Undercover Boss features CEOs who disguise themselves as trainees at their own companies so they can see what's happening at ground level. The show typically ends with the CEOs giving away money to sad-sack employees who then weep, Extreme Makeover-style, with relief over the fact that though their boss has spied on them, he's giving them a raise instead of firing them. The latest episode of the show, which profiles the Philly Soft Pretzel Factory, is a joy for city boosters: tons of shots of the city, talk about pretzels, and personalities that are classic Philly. Pretzel Factory CEO Dan DiZio's Philly accent is also prominently on display.
One of DiZio's visits takes him to the franchise on 15th and Sansom, where he meets Gino, a dancer and choreographer currently working as a delivery guy. They hand truck a gajillion pretzels to kiosks in SEPTA stations by descending a slippery concrete City Hall Station stairway. (DiZio is shocked by that method; doesn't he know the elevators are always broken?)
Best of all is the revelation of Philadelphia sentimentality: DiZio tears up in pretty much every interview, and the employees weep openly. There is so much crying and goodwill on the show, it makes Philly look like a town with a whole lot of heart. Which it is.
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