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Secret Millionaire

(Rated TV-PG, Reality TV, Starring Nadia Dajani, Where to watch: Fox)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 7, age appropriate for kids over 9; suggested age 9.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Reality show offers rich lessons about giving.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 9 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    The series focuses on giving, volunteerism, and helping those in need. It educates viewers about the different reasons that people fall below the poverty line and dispels myths about struggling communities and the people who live in them. The millionaires initially lie but come clean in the end (and it's all meant well). There's a focus on money, but the importance of volunteerism is also emphasized. The majority of the millionaires are male and Caucasian. The people they're helping are both male and female and from various racial/ethnic backgrounds.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    The low-income communities are touted as dangerous; while some include locations where gang violence and other rough activities happen, most of the places visited are less violent than the millionaires expect them to be. A few of the people they talk to have witnessed, been involved in, and/or have been convicted of violent activity. Occasionally police are shown making arrests, and occasionally gunshots and other violent sounds are heard.

  • Sex:

    Some of the inner-city neighborhoods may struggle with prostitution.

  • Language:

    Audible language includes words like "piss" and "damn." Stronger language is bleeped, and mouths are blurred.

  • Consumerism:

    At the beginning of each episode, the wealthy participants briefly talk about their net worth and the expensive items they own, including Aston Martin cars and other luxury items. Store names like IGA Supermarket are occasionally visible.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    The millionaires are sometimes shown drinking wine and champagne in the early part of each episode. Liquor stores and alcohol bottles are osccasionally visible in some of the featured communities.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Secret Millionaire

Parents need to know that this reality series -- which follows millionaires who move into impoverished neighborhoods and pretend to be poor in order to meet people and determine who's most deserving of monetary aid -- stresses the importance of volunteerism as well as cash donations. While there's some lying involved, the fibbers come clean at the end of the show, and it's all meant well. The show offers a lot of positive messages, but it also includes some potentially upsetting images (like cockroaches crawling all over kitchens) and many sad stories (one boy admits that he lived in a van for over a year). Language is fairly mild ("piss," "hell," etc.); expect some scenes of police arrests and conversations about gang violence, drugs, and shootings. Wine, champagne, and empty liquor bottles are sometimes visible.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the assumptions that are often made about the poor and/or homeless. Do you think the media's portrayal of low-income communities and the people who live in them impacts how those with money perceive them? On the other side of the coin, what preconceived notions do some people have about the wealthy? Families can also discuss the different ways they can help people in need. What can you do to help folks who find themselves in difficult financial situations, even if you don't have any money to give them?
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