I Think Million Dollar Secret’s Sydnee Falkner Should've Won The Season (The Winner Was Hard To Beat)

The first season of Million Dollar Secret delivered on its promise for an edge-of-your-seat, thrilling game of strategy and deception, and while eventual winner Cara Kies played an incredible game towards the end, Sydnee Falkner was strong throughout and should have won, or at least made it to the bottom three. Sydnee was a presence throughout the season, probably due to her tall stature and good looks. She used those looks to manipulate the rest of the cast, but in the end, it wasn't enough to be the millionaire.

Sydnee was one of the smartest contestants. She played into people having preconceived notions about her since she looks like a model (and is one, not that she told the others that), and uses that to blindside them when she outsmarted them in challenges. Sydnee didn't play a perfect game (those agenda-driven trips on the last episode were painful to watch), but she never backed down and never gave up. I was sure Sydnee was going to make it to the end, so seeing her make it to fourth place wasn't satisfying.

Sydnee Hid Her Identity

Sydnee Said She Was A Bottle Service Girl

One of Sydnee's strongest strategies was hiding behind her appearance. She doesn't look like the type of person who could be a stone-cold killer at the game. Sydnee exploited this by telling the others she worked as a bottle service girl in Scottsdale, Arizona. This tracked for most of the other contestants, and they probably instantly put her in that box, not thinking she was laying the groundwork for success.

"Nobody expects me to win, but I can do this. At the end of the day, there's one winner and I play for keeps."

In reality, Sydnee works in hospitality but was raised in the oil fields of Alaska. She grew up hunting bears and working in the fields, eventually making her way to Arizona, where she began working in medical sales and in the fitness industry as a model and trainer. She developed a small following online, which eventually led her to Million Dollar Secret.

Sydnee Used Her Looks To Move Ahead

Sydnee Played Chris

Did Sydnee perhaps flirt with Chris a bit to get him to trust her? She absolutely did.

By episode 4, Sydnee was creating a bond with Chris Allen, another contestant. It's an advantage women have over men, so she was right to use it, saying, "I am single and not unattractive. It would be foolish not to use what you have as an advantage." If Chris couldn't see through it, that's not Sydnee's problem. As they cozied up in the pool, Chris joked, "Sometimes I feel like a contest winner, like the Ivy League nerd who scored a date with a supermodel."

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Chris is so taken with Sydnee the others start to worry he's under her spell and won't go against her. Sam even says Chris has been acting differently since he saw Sydnee in a bikini. Chris eventually says he voted for Sydnee to leave (he didn't), but Sydnee does seem hurt that he'd betray her. Until she betrayed him right back by making the case for him to be the millionaire, resulting in his elimination.

"I don't know what fairy tales Sydnee read growing up, but I must have missed the one where Prince Charming saves the princess from the burning tower, and then she gets out and stabs him in the back."

Sydnee's game-playing with Chris was a master class. She turned the tables on him, probably as "revenge" for his vote against her, and she successfully turned the group against him. Chris never saw it coming.

Sydnee Dominated The Challenges

Sydnee Couldn't Hide Her Physical Prowess

Million Dollar Secret’s Sydnee Falkner with a focused expression — Million Dollar Secret’s Sydnee Falkner

Sydnee's "bottle service girl" ruse was difficult to keep up with during the show's physical challenges. Sydnee dominated the challenges, consistently winding up on the winning team. She had a sports or physical labor background, which she eventually came clean about. The only challenge Sydnee lost was the last one, where her partner, Cara, threw the game to eliminate Sydnee. Sydnee was helpless at that point and couldn't save herself from elimination.

Sydnee played an incredible game. Upon leaving, Sydnee said she was proud of herself. She should be, as she got very far into the game, and without Cara coming up from behind, she probably would have won.

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

Source: Sydnee Falkner/Instagram