Well, Undercover Boss got away from the food industry this week, unless, I suppose, you consider horse-meat yummy. After weeks spent in places such as White Castle and 7-Eleven, Boss found a way to escape neon lighting and get outdoors. We followed Bill Carstanjen, COO of Churchill Downs, Inc., “host of the Kentucky Derby,” as he doffed his suit and grabbed a feed bucket.
“I like to watch ‘em from afar,” Carstanjen said of the animals that help him lead his posh life. How convenient: a boss who’s “inimidated” by his meal ticket. Carstanjen spent a lot of time in what the show kept calling “the back stretch” — the working area of various race tracks the company owns in states such as Florida and Illinois. Feeding and washing horses: predictable. Cleaning the areas where the high rollers bet: Why was I not surprised that Carstanjen didn’t know how to turn on a vacuum cleaner?
Being out of touch with the working-class is what Undercover Boss is all about, of course. But the show never pulled a dumb stunt like the one this week: Having the boss being tutored in how to blow a bugle at the start of a race. How did that jibe with the show’s “undercover” premise — that the boss is trying out for an “entry-level job”? Of course, non-musician Carstanjen sounded feeble blowing his bugle. But what I really didn’t understand was, why bother, when the producers didn’t show footage of this during the traditional end-of-show segment in which the employees are gathered and forced to laugh it up while watching clips of the boss goofing up?
During the episode-concluding reward segment, one employee, a cleaning-woman who had a 90-minute commute to the track, was offered a job at a more-nearby off-track-betting parlor the company runs. Has Carstanjen been to an OTB parlor lately? I’m willing to bet that woman would rather drive an hour and a half each way rather than start cleaning out one of those typically smelly outlets…
All in all, this was the weakest Undercover Boss to date. It didn’t help that Carstanjen had the blandest of corporate personalities. It was announced this week that Boss has already been renewed for a second season. Just when the formula seems to be running lame…
Agree? Disagree?
Would have been more impressed if he’d offered to give back one or two million from his salary and raise everyone else’s wages fifty cents an hour.
Ken, what is the matter with you? Why so cynical? It’s a good show that my husband and I enjoy every week. You need to lighten up a little.
Yeah, the bugle thing was pretty lame. I did love the jockey; he was my favorite part, ‘I’ve never been in a limo before’. Cute.
I didn’t like how they pimped Churchill Downs, but yet none of the jobs were there. And I didn’t think the motel in Miami seemed that bad; my ‘spring break’ motels were much worse. lol.
A little less Brass blowing; I worked at a track on the front side and they missed things like the ticket sweeper now this is difference from turning on a vacuum or a ticket writer. He could have worked the gate or cleaned the stalls on the back side.
Matthew McCauley is a total and complete douchebag. how out of touch can you be when you only make 750k a year? its alot but its not enough to make you so out of touch you cant run a vacuum cleaner. typical silver spoon spoiled brat that didtn have to work hard for anything.
I realy thought it was a little lame that they had him blowing to Post. That was really put on I think. The only way they would allow that is the knew he was someone special. I think with some of the edditing going on they make it look like it working more than what they are presenting. And how do we not know that some f the managers are tipped off that he is coming
How are they going to keep this show going? Now that it’s on the air, don’t you think people will get suspicious when a “random guy” comes around to do an entry-level job followed by a camera crew?
Ken, please stop recapping this show. You’re obvious hatred towards people who are richer then you is so vitriolic through all of your recaps of this show so far, they’ve become just about unreadable. This is a one hour Sunday night show which is entertaining and showcases an executive out of their element and also showcases some great people who otherwise would have never been showcased. As far as “reality” shows go, this one is pretty good. Yes, of course a huge reason to go on this show is to drum up publicity for their businesses, but that doesn’t take away anything from the great employees we’ve been introduced to along the3 way, and some of them have been justly rewarded where otherwise they may not have been. Seriously, please have someone else start recapping this show!
I agree, Chris.
How right you are Mr. Chris. I agree w/you 100%
hey ken tucker – stop being so negative. the show was good!
I like Ken’s recaps. I don’t always agree with him, but what fun would that be? Keep up the good work Ken. I appreciate your perspective.
Lame…lame…lame… This show is nothing more than an advertising gimmick for the companies that are featured on the show. The “plots” are contrived (my favorite – the CEO of Hooters somehow concerned about the portrayal/objectification of women at the Hooters locations), and somehow a CEO who does a good gesture for a single employee is somehow now more engaged? How about changing an entire company…
It wouldn’t surprise me if the featured companies were paying the network for this “advertising” gimmick…
I totally agree this is the latest in ‘trick’ advertising masquerading as reality. Totally bogus premise and formula.
Didn’t see this week show. I have enjoyed the other ones. Glad to see that it will have a second season.
Ken Tucker, you are a bitter, bitter hyper-critical whiner. This story, especially the segment on Mr. Rice, the Valet, was very touching.
The COO of Churchill Downs Inc. seemed like a nice guy, but he was completely out of touch with how race tracks are run. This clearly showed why the race track business is hurting the Untied States. They should someone is charge who has racing in their blood. How can you run a business when you really don’t have a clue about racing.
Personally, I get a kick out watching this idiotic CEO’s doing normal things us simple folk do—but on the other hand I am disgusted by their abject stupidity and disregard for their employees, like, oh gee, you mean after you clean two floors and are here by yourself in the middle of the night, you have to walk to your car across the parking lot by yourself and there are no lights? No, really? Or like the waste management guy who didn’t realize women can’t pee in the bushes so to speak—How much do you want to bet you never see a woman CEO as an “undercover boss”??? Hummm..
This show seems way too scripted, and staged. The Hooters CEO says he “went all over America” visiting Hooters stores but ended up shooting in three stores, all in the Dallas-Ft Worth area? 7-Eleven, well, it is headquartered in Dallas. Too scripted, and fake. It needs to go … sooner than another season later.