The Department of Homeland Security is reviewing a reality TV pitch where immigrants would compete for American citizenship, according to a spokesperson who said in a statement to CNN that "the show in question is in the very beginning stages of that vetting process and has not received approval or denial by staff".
A producer who has pitched the idea to DHS said he envisions the show as being a "positive love letter to America" while dismissing criticism that it would be "punching down" on contestants.
Rob Worsoff, himself a Canadian immigrant whose credits include The Millionaire Matchmaker, Duck Dynasty and The Biggest Loser, said he's pitched the idea for his show as far back as the Obama Administration.
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He said he's had three conversations with the current DHS about his pitch — "and they've gone far" — but said Secretary Kristi Noem has not been involved in any of the discussions.
Worsoff told CNN's Kaitlan Collins, "I don't know where they stand exactly now, but I feel like we're trending in a good way."
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told CNN in a statement that DHS "receives hundreds of television show pitches a year, ranging from documentaries surrounding ICE and CBP border operation to white collar investigations by HSI. Each proposal undergoes a thorough vetting process prior to denial or approval".
The Daily Mail and the Wall Street Journal previously reported on the show.
McLaughlin denied aspects of the earlier report in the Daily Mail, however, saying Noem has not "'backed' or even reviewed the pitch of any scripted or reality show."
Worsoff said he envisions his show being like "The Biggest Loser for immigration" – referencing the former reality show where overweight contestants competed to see who would lose the most weight, and which had also been the subject of criticism about its content.
But he insisted: "There's nobody who loses on this show — it's ridiculous to even suggest otherwise."
"These are all people who are likely to become future Americans," Worsoff said.
"They are all people with a place in line. They are all people that are good candidates. I'm not punching down on anyone — I am offering somebody the opportunity to jump to the front of the line and nobody else loses.
"In fact, everybody else in line will be humanised and we'll get to know their face and their story and we'll love them and maybe they'll get a job out of it, or maybe they'll get other opportunities out of it."
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He provided CNN with portions of a pitch deck for the show with a working title The American.
A description of the pitch for a show reads: "Contestants will represent a wide demographic of ages, ethnicities, and talents. We'll join in the laughter, tears, frustration and joy — hearing their backstories — as we are reminded of how amazing it is to be American, through the eyes of 12 wonderful people who want nothing more than to have what we have — and what we often take for granted: the freedom, opportunity and honor of what it means to be American."
Each episode would include a heritage challenge, an elimination challenge, a town-hall meeting and a final vote, according to the deck. Worsoff said the heritage challenge will be tailored to specific locations — a "gold rush" challenge in San Francisco, for example, or a "pizza" challenge in New York or a "NASA" challenge in Florida — to showcase "how cool America is".
Worsoff told Collins on The Source that he envisions each episode ending with a town-hall meeting, "just like in a presidential election".
"The people of Tennessee, let's say, will get to vote on which one of our future Americans they would most like to represent the state of Tennessee," Worsoff said.
He previously acknowledged the stakes would be high for the contestants but said that's not a bad thing.
"I would hope that any competition reality show has stakes," Worsoff told CNN.
"Yeah, I'm not going to apologise for that fact that there are real stakes on the show. I don't think that's a bad thing, I think that's a good thing."
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