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The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reviewing a reality TV show in which immigrants compete to get American citizenship, CNN reported, citing a statement from a spokesperson. The spokesperson said, "The show in question is in the very beginning stages of that vetting process and has not received approval or denial by staff."
A producer who presented the idea to DHS said he envisions the show as a "positive love letter to America" while rejecting criticism that it would be "punching down" on contestants. Rob Worsoff, himself a Canadian immigrant whose work includes "The Millionaire Matchmaker," "Duck Dynasty", and "The Biggest Loser," said he's presented the idea for his show as far back as the Obama Administration. Worsoff said he had held three conversations with the current DHS regarding his idea -- "and they've gone far" -- but said Secretary Kristi Noem had not been involved in any of the discussions. Speaking to CNN on Friday, he said, "I don't now where they stand exactly now, but I feel like we're trending in a good way." Speaking to CNN, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that DHS "receives hundreds of television show pitches a year, ranging from documentaries surrounding ICE and CBP border operation to white collar investigations by HSI. Each proposal undergoes a thorough vetting process prior to denial or approval." Worsoff said he intends to have a show like "The Biggest Loser" for immigration, referencing the former reality show in which overweight contestants competed to see who would lose the most weight and which also faced criticism over its content. However, 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." He stated, "They are all people with a place in line. They are all people that are good candidates. I'm not punching down on anyone -- I am offering somebody the opportunity to jump to the front of the line and nobody else loses. In fact, everybody else in line will be humanized and we'll get to know their face and their story and we'll love them and maybe they'll get a job out of it, or maybe they'll get other opportunities out of it." He even showed CNN portions of a pitch deck for the show, which had the working title "The American." According to the description of the pitch for a show, contestants will represent a demographic of ages, ethnicities, and talents. The description of the pitch for a show further reads, "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." According to the deck, each episode would include an elimination challenge, a heritage challenge, a town hall meeting, and a final vote. Worsoff said the participants will compete for the heritage challenge in specific locations like a "gold rush" challenge in San Francisco, a "pizza" challenge in New York, or a "NASA" challenge in Florida to show "how cool America is." Speaking to Collins on "The Source", Worsoff said he plans to end each episode with a town-hall meeting, "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." Previously, he admitted that the stakes would be high for the contestants, but added that it's not a bad thing. Speaking to CNN, he said, "I would hope that any competition reality show has stakes." Worsoff said, "Yeah, I'm not going to apologize for that fact that there are real stakes on the show. I don't think that's a bad thing, I think that's a good thing." (ANI)
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