Latest news with #Worsoff
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Reality show for US citizenship? What we know so far—and what DHS is saying
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reviewing a contentious plan for a reality television program called The American, in which immigrants would compete for US citizenship. The idea, put out by producer Rob Worsoff, who was born in Canada and is well-known for his work on Duck Dynasty, has sparked a nationwide discussion about the morality of making the naturalisation process into a form of entertainment. The show's concept In Worsoff's ideal competition, twelve immigrant competitors would journey throughout the United States aboard a train called "The American." Participants would take part in activities intended to assess their understanding of American history, culture, and values at each location. Some who oppose the practice argue that gamifying the immigration process trivialises the challenges faced by newcomers and transforms a serious legal process into a joke. The show has drawn analogies to dystopian novels like The Hunger Games, raising concerns that it may exploit contestants and their experiences to boost viewership. The series would conclude with the winner being granted U.S. citizenship in a ceremony at the Capitol. Read more: Kaziranga National Park: 70 rare orchid species documented, study finds; more reasons to visit DHS response and clarification DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Tricia McLaughlin, confirmed that the department receives numerous television show pitches annually and that The American is currently in the early stages of the vetting process. She emphasized that no final decision has been made regarding the show's approval. Contrary to some reports, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has not endorsed the project and was reportedly unaware of the proposal until media coverage surfaced . Public and political reactions The public, political analysts, and immigrant support organisations have all strongly criticised the initiative. According to critics, gamifying the immigration process trivialises the challenges faced by newcomers and transforms a serious legal process into a kind of entertainment. Concerns have been raised that the program might exploit competitors and their stories to boost viewership, evoking analogies to dystopian novels such as The Hunger Games. Backlash on social media networks has increased, with many users expressing displeasure at the idea. Worsoff defends the show as a celebration of American values and an opportunity to highlight the diverse journeys of immigrants. He asserts that the program aims to inspire patriotism and civic engagement among viewers. However, he also acknowledged that similar pitches were previously rejected by the Obama and Biden administrations, suggesting that the current political climate under the Trump administration might be more receptive. Ethical considerations Significant ethical concerns are brought up by the notion of granting citizenship through a competitive reality show. The fairness and integrity of such a process have been questioned by ethicists and legal professionals. There are concerns that the initiative might reduce the seriousness of immigration regulations, and provide a precedent for the selling of citizenship. Since they may be the subject of public scrutiny and judgement based more on entertainment value than quality, participants' dignity and wellbeing might also be in jeopardy. Read more: India's 5 most scenic coastal routes for road trips The controversy highlights the subtleties of the naturalisation process and the complexity of immigration reform as DHS continues to review the plan for The American. The controversy the show has generated underscores the need for careful consideration of the best ways to integrate and honour people aspiring to US citizenship, even though the show's future is still uncertain. One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
Newsweek
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Kristi Noem's Immigration Game Show Would Be Appalling—and a Ratings Hit
As a former television producer with six Emmy Awards and hundreds of hours of documentary and reality-style programming under my belt, I can say with absolute certainty: if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ever airs a competition-based reality show in which immigrants vie for U.S. citizenship, it would mark one of the most grotesque, morally bankrupt spectacles in television history—yet, in the hands of a capable producer, one of the most watchable. Not because it's good, or enlightening, or particularly inspirational, but because it would be impossible to ignore. The idea sounds dystopian—and it is—but it's also disturbingly real. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem speaks during the U.S. Coast Guard Academy's 144th Commencement in New London, Conn., on May 21, 2025. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem speaks during the U.S. Coast Guard Academy's 144th Commencement in New London, Conn., on May 21, 2025. JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images A pitch for a show called The American, reportedly from Duck Dynasty producer Rob Worsoff, is currently under early-stage review by DHS. Worsoff envisions a cross-country competition where immigrants face off in regionally themed challenges, with the winner receiving expedited U.S. citizenship in a finale staged on the steps of the Capitol. Others, presumably, go home. