New Reality TV Show That Sees immigrants Compete for US Citizenship Has Backing of Trump Administration: Report

Donald Trump’s presidency already feels like a reality show in many ways, but his Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, is reportedly taking it a step further. According to The Daily Mail, Noem is developing a reality TV series where immigrants will compete for a chance to earn US citizenship.

Per a 35-page pitch viewed by The Daily Mail, Noem has been working with writer and producer Rob Worsoff (of Duck Dynasty fame) on a new program called The American. The competition series would feature 12 immigrants arriving in America via Ellis Island before traveling across the country to compete in various challenges. The grand prize winner would be sworn in as a US citizen on the steps of the Capitol.

According to the pitch doc, proposed challenges include mining for gold in San Francisco, balancing logs in Wisconsin, rafting down a river in Colorado, and building a rocket for NASA in Florida.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Beast that the show’s concept is  “in the very beginning stages” of the vetting process, and she denied that Noem is directly involved in its development. However, citing sources, The Daily Mail reports that Noem “supports the project and wants to proceed,” and “has been working for weeks to get such a project greenlit from Netflix or another streaming or cable service.”