Netflix's Million Dollar Secret Is Exactly The Show I Was Looking For (It's The Traitors & The Trust Combined, With A Twist)

Netflix's Million Dollar Secretis a brand-new concept, and with the combination of the streamer's The Trust and The Traitors, it's exactly the show I was desperately, unknowingly looking for. Million Dollar Secret's premise is simple: one contestant is given a million dollars in cash, and the others have to sniff out who's holding the prize money. As the contestants move through challenges and confusion, they're tasked with trying to suss out complete strangers with very little information to go off of. While the show does have some kinks to work through, its first three episodes are a solid bet.

Throughout the first episodes of Million Dollar Secret season 1, I found myself enamored with the idyllic scenery of the show, the bright luxurious colors of the beautiful lakefront property, and the intensity of the contestants as they moved through their first challenges and eliminations. While I enjoy The Traitors for its deception and reality TV star cast, Million Dollar Secret brings civilians into the mix in the same way as The Trust and tasks them with something seemingly simple. Investigating one another, even as strangers, should be an easy task for the cast, but it becomes endlessly, enthrallingly complicated.

Million Dollar Secret gives its contestants an incredible gift in that they can come into the show being whoever they want.

Million Dollar Secret Is Filling The Traitors Void For Me

It's A Fun, Campy Concept

side by side image of five cast members from Million Dollar Secret Season 1

As an avid fan of The Traitors in both its US and UK iterations, it's been a tough month for me in the wake of both shows coming to a close. While I was fascinated by the new seasons of each series, I was struggling to find something that would fill the void in an entertaining way, especially after nearly every network and streaming platform has tried to capitalize on the show's success. I love reality TV competition, and further, love shows that have a compelling cast and interesting twists.

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A lot of reality TV competition shows that aren't primarily physical often fall back on similar twists, and when something works for one show, others try to use it to capitalize. With that being said, I was excited to see Million Dollar Secret show up as an upcoming show for Netflix, because it seemed like it had a unique point of view. After The Traitors season 3, I was surprised to find something else so intriguing me in the same way so quickly, especially when it doesn't have the overt convention of a murderous roleplay game at its core.

Million Dollar Secret Has The Right Levels Of Luxury & Deception

It's Beautiful & Fun To Watch

Although Million Dollar Secret has echoes of The Traitors and The Trust, the twist I was most excited about had less to do with the game itself and more to do with the level of deception at play.Million Dollar Secret gives its contestants an incredible gift in that they can come into the show being whoever they want to the rest of the cast. The Tratiors is full of reality personalities who know each other, and The Trust is reliant on the cast trusting each other, but Million Dollar Secret allows contestants to be genuinely deceptive to one another.

Deceiving one another, apparently, is a lot easier when the entire show's premise relies on sniffing out a mole. It's incredibly fun to watch a group of people try to figure out who's lying to them when they don't know one another at all - especially when the show itself is asking the cast members to lie, and lie well. On top of the deception, the series has a beautifully luxurious tone to it. With rich colors and lush scenery, I'm captivated by Million Dollar Secret.

Million Dollar Secret Is Exactly The Show I Was Hoping For

I Was Worried It Might Be A Flop

Although I was hopeful that there would be more episodes released per week, seeing Million Dollar Secret over the course of the next few weeks is something I'm looking forward to. As the second batch of episodes promises even more deceit and excitement, I feel fulfilled by the idea that I'm finally seeing exactly the type of show I was looking for in Million Dollar Secret. I'm hopeful that the rest of the series continues to be riveting and thought-provoking, and that Million Dollar Secret finds itself with a second season sooner rather than later.

Million Dollar Secret drops new episodes each Wednesday on Netflix.

Source: Netflix/Instagram