Secret Millionaire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Secret Millionaire is a reality show in which millionaires agree to give away tens of thousand of pounds/dollars of their own money after spending time living in a community where no one knows that they are wealthy. It is produced by the independent production company RDF Media and created by Stephen Lambert. It first aired in 2006 on the UK's Channel 4. An American version has been ordered by Fox.
| Secret Millionaire | |
|---|---|
| Format | Reality Television |
| Created by | RDF Media |
| Country of origin |  United States  United Kingdom |
| No. of seasons | 1 in US; 3 in UK |
| No. of episodes | 6 in US; 25 in UK |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 48 minutes (per episode) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Fox |
| Original airing | January 2009 |
The British version was a hit, the most popular new primetime show on Channel 4 in 2006. A second season played in 2007 and it has been ordered for its third season. It won the prestigious Rose d'Or award in 2007 for best reality series. The first millionaire to appear in the series was 26 year-old Ben Way.
The US version is expected to launch during the 2008 Fall mid-season on Fox according to the network's upfront presentation in New York in May 2008. It will premiere on Thursdays at 9pm. [1]
Like the British version, the Fox show will feature wealthy benefactors each week that will go undercover in the most deprived neighborhoods. For about ten days, the millionaires will mingle within community and live on a very low-cost budget for the very first time. At the end of the show, the millionaire will reveal his real identity to the community and give a minimum of $100,000 of his own money to at least one deserving person.
Fox has ordered six episodes of the hour long series.
