Secret Millionaire
| The Secret Millionaire |
Title card from season 10 |
| Format |
Reality television |
| Created by |
RDF Media |
| Narrated by |
John Lester |
| Country of origin |
United Kingdom |
| No. of series |
6 in UK; 1 in US; 2 in AU, 1 in IE |
| No. of episodes |
21 in UK; 6 in US; 6 in AU, 3 in IE (List of episodes) |
| Production |
| Running time |
approx. 48 min. (per episode) |
| Broadcast |
| Original channel |
Channel 4 (U.K. version)
FOX/ABC(U.S. version) |
| Original run |
29 November 2006 (2006-11-29) – present |
The Secret Millionaire is a reality television show which originated in the UK, in which millionaires go incognito into impoverished communities and agree to give away tens of thousands of pounds (or tens of thousands of dollars in the U.S. version). Members of the community are told the cameras are present to film a documentary. The UK version is produced by production company RDF Media. It first aired in 2006 on the UK's Channel 4, with further seasons in subsequent years.
Format
For each program, a millionaire leaves his/her luxurious life behind, takes on a secret identity and lives undercover in a deprived area of the country for a week to ten days (in the U.S. Season, it's 6 days). Living on a limited budget with no modern conveniences they must forge their own way in the community – working and volunteering alongside the locals and finding individuals or projects whom they think deserve a cut of their fortune. On their final day, the millionaires come clean and reveal their true identity to the people they have chosen, surprising them with gifts of thousands of pounds or US dollars to improve their lives.
UK version
The first millionaire to appear in the series was 26 year-old Ben Way. A third series of the show began on Channel 4 on 5 August 2008. The first episode of Series 3 featured businessman James Benamor, who has been criticised in the media for investing in the sub-prime market, and sharp practice in his company the Richmond Group.[1]
Series 1
| Episode |
Original airdate |
Millionaire |
Location |
Donation |
| 1 |
29 November 2006 |
Ben Way |
Lower Clapton, Hackney, London |
£40,000 |
| 2 |
6 December 2006 |
John Elliott |
Kensington, Liverpool, Merseyside |
£10,000 + £7,500 + job offer |
| 3 |
13 December 2006 |
Charan Gill |
Thetford, Breckland, Norfolk |
£10,000 + £15,000 + £5,000 |
| 4 |
20 December 2006 |
Paul Williams |
Thorntree, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire |
£10,000 + £10,000 + £10,000 |
| 5 |
2 January 2007 |
Emma Harrison |
Becontree, Barking and Dagenham, London |
£30,000 + £5,000 + £15,000 |
Series 2
| Episode |
Original airdate |
Millionaire |
Location |
Donation |
| 1 |
7 November 2007 |
Gill Fielding |
Canning Town, Newham, London |
£219,000 + laptop |
| 2 |
14 November 2007 |
Chek Whyte |
Salford, City of Salford, Greater Manchester |
£50,000 + home improvement (central heating, new windows, etc.) |
| 3 |
28 November 2007 |
Terry George |
Penzance, Cornwall |
£30,000 + electric shaver |
| 4 |
5 December 2007 |
Mo Chaudry |
Harehills, Leeds, West Yorkshire |
£29,000 |
| 5 |
12 December 2007 |
David Pearl |
Cosham, Portsmouth, Hampshire |
£10,000 + £10,000 + £10,000 + £10,000 + £10,000 |
| 6 |
19 December 2007 |
Margaret Heffernan |