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem claims to have "no knowledge" of the pitch, but her spokesperson confirmed it is indeed in the "vetting process." This is classic Trump-era governance: public disavowals paired with quiet institutional complicity. Let's be clear—this isn't just some fringe producer's fever dream. It's a pitch that made it into the halls of federal power under an administration that thrives on spectacle and cruelty. Donald Trump is not just a politician who used media effectively; he is a media product himself. The Apprentice transformed him from a struggling businessman into a household brand, selling America a fantasy of boardroom power while his real-world empire teetered. He understands better than anyone alive the dark magic of competitive reality television—especially the kind built around high stakes and human drama. Under Kristi Noem, DHS has already become a kind of cosplay operation, with staged border photo-ops, tactical outfits, and viral-ready soundbites. The idea that her department would entertain a reality show isn't just plausible—it's the logical next step in the fusion of state power and entertainment. In this administration, performative cruelty isn't a glitch in the system, it's the feature. As many have pointed out throughout Trump's political rise: the cruelty is the point. The premise of The American is chilling in its simplicity. A curated group of immigrants—described as "good candidates"—travel the country, competing in skill and culture-based challenges. The winner gets fast-tracked citizenship. The rest? Worsoff insists "nobody loses," but that's fiction. For many, losing means deportation. It could mean separation from their families. It could mean being sent back to countries ravaged by war, gang violence, political persecution, or climate catastrophe. For some contestants, being sent home could be a death sentence. Unlike Survivor, Beast Games, or Fear Factor, where risk is manufactured and contestants are protected behind layers of liability coverage and safety personnel, The American would toy with actual lives. The prize isn't a cash bonus or a modeling contract—it's legal status. And the right to remain in the only place a family may have left. And for those who don't "win"? They're not just voted off the island—they may be deported, sent back to the very conditions they were desperately fleeing. And let's be honest: no producer is greenlighting a feel-good segment about some banker on an L1 visa returning to Norway or the U.K. What makes for gripping television—what would drive the ratings—is the peril. Most of these contestants aren't going to be high-paid expats; they're people who risked everything to escape war zones, cartel-dominated communities, political persecution, or the grip of human trafficking. Reality television has always relied on emotional stakes: heartbreak, tension, drama. But even at its worst, it stopped short of weaponizing actual human suffering. In this case, the suffering is the drama. That's what would make it so watchable—and so dangerous. It would package trauma and desperation into digestible weekly episodes, framed as faux inspiration. In truth, it would trivialize and commoditize one of the most difficult, dehumanizing processes in American life: immigration. The show's defenders posit that it's a "love letter to America." That's like calling a mugging a "meet-cute." But I know this show would be a huge hit. In today's fractured media landscape, outrage is currency. Spectacle sells. And The American would dominate social feeds and spark endless commentary. Viewers would argue over who "deserves" to become American. And that's what makes this moment so dangerous. Because this isn't just about a bad idea floating through DHS. It's about a broader collapse of the boundaries between government and entertainment, policy and programming, democracy and drama. In Trump's America, the line between a campaign rally and a reality show has already vanished. And this pitch—whether or not it's greenlit—is a natural outgrowth of that cultural rot. We used to fear a future where "bread and circuses" distracted the public from real issues. Now, we're designing the circus to decide who gets the bread. And we're doing it with lights, cameras, and an elimination round. Arick Wierson is a six-time Emmy Award-winning television producer and served as a senior media and political adviser to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He advises corporate clients on communications strategies in the United States, Africa, and Latin America. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Winnipeg Free Press
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘A political football': Canadian says his citizenship TV pitch was misrepresented
