Reality show featuring immigrants vying for citizenship being weighed by Noem’s DHS
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is considering working with the producer of ‘Duck Dynasty’ on a reality show featuring immigrants vying for U.S. citizenship.
Rob Worsoff, the A&E producer who pitched the department about the show in a 35-page slide deck first reported by Daily Mail, envisioned immigrants taking part in competitions around the country for the prize of fast-tracking their citizenship process, such as digging for clams in Maine or rafting down the Arkansas River in Colorado.
The show would be called ‘The American,’ also the name of the Amtrak train that would cart them around the country.
As they travel to each state, the competitors would “learn about the history, quirks and activities of each region,” one slide seen by Fox News Digital said. “Aboard the train, we will learn who they are, where they come from, their unique backgrounds, and why they have chosen to immigrate to the United States of America,” the slide reads.
DHS seems open to the proposal.
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HHS Sec. Kristi Noem, known for her made-for-TV moments on the job, has not yet been briefed on the idea because it’s in the early stages, a department official told Fox. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A document from the pitch deck for the proposed reality show. (Fox News Digital )
“I said it may be a good idea,” Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at DHS, told Fox News Digital.
“We get hundreds of pitches for shows. We need to revive patriotism and civic duty in this country and we’re happy to review out-of-the-box pitches.”
She added on X that Sec. Kristi Noem, known for her made-for-TV moments on the job, has not yet been briefed on the idea because it’s in the early stages and has not been approved by staff.
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The winner would be deemed “our newest fellow American!” though all contestants on the show would be eligible for eventual citizenship.
Other game prizes would be “iconically American,” including 1 million American Airlines points, a $10,000 Starbucks Gift Card, or a lifetime supply of 76 gasoline.
Worsoff, who is Canadian, told Fox News Digital he’d pitched the idea as far back as the Obama administration, and the DHS under both President Barack Obama and Joe Biden had been receptive to it.
“Both cases there was a positive response,” he said. “There was a very positive response under [DHS Sec. Alejandro] Mayorkas, then he got impeached.”
“My show is very much a positive, fun inclusive show,” Worsoff added. He said years ago he’d pitched the idea for the hit reality show ‘The Biggest Loser’ and people had initially accused him of fat-shaming. “Then people watched the show they realized this is a heartwarming, kind show.”
“Nobody’s moving backwards in the [immigration] process” by being on the show, he emphasized.
The DHS has launched a $200 million ad campaign aimed at highlighting the administration’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Worsoff told the Wall Street Journal he’d pitched the idea as far back as the Obama administration, but it never gained traction.
Worsoff formerly wrote for and produced ‘Duck Dynasty,’ the reality TV show about a Louisiana family and their duck hunting activities. He also produced Bravo’s Millionaire Matchmaker.
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Worsoff, who hails from Canada, told the Daily Mail: “I’m not affiliated with any political ideology. As an immigrant myself, I am merely trying to make a show that celebrates the immigration process, celebrate what it means to be American and have a national conversation about what it means to be American, through the eyes of the people who want it most.”
DHS has launched a $200 million ad campaign aimed at highlighting the administration’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.