St Ann's, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire |
£30,000 |
Series 3
| Episode |
Original airdate |
Millionaire |
Location |
Donation |
| 1 |
5 August 2008 |
James Benamor |
Moss Side, Manchester, Greater Manchester |
£136,000 + job offer |
| 2 |
12 August 2008 |
Kavita Oberoi |
Ladywood, Birmingham, West Midlands |
£45,000 |
| 3 |
19 August 2008 |
Nick Leslau |
Possilpark, Glasgow, Scotland |
£341,000 |
| 4 |
26 August 2008 |
Carl Hopkins |
Easington, County Durham |
£35,000 |
| 5 |
2 September 2008 |
Daniel Smith |
Newington, Southwark, London |
£30,000 |
| 6 |
9 September 2008 |
Hilary Devey |
Falinge, Rochdale, Greater Manchester |
£136,000 |
| 7 |
16 September 2008 |
Gavin Wheeldon |
Rhyl, Denbighshire, Wales |
£43,700 + laptop |
| 8 |
23 September 2008 |
Caroline Marsh |
Toxteth, Liverpool, Merseyside |
£70,000 & £30,000 refurbishment to Greenhouse Project & £23,000 |
| Where are they now? |
25 December 2008 |
Most from series 3 |
Varied |
None |
Series 4
| Episode |
Original airdate |
Millionaire |
Location |
Donation |
| 1 |
22 March 2009 |
Kevin Morley |
Tottenham, Haringey, London |
£250,000 + trip to Disneyland |
| 2 |
29 March 2009 |
Gary Eastwood |
Blackpool, Lancashire |
£50,000 |
| 3 |
5 April 2009 |
Jennifer Cheyne |
Aberfan, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales |
£70,000 |
| 4 |
12 April 2009 |
Jonathan Hick |
Hendon, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear |
£5,000 + £20,000 + £15,000 |
| 5 |
19 April 2009 |
Rob Lloyd |
Shankill Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland |
£10,000 + £5,000 + £5,000 + £20,000 |
| 6 |
26 April 2009 |
Martin Stamp |
Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire |
£20,000 + £20,000 |
| 7 |
4 May 2009 |
Rob Calcraft |
Barrow Island, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria |
£10,000 + £3,000 + £7,000 + £20,000 |
| 8 |
10 May 2009 |
Roisin Isaacs |
Dundee, Tayside, Scotland |
£10,000 + £7,500 + £7,500 + £2,000 + £13,000 |
Series 5
| Episode |
Original airdate |
Millionaire |
Location |
Donation |
| 1 |
16 Sept 2009 |
Liz Jackson |
Honor Oak, Lewisham, London |
£8,000 + £5,000 + £20,000 |
| 2 |
23 Sept 2009 |
Kevin Green |
Barnstaple, North Devon, Devon |
£20,000 + £12,000 + £20,000 + £7,500 |
| 3 |
30 Sept 2009 |
Tony Banks |
Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside |
£30,000 + £20,000 + £20,000 |
| 4 |
7 Oct 2009 |
Dominic List |
Peckham, Southwark, London |
£30,000 + £10,000 + £10,000 + Home Relocation |
| 5 |
14 Oct 2009 |
Charlie Mullins |
Warrington, Cheshire |
£20,000 + £20,000 + £20,000 |
| 6 |
24 Dec 2009 |
John Griffin |
Scotswood, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear |
£75,000 + £50,000 + £20,000 |
Series 6
| Episode |
Original airdate |
Millionaire |
Location |
Donation |
| 1 |
1 March 2010 |
Dawn Gibbins |
|
£25,000 + £100,000 + £125,000 |
| 2 |
8 March 2010 |
Paul Ragan |
|
£5,000 + £10,000 + £50,000 |
| 3 |
15 March 2010 |
Jahan Abedi |
|
£20,000 + £15,000 + £4,000 + £1,000 |
| 4 |
22 March 2010 |
Fil Adams-Mercer |
|
£10,000 + £10,000 + £20,000 |
| 5 |
29 March 2010 |
David Jamilly |
|
£25,000 + £25,000 + £25,000 + unknown |
Series 7
| Episode |
Original airdate |
Millionaire |
Location |
Donation |
| 1 |
17 October 2010 |
Chris Brown |
Manchester |
|
| 2 |
24 October 2010 |
Richard North |
|
|
