The season finale of Undercover Boss told us the thorny story of 1-800-Flowers. The show pumped up a rivalry between the two brothers who head up the company, Jim and Chris McCann. Jim (the CEO) asked Chris (the company president) to go undercover. Why? Because as founder of the company and Jim’s big brother, he likes pushing Chris around. Chris complied meekly, but then told the camera when we were alone with him, “I want to run this company one day — that’s my plan.” Really? What does that plan involve? Waiting until Jim dies, or beating his big brother senseless with a large, $100 bouquet?
Undercover Boss, after just one short season, is very popular but is already showing signs of repetition and a need for novelty. So in addition to having Chris visit various shops and one of the company’s chocolate factories (which resulted in the predictable gee-the-boss-can’t-keep-up-with-the-assembly-line scenes), there was this sibling rivalry.
At one point, Jim, apparently realizing that bullying his brother into being the undercover character was depriving him of CBS face-time, went to the store where Chris was working and asked the manager there to have that $100 bouquet I mentioned assembled for him. The glee Jim took in ridiculing Chris was so petty that it couldn’t have amused anyone watching except Jim, who probably watched last night and cackled, “Hah! And Chrissy thinks he’s going to run the company some day? There’ll be 1-800-daffodils on my grave before that happens!”
When we arrived at the show’s standard doling-out-the-rewards final segments, Undercover Boss seemed to address some of the criticisms that I and others have aimed at the series. Instead of just giving Nciole, the employee lucky enough to come into contact with the (co-)boss, a raise, Chris announced an “incentive system” to be implemented for people throughout the company who exceed their goals.
That’s nice. So was giving hard-working Jose money and mentoring to eventually become a franchise-owner. And Dee seemed pleased that 1-800-Flowers was going to name an arrangement after her.
As usual, the workers were filmed for the maximum amount of gratefulness they expressed, while the bosses got to glow with generosity. But also as usual with Boss, I felt as though, when the cameras were turned off, everyone probably returned to their usual roles, without much substantive change that might make the workers’ lives better.
Playing explicitly off of fear and the poor economy, Undercover Boss is meant to make its audience feel warmly about its own jobs and employers. But I wonder whether, when Undercover Boss comes back for its second season, a lot of viewers will feel they’ve seen this rigidly-formatted, envy-the-boss show before, and exercise their right to say, “I quit” to Undercover Boss.
Did you watch Undercover Boss? What did you think?
very good
Love the series. Thought Jim was an ass.
Agreed. How old is he, 5? It was awful to watch his brother squirm. What a jerk!
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This show will need to change a lot in order to keep an audience in the future. You are right: it is already getting “tired.”
I thought the first episode (Waste Management) was was genuinely touching, and that the show has gone steadily downhill from there. The “Hooters” episode was really disturbing–both for how clueless the owner was about how the public perceives his company (and his pledge to broaden its appeal without changing the concept or the outfits), as well as footage of a store manager bullying and humiliating his employees. When it got that scene I turned off the show, and haven’t been back.
I suppose that “Undercover Boss” started out as a celebration of the American worker (um, sort of), but it’s become as phony and manipulative as any other stunt-based reality show.
I’d also like to know what the president of 7-11 originally offered to do for a worker who was on dialysis. His promise to start a donor awareness campaign was obviously looped in after the fact, so her tearful gratitude was in response to something we didn’t hear. Did he offer to pay for her surgery? Buy her a kidney? I think he must have said something that either 7-11 or CBS’s lawyers said they couldn’t actually do. I think seeing that–and recognizing that they fictionalized the scene rather than just leaving it out–was the point where I started losing interest.
In that same episode, one of the 7-11 store managers is absent in the reveal…what happened there? Was she less than amused by the deception? Was she not sufficiently grateful for her paid vacation? I know reality shows have little to do with actual reality, but the seams are starting to show on this one.
When this show debuted after the Super Bowl, I found it fresh and intriguing. However, after watching 4 episodes, I now find it trite, predictable and repetative. I find it quite implausible that these CEOs and other company leaders have no idea about the sacrifices and struggles of their employees. Every episode has the poor person(s) who has a financial or health issue. Are they really that out of touch with the plight of the common working person??? I would venture to say you could find hundreds or even thousands of similar stories in each of these companies. In addition, the negative discoveries has been kept to a minimum in these episodes. I have worked for several large corporations-albiet as a peon-and have witnessed gross misconduct and irresponsible behaviors. I am certain this is a fairly common occurrence in all large companies that employee thousands. The producers of this series may want to take a critical look at the series and make the necessary adjustments before the staleness set in and becomes permanent.
I have been hoping for the boss to discover that one manager that is grossly mistreating the employees and at the reveal fire their butt! These have really become too sappy.
