EXCLUSIVE'Million Dollar Secret' Star Sydnee Falkner Reveals She Was Initially Cast for 'Temptation Island' as a 'Hussy': 'Not My Thing'
Sydnee Falkner was eliminated during Episode 8 of 'Million Dollar Secret.'
Sydnee Falkner was almost selected for Temptation Island, but Million Dollar Secret was much more her speed.
The Netflix star spills the tea during her exclusive chat with OK! after making her reality television debut on Season 1 of Million Dollar Secret back in March.
In her interview, Falkner discusses her casting process while squashing a "mean girl" narrative that was portrayed around her during the show before she was eliminated during Episode 8 of the series — which features 12 contestants competing to figure out who out of the dozen participants is secretly a millionaire.
Sydnee Falkner Dishes on 'Million Dollar Secret'
The reality star explains her casting process to OK!.
The millionaire is selected upon arrival at their hotel room, though the cash prize is transferred to someone else if that individual is eliminated.
When asked how the opportunity to be flown out to The Stag — a 44-acre property in Okanagan Lake in Canada — to film the season, Falkner points out how she was never really a "reality girly" despite being cast for the show.
"I grew up in a small town in Alaska [where] we didn't have satellite or cable until I was a sophomore or junior in high school, so TV has never really been my thing," she admits, confessing: "I do not own a TV in my house. I had to borrow my brother's Netflix subscription on my laptop in order to watch the episodes as they dropped."
Sydnee Falkner Is 'Not a TV Person'
Sydnee Falkner was initially pursued for 'Temptation Island.'
In 2019, when she was notably "still not a TV person," the medical sales specialist and fitness model was in Los Angeles "on a work trip" when a "casting agent reached out to her" about a show.
"'We think you'd be great on it,'" she remembered the person telling her, noting, "and it was for Temptation Island."
"I had no idea what that was," she mentions. "And they said, 'Here's the casting process. We'll go through interviews.' So I started interviewing. I met the most amazing casting team."
Sydnee Falkner Turned Down 'Temptation Island'
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Sydnee Falkner didn't watch much TV before her reality show debut.
As she "learned more about the show," however, Falkner says she "realized I was gonna be cast as a hussy."
"Which was not my thing, maybe not the right show for me," she reflects, emphasizing how she remained connected to the casting agents — who were "super phenomenal."
After declining Temptation Island, Falkner says casting agents continued to reach out about other shows — including The Mole and another dating series.
Sydnee Falkner Discovered 'Million Dollar Secret' Castings Via Instagram
It wasn't until the blonde beauty saw one of the agents advertising Million Dollar Secret on Instagram that the right opportunity finally came to light.
"I messaged him. I was like, 'Hey, can I get more details?' And he goes, 'You would be perfect for this. Fill out the online application,'" she shares, adding how filling out the form is a "nonnegotiable" even if you are recruited for the show.
After sitting through "multiple" interviews, Falkner received the final call that she was "going to Kelowna" — the city in which the lakeside luxury estate is located.
Netflix's 'Mean Girl' Shuts Down Hate
Sydnee Falkner was branded a 'mean girl' by viewers.
Once the show hit Netflix, Falkner quite literally faced a whole new reality as critics branded her a "mean girl," though she has since squashed those claims.
"Watching it back now, we are filming tens of thousands of hours that they are editing down into 45-minute sessions and we're kind of redefining the word villain or me 'mean girl,'" she states, admitting "Episode 3" is where "a lot of fans came in" and started hating on her.
"Me telling another woman that she is a strong player, that she is a competitor, that she is a threat to the house and she is dangerous, is me being a mean girl? I mean, I see that as uplifting," Falkner declares.
She explains: "I do believe that strength is really intimidating and that's something, quite honestly, I've come across my whole life."
"Now, yes, I did play into the persona of being a Scottsdale bottle girl, very superficial," Falkner acknowledges of her fake disguise in the competition. "However, my statement stands."