| 3 |
31 October 2010 |
Marcelle Speller |
|
|
| 4 |
7 November 2010 |
Mark Pearson |
Nottingham |
£40,000 + £3,000 + £59,000 |
| 5 |
14 November 2010 |
Bradley RebackSeán Gallagher |
|
|
| 6 |
18 November 2010 |
Gordon McAlpine |
|
|
| 7 |
25 November 2010 |
Tom Mairs |
|
|
Series 8
| Episode |
Original airdate |
Millionaire |
Location |
Donation |
| 1 |
26 April 2011 |
Sean Gallagher |
|
|
| 2 |
3 May 2011 |
Simrin Choudhrie |
|
|
| 3 |
10 May 2011 |
Piers Linney |
|
|
| 4 |
17 May 2011 |
Lyn Cecil |
|
|
| 5 |
24 May 2011 |
Sue Stone |
|
|
| 6 |
31 May 2011 |
Aria Taheri |
|
|
Series 9
| Episode |
Original airdate |
Millionaire |
Location |
Donation |
| 1 |
16 October 2011 |
Adee Phelan |
Brooklands, Jaywick, Essex |
|
| 2 |
23 October 2011 |
Ivan Massow |
Pilton, Edinburgh |
|
| 3 |
30 October 2011 |
Edward Douglas-Miller |
|
|
| 4 |
6 November 2011 |
Lee Stafford |
|
|
| 5 |
13 November 2011 |
Dr Chai Patel |
Sheffield |
£15000 + £20000 + £30000 + £10000 + Minibus |
| 6 |
20 November 2011 |
Mike Greene |
Peterborough[2] |
£20000 + £40000 |
| 7 |
27 November 2011 |
Charles Allen |
|
|
| 8 |
4 December 2011 |
Mike Holland |
Grimsby |
£15,000 + £5,000 + £5,000 + £20,000 + £5,000 |
US version
Episode list: List of Secret Millionaire (U.S. TV series) episodes.
An American version of the show premiered on 3 December 2008 on Fox.[3]
Like the British version, the Fox show features wealthy benefactors each week that go undercover in the most deprived neighborhoods of the United States. For one week, the millionaires mingle within the community and live on a very low-cost budget; this the very first time doing so for many of them. At the end of the show, the millionaires reveal their identities and proceed to donate a minimum of $100,000 (which they sometimes divide among the recipients).
Fox has aired six episodes of the hour-long series, including a two-hour premiere. The millionaires have included Internet Advertising tycoon Gurbaksh Chahal; Todd and Gwen Graves, of the restaurant chain Raising Cane's; Century Software founder Gregory Haerr; DUB Magazine founders Myles and Cynthia Kovacs; attorney, broker and sportswear entrepreneur Gregory Ruzicka, and his son Cole; and Baltimore, Maryland civic leader and Baltimore Ravens NFL cheerleader Molly Shattuck.[3]
Season one aired on FOX. Season two consists of six, hour-long, episodes broadcast on ABC.[4]
Season 1
| Episode |
Original airdate |
Millionaire |
Donation |
| Episode 1 |
3 December 2008 |
Gregory and Cole Ruzicka |
$125,000 + toys |
| Episode 2 |
3 December 2008 |
Gwen and Todd Graves |
$300,000 + grill + playground goods |
| Episode 3 |
10 December 2008 |
Cynthia and Myles Kovacs |
$150,000 + car |
| Episode 4 |
11 December 2008 |
Gurbaksh Chahal |
$90,000 on camera* |
| Episode 5 |
17 December 2008 |
Molly Shattuck and her mother |
$190,000 + toys |
| Episode 6 |
18 December 2008 |
Gregory Haerr and brother Paul |
$150,000 |
- Although the minimum required donation is $100,000, during the Episode 4 airing with millionaire Gurbaksh Chahal only $90,000 was shown (two $35,000 donations & two $10,000 donations). However, the total donations exceeded $100,000 and also included a birthday fund and computer lab. Chahal was the pilot episode for the US series.[5]
Season 2
| Episode |
Original airdate |
