Secret Story (occasionally referred to as Secret Story: La casa de los secretos) is a Spanish reality competition television show based on the original French series Secret Story and part of the franchise of the same name.
Like the original French version, although Secret Story is not a direct adaptation of the Big Brother franchise's format, created by producer John de Mol in 1997, the show has a similar concept while including its own game mechanics, and is also produced and owned by Big Brother's production company Endemol Shine Group/Banijay. The housemates are cut off from the outside world for ten to fifteen weeks in a house called "house of secrets", where every room is fitted with cameras. They have to keep a secret while trying to discover the other housemates' one.[1]
Format
A group of contestants, selected from a previous casting for the competition, live together in a house designed for that purpose (which includes hidden rooms, secret doors, passages, the white room - from which they can watch their fellow contestants - or the clues room, while retaining other rooms characteristic of the original format, such as the confession room and common areas), where they are filmed by cameras and microphones 24 hours a day. The housemates are completely forbidden from any contact with the outside world, also cancelling television, radio, internet, music, books, or pencils, among other things of lesser importance. They can only receive psychological help if they wish to do so. The duration of the program is approximately 3 months.[2]
The participants have a secret to keep safe while trying to uncover their competitors' secrets through clues. Additionally, at the beginning of the season, a draw is held with 16 spheres, one of which contains 50,000 euros that will be awarded to one of the contestants - the one who proves to be the best investigator - without knowing it until the end of the competition. Thus, in relation to these two aspects, the contestant who believes they have guessed another's secret can activate the button of the cube (confession room) and present their allegations in the presence of "the voice," betting their sphere against the person whose secret they believe they know. At another time, both must face each other in private, where the accused has to justify themselves without revealing their secret. If, at the end of the ceremony, the accuser dares to confirm their hypothesis, they press the button again, but if they regret it because they think they have made a mistake, they do not press it, and there are no consequences. Then, if they are correct, they win the accused's sphere; otherwise, they lose theirs in favor of the latter. When a contestant is expelled without their secret being revealed, their sphere is put at stake through a test or left as an inheritance to the person of their choice.
"The voice" is an invisible character who can speak to the contestants at any time through the speakers and give them instructions. At the beginning of the game, this character imposes rules that the contestants must obey throughout the season if they do not want to be penalized. In addition, throughout the program, a phone appears from which "the voice" or the presenters themselves can offer privileges or counter-rewards to contestants who answer (immunity, direct nomination, etc.). "The voice" also has the ability to propose secret missions to one or more contestants, allowing them to obtain clues about their competitors' secrets.
Additionally, as an obligation, the contestants have different tasks to keep the house clean and must overcome weekly challenges proposed by the organization to earn money to buy food for the week. Each contestant receives a weekly budget to purchase food and other products, which will vary depending on their performance. The challenges are designed to test their teamwork skills.
Finally, each week, in a voting process, the contestants give the names of the housemates they want to see leave the house. Finally, those who obtain the highest score are nominated. After a week of waiting, the audience's decision is communicated, who have been voting to decide who should be expelled. At that moment, the chosen contestant must leave the house. An exclusive interview for the program then begins. The last person to remain in the house will be the winner of the 150,000 euros at stake.[3]
Season 1 (2021)
The first series premiered on 9 September 2021 and finished on 23 December 2021, running for 106 days. For the first time in the format's history, all housemates are celebrities. Throughout the game, all housemates have to keep a secret while trying to discover the other housemates' one.
A second series premiered on 13 January 2022,[4] and for the first time since Gran Hermano Revolution, Telecinco will do a series of the format with just civilian housemates.[5]
^Note 1 : On the first launch show the audience could choose to nominate a contestant (except Alvaro). They chose Carmen.
^Note 2 : Alvaro entered on day 4 with an egg representing immunity. If he could keep it until day 7, he will be immune on week 1. Laila & Nissy were able to stole it on day 5 and they were immune on week 1.
^Note 3 : On week 3 they had to make pairs for the nominations. Kenny ended up alone, not having the chance to nominate but had the power of saving one nominee and change it for another contestant. He did not use this power.
^Note 4 : In pairs, they had to decide a shape: circle (usual nominations), triangle (they could split 6 points the way they wanted) or square (ineligible to nominate).
^Note 5 : For the first time the nominations were made in such a way that one contestant chose another to be saved. The last 4 contestants would make up the list of nominees. Laila and Nissy won the egg so they started.
^Note 6 : The egg also brought with it the power of direct nomination, Alberto being the chosen one.
^Note 7 : Since Week 5, Laila and Nissy were separated from each other.
^Note 8 : Brenda and Nissy were nominated by the organisation after a week of high argues.
^Note 9 : For this nomination game, they had to make pairs, and one member would be saved and the other nominated, and if not, both of them nominated.
^Note 10 : For this nomination game, they had to make pairs, one teammate would nominate and the other, a member of his family would nominate instead of him.
^Note 11 : Contestants nominated with 1 and 2 points.
^Note 12 : After Sara's eviction, Adrián, Carlos, Cora, Marta and Rafa lasted as finalists. The 5th Finalist was proclaimed on Day 74.
^Note 13 : After Cora was proclaimed 5th Finalist, Adrián, Carlos, Marta and Rafa remained as finalists.
^Note 14 : After Carlos was proclaimed 4th Finalist, Adrián, Marta and Rafa remained as finalists.
^Note 15 : After Adrián was proclaimed 3rd Finalist, Marta and Rafa remained as finalists.
