"I wanted it at the end"—Million Dollar Secret star Phil gets upset after becoming a millionaire

Million Dollar Secret released its first three episodes on Netflix on March 26, 2025. The show introduced 12 contestants who aim to win the one million dollar cash prize by either secretly maintaining their identity as a millionaire by the end of the season or catching the potential millionaire if they weren't assigned to be one.

Lauren was assigned to become the first millionaire of the season. However, she soon felt a bit overwhelmed by the role. After surviving an elimination and winning her second secret agenda in episode 2, Lauren took the presented opportunity to drop out of the role and have it randomly assigned to one of her fellow castmates.

In episode 3, Phil was chosen as the next millionaire. However, he was visibly upset about the decision, as he had hoped to get this title at the end of the season when it would have been far more beneficial to him.

"Who did I do dirty in their afterlife for this to be given to me now? I wanted it at the end, the only time that it… that it really matters," Million Dollar Secret star Phil reacted in his confessional.

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Million Dollar Secret star Phil becomes the millionaire and shares his strategy

In Million Dollar Secret episode 2, after Se Young was voted out at the nightly dinner, host Peter Serafinowicz told the contestants that the millionaire was still sitting among them. He shared that earlier in this episode, the millionaire completed their secret agenda to win a very special reward.

Peter noted that the assigned person was concerned that the other cast mates might be onto them, so they chose to let the million dollars be reassigned to one of players' boxes randomly, tomorrow morning.

"They will not be able to receive it again this time, but they are making a bet that they will get the money back later in the game. We have a new millionaire in our midst as of tomorrow morning," he added.

As the contestants returned from the dinner, Lauren revealed her identity and decided to drop the role. She mentioned that she was overwhelmed by the position and was tired of "lying" to her castmate.

Hearing her frustration, many Million Dollar Secret contestants became hesitant about taking on the role of the next millionaire. However, the decision wasn’t up to them—it was assigned whether they wanted it or not.

The next morning, the contestants gathered for breakfast and the show crew began switching up their cases in their respective bedrooms. Some contestants felt relieved when they didn’t find money in their box, while others had hoped to become the new millionaire.

In the end, it was Phil who discovered the money in his box. He was upset to assume the millionaire position as he wished to get it at the end of the season

Peter later joined Phil to ask him how it felt to be this close to that many unmarked bills. He responded that it was "nerve-racking". While he admitted that it felt "cute" to look at the money, he ultimately shared that he would rather have it on the final day than now.

The Million Dollar Secret host then gave Phil his first secret agenda. If he managed to get three people to say "no" to the question, "Do you believe me?," he would cancel out three votes. However, he failed he would start with one vote against him at the elimination dinner.

When Peter asked Phil about his strategy for the game, he replied that his first step was to carefully choose whom to engage with while ensuring he didn’t raise any suspicions.

"The skill set of me being a professor and a therapist is to observe, to listen. So I'm going to be looking out for the opportunity for me to attempt that agenda. For me not to appear suspicious, I need to continue to behave how I've been," Phil added in his confessional.

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Million Dollar Secret episodes 1-3 are available on Netflix.