered the chat with a formidable series of its own — and one of the streamer’s splashiest prizes yet.
Out March 26, Million Dollar Secret convenes 12 contestants — all everyday noncelebs — at The Stag, a lavish 44-acre estate nestled in the lakeside hills of British Columbia. Each of their bedrooms contains a box, one of which holds $1 million. The recipient has to keep it hush-hush, however, because in every episode, there’s a challenge, from an obstacle course to a riddle game with creepy-crawlies, that provides the chance to win clues about the millionaire’s identity.
If the millionaire is identified and voted out at dinner, the money moves to another contestant’s box and the hunt starts afresh.
To earn additional protection, such as extra votes at mealtime, the newly moneyed have the option to perform secret agendas while pretending to act natural. (In Traitors-speak, it’s like when Parvati Shallow had to murder Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu by making her drink out of a specific chalice without alerting suspicions — except here it happens every episode.)
For host Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy), these sneaky side quests are the “secret sauce” of Million Dollar Secret.
“We’re all kind of faking it, right?” he tells Bustle during a trip to The Stag. “All of us on the inside are not who we present to the world. We’ve all got this persona, [so] watching somebody deceive in real time, and to see that play out on the TV, to know what somebody is like on the inside, and to see them try and portray this outward version of themselves… It’s so delicious to watch.”
It’s also slightly terrifying. As part of my press visit, I was tapped the secret millionaire in a mock version of the game, and I was stressing. Tasks on the show include hugging your fellow contestants or sneaking specific song titles into conversation. Mine was to give each player a nickname and announce the monikers without anyone noticing the bit.
I knew there was no way I could power through the awkwardness to complete my agenda, so I didn’t, aiming to fly under the radar so my name wouldn’t come up at the voting table. (It worked! Wait, am I good at this?)
My two hours as a fake millionaire made me appreciate how hard the game really is, and reminded me why it’s so entertaining to watch on TV.
“Nothing is manufactured,” Serafinowicz says. “The cast is such an interesting bunch. I think everyone can relate to somebody in there.”
Yes, strategy and physicality both pay off in Million Dollar Secret challenges. But the heart of the show is the thrill of watching people put themselves out there with strangers — knowing they’re attempting nonchalance, often in vain. And, well, that’s very human.
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