The Department of Homeland Security is considering a reality television show pitch from a Duck Dynasty producer that would focus on U.S. citizenship.
The show, called The American, would put immigrants through a series of challenges as they compete for U.S. citizenship. It’s being pitched by reality TV veteran Rob Worsoff (Duck Dynasty, The Millionaire Matchmaker), as he confirmed on his Facebook page on Friday. “It’s not mean spirited. Instead, ‘The American’ is a celebration of what it means to be… well… American – At a time when our morale is at an all-time low,” Worsoff said.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that the show was being reviewed.
“The Department of Homeland Security receives hundreds of television show pitches a year, ranging from documentaries surrounding ICE and CBP border operation to white collar investigations by HSI,” McLaughlin said. “Each proposal undergoes a thorough vetting process prior to denial or approval.”
McLaughlin said The American was in the “beginning stages of that vetting process and has not received approval or denial by staff.”
The Daily Mail was the first to report the news. The Daily Mail reported that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was pushing the project, which McLaughlin in her statement denied.
In his statement, Worsoff said he hadn’t spoken to Noem yet but says he has been working with some of her colleagues at the DHS. He also suggested that he had pitched the show during former President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden’s administrations. “It was never a flat-out NO from any admin. It was always just about timing,” he said.
Worsoff also confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that the program would be a competition show where citizens compete in stereotypically American activities like collecting gold from a mine in San Francisco or assembling a Model T in Detroit.
More to come.
