This cutthroat Netflix show is the closest we’ll get to The Traitors

It’s become exhausting trying to watch broadcasters scramble to find ‘the next Traitors’.

Seemingly countless shows have come and gone, attempting to cash in on the zeitgeist castle-set BBC show. 

But for me, Netflix has the only worthy rival and, strangely, I don’t know a single person who knows about it.

Million Dollar Secret is by far the most hidden gem on Netflix; its second season released this month to absolutely no fanfare whatsoever. It isn’t even in the streamer’s top 10.

The competition show launched last year, randomly – but brilliantly – hosted by British comedian and actor Peter Serafinowicz, which should be a huge draw in itself.

In it, 12 strangers check in to a Canadian chateau, when they get to their rooms every player has a box but only one of them has $1 million cash inside. 

The contestant who has been awarded the money must complete a secret mission to win themselves a ‘kill shot’ which will be fired if they get through the round without being exposed as the secret millionaire. 

But if they fail, they will be punished – usually with a number of nominations guaranteed to come their way at dinner when the team votes for who they believe has the cash.

Essentially, the premise is almost identical to ITV’s The Fortune Hotel which was cancelled after two seasons and, sadly, I’d bank on this following suit, through absolutely no fault of its own. 

Only in this, players must work individually instead of in teams of two; the isolation of keeping their secret causing them to unravel quicker than a Liz Truss government.

Being the millionaire is a poisoned chalice. Yes, you’ve gained a handsome sum. But the chances of you being able to hold onto that jackpot are almost impossible. 

That’s thanks to challenges like standing beside a chosen contestant for 45 minutes without raising any suspicion or sneakily attaching clothes pegs to three players without anyone noticing.

It’s much harder than it sounds and makes for extremely tense television.

Netflix’s back catalogue of competition TV is remarkably lacklustre (think the yawn-fest which is Age of Attraction) which might make sense given its more tried and tested model of bingeable drama.

But the streaming giant invests so little energy in this addictive genre, churning out suchboring and repetitive shows that I can hardly make it through the first episode. 

This is perhaps with the exception of Squid Game: The Challenge – but even that hardly racks up the numbers for them.

The streamer is sitting on a gold mine in Million Dollar Secret and it’s burying it beneath dross like At Home With The Furys and forgotten BBC dramas from a decade ago.

Instead, it should be championing by far the most compelling reality series it’s ever had.

I was a huge fan of series one. If anyone asked me what they should be watching, without hesitation I would gasp: ‘Million Dollar Secret’. 

I have been counting down the days for a second season like I imagine football fans look forward to the World Cup.

Only there is no way that anyone invested could miss that festival of football, but I had absolutely no idea this sleeper hit had returned for a second season until it popped up on my Netflix.

Bear in mind, it is quite literally my job to follow television.

On Friday night, ITV launched The Neighbourhood. An ambitious new reality TV show and the latest in an endless line of contenders to rival The Traitors and it’s fine, if a little uninspiring. 

Claudia Winkleman may not have been able to dethrone Graham Norton as the nation’s favourite chat show host but she doesn’t need to fear him coming for her reality TV crown.

In just three episodes, ratings for The Neighbourhood have plummeted and could well be bumped off its primetime Friday night slot in favour of a rerun of Dinner Dates. 

Channel 4’s The Hunt was a similar disappointment in terms of viewership last month; while there has been an endless stream of Traitors inspired competition TV coming thick and fast – absolutely none of them managing to prove successful. 

I hope The Neighbourhood, with the pull of Graham Norton and a huge budget, will mark the end of channels churning out forgettable copycats.

But the biggest tragedy in this post-Traitors era is that the one worthy contender to be a genuine rival is unfortunately home to a streaming giant that appears to have absolutely no interest in making it the success it deserves to be.

The Traitors works because it is entirely built on betrayal; that’s the one defining character that doesn’t stop for a second and it breaks absolutely everyone without fail. 

Million Dollar Secret is the only time I’ve seen another show truly capture the essence of what makes The Traitors great.

However, given Netflix’s cut-throat attitude to all of its content, there’s no way it will be back for a third series.

And, to me, it will be a great loss, especially while we wait for the our next trip to the Highlands for the Traitors.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. 

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