She went undercover in Fresno for a Discovery TV series. Will her business be worth $1 million?

What can do you in Fresno with $100, an alias and a 22-person camera crew?

Elaine Culotti started a business — one that could be worth $1 million.

Culotti spent several months in Fresno this summer as part of the Discovery series “Undercover Billionaire.” Season two of the show premieres 8 p.m. Wednesday. Episode two will be available immediately following on the Discovery Plus app.

The show takes three entrepreneurial tycoons and drops them in a random U.S. city under an assumed name, with $100 and 90 days to build a thriving million-dollar business.

Without spoiling the show, Culotti says that Fresno — its landmarks, cultural, even some musicians and elected officials — will be featured prominently in the show. That includes former Mayor Lee Brand, current Mayor Jerry Dyer and City Council President Miguel Arias.

“They were present and helpful,” Culotti says, on a phone call from Los Angeles.

“All you had to do was ask.”

Culotti has been starting businesses since she was 14 and gained a name for herself as a real estate developer and interior designer. She created Santa Monica’s famous House of Rock, which sold for $16 million in 2018. She also owns the 40-acre Big Z ranch in Fallbrook, which grows palm trees, along with an assortment of fruits and vegetables that she delivers directly to consumers, bypassing the big box stores.

“I am an absolute advocate for farming, especially small farmer,” she says.

In Fresno, she found herself inspired by the vast quantities of foods being produced and how essential the entire Central Valley seemed, especially in the midst of a global pandemic that shuttered so many businesses.

“We have to shine the light on that,” she says.

“On the importance of California produce. It’s important to the survival of the rest of the United States.”

Dynamic work ethic, incredible entrepreneurial spirit

Over the course of the show, Culotti found herself enamored with the city, not just for its food resources but because of its culture —which she says is “the most amazing ever” — and the work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit of those who live here.

“Fresno represents the true narrative of California. It overcame adversity long before people knew what that was,” she says.

And so, she still visits Fresno often, even months after the show finished tapping and the business had its grand opening, which she missed because of coronavirus restrictions.

She did check in remotely.

Culotti doesn’t really know what would have happened had the show dropped her elsewhere. She thinks she would have been successful, given her personality and immense drive.

“What I know for sure is that I had a feeling and love for Fresno that I might not have had anywhere else.”

This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 1:32 PM.