Who Is Cara Kies, the 'Million Dollar Secret' Winner?

Cara Kies sits at a dining table with a floral arrangement and wine glasses in the 'Million Dollar Secret' finale. — (Image credit: Courtesy of Netflix)

The final episodes of Million Dollar Secret arrived on Netflix on April 9, 2025, ending the inaugural season of the streamer's latest reality TV hit. The social competition pits 12 non-celeb cast members against each other in physical and mental challenges, as one contestant attempts to hide the fact that they had a box filled with one million dollars. After eight episodes of elimination votes, four box switches, and countless tears, episode 8 saw the prize money given to one of the four remaining contestants: 29-year-old Cara Kies.

Before the finale, the Southern California native and In-N-Out line cook had largely flown under the radar as a friendly face to the cast. However, once she became the millionaire, Cara quickly showed off her skill by lying about a clue that could identify her and throwing the penultimate laser challenge, which led to her teammate Sydnee Falkner's elimination.

Once Cara and her close friends Corey Niles and Samantha "Sam" Hubbard were the three finalists left standing, Cara decided to influence Corey to believe she was the millionaire, so he would steal her box while she was sent out of the trophy room. When she returned, not knowing whether he'd called her bluff, Cara traded the box in front of her with Corey...and became Million Dollar Secret's first-ever winner. Below, read on to learn more about Cara Kies and what was going through her head as she played the season-long game.

Cara Kies is married to her high-school sweetheart.

Cara grew up near L.A. and is still based in Southern California today, where she spends lots of bonding time with her close-knit family, as seen on her Instagram. She has been married to her husband, Andreas Kies, for seven years, and they share a fur baby named Banks. Over the years, Cara has shared several anniversary posts with her high school sweetheart.

"10 years ago today my sweet Andreas Kies broke the ultimate friend zone and took me on our first date!" Cara wrote in her 2023 anniversary tribute. "Ever since that day he has never failed to show me just how much he loves and cares about me. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world having him as my best friend. Cheers to 6 years of marriage and a lifetime to go! I love you so dang much."

A post shared by Cara Kies (@caralidia)

Cara is a certified "gamer" and reality TV fan.

Despite her friendly, unassuming demeanor in the first episodes of Million Dollar Secret, Cara described herself as a "gamer" who "grew up watching The Challenge, Big Brother, and Survivor," in an interview with Tudum. "I always dreamed about being on a show like this. I’ve studied these shows and always wondered, 'What would I do if I was there?'"

Some of Cara's strategy that didn't make it into early episodes included being sparse with the personal details of her life while getting to know every player on a deeper level. "You can’t be too loud, and you can’t be too quiet," she says of the show. As for her gameplay as the millionaire, Cara credited her natural instincts for getting her across the finish line.

"I’ve always had that intuition since I was a little girl. I think God blessed me with incredible discernment, and I’ve always used it to the best of my ability," she told the outlet. "I knew that was going to be my one plus in this game. I get nervous speaking to people unless I get to know you, so I knew that wasn’t going to be my strength. I stayed true to myself and trusted my intuition the whole time, every single move I made."

(L to R) Cara Kies, Lydia Blair and Samantha Hubbard, peeking into a small animal cage, in episode 103 of Million Dollar Secret. — From left: Cara, Lydia Blair, and Samanta peek into a cage during episode 3's critter challenge.

Cara went back to work at In-N-Out after filming 'Million Dollar Secret' and kept her prize money a secret.

After the finale hit streaming, Cara revealed what she has been up to since Million Dollar Secret was filmed in May 2024. Since she had to keep her win a secret until the show was aired, the 29-year-old went back to her service-industry job.

"I went back to flipping burgers," she told Tudum. "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. It’s such a weird feeling. 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."

As for what's next now that the show is out, Cara told Today, "I plan on, foremost, just helping my family. 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."

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Quinci LeGardye is a Culture Writer at Marie Claire. She currently lives in her hometown of Los Angeles after periods living in NYC and Albuquerque, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology from The University of New Mexico. In 2021, she joined Marie Claire as a contributor, becoming a full-time writer for the brand in 2024. She contributes day-to-day-content covering television, movies, books, and pop culture in general. She has also written features, profiles, recaps, personal essays, and cultural criticism for outlets including Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, HuffPost, Teen Vogue, Vulture, The A.V. Club, Catapult, and others. When she isn't writing or checking Twitter way too often, you can find her watching the latest K-drama, or giving a concert performance in her car.