Kristi Noem working on reality show pitting immigrants against each other for citizenship
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testifies before a House Homeland Security hearing on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) budget, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 14, 2025. REUTERS/Anna Rose Layden
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has reportedly lent her support to a reality show in which immigrants compete for the prize of U.S. citizenship.
That's according to a Daily Mail report from Thursday, which the Daily Beast also corroborated. Noem has apparently been working with "Duck Dynasty" producer Rob Worsoff on the show, which would be called "The American," which would pit immigrants from different countries against each other in various challenges across the United States.
Worsoff's 35-page pitch, which the Mail reportedly obtained, describes how the show seeks to "celebrate what it means to be American and have a national conversation about what it means to be American, through the eyes of the people who want it most." The grand prize would be a U.S. naturalization ceremony, in which Worsoff promised "there won't be a dry eye within 10 miles."
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According to the pitch, there would be 12 contestants at the start of the show, who would begin their journey at Ellis Island in New York. Worsoff is pushing for the show's host to be a famous naturalized U.S. citizen, like Canadian-born Ryan Reynolds or Colombian-born Sofia Vergara.
Contestants would participate in various games throughout the show's run, like balancing on logs in Wisconsin and launching a rocket at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Where Noem's office comes in would be U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, who would serve as judges to "tally votes."
"We’ll join in the laughter, tears, frustration, and joy — hearing their backstories — as we are reminded how amazing it is to be American," the pitch read.
Noem's office denied that the Homeland Security secretary was working on the project, with DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin saying the show was "in the very beginning stages" of the vetting process. She added that Noem had not reviewed the pitch, though the Mail's unnamed sources said that Noem secretly supports the project and is hoping for its success.
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Click here to read the Daily Mail's report.
