Slogging through the drudgery of a day’s work, most employees have probably dreamed about seeing their bosses get their hands dirty doing the nitty-gritty tasks that help their companies run smoothly.
That would explain the success that CBS reality Undercover Boss, which debuted in February 2010 to 38.6 million U.S. viewers. And now, with the American series unfurling its third season this Sunday (8 p.m. ET), W Network and Alliance Films have announced they will broadcast a Canadian version of the show in February.
Among the 10 Canuck bigwigs on Undercover Boss Canada are Molson Coors Canada chief legal officer Kelly Brown, Toronto Transit Commission chair Karen Stintz, Pizza Pizza CEO Paul Goddard, and The Toronto Zoo CEO John Tracogna.
Also participating are Second Cup CEO Stacey Mowbray, Cineplex Entertainment CEO Ellis Jacob, FedEx Express Canada president Lisa Lisson, and 1-800-GOT-JUNK? founder and CEO Brian Scudamore. The show will announce the final two bosses at a later date.
“By secretly inserting CEOs with their dedicated workers, we see something truly unique and wonderful,” said Thomas Howe, executive producer of Undercover Boss Canada.
“Not only does the boss set out to see how their organizations can actually run better, but we get to see how they can make a truly meaningful change in the lives of the people there and how these emotional journeys transform them.”
Like in the U.S. version of the show, each hour-long episode will plop one boss in an entry-level job in their own company.
The U.S. version of Undercover Boss is based on the British series of the same name. Companies that have participated stateside include Hooters, 7-Eleven, NASCAR, the Chicago Cubs and Subway.
Undercover Boss already airs editions in countries including Australia and Germany. Also in the works are versions of the show in Denmark, Spain, Turkey, Sweden and Israel, among others.
Undercover Boss Canada premieres Thursday, Feb. 2, at 9 p.m. ET on W Network.
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