Millionaire |
Donation |
| Episode 1 |
6 March 2011[6] |
Dani Johnson[7] |
$100,000 |
| Episode 2 |
13 March 2011[8] |
Marc Paskin |
$110,000 |
| Episode 3 |
20 March 2011[9] |
James Malinchak |
$105,000+Tools |
| Episode 4 |
27 March 2011 |
John Ferber |
$100,000+200 sleeping bags+toys+computers+mural restoration |
| Episode 5 |
3 April 2011[10] |
Gary Heavin and Diane Heavin |
$410,000+1 pair of sunglasses |
| Episode 6 |
10 April 2011 |
Ali Brown |
$100,000 |
| Season |
Episodes |
Timeslot |
Original airing |
Rank |
Viewers
(in millions) |
| Season premiere |
Season finale |
TV season |
| 2 |
6 |
Sundays 8pm (2011) |
March 6, 2011 |
April 10, 2011 |
2010–2011 |
#33[11] |
11.16[11] |
Season 3
ABC announced a third season that will premiere midseason 2012.[12]
Australian version
The first season of the Australian series (listed in local TV guides as The Secret Millionaire Australia, to prevent confusion with the US version which had been broadcast earlier that year) aired in 2009 on the Nine Network. It consisted of five episodes, and was narrated by Russell Crowe; in a Herald Sun interview, Crowe discussed his work on the show and his personal approach to charity.[13] Millionaires featured in the series included Albert Bertini (of property development firm Trivest), Derek Leddie (founder of market research firm The Leading Edge), Peter Bond (managing director of Linc Energy), Naomi Simson (founder & CEO of Red Balloon), and Danny Wallis (founder of DWS Advanced Business Solutions).[14] A completed sixth episode was withdrawn from the broadcast schedule due to financial issues faced by the featured benefactor.[15] More than $750,000 was given away in grants to individuals and community groups.[16]
Season 2 first aired on Nine on Monday 23 August 2010,[17] also narrated by Russell Crowe. Millionaires featured in the second series include Carly Crutchfield (founder/CEO of CCorp), Karl Redenbach (founder of nSynergy), Sean Ashby (founder of aussieBum), Alf & Nadia Taylor (founders/directors of TNA Solutions), Christian Beck (founder/CEO of LEAP Legal Software), and Denis McFadden (founder/CEO of Just Cuts). Episode 1 benefactor, Sydney property developer Carly Crutchfield, was the focus of a Sydney Morning Herald article discussing the return of the series.[18] Episode 3 benefactor, Sean Ashby, was featured in an article in The Daily Telegraph regarding his involvement in the show.[19]
Season 1
| Episode |
Original airdate |
Millionaire |
| Episode 1 |
7 October 2009 |
Albert Bertini |
| Episode 2 |
14 October 2009 |
Peter Bond |
| Episode 3 |
21 October 2009 |
Derek Laddie |
| Episode 4 |
28 October 2009 |
Naomi Simson |
| Episode 5 |
5 November 2009 |
Danny Wallis |
| Episode 6 |
Unaired |
Leanne Wesche |
Season 2
| Episode |
Original airdate |
Millionaire |
Donation |
| Episode 1 |
23 August 2010 |
Carly Crutchfield |
$120,000 |
| Episode 2 |
30 August 2010 |
Karl Redenbach |
$106,000 + job offer |
| Episode 3 |
6 September 2010 |
Sean Ashby |
$195,000 |
| Episode 4 |
13 September 2010 |
Alf & Nadia Taylor |
$250,000 |
| Episode 5 |
20 September 2010 |
Christian Beck |
$107,000 + car |
| Episode 6 |
Unaired, via FixPlay |
Denis McFadden |
$110,000 |
Irish version
A 3 episode series was produced in 2011 by RTÉ and shown on RTÉ1 in September and October 2011.
