Messages from Reality TV

In 2009, CBS rolled out a series called “Undercover Boss” where corporate executives of huge companies transform themselves to “ordinary workers.” The show follows CEOs, managers, and presidents, and owners of multi-million dollar corporations as they leave their cushy corner offices with the bay windows and head out to work the grunt jobs flipping burgers or washing dishes to better understand the inner workings of their companies.

More often than not, when the boss’s life is highlighted, he lives in a big mansion that was expensively decorated, has a wife and 2.5 kids, and a three or four car garage. The next segment shows the boss changing out of what can only be construed as a very expensive and well-made suit into a uniform that some of his employees are made to wear. The show then follows the boss working along side other employees in different cities and in different positions to learn how big decisions actually affect the regular employees.

While this reality show attempts to show that big executives can get dirty with regular employees and perform the same tasks, it really highlights just how big of a social gap there is in social class. The affluence of the boss is highlighted by the shots of his house, cars, furniture, and clothing. The show brands him as a product and sells the idea that being an executive is the key to getting wealth, which is then in turn the key to finding happiness.

Bosses also sometimes can be heard saying things like ‘I’ve never done this job before’ or ‘I’ve never had to clean the kitchen to get where I am today’. This is the opposite of the ‘American Dream’ that we are told to believe in. This demonstrates to viewers that the boss did not work his way up from the very lowest position, which is often the tale that accompanies the ‘American Dream’.

The employees that are followed on the show generally have a personal problem which is said to be the reason why they are working a blue collar, minimum-wage job. This suggests to the audience that were it not for this one personal problem, the employee would not be poor.

While reality shows are promoted as revealing real life scenarios that are relatable, shows like “Undercover Boss” are only advertising their product in a very long, very drawn out segment. So when you flip on your TV to settle in for a night of mindless shows, be careful about believing what you see to be true, because often times, viewers never see the real in reality TV.