WASHINGTON – When Rob Worsoff recently dusted off an old idea he had for a reality television show about people on the path to United States citizenship, he had no idea of what he was letting himself in for. The Canadian-born freelance television producer said he brought his pitch to build a show around aspiring immigrants learning about the culture of their new country to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under both the Obama and Biden administrations. He even brought a version of it to the CBC. Worsoff then put his idea forward to the new Trump administration — but this time the 49-year-old got caught up in a global media and political backlash. 'The spirit of my pitch was completely misrepresented and it's been used as a political football,' the Los Angeles-based producer said. Worsoff said his proposal for a show to be called 'The American' was leaked to the Daily Mail. The British tabloid reported last week that U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was considering approving the project — and described the proposed program as pitting immigrants against each other. Other American news organizations started reporting on it too, calling it the 'Hunger Games' for migrants. Noem told a Senate hearing this week that 'there are no plans whatsoever to do a reality show.' Immigration has long been political in the United States but it became a flashpoint issue for voters ahead of the election last year. U.S. President Donald Trump promised to bring in sweeping reforms, shut down borders and launch mass deportations. His administration has taken some highly controversial steps to fulfil those election promises. There have been deportations to foreign prisons, including in El Salvador. The administration has cancelled student visas and sent foreign-born students to immigration detention centres after accusing them, without presenting evidence, of supporting Hamas and spreading antisemitism. The Supreme Court heard a case on birthright citizenship after Trump signed an executive order attempting to abolish it in some cases. Worsoff said he never saw his pitch as political, as either 'blue or red.' It developed from his own experience as a Canadian going through the American immigration system, he said. Worsoff grew up in Montreal a massive fan of TV, movies and comic books. His said he'd hoped to become a sports broadcaster and went to school in Syracuse, N.Y., to follow that dream. On his way to his first official job as a weekend sports anchor for a local news station in Northern California, he hit a fateful fork in the road. He got a call from people who worked on the 'Howard Stern Show' offering him a job as a production assistant in Los Angeles. 'I was literally in Utah,' Worsoff said. 'I was like going, 'Well, if I go right, I'm going to the redwoods and if I stay straight, I'm going to LA.' Worsoff kept driving straight. It was the start of the reality television boom and Worsoff worked on some of the most popular shows, pitching others along the way. 'Breaking Bonaduce' led to 'The Biggest Loser,' which led to 'Millionaire Matchmaker.' Eventually, he helped to develop the megahit 'Duck Dynasty.' 'Thirty-five of the shows I've done you've never heard of. I worked on so many pilots,' he said. Worsoff said that sometime around 2005, when he was on his own journey towards United States citizenship, he began tinkering with the idea of a show that would educate people about the process while showcasing what America has to offer. Essentially, his pitch was to send highly-vetted people already on the path to citizenship to travel the country and experience its heritage and culture. There'd be things like a pizza challenge in New York, a pony express challenge in Oregon, a potato challenge in Idaho. At the time, Worsoff was working with Canadian actor Jonathan Torrens on a short-lived reality show called 'Popularity Contest' based in Texas. Torrens is well-known in Canada for co-hosting 'Street Cents' and for his appearances on 'Degrassi: The Next Generation' and as J-Roc on 'Trailer Park Boys.' Torrens said he quickly bonded with Worsoff and they became friends. Not long after, Worsoff shared his idea of a reality show about citizenship and Torrens suggested they consider a Canadian version to bring to the CBC. 'The idea was not dissimilar to the one he is trotting out now,' Torrens said. 'It was seeing the country we sometimes take for granted through the lens of people who would love to have what we sometimes take for granted — which is Canadian citizenship.' They talked a lot about the prize, Torrens said. A fast-track to citizenship would fit with the show's goal of celebrating the country without having anyone actually lose anything, Worsoff said — nobody would be deported or lose their place in line for immigration. Torrens and Worsoff had a meeting with CBC in 2006 but ultimately the show wasn't picked up. Torrens said he hadn't thought much about the pitch until it erupted in American news media last week. Torrens said Worsoff always had 'his heart in the right place.' Since the pitch was leaked, Worsoff has faced a tsunami of backlash and hate-filled messages online. He said he has 'the most good-intentioned, heartfelt motivations.' Worsoff still stands behind the idea and said he is 'twice as hell-bent' on getting the show made. He said his idea was always to make the kind of television he likes to watch — shows with good characters and stories filled with 'the hopes and dreams, the laughter and the tears and the heart.' 'I have never believed more in my show, in my intentions, in working with the government and with working with the industry.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
‘A political football': Canadian says his citizenship TV pitch was misrepresented