| Episode |
Original airdate |
Millionaire |
Donation |
| Episode 1 |
19 September 2011 |
John Concannon |
€40,000 |
| Episode 2 |
26 September 2011 |
John Fitzpatrick |
€37,000 + singing lessons |
| Episode 3 |
3 October 2011 |
Nadim Sadek |
€40,000 |
Awards
The British version of Secret Millionaire won the Rose d'Or Award in 2007 for best reality series.[20]
- ^ "Millionaire accused of loan scam". BBC News. 23 October 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/7685783.stm. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
- ^ http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/local/secret_millionaire_returns_to_peterborough_to_save_adventure_playground_from_closure_1_3247168
- ^ a b Reality TV World: "Fox announces the identities of 'Secret Millionaires rich participants" by Christopher Rocchio, 5 November 2008
- ^ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i050aed23d9fdf6b3f28935326016bba5
- ^ Gurbaksh Chahal's blog, 15 December 2008
- ^ "MILLIONAIRE DANI JOHNSON LEAVES HER MANSION BEHIND TO LIVE ON WELFARE AMONG THE POOR IN KNOXVILLE, ON THE PREMIERE OF ABC'S "SECRET MILLIONAIRE"". ABC Media Net. http://www.abcmedianet.com/assets/pr/html/021411_17.html. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
- ^ Dani Johnson on Being a "Secret Millionaire": An in-depth interview, CBN.com.
- ^ "WEALTHY REAL ESTATE INVESTOR MARC PASKIN SHEDS HIS MILLIONAIRE IDENTITY AND POSSESSIONS TO LIVE ON WELFARE IN DETROIT, ONE OF AMERICA'S TOUGHEST CITIES, ON ABC'S "SECRET MILLIONAIRE"". ABC Media Net. http://www.abcmedianet.com/assets/pr/html/021811_19.html. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
- ^ "MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKING MOGUL JAMES MALINCHAK ABANDONS HIS LAVISH LIFESTYLE TO LIVE IN ONE OF AMERICA'S POOREST TOWNS, GARY INDIANA, ON ABC'S "SECRET MILLIONAIRE," SUNDAY, MARCH 20". ABC Media Net. http://www.abcmedianet.com/assets/pr/html/030111_05.html. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
- ^ "Curves Founders Gary and Diane Heavin Go Undercover on ABC's Secret Millionaire". Curves Newsroom. http://news.curves.com/executive+biographies/secret+millionaire+2011.htm. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
- ^ a b http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/06/01/2010-11-season-broadcast-primetime-show-viewership-averages/94407/
- ^ "ABC Primetime Schedule 2011|12". abc.go.com. http://cdn.media.abc.go.com/m/pdf/shows/new-shows/new_20112012_season.pdf. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ "Russell Crowe explains why he's happy to be involved in The Secret Millionaire". 2009. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/tv/russell-crowe-explains-why-hes-happy-to-be-involved-in-the-secret-millionaire/story-e6frf9ho-1225783876015. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
- ^ "Meet the Secret Millionaires". 2009. http://channelnine.ninemsn.com.au/slideshow_ajax.aspx?sectionid=74989§ionname=showthesecretmillionaire&subsectionid=156020&subsectionname=millionaires. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ "Business woman of year Leanne Wesche faces bankruptcy". 2009. http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/business-woman-of-year-leanne-wesche-faces-bankruptcy/story-e6frg13u-1225804953144. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ "Secret Millionaire Australia". channelnine.ninemsn.com.au. 2009. http://channelnine.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=852237. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
- ^ "The Secret Millionaire returns". 2010. http://channelnine.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx?blogentryid=687166&showcomments=true. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ Kalina, Paul (19 August 2010). "Millionaire cashes a big reality cheque". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/millionaire-cashes-a-big-reality-cheque-20100818-12enp.html. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ "Millionaire aussieBum owner Sean Ashby knows money's not everything". 2010. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/money/money-matters/millionaire-aussiebum-owner-sean-ashby-knows-moneys-not-everything/story-fn300aev-1225912811814. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
- ^ Rose d'Or Festival 2007 Winners
See also
- The Millionaire, a fictional 1955-1960 TV series about a millionaire who gives away money.
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