For the most part, Undercover Boss is praised for being about as real as reality shows come. The owners, CEOs, and other individuals from upper management really do put on disguises then visit various locations, posing as someone else, to work with actual employees. They do a variety of jobs and learn more about how things work on the front lines. In the end, the employees really are rewarded with promotions, vacations, and monetary bonuses.
However, as with any reality show, not everything on Undercover Boss is entirely true. Some things are embellished, pre-determined, or even, in some cases, staged for more dramatic effect.
Steve Joyce Did Not Enjoy His Experience On Undercover Boss
While this is based only on a single account, Steve Joyce, CEO of Choice Hotels International, told The Wall Street Journal that he felt exploited by the producers, who consistently brought up the recent death of his mother that he hadn’t quite dealt with.
He also says that they made it look as though he did not know what it was like to do many of the jobs in the company when, in reality, he had actually been employed with the company, doing many of those jobs, before he rose to the CEO position. Furthering the claims of sabotage, Joyce says he was tasked with cleaning a pool in Florida in June at 2 in the afternoon when temperatures were at their most uncomfortably hot.
Some Moments On Undercover Boss Are Staged
Like many of the best reality TV shows of all time, there are some moments in Undercover Boss that are completely real, with company leaders making several positive changes as a result of what they discover (and the employees do receive the gifts and promotions they are promised). However, that's not to say there aren't any moments that haven't been staged for dramatic effect. Rick Smiciklas, CEO of Wild Wing, told Huffington Post that in his episode where he angrily breaks cover, producers told him to do it.
He admitted to them that he did not want to go back into the franchise because he was afraid of losing his temper. They told him to go ahead and blow the cover. It was all captured on film, of course, and made for quite an exciting episode.
The Employees Are Specifically Chosen
This might not come as a surprise since it would be an extreme coincidence if every employee featured on the show was going through some major trauma, hardships, or had an incredible backstory. They are indeed specifically chosen by producers for their stories and situations, reports TV Overmind, along with their personality translating well to television.
While they are reportedly given some guidance on what to say (finding an angle to discuss the hardships in their personal lives, for example), Megan Pustaver, who appeared on a season 4 episode, said in her AMA Reddit session that she was only told to share a life-changing event.
Some Undercover Boss Employees Figure It Out
Considering the silly disguises some of the CEOs use (these alone make Undercover Boss a reality show you’re not watching but should be), along with the cover for the show as one about a person looking for a career change, fans wonder if the employees really are that gullible. This is especially so considering Undercover Boss has been on the air for many years.
Indeed, according to InTouch Weekly, who cite a Reddit user comment about their supposed experience on the show, a lot of people realize what show it is. However, they continue to play along. “Some people,” they said, “even bet on whether or not it was the show.” With that said, others insist they had no clue, citing that the gear and people did not suggest it was a major network film crew.
Newer Staff Members Are Used For Filming Undercover Boss
While this claim isn’t substantiated, Redditor PastInsidePresent claims they knew someone who had worked at a store where the show was once filmed. They say that experienced staff were not put on the roster to work for the day of filming, with only newer employees working the shift when the film crew would arrive.
They also claim that the relatively new manager who was featured on the show was given a promotion as their prize while the other manager who wasn’t on shift, and who was far more experienced, was passed over. Reportedly, the newly promoted manager never earned the respect of the employees because of the fact that the position was “gifted” to him. He ended up leaving within a few months.
Jobs Are Sometimes Staged On Undercover Boss
A now deleted Redditor claims that they were part of an episode about a junk disposal business that never made it to air and “it was staged from the beginning.”
They claim that the job that was done for the filming involved the demolition of a shed that the boss himself owned. “The entire workday was fabricated,” they state. With that said, this is only one account of a single experience, so it could have been a unique circumstance. Regardless, Undercover Boss could still rank among the best reality TV shows you can stream right now.
Undercover Boss Is A Promotional Stunt And Manipulates Audiences
Overall, some fans believe that Undercover Boss is merely a giant advertisement for the company masking as a way to make far-reaching change. GWizzle believes the entire concept is fake, noting that audiences only see a few select people receive large sums of money, promotions, or other rewards that come at a small cost to the company.
“It’ distracts from how useless many of the new policy changes they promise to make are,” they say, “so it seems like they’ve actually done something worthwhile.” Based on other accounts from those who have been featured on some episodes (though not all situations are the same) this might very well be the case. With that said, if at least one employee’s life is changed from the episode, it might just be worth it.