Cara Kies, an ICYI contestant on the 80’s hit reality competition series Million Dollar Secret, stole the show this week. She totally crushed it, taking home the grand prize of $1,000,000 in the final episode of that season! As a line cook at In-N-Out, Kies showed her natural intuition and wise gameplay. She was able to wade through the most challenging aspects of the rigorous competition to prevail.
Having grown up in California, Kies was raised to trust her intuition. She had one of those feelings, she said, an intuitive ability to read situations and people that she has counted on since childhood. This ability proved to be the most key factor of her success in the competition. She could feel the cash moving out of former contestant Sam Hubbard’s box and knew that it would soon be landing in her own box.
In a high-stakes final challenge, Kies made a million-dollar decision to change her life for ever. She had an inkling that one of the other contestants, Corey Niles, feared she was the mystery millionaire. This dynamic produced a double-edged sword situation where Kies had to weigh her every step with caution. Assuming Niles believed that Kies was aware of his suspicions, he would not view the contents of her box as a double bluff countermeasure. Rather, he would seek to understand her underlying intent.
In the end, Kies didn’t follow the rules — she chose to listen to her gut and went with what was inside Niles’ box instead. Vote this way, she felt in her social currency decision that because she was better, she ranked higher than another contestant, Sydnee Falkner. On the final day of competition, Kies made a strategic leap by purposely failing a dodge-the-laser test. Because this was the case, Falkner would be voted out of the game immediately, giving Kies an even greater shield moving forward.
As the series progressed, Kies expertly used her winning avatar long before she earned any actual winnings. She cultivated a mythos around herself, asserting that she had only one sibling. This cunning ruse did the job; it completely threw Hubbard off her scent. Although a bit of a risky move, this strategy choice paid off big time, as she put herself in the running to win the mega prize.
So when the time came for Kies to reveal what was inside her box, she was bursting with excitement. Disbelief and happiness intertwined in her and she fell to her knees. As tears streamed down her face, the reality hit her—her gamble had paid off in the most unexpected way.
“And when I had opened the [box and saw the] money, I knew someone was going to get a clue about me, and so I just said a prayer, and [I knew the question was going to be about] either my middle name being Lydia or my sisters,” – Cara Kies
The contestants’ arc during Million Dollar Secret was one of cutthroat individual competition and last-second strategic plotting. Kies’ talent for finding the perfect intersection between her personal skills and gameplay enabled her to float above almost every major conflict this season.
Aside from her absolutely insane gameplay, Kies treated us to a special culinary creation from her home kitchen and workplace at In-N-Out burger. “Well, I make my own burger, and it’s not on the menu at all, and I would hate for people to ask for this because it’s a pain in the butt to make,” she explained.
“But because I make it, I can do it. I have a double meat, and I have my top bun, a regular bun, and then the bottom is protein, so it’s a half and half burger, and it’s my favorite thing ever. You get the best of both worlds,” – Cara Kies
Kies’ win is a testament to her outstanding skills. It highlights just how important intuition and strategy can be in competitive environments. Her experience now stands as inspiration for potential hopefuls on other reality competition shows.