By The Way… I’m Your Boss

A few weeks ago I was turned on to a different type of reality show that I thought took an interesting spin on things, especially from the overplayed ‘throw five fucked up narcissists together and see what crazy events transpire’ narrative. The concept of the show, not unlike most reality television, is surprisingly simple and yet this one provokes genuine thought and emotions. The show brought in 38.6 million viewers in its premiere, the largest audience ever for a pilot reality series. It was also the most popular new show of the 2009–10 television season averaging 17,732,000 viewers over the first season. The show that I am referring to is none other then: Undercover Boss.

The premise of the show is straightforward: company executives go undercover as new hires in order to gain a better understanding as to how their business functions, and to gain a greater knowledge of issues that plague their employees. At the same time “everyday” employees, selected and told they are being involved in a documentary about their job, are chosen to work with these cleverly disguised executives. Why didn’t I think of this? Undercover Boss really made me stop and think about how lucky I am to have what I do, and that people lead far rougher lives then my own.

What makes Undercover Boss so memorable are the moments that transpire between the company executives and their unknowing underlings. This guy should have his face beaten in with his own fist: The show does a great job of stirring feelings such as compassion, hatred, humor, and disbelief into its viewer’s minds. This is done by providing various elements to the show: One worker, who has a child with disabilities, has to work full time just to scrape by and has a CEO who sympathizes with her because he too has a child with health issues. Another is a former drug addict whose only saving grace is having a steady job to give him hope while his boss is reminded of his alcoholic father, and the effect it had on his upbringing. In one episode a theme park worker jokingly tells the new hire (the CEO) of his aspirations. Undercover Boss works its way through to its viewer’s hearts by portraying everyday workers as the true American heroes. Ordinary people go out everyday and do their best to meet customer’s needs, but struggle with their own problems all the while. Undercover Boss also allows viewers to see that most of these CEO’s don’t even know how their own companies really work, or how broader (corporate) policies that were implemented effect the lower rungs of their business. I could go into further detail… or you could just watch the show.

There is no doubt in my mind that people will have biases towards Undercover Boss. Is there any show in history that someone has not trash talked? I am sure there are already countless posts on how the show probably screens workers prior to filming; or how executives are only trying to pitch to the public how caring they are and how great their company is, etc. The truth is the show provides a good picture of what hard workers look like and I believe it inspires people to do their own jobs better and to strive for a better life. Undercover Boss could get old fast but television executives are pros when it comes to conjuring up new marketing schemes to keep the show edgy and in the ratings. All said, I think Undercover Boss is a show worth checking out and a refreshing change from the monotonous reality shows that are standard today.