"No one knew" Million Dollar Secret winner Cara quits previous job at In N Out 

In a surprising turn of events, Cara Kies, the winner of Netflix's hit reality show, Million Dollar Secret, revealed she returned to her job flipping burgers after filming wrapped—with her coworkers completely unaware of her newfound fortune.

"I just quit. But yes, I came back from the show, still flipping burgers, no one knew," she admitted in a recent interview on The Viall Files podcast.

She elaborated:

"No one knew I left, it was really funny. I was there the day the trailer came out and so everybody was watching it and then walking in like 'Umm, Cara, did you forget to tell us something or what..' Yeah so, it was really fun."

The premise of Million Dollar Secret revolves around contestants competing in challenges while one participant secretly holds the million-dollar prize. The goal? Make it to the finale without being identified as the millionaire. For Cara, maintaining this secret extended well beyond the show's filming, as she continued living her normal life for months without revealing her windfall to anyone.

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Cara’s masterful deception leads to Million Dollar Secret victory

The seventh episode of the eight-part Million Dollar Secret, which debuted on Netflix in March 2025, over a year after filming at The Stag in Canada, featured Kies, 29, as the secret millionaire. By going back to her regular job at In-N-Out Burger, the Southern California native was able to conceal her life-altering victory until the show aired.

Cara's path to victory on Million Dollar Secret showcased her remarkable talent for strategic thinking and deception. After becoming a secret millionaire, she demonstrated extraordinary cunning by fabricating details about her personal life to throw off suspicions.

In a pivotal moment, she falsely claimed to have only one sister, despite actually having two. This calculated lie successfully diverted fellow contestant Sam's attention away from her. Cara also strategically ensured her partner Sydnee's elimination by deliberately throwing a challenge.

The final showdown saw Cara brilliantly manipulate her remaining competitors, Sam and Corey, by turning them against each other. This clever maneuvering cleared her path to victory, revealing her as the mastermind who had controlled the game from behind the scenes.

What makes Cara's story particularly fascinating is her decision to return to her fast-food job after winning a million dollars. For nearly a year between filming and the show's release, she continued working at In-N-Out as if nothing had changed.

Speaking to Netflix's Tudum about this unusual choice, Cara explained:

"I went back to flipping burgers. No one even knew I was gone. When the show came out, [my co-workers] were like, 'When did you go? We didn't know you even left for a month.' It's just been crazy having this huge secret that no one knows."

She added with amusement:

"I'm so grateful. I'm just this average burger-flipping girl with this huge secret. People are like, 'So did you win?' I'm like, 'If I won, I wouldn't be able to keep it a secret.' Oh, my gosh, I'm still lying outside the house."

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What does Cara plan to do with her earnings?

For Cara, who is married to her high-school sweetheart, Andreas Kies, the million-dollar prize from winning Million Dollar Secret represents more than just personal wealth. She has stated that she intends to utilize her money to help her family, who have been through a lot.

Cara revealed to host Peter Serafinowicz at the heartbreaking finale that the money would be "life-changing," adding that she has never had an easy life. Her father's illness plagued her early years, and tragedy struck when her brother was killed when he was only 14 years old.

"I plan on foremost, just helping my family," she told Today.

Explaining, she added:

"We've experienced back-to-back losses on so many things and never anything good. Just helping them, my husband, and just making sure we're all good—that's all I could ask for."

The support of her loved ones played a crucial role in her success on the show. Now they are celebrating her achievement, with Cara sharing:

"They are so happy for me, they all know what a dream come true this is! My dad is getting text messages from his coworkers that would never watch Netflix and they're all just so proud."

Having finally revealed her secret and quit her burger-flipping days, Cara's journey from fast food worker to millionaire game show strategist on Million Dollar Secret stands as a remarkable testament to her intelligence, patience, and dedication to family.

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You can stream all eight episodes of Million Dollar Secret now on Netflix.