Million Dollar Secret is an American reality game show streaming on Netflix, which premiered on March 26, 2025. Hosted by British comedian Peter Serafinowicz, the series features twelve contestants, one of whom is secretly awarded a $1,000,000 prize at the start of the game. The objective for this "millionaire" is to keep their identity hidden while the other contestants attempt to uncover who holds the prize. The show incorporates elements of strategy, deception, and social deduction, drawing comparisons to other reality series like The Traitors and The Mole.
Format
Twelve contestants reside together in a luxurious lakeside estate known as "The Stag," located at Château Okanagan in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. On the first day, each player opens a box — one contains $1,000,000. The contestant who finds it becomes the "Millionaire" and must conceal their identity for the duration of the game.
The remaining contestants, known as "Hunters," aim to determine who is secretly holding the prize money. At the end of each episode, players vote to “lock out” the person they most suspect. If the Millionaire is eliminated, the money is re-hidden in a new box and the game continues — a twist known as “The Transfer.”
Throughout the game, players participate in trust-based challenges, alliance-building exercises, and “Secret Agendas,” which are private missions that can influence power and suspicion in the house.
The show's format rewards emotional intelligence and psychological deception. Critics have compared it to other social-strategy reality shows such as The Traitors and The Mole, but with a reversal of incentives: instead of striving to win the money, one player already has it — and must keep it.
Contestants
The cast of Million Dollar Secret features twelve contestants from diverse professional and personal backgrounds, ranging in age from their 20s to their 60s. Each contestant brings a unique approach to the game, shaped by their real-world experiences — from law enforcement and education to hospitality and entrepreneurship. While only one player begins the game as the secret Millionaire, all contestants are tasked with navigating trust, deception, and psychological strategy to either protect or uncover the truth. Their interactions form the core of the series’ tension and drama.
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Season summary
Voting history
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Episodes
Production
Million Dollar Secret was filmed over several weeks in late 2024 at Château Okanagan, a sprawling waterfront estate in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The 44-acre property, referred to in the show as "The Stag," features luxury accommodations, a private dock, panoramic lake views, and multiple outdoor gathering spaces that served as key locations for challenges and vote ceremonies.
The series was produced by WHEELHOUSE Entertainment. The series was created by Glenn Hugill. The Executive Producer and showrunner was Charles Wachter. The production reportedly emphasized secrecy even during filming — with cast members unaware of who received the $1,000,000 prize until the first box-opening scene was filmed.
The show was shot using a combination of handheld cameras and drones to capture intimate moments and sweeping aerial shots, giving it both a documentary and cinematic feel. Editing focused on heightening suspense and preserving viewer ambiguity about who the Millionaire might be in each episode.
Reception
Million Dollar Secret received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who praised its psychological complexity and premise, while noting its similarities to other deception-based reality formats.
Stuart Heritage of The Guardian described it as “a shameless but entertaining rip-off of The Traitors," adding that “you won’t be able to get enough of it.” He complimented host Peter Serafinowicz’s “dry charm” and the show’s suspenseful editing.
On Netflix's official blog *Tudum*, the show was billed as “a psychological thriller disguised as a social experiment,” emphasizing the tension created by the hidden Millionaire twist and trust-based gameplay.
Audience response has been more enthusiastic. The show debuted in Netflix’s global top 10 for English-language TV during its premiere week and quickly became a talking point across social media platforms, where fans speculated about the Millionaire’s identity and strategy.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 64% critic score and a 71% audience rating, based on over 200 early reviews. Reviewers noted the show’s strengths in casting and production quality, though some criticized the voting mechanics as predictable.
Some comparisons were also drawn to The Mole and The Circle, though critics noted Million Dollar Secret distinguishes itself by making one contestant an instant millionaire — flipping the usual competitive arc into one of concealment and survival.
References
External links
- Million Dollar Secret on Netflix
- Million Dollar Secret at IMDb
