Netflix has created yet another highly addictive reality TV show. This time it tests people’s abilities to deceive and manipulate. Yes, it’s similar to The Traitors, Whodunnit, and The Mole, but not quite just a copy of these series. It has its own quirks and eccentricities.
It’s a really fun show and easy to binge. Unlike some of Netflix’s more complicated series, it has a simple premise: a long game of hot potato, but you must figure out who is hiding the potato, and the potato is a million dollars.
The aim and goal is to avoid exposure through deception and misdirection. The one who succeeds at hiding their million-dollar secret wins. Like many freshman series, it has a lot to work through, and I have some suggestions.
Warning: Million Dollar Secret Season 1, Episodes 1-6 spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution.
Million Dollar Secret Should Make The Clues About The Millionaire Less Obvious
Million Dollar Secret has been performing well for Netflix, based on what's trending. It’s becoming a weekly must-watch. Therefore, a second season seems inevitable. That’s why I am hoping for some changes.
Every single clue to the identity of the millionaire has been super obvious, especially ones that reveal the Secret Agendas completed to win advantages. Everyone immediately knew Phil was the million dollar culprit when the clue about a famous scary movie was read. So many people have seen at least one of the Scream movies. It’s also pretty hard to hide a random scream session.
Phil was set up for failure the minute he got this agenda. The only complicated clue was the reveal about someone lying about their job. No one knew about Sam’s lie, so it made it easier for her to hide. Nevertheless, her being the only one without a career definitely cast some suspicion on her. Then, the next clue given to Corey made it obvious that someone works or used to work in law enforcement. Sam mentioning a cop friend doesn’t help hide her secret, either.
These clues paint an easy target on the millionaire. This makes it harder to hide in plain sight, even if the person is doing a good job of hiding the money. I want to see clues that are helpful but not so blatantly obvious.
The Secret Agendas To Win Advantages Should Be Harder To Detect
I think the Secret Agendas have overall been fine. They are little tasks that aren’t necessarily easy but doable. The advantages because of them have been also worth completing the tasks.
I enjoy and like the Secret Agendas. They could become a little more varied but overall work for their intended purposes. My issue with them is that they are too easy to detect. Randomly yelling or hugging everyone, or saying Justin Timberlake’s name repeatedly should immediately cause suspicion.
However, something minor like constantly moving silverware or having a task to drop something in someone’s suitcase, would require a bit more stealth and secret planning. These would be harder to pinpoint on someone because they're done more sneakily. Most of the Agendas in the first six episodes have been something that involves getting multiple people to participate. I understand this is to make the task even harder and create suspicion but it makes it nearly impossible for the millionaire to hide better.
The Secret Agendas could still involve multiple people or some form of public action but not making it so obvious. For example, maybe the person with the million dollars must tell a personal story at dinner (when it's likely to happen) but must use three words. This agenda would seem more natural and not cause so much trouble for the millionaire.
Additionally, making the clues relate to the Agendas seems unfair, unless the clues about the Agenda become harder. The current clues about the Secret Agenda just make it too easy to spot the millionaire.
The Millionaires Should Be More Incentivized To Hold Onto The Money At The Beginning
No one wants to receive the money early in the game because it doesn’t benefit them. Everyone will suspect them and they’re likely to lose the money or be eliminated. Holding the money at the start would only be interesting for viewers if there was a highly skilled player who could keep it from beginning to end. However, that seems nearly impossible with Million Dollar Secret’s current state. All the Secret Agendas would naturally out someone as the millionaire.
There needs to be some benefit or incentive to try to hold the money at the start, or something to encourage the contestants to make sure they vote out the right person. Maybe the secret millionaires will receive the option to remove money from the briefcase for every elimination they survive. Maybe every time they correctly eliminate a millionaire, more money is added to the prize pot.
Maybe the person who survives the first round of Million Dollar Secret wins an advantage or immunity. Netflix just needs to look at some other great reality TV shows or at some iconic moments to figure out some ideas to up the stakes on wanting to get the briefcase before the end.
There Should Be Ways To Lose Or Earn Money On Million Dollar Secret
As previously mentioned, I think one of the incentives to keep money early on should be the opportunity to steal some of the prize money. Another could be if they don’t correctly identify the millionaire during certain rounds, the prize money decreases.
I don’t want it to be like The Traitors or similar shows where the prize money depends on completing challenges. That has been done enough, but something to at least alter the prize fund in an interesting way.
I Want To See More Of The Personal Relationships Between Contestants
Several contestants talked about liking Phil or having a personal connection with him, but they had to vote him out. I wanted to see more of this personal bond before it was mentioned.
It’s clear some have become friends and trust each other, but we barely see any of these conversations and relationships. The main focus has been on Chris and Sydnee’s nomance-showmance. That ended up not really adding much to the story of Million Dollar Secret.
I want to see more of the relationships between the contestants so voting people out feels more personal or devastating. Lauren talked about hating to lie to these people but we didn’t really see her form deep connections to warrant this reaction.
There Should Be More Opportunities For Those Who Aren't The Millionaire To Lie Or Complete Agendas
I really liked when Corey received his own Secret Agenda. It wasn’t the most complicated one but it added a different level to the game play. There was worry it may cast suspicion on him, but he did it and did it naturally.
I want to see more people have their own Secret Agendas to maybe win advantages or additional clues. It could also cause some confusion on who actually holds the million. This game mechanic should be added to the game from the start.
We should see not only more agendas but more people deceiving to ensure that they end up with the money. Maybe those not holding the money must keep the secret millionaire hidden until they need to reveal it and get the money.
There Should Be Some Sort Of Bonus Prize For Keeping Your Millionaire Secret, Even When Not Currently Holding The Money
Lauren exposing herself as the millionaire after the money had moved was a great storyline for Million Dollar Secret but ultimately led to her demise. I like the idea of people exposing themselves as the millionaire after they move the money, but I don’t want it to happen often.
Therefore, I think people should still have the option to reveal if they were once the millionaire, but maybe midway into the season, a new twist could be added: If you can keep your millionaire secret all game, even if you no longer hold the million and make it to the end, you win a prize, even if you don’t correctly identify the millionaire. It should be something significantly smaller than the million, but making the secret worth keeping, like maybe a $50,000 prize. An amount high enough to make someone want to keep it but not life-changing enough for them to not try to win a million.
Million Dollar Secret is an excellent Netflix show but could be even better with a few changes.
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