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2|Cover story Wealthy people go undercover in 'Secret Millionaire' Worthy TV By Kyla Brewer TV Media ustom luxury cars, glare- inducing diamonds and sun-soaked summer homes might be nice, but wealthy people are sometimes as generous with others as they are with themselves.Most people who've imagined winning the lot- tery have envisioned helping a favourite charity or cause, but what about real-life philanthro- pists? C who's ever wondered how rich people decide who's deserving of a piece of their wealth. ABC has a show for anyone Self-made multimillionaire and author Steve Kaplan lets cameras tag along as he engages in a unique experience in "Secret Mil- ionaire,"airing Sunday, July 1,on ABC.He leaves behind his privi- eged,posh life to find out how the other half truly lives as he takes Chicago's famous L-train nto a poverty-stricken neighbor- hood to find a group or organiza- tion to donate to. FUN ON THE GO! follow @ErinFriday Entertainment news from north central Indiana and a bunch of other stuff you could probably live without. Not to be confused with the co- median of the same name, Kaplan owns several businesses and has written the best-selling book "Bag the Elephant:How to Win and Keep Big Customers,"among others. In "Secret Millionaire," he'll have a limited time to make his decision,and it won't be as simple as just walking into the community and throwing around his money. The catch is he'll be mas- querading as a man who's down on his luck himself. Required to subsist on the equivalent of wel- fare assistance,Kaplan spends a week in a community in Chicago's south side,an area rife with gang violence and poverty.There,he meets people who are struggling to make a difference with such projects as an after-school pro- gram to keep kids off the streets, a low-income senior citizens com- munity, and a charity that pro- vides everyday items to those in need. Kaplan intends to dole out thousands of dollars from his own bank account to those he deems worthy. wood,who joined the show at the beginning of this season,ABC's "Secret Millionaire" is actually based on a U.K. version that first aired on Channel 4 in 2006. Across the pond,the show is still going strong with 10 seasons un- der its belt.The first season of the U.S. version actually started on Fox but moved to ABC in Season 2. Helping people is nothing new to the the best-selling author. For years, he's been helping others achieve success, and, in fact, has been credited with making at least 100 others millionaires, in addition to inspiring countless others to follow their passions. Narrated by actor Blair Under- The American edition of the show follows the format of its predecessor quite closely.As in the U.K. series, the benefactors are required to hide their true identities from those in the com- munity. Locals are told the cam- eras are present simply to film a Hilary Decasare will be featured in next week's "Secret Millionaire" documentary.At the end of the week,the wealthy participants re- veal who they really are and make sizeable donations to those they believe are deserving.Although "Secret Millionaire" hasn't exact- ly spawned the kind of worldwide phenomenon as other U.K. im- ports such as "Pop Idol" ("Ameri- can Idol") and "Britain's Got Tal- ent" ("America's Got Talent") the feel-good series has been picked up in Australia and Ireland,and recently it was announced Rogers Media may be considering a Canadian version of the show. It isn't surprising "Secret Mil- lionaire"has struck a chord with viewers. It shines a spotlight on those who really want to make a difference,and Kaplan is just one of the remarkable people to sign on for the unique series.The first season of the show attracted such entrepreneurs as Todd Graves of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, Myles Kovacs of "DUB Magazine" and Gregory Haerr of Century Software.Season 2 standouts in- cluded