Sydnee Falkner Is Making the Most of Her ‘Million Dollar’ Moment
Netflix binge-watchers may not yet know who’s keeping the million dollar secret, but Sydnee Falkner has already dished out the debut of the Million Dollar Matcha.
The streaming giant’s newest reality star teamed up with Scottsdale’s Simply Shroom to customize her signature matcha blend, Syd’s Million Dollar Matcha features a four-mushroom combination with sugar-free caramel, matcha, collagen, and, of course, gold sparkles on top of cold foam. It also includes 10 grams of plant protein, a key ingredient that she says matches her 24-7 fitness dedication.. “I’m more of a matcha protein drink person than a party shot drink person,” she says.
Falkner is more than just the cute blonde persona she portrays on Million Dollar Secret, a show where 12 strangers live together at a luxurious lakeside resort, each room containing a welcome box. All but one box are empty, while the last contains $1,000,000—money that the guest can keep as long as they keep their identity hidden.
When the cameras are off, the Alaska born, the 32-year-old is a yoga instructor who’s also competed in bodybuilding. Before she became a medical sales specialist, she paid for college by being an oil rigger in Alaska, which also helped her enhance her carpentry work. Oh, yeah, she’s also a successful bear hunter.
Her diverse set of skills is one of the reason the Scottsdale resident believes casting directors saw her as a perfect Netflix competitor for Million Dollar Secret. “They saw my outward appearance, then told them I was from Alaska, worked in the oil fields, and killed a grizzly bear, no competitor would assume that—especially when I show up wearing bubblegum pink and eight-inch heels!”
Viewers may perceive her tough edge demeanor as a bit of Old Town Arizona aloofness; however, when she’s not trying to keep her real identity a secret on the show, she brings that same serious tone with her to gym. After all, staying in shape has always been a primary goal. When she’s not placing 100% focus on her training and nutrition, Falkner, who also runs a personal training business will go the extra mile to lend a helping hand.
“In the gym, I look really mean, and I’ve had [people] say that,” she admits. “I’m there to work out, but I really love being able to guide other people, especially women. The last thing I want is for someone to get injured or turned off from working out. Working out is how you improve your quality of life and longevity.”
Sydnee Falkner Has Kept Her Fitness on the Right Track
In the series premiere episode, Falkner made navigating a difficult obstacle course challenge look effortless. You can attribute part of that to her background as a standout high school track athlete in Alaska. She finished fourth in the 1600m state championship in 2009. Falkner excelled in various events, from the 200m to the 3200m and won a triple jump state qualifier on her first attempt.
However, she faced a few medical issues along the way. She once fainted after an event due to what she eventually discovered was myocardial syncope, a condition related to a slow heart rate. She says she now has under control with medication and nutrition. “The doctor said I needed more salt that day,” she recalls. During volleyball, she experienced issues with her narrow shoulders, which she described as “popping out” during overhand serves.
Undergoing physical therapy for her shoulder injury shaped her decision to pursue a degree in kinesiology at Arizona State University. “I grew up learning about body mechanics, and it has always fascinated me,” she says. “We are machines, and we can either be well-run machines or poorly run machines.”
Currently, Falkner works as a medical sales specialist. But her interest in how the body moves has driven her involvement in women’s physique training. “I love working on my lower body and having strong glutes,” she explains. “I maybe should have gone into wellness, but I competed in bikini.”
Her competition days are on hold for the moment. But Falkner still maintains a bodybuilding-style workout regimen. For her training consists of three lower body days and two upper body days each week. Viewers can see Falkner’s lean and athletic frame. For her, the goal is now to develop a wider back. “Having bigger lats makes my waist look more narrow,” she notes.
Although not a fan of core training, Falkner realizes the importance of maintaining a strong midsection. It’s why she incorporates ab training several times a week, along with various breathing techniques. “People think you need to do all kinds of crazy ab workouts,” she says. “I don’t do much of that. I focus on planks, leg raises, vacuums, and a bit of oblique work, like Russian twists.”
Shooting for the Stars
One of the challenges in Million Dollar Secret involved skeet shooting, where Sydnee Falkner came up short. But was the miss legit or intentional diversion of the Alaska native’s true background. Viewers may never know the truth. Although she missed the mark on the show, back home in Alaska, Falkner successfully hit a Kodiak grizzly from 175 yards away during the state’s regulated hunting season for population control.
“It was kind of weird because I’d never shot anything before,” she says. “I just lined up where my dad and I had practiced and pulled the trigger without overthinking it. If it had been a couple of days earlier, I probably would have overthought it and missed.”
The meat from the bear is donated to the island’s indigenous people. Since that experience, Falkner makes it a priority to keep her diet with as much quality and locally sourced foods. Rarely will she indulge in fast food. Instead Falkner relies on Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods or Scottsdale farmers’ markets. Here she’ll hunt for nutrition staples like grass-fed steaks, corn-free and soy-free chicken, and eggs. “I try to do local as much as I can,” she says. “If there’s one thing I’m going to spend money on, it’s my food, so I’m fine spending it on high-quality proteins and high-quality produce.”
However, it’s sometimes hard to take take the Alaska out of her—especially when it involves her mother’s cooking. “My mom makes homemade moose stroganoff,” she says. “It’s something I could eat every single day for the rest of my life.”
While not quite as unique, Falkner keeps her morning meal easy yet unorthodox, combining eggs and rice for breakfast, “For whatever reason, I love eggs and rice with a little bit of sea salt and pepper,” she says. “It’s the perfect way to start my mornings.” While cooking at home is her preferred, she’ll use either a cast iron skillet for her main course, or get creative by bringing out the crock pot.
“Honestly, my favorite thing is the crock pot that my grandmother got me,” she says. “I didn’t think I was going to like it, and it sounds funny, I’ll throw my chicken in there. Recently flank steak has been my thing.”
The Future for Faulkner Is still a ‘Secret’
Sydnee Falkner can finally let her nails grow. The look goes well with the hot pink ensemble she wore upon entering the Million Dollar Secret estate. It wasn’t so long ago when the reality star’s nails were short and took on a color of dirt black—courtesy of her job working on an oil in Alaska. Her father helped land her the gig to help pay for college. The work was hard, but looking back, Falkner got a lot out of the experience.
“There were some days you just came out covered in dirt and filth, and you just had to be ready to do it again the next day.,” she says. “No problem. I have pictures where all you see is my eyes, because I’m smudged in either grease or dirt or whatever it is from getting in there.”
What’s a day on the oil rig like: Think of a hard conditioning session, lots of carries and farmers walk, only in real life, and for days straight. “My first hitch up there was three weeks, 12- to 14-hour days for 35 days straight,” she says. “You do not get weekends. You do not get days off.”
While she was one of few women in the field, her strength and skill were much needed.”I had to go in, mostly because I was small, and a lot of the other guys were too big and like, go in and get into tight spaces and crank things out, take things apart, haul them up.”
The experience not only helped her with school, but gave her solid construction skills that she applies to this day.
“I’m actually really good with a lot of construction stuff,” she says. “I helped with all of the remodeling for my house, and helped build all the new cabinets and put them in.”
With Million Dollar Secret’s success, a job in construction isn’t likely to happen anytime soon. But what is next for Falkner? If the opportunity arises, whether she walks away with a million dollars or not, Sydnee Falkner is already preparing for the next chapter.
“If it’s a physical competition or mental competition, put me in coach,” she says. “I’m 100% there. I think also it’d be a lot of fun to host one of these—that would be a great time. I’m excited to see what’s coming next for this.”
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