Invisible Men
‘Undercover Boss’
Sundays, 9 p.m., CBS
4/5
CBS’ new reality program ‘Undercover Boss’ will satisfy those who have hated the way their company’s upper management operates. ‘Undercover Boss’ is a cross between ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Survivor.’ It takes high-ranking CEOs of major corporations and puts them undercover in their own company to see how their lower-level employees are being treated. From this vantage point, the CEO must work within the rules of the company and deal with conflicts that come with trying to succeed in a lower-level job.
When TV critics heard the premise behind the show, they instantly said it would be an embarrassing attempt to try and create a new reality franchise to go along with aging reality hits.
What stunned TV critics about the show is that CBS executives decided to give the premiere of ‘Undercover Boss’ the biggest showcase possible for a new series. It debuted directly after the Super Bowl. Despite critics’ initial hesitation, ‘Undercover Boss’ has surprised most by proving itself to be an interesting show.
A part of the premiere episode was filmed in a Syracuse recycling facility last February. It featured Larry O’Donnell, Waste Management Inc.’s president and chief operating officer, as his blue-collar alias of ‘Randy Lawrence.’ O’Donnell earns a $3 million salary, but at the recycling center he sorted garbage and worked beside members of the Syracuse branch of Waste Management.
‘Undercover Boss’ paired with ‘The Amazing Race’ on CBS’ Sunday nights is a satisfying block of reality shows that proves to be a pleasurable watch and a quick way to relieve stress before starting Monday morning’s classes. ‘Undercover Boss’ doesn’t pit people up against each other for a cash prize, promise people a singing career or help find love, but it succeeds as a great way to spend an hour watching unsuspecting employees potentially make fools of themselves in front of the heads of their company.
The show features the reactions of the employees who work within the company. It gives the CEO a sense of what the employees have to go through every day. Viewers see the honest reaction of the CEO after performing some of these tasks. One of the wonderful things about the show is that the viewer gets a chance to hear the CEO admit that the company’s jobs are ‘too hard’ and give sincere gratitude toward the workers who do this each day they come to work.
The past three episodes featured the undercover CEOs of Waste Management, Hooters Inc. and 7-Eleven. The program showcased the diligent employees who manage the undercover boss. In the episodes so far, the worker is a little hard on the boss at first, only to prove that they can actually do the job successfully. Finally, the CEO comes in contact with a lower-level boss within the company who treats the employees unfairly, exploits them or does a poor job. The satisfaction comes at the conclusion of the episode, when the CEO reveals his actual position within the company to the astonishment of employees who didn’t make the greatest of impressions.
Some people may think that watching this show is exploiting the employees and the companies that are being followed, but that is not the case. It’s a lesson for the CEO, who takes on these roles to see how the company functions on a regular basis.
Published on February 21, 2010 at 12:00 pm