WASHINGTON - When Rob Worsoff recently dusted off an old idea he had for a reality television show about people on the path to United States citizenship, he had no idea of what he was letting himself in for. The Canadian-born freelance television producer said he brought his pitch to build a show around aspiring immigrants learning about the culture of their new country to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under both the Obama and Biden administrations. He even brought a version of it to the CBC. Worsoff then put his idea forward to the new Trump administration — but this time the 49-year-old got caught up in a global media and political backlash. 'The spirit of my pitch was completely misrepresented and it's been used as a political football,' the Los Angeles-based producer said. Worsoff said his proposal for a show to be called 'The American' was leaked to the Daily Mail. The British tabloid reported last week that U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was considering approving the project — and described the proposed program as pitting immigrants against each other. Other American news organizations started reporting on it too, calling it the 'Hunger Games' for migrants. Noem told a Senate hearing this week that 'there are no plans whatsoever to do a reality show.' Immigration has long been political in the United States but it became a flashpoint issue for voters ahead of the election last year. U.S. President Donald Trump promised to bring in sweeping reforms, shut down borders and launch mass deportations. His administration has taken some highly controversial steps to fulfil those election promises. There have been deportations to foreign prisons, including in El Salvador. The administration has cancelled student visas and sent foreign-born students to immigration detention centres after accusing them, without presenting evidence, of supporting Hamas and spreading antisemitism. The Supreme Court heard a case on birthright citizenship after Trump signed an executive order attempting to abolish it in some cases. Worsoff said he never saw his pitch as political, as either 'blue or red.' It developed from his own experience as a Canadian going through the American immigration system, he said. Worsoff grew up in Montreal a massive fan of TV, movies and comic books. His said he'd hoped to become a sports broadcaster and went to school in Syracuse, N.Y., to follow that dream. On his way to his first official job as a weekend sports anchor for a local news station in Northern California, he hit a fateful fork in the road. He got a call from people who worked on the 'Howard Stern Show' offering him a job as a production assistant in Los Angeles. 'I was literally in Utah,' Worsoff said. 'I was like going, 'Well, if I go right, I'm going to the redwoods and if I stay straight, I'm going to LA.' Worsoff kept driving straight. It was the start of the reality television boom and Worsoff worked on some of the most popular shows, pitching others along the way. 'Breaking Bonaduce' led to 'The Biggest Loser,' which led to 'Millionaire Matchmaker.' Eventually, he helped to develop the megahit 'Duck Dynasty.' 'Thirty-five of the shows I've done you've never heard of. I worked on so many pilots,' he said. Worsoff said that sometime around 2005, when he was on his own journey towards United States citizenship, he began tinkering with the idea of a show that would educate people about the process while showcasing what America has to offer. Essentially, his pitch was to send highly-vetted people already on the path to citizenship to travel the country and experience its heritage and culture. There'd be things like a pizza challenge in New York, a pony express challenge in Oregon, a potato challenge in Idaho. At the time, Worsoff was working with Canadian actor Jonathan Torrens on a short-lived reality show called 'Popularity Contest' based in Texas. Torrens is well-known in Canada for co-hosting 'Street Cents' and for his appearances on 'Degrassi: The Next Generation' and as J-Roc on 'Trailer Park Boys.' Torrens said he quickly bonded with Worsoff and they became friends. Not long after, Worsoff shared his idea of a reality show about citizenship and Torrens suggested they consider a Canadian version to bring to the CBC. 'The idea was not dissimilar to the one he is trotting out now,' Torrens said. 'It was seeing the country we sometimes take for granted through the lens of people who would love to have what we sometimes take for granted — which is Canadian citizenship.' They talked a lot about the prize, Torrens said. A fast-track to citizenship would fit with the show's goal of celebrating the country without having anyone actually lose anything, Worsoff said — nobody would be deported or lose their place in line for immigration. Torrens and Worsoff had a meeting with CBC in 2006 but ultimately the show wasn't picked up. Torrens said he hadn't thought much about the pitch until it erupted in American news media last week. Torrens said Worsoff always had 'his heart in the right place.' Since the pitch was leaked, Worsoff has faced a tsunami of backlash and hate-filled messages online. He said he has 'the most good-intentioned, heartfelt motivations.' Worsoff still stands behind the idea and said he is 'twice as hell-bent' on getting the show made. He said his idea was always to make the kind of television he likes to watch — shows with good characters and stories filled with 'the hopes and dreams, the laughter and the tears and the heart.' 'I have never believed more in my show, in my intentions, in working with the government and with working with the industry.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2025.