self-made millionaires James Malinchak and John Ferber. In the second season,Curves founders Gary Heavin and Diane Heavin gave away more than $400,000, the biggest "Secret Millionaire"donation to date. This season kicked off as world- renowned artist Scott Jacobs took his teenage daughter Alexa to Newark,N.J.,away from their sheltered, wealthy life in search of those needing help.Chuck Runy- on and Dave Mortensen,the brains behind Anytime Fitness, have also heeded the call. Kids' Internet safety expert Hi- lary Decesare is up at bat after Ka- plan, with her episode set to pre- miere July 8.She, too, will leave behind her luxurious lifestyle to volunteer for those in need. She'll travel to Long Beach, Calif.,where TV Media Weekly|June 30 - July 6, 2012 CHANNEL GUIDE Comcast Walton Cable- Vision `uWTTV CW Indianapolis " WRTV ABC Indianapolis $ WISH CBS Indianapolis h WTHR NBC Indianapolis r WLFI CBS Lafayette y WFYI PBS Indianapolis d WPTA ABC Ft. Wayne g WNDY MNT Indianapolis WHMB IND Indianapolis WIPB PBS Muncie R WFFT FOX Ft. Wayne G WXIN FOX Indianapolis Arts and Entertainment American Movie Classics Animal Planet [A&E] [AMC] [AP] [BET] [CMT] [CNBC] [CNN] [COM] [DISN] [E!] [ENC] [ESPN] [FAM] [FOXN] [FSN] [FX] [HALL] [HBO] [HIST] [HN] [LIFE] [MAX] [NICK] [OXY] [QVC] Black Entertainment TV [BIGTEN] Big Ten Network [BRAVO] Bravo County Music Television Consumer News & Bus. Ch. 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[ESPN2] Entertainment Sports Net. 2 Family Channel Fox News Channel Fox Sports FX Hallmark Home Box Office History Channel CNN Headline News Lifetime Cinemax [MTV] Music Television Nickelodeon Oxygen [SHOW] [SPIKE] [STARZ] [SYFY] [TBN] [TMC] [TNT] [TOON] [TRUTV] [USA] [VH1] 4 6 7 12 8 20 10 21 11 9 39 43 30 32 67 55 58 36 34 50 14 28 38 49 70 26 27 44 52 53 54 65 700 40 35 29 730 31 37 61 Quality, Value, Convenience 18 Showtime Spike Starz Science Fiction [TBS] WTBS Atlanta [TLC] The Learning Channel The Movie Channel 750 57 650 56 Trinity Broadcasting Network 13 41 47 Turner Network Television Cartoon Network TruTV [TWC] Weather Channel USA Network Video Hits One [WGN] WGN Chicago Local Programming 785 42 45 66 25 24 33 22 3 she'll live on welfare-level wages in a rundown apartment,while also learning about people and organizations who help homeless people and even neglected ani- mals. 11 24 18 14 33 27 21 9 5 24 15 37 30 35 36 9 2 7 14 34 37 24 33 9 19 17 35 26 36 22 20 29 9 10 26 29 4 6 8 13 22 2 Indiana 4 6 8 Sammo ns of 13 22 20 21 7 12 10 18 3 40 41 Tipton Cable TV 4 6 8 13 2 12 3 5 10 11 35 26 Oak Hill Cable 4 6 8 13 2 32 10 40 21 12 28 15 4 6 8 13 2 22 10 55 53 12 41 30 44 34 3 32 20 35 23 28 25 33 26 38 17 27 31 36 21 39 27 16 28 22 18 30 25 23 24 3 22 38 18 47 14 28 34 21 20 3 26 33 16 39 30 19 7 16 31 24 18 29 34 14 32 15 30 29 17 31 20 42 18 32 7 33 5 16 14 27 2 7 42 19 46 5 39 16 50 14 27 48 17 29 15 35 23 31 40 9 35 4 6 8 13 20 10 40 11 166 795 252 155 650 181 525 216 202 140 230 120 302 134 619 606 178 210 734 128 176 270 203 360 502 314 368 9 145 151 560 112 250 108 325 225 124 518 180 99 Some might say true wealth is thegiving of yourself. If that's true, it's the people these millionaires encounter who are truly wealthy. Their stories are often as com- pelling as their affluent counter- parts,and cameras capture small snippets of their daily lives,mak- ing for uplifting or, at least, inter- esting television. ty TV villains, violence-laden prime-time dramas and cynical comedies,"Secret Millionaire" stands out from the pack. While participation in the show is no doubt an act of altruism for the benefactors, it isn't a one- sided exchange. For them,it is the wealth of the experience that enriches their lives,something no amount of money can buy.Watch it all un- fold,for both the wealthy and the less fortunate, in ABC's "Secret Millionaire." In a sea of back-stabbing reali- Swayzee AT&T U-Verse

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