A reality TV program is being examined by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Washington, DC: According to a spokeswoman, CNN stated that the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is examining a reality TV program where immigrants strive for U.S. citizenship. The statement said, “The show in question is in the very beginning stages of that vetting process and has not received approval or denial by staff.”
In response to accusations that the program would be “punching down” on competitors, a producer who pitched the concept to DHS said that he saw it as a “positive love letter to America.”
Canadian immigrant Rob Worsoff, whose credits include “The Millionaire Matchmaker,” “Duck Dynasty,” and “The Biggest Loser,” claimed to have pitched the concept for his program as early as the Obama Administration.
Worsoff said that he had discussed his proposal with the current DHS three times, “and they’ve gone far”; nevertheless, he maintained that Secretary Kristi Noem was not engaged in any of the meetings.
On Friday, he told CNN, “I don’t know where they stand exactly now, but I feel like we’re trending in a good way.”
“DHS receives hundreds of television show pitches a year, ranging from documentaries surrounding ICE and CBP border operations to white-collar investigations by HSI,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told CNN. Before being rejected or accepted, every proposal is put through a rigorous screening procedure.
Referencing the earlier reality program that featured overweight people competing to see who would drop the most weight and was also criticized for its content, Worsoff said that he plans to create a show similar to “The Biggest Loser” for immigrants. Yet, he said, “there’s nobody who loses on this show — it’s ridiculous to even suggest otherwise.”
He said, “These are all people who are likely to become future Americans.” “They are all individuals with a place in line,” he said. All of them make excellent prospects. I’m giving someone a chance to go ahead of the queue without anybody else losing; I’m not pounding down on anyone. Actually, everyone else in line will be made more relatable, and we will adore them after getting to know their faces and stories. They may even be able to find employment or other possibilities as a result.”
He went so far as to show CNN parts of a pitch deck for the program, which was first titled “The American.” Contestants will reflect a variety of ages, races, and abilities, according to the show’s pitch description.
The pitch for the show further states, “We’ll join in the laughter, tears, frustration and joy — hearing their backstories — as we are reminded of how amazing it is to be American through the eyes of 12 wonderful people who want nothing more than to have what we have — and what we often take for granted: the freedom, opportunity and honor of what it means to be American.”
The deck said that each episode would consist of a town hall meeting, a heritage challenge, an elimination task, and a final vote. According to Worsoff, the competitors will compete for the heritage challenge in certain places, such as a “NASA” challenge in Florida, a “gold rush” competition in San Francisco, or a “pizza” challenge in New York, in order to demonstrate “how cool America is.”
Worsoff told Collins on “The Source” that he intends to have a town hall meeting at the conclusion of each episode, “just like in a presidential election.” He said, “The people of Tennessee, let’s say, will get to vote on which one of our future Americans they would most like to represent the state of Tennessee.”
In the past, he acknowledged that the competitors would face huge stakes, but he clarified that this is not a negative thing. He said in an interview with CNN that “I would hope that any competition reality show has stakes.”
“Yeah,” Worsoff responded, “I won’t apologize for the fact that the program has actual stakes. I see it as a positive thing rather than a negative one.