I think every worker wants to be recognized for doing a good job. . . and not just with a paycheck. I truly believe most CEOs are oblivious of the jobs their employees do and this series gives the average Joe/Jill Sixpack Worker the sense that finally, the Boss gets it! And I think that’s really important. I wonder, though, how there can be future seasons of this show. Certainly everybody would be onto the ploy of “taping a new employee for a show.”
I mentioned the same thing last week about continuing the show. I too can’t see how they can do another season using the premise of taping a new employee or taping employees for any other reason without them figuring it’s for this show. And last night’s show was by far the weakest. I am surprised CBS left the worst episode for last. And the “payoffs” didn’t seem to center on the workers but on how to make the company more successful, period. I can hear the CEO now: “Good job people, now go back to work”.
Enjoyed the series. Hope it comes back juiced up some!
I still cannot believe anyone would actually watch a show about rich men having to do (shudder) manual labor for a few hours. What’s next… a show about politicians riding in coach? Look, they’re mingling with the common folk.
But aren’t the rich men from 1-800-flowers wealthy because of their previous manual labor?
They are changing the format next season since pretty much the entire country knows how the show works.
Yeah, Was wondering how they plan on doing a second season of this show – workers are gonna be on to the premise now… If some new person was brought on and I was to train them with a camera watching my every move, I would now be a little more suspicious!
Dear Crispy,this show may not be well suited for you and you may not watch it, so if you have not been watching, how can you form an opinion? Did you watch one show then saw the comments and formed and opinion? I personally look forward to the next show even if it is the same just different employers because it gives you a perspective that we are not the only ones going through tough times, even people who are working are afraid of losing their jobs and the message is being sent out loud and clear that bosses do need to be more involved. So if you don’t agree with the program, don’t watch, but don’t put it down based on someone elses opinion be a leader not a follower.
I thoroughly enjoyed the show (Pro-Flowers) I would love to see my bosses go under-cover one day they may be surprised at how little they know about their employees and what they actually put up with.
Terri here again, correction 1-800 Flowers…LOL
I love the show. As a boss I know how hard it can be to really know what your employees are thinking, so spying may be a little over the top but they are doing it for all the right reasons, not just to be nosy. I tell who I would have fired on the spot and blown my cover was the Manager at Hooters, that was uncalled for and even with Managerial school if you have that mentality in you to humiliate women then nothing is going to change, he may not do it when the boss is around or when he is threatened, but he will do it. I love the show and each one is unique it is not redundent like some of you think, remember the steps may be the same, but the work is undeniabley different and the stories to each show are beyond compare, I believe the tears are real and not just for show and I believe these bosses are getting a better perspective and will keep their word to each and every employee. Good luck undercover boss.
Can’t you see this is just one big free “Commercial” for the companies? If they truly wanted to go “undercover” then they should use hidden camera’s so the employees would feel free to truly say what is on their minds.
i know someone who works for 00 flowers they told the higher ups they were coming and of course those guys told everyone who might be on camera what was happening this show is a joke and has nothing to do with the reality of the poor people who are employed by these morons.
i watch every single episode of this show on http://www.cbs.com. i have not seen the finale episode yet as i was working last night. i can not wait for the 2nd season. the only shows i watch on TV is Undercover Boss and Criminal Minds. that’s about it.
I was especially interested in the first episode, since I worked for many years at WM. Pretty amusing and thought it was all quite a set up. He went to only the nicest facilities, I guarantee there are some pretty nasty jobs in that company, and he didn’t do any of those – and I didn’t see one rat. bet he didn’t either. (and I’d be willing to be the portapotties were already clean and empty for him) They just happened to have a uniform for him – that doesn’t happen for visitors. And every happened to have a brand new vets ad hat – that doesn’t happen either. He just HAPPENED to find each employee with a story. For the one that was doing 3 peoples jobs, he was nice enough to let her hire 2 assistants. Wonder if they were the same ones let go in all the rounds of cutbacks. Nice to help her out, but there are people all over the company doing 3 peoples jobs – you’ve laid the rest off. You wouldn’t believe the ridiculous amounts of money wasted by that company, but keep cutting jobs to make up for it. Pretty soon there won’t be anybody left to p/u the trash! In our area, we have raised the rates so high, WM is the most expensive disposal company around, laid off more than 50% of the workers, lost tons of business. More and more pressure is put on the local division with threats of job loss. Nice they helped out those couple of people, but it hasn’t done a thing for anybody else in the compnay. No corrections made, nobody really cared. Just wanted to get some free advertising.
I like the series a lot and your idea – it would be great to see updates on how the changes these undercover bosses make play out.
understand why their store was empty on the show terrible service and can not make deliveries on time. What a joke of a company. Unacceptable and deliver dead flowers