Canada Standard
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Canada Standard
Exploiting immigrants on reality TV
Immigrants vying for U.S. citizenship is being pitched for reality TV exploiting the migrant story is nothing we haven't already seen. DrBinoy Kampmarkreports. SHOCKING IT MIGHT BE, yet still part of an old pattern. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security(DHS) is floating the idea of using a reality television program to select immigrants vying for Whether this involves gladiatorial combat or inane pillow battles remains to be seen, though it is bound to involve airhead celebrity hosts and a set of fabricated challenges. What matters is the premise: the reduction of a government agencys functions to a debauched spectacle of deceit, desperation and televisual in some ways, like theTrump Administrationitself. In aninterviewwithThe Wall Street Journal, Canadian television producerRob Worsoff, the man behind theDuck Dynastyreality show, comes clean in his monstrous intentions behind this proposed series he hopes to call 'The American'.He has been pursuing this seedy project since the days of theObama Administration, hoping for some amoral stakeholder to in true fashion, denies that such a project is intended as malicious,let alone denigrating the dignity of human worth. The number of asylum seekers refused at both the primary and appeal stages and still not departed exceeded 50,000 at end March 2025. Hesaid: In the grand idea of full bloom, optimistic America, it is intended as hopeful, but most of all, equal protection and a fair evaluation of merits; here is a chance forSocial Darwinismto excel. Worsoffinsistshe is free of political ideology: He proposes to do this by, for instance, sending immigrants to San Francisco where they find themselves in a mine to retrieve would see the contestants journey to Detroit, where they will be placed on an auto assembly to reassemble a Model-T Ford chassis. The winners would end up on the Capitol steps, presumably to receive their citizenship in some staged ceremony for would go home with such generous prizes as a Starbucks gift card or airline points. DHS spokespersonTricia McLaughlinhas apparently spoken to Worsoff on this steaming drivel, with the producer describing the response as SecretaryKristi Noem, it is said, has not officially. McLaughlinsaid: The mind can only dissipate in despair at such an observation, unsurprising in a land where the television, or televisual platforms, remain brain-numbing instructors. That the DHS is considering this is Department has already participated in television projects and networks,To Catch a Smugglerbeing a case in has also made much of the camera when it comes to dealing with immigrants. Anad campaigncosting US$200 million (AU$310 million) promises tofeatureher admonishing illegal immigrants to return to their countries. No doubt the hairdressing and makeup department will be busy when tarting her up for the noble task. As Australia follows the U.S. in its cruel treatment of asylum seekers, it's important to remember that compassion can go a long way. Broadcasters in a number of countries have also found the unsuspecting migrant or foreign guest captured by television irresistible not just good, couch potato fun, but also a chance to fan prejudice and feed sketchy stereotypes. The reality TV showBorder Security, which first aired on Australias free-to-air Channel 7 in 2004, proved to be a pioneering model in this only did it provide a chance to mock the eating habits of new arrivals as food stuffs were confiscated by customs officers with names like Barbs, the program could also impute an intention to attack the Australian agricultural sector with introduced pests and depictions went hand in hand with the demonisingstrategyof the Australian Government towards unwantedasylum seekersandrefugees(Stop the Boats! was the cry), characterised by lengthy spells of detention in an offshore tropical gulag. The plight of the vulnerable immigrant has also become a matter of pantomime substitution, an idea supposedly educative in not act out the entire migrant experience with reality television individuals with particularly xenophobicviews? In February, this is exactly what took place in a reality television show vulgarly titledGo Back to Where You Came Fromaired on the UKs Channel 4. Spanningfour episodes, it featured largely anti-immigration participants. Accordingto Channel 4: It comes as little surprise that the series is modelled on an Australianprecursormade in the early 2010s. Even pro-immigrant groups were reduced to a state of admiring stupor, with theRefugee Council, a British charity,praisingthe worth of such a show. AccordingRefugee Council chief officerEnver Solomon: Gareth Benest, advocacy director at theInternational Broadcasting Trustcharity, also thought the show wasinstructive. Hewrote: French politicianXavier Bertrandfailed to identify similar points,callingthe program nauseating. In his attack on the experiment, he saw the deaths across the English Channel as a humanitarian tragedy, not the subject of a a game it has become, at least when placed before the camera. DrBinoy Kampmarkis a Cambridge Scholar and lecturer atRMIT University. You can follow Dr Kampmark@BKampmark.
