How Real Is 'Undercover Boss'?
The Big Picture
- Undercover Boss is one of the most authentic reality shows out there, with business owners going undercover to interact with their employees and learn how their company operates.
- Some employees on the show receive rewards such as promotions or vacations, while others are fired for inappropriate behavior. The outcomes are not always happy endings.
- While some aspects of the show may be manipulated or edited for dramatic effect, the interactions between executives and employees are real, and the employees' backstories are genuine.
Some reality shows were just too good to be true (or way too dramatic to be real). Sometimes, we even wonder whether our favorite shows are real or actually staged in order to be considered good television. Undercover Boss, one of CBS' most successful shows, also left viewers with doubts and questions about whether the show — which debuted back in 2010 — was real or downright fake. The premise of the reality series is simple: each episode follows a major corporation's executives as they go undercover as entry-level employees in their own stores and/or headquarters. Along the way, they either learn how important their employees' jobs are to them or discover flaws in the company themselves. Each episode can sometimes be tear-inducing, shocking, or just complete chaos.
Based on the British series of the same name, Undercover Boss — to a certain extent — is one of the most authentic reality programs there is. Certain business owners and CEOs visited various locations to disguise themselves as someone else in order to interact and work with their employees, carrying out a variety of tasks while discovering how things really operate in the field.
'Undercover Boss’ Is as Real as Reality TV Can Get
Some of the employees are truly given rewards, either promotions or vacations. In Season 2's 14th episode, BELFOR CEO Sheldon Yellen went undercover to repair homes alongside his employees to make sure they were well treated. An owner of a multinational company that offers restoration services, Yellen found out that one of his hardworking and passionate employees wasn't given the salary increase she deserved despite being given a promotion a year prior. Having a hard time holding back his emotions, Yellen soon revealed himself and gave his employee a bonus, paid vacation, and the pay raise she'd been waiting for.
Not every episode, however, ends with a happy employee and boss. In some cases, when an executive learns of an employee's inappropriate and blatantly unprofessional behavior, they simply fire them. But although some employees deserve to be removed from their posts, some bosses just fire them for ridiculous reasons. Employees do receive the promised bonuses and promotions; however, those who were brutally fired in the show actually lost their jobs as well. For the most part, Undercover Boss is as real as it can get, but — as is often the case — not everything we see on reality TV is actually real. With most bosses serving as "saints" during the show and most employees serving as the episode's "villains" with their inappropriate behavior, it's difficult to believe nothing has ever been embellished.
Some Moments in 'Undercover Boss' Are Staged and Pre-Determined for an Added Dramatic Effect
Certain aspects of Undercover Boss are manipulated; it is, after all, a reality show. And like in most reality shows, some parts are embellished and edited, so it can translate well to television. Every episode involves a significant amount of editing, making it possible for individuals featured in the show to share their thoughts clearly. Furthermore, the producers get to decide who will appear in the show, and they usually choose employees with an interesting story — a sob story, if you will. Megan Pustaver, who appeared during Season 4, said in an Ask Me Anything reddit session (via TV Overmind) that "the show is very real" and that she was not given any scripts. Instead, Pustaver shared that the producers only told her to share "a life-changing event."
According to the International Business Times, the interactions between the executives and employees are completely real. Additionally, the employees' backstories are real, which is why the producers carefully chose them beforehand, choosing only those with stories that would work well on television. Given the popularity of the show, the majority of employees have already realized they are on Undercover Boss. This includes realizing it was their boss they were interacting with. Another reddit user who claimed to have experienced the show firsthand revealed that everyone "pretty much knew it was Undercover Boss" before the executive could even reveal themselves.
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