Undercover Boss (2010) s05e09 Episode Script

Busted!

(Male announcer) Over the course of the series history, more than 60 bosses have gone undercover Whoa.
Keep holdin' it.
Whoa.
Push that, push that.
- Keep going, keep going.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa! (Announcer) To work with their employees We got a lot.
(Announcer) And get an unfiltered view of their organizations.
Some people I just wanna punch 'em I the face sometimes.
Wow.
No mature person should do that.
- Morale is terrible.
- Really? I wouldn't wanna work for you, with the way you talk to people inside there.
A lot of people smoke pot.
And if I'm not very busy, then I'll kind of, uh, indulge.
You do not.
That's a problem for me.
(Announcer) These bosses have gone to great lengths to keep their identities secret.
Oh, my God! Yeah, I'm bringin' it.
(Announcer) From intricate disguises Oh, my God.
It's so weird.
Oh, my God.
You look like you're from the '90s.
[Chuckles.]
(Announcer) To convincing ruses.
- No, I'm a personal trainer.
- Oh, perfect.
So check it out.
I could, like, do these I had a restaurant, but ended up having to close it.
That's rough.
That's rough.
So I'm just looking at some other ideas and other things.
I mean, you're you're good at this, man.
Like, you've done this before.
(Announcer) But sometimes a boss gets busted on the job by a suspicious employee.
You look like the president of Fatburger.
- I look like him? - Like, really, like, a brother.
You know it's me, right? - Yes, I figured that out.
- You did? Yeah, I think you busted me.
You even look like our mayor.
I am the mayor.
Do you know Mitchell at all? Modell? I am Mitchell Modell.
I thought you were much taller.
Hey.
(Announcer) Tonight, six bosses unite at a famous New York City landmark, to discuss their undercover journey and the moment they were busted.
As soon as I walked in, the manager she just kind of did the whole, like, "I know it's you.
" (Announcer) What will happen when the tables are turned on them? Hey, guys, welcome to The Palm.
My name is Adam.
Ooh, sorry.
- Oopsy.
Uh - Easy with the knife, man.
Oh, yeah.
[Laughter.]
(Announcer) Find out next on Undercover Boss: Busted.
Undercover Boss 5x09 - Busted! Original air date November 22, 2013 I'm Eric Casaburi.
I'm a founder and CEO of Retro Fitness.
We are a full service fitness chain with more than 500,000 members and over 100 gyms.
So I thought it'd be a great idea to get a bunch of the bosses together that were on the show.
I thought one of the common threads that would be really cool is if they were either busted, had a near-miss where they almost got busted, or they themselves took themself out of cover and busted themselves for one reason or another.
Oh, this is gonna be fun.
I'm gonna bring 'em to The Palm for dinner.
They don't know what they're in for today.
But the twist to it is, I'm gonna come out undercover as a waiter.
- Are you ready for this? - Am I ever.
On my episode, I, of course, did not get busted.
So I'd like to go undercover again with all the bosses, to see was I really good, undercover? Or, you know, was it a fluke thing I didn't get busted? Why do I have the sudden urge to play my old Nintendo? They have no clue I'm gonna be there, they have no idea what what we're gonna be doing.
They just think it's gonna be a general reunion of bosses that they've been on the show with.
Hi.
Welcome to The Palm.
Thank you very much.
- My name is Kat Cole.
- Oh, wonderful.
You're the first to arrive, - but we'll be happy to send you back.
- That'd be great.
- Your reservation is just right in the private room.
- Okay.
(Announcer) On the guest list tonight is Kat Cole, president of Cinnabon $1/2 billion dessert empire.
- Hi, Kat.
(Kat) - Hey.
(Announcer) Paul Damico, CEO of Moe's Southwest Grill a restaurant franchise offering fast, healthy cuisine.
Thank you so much.
We'll see you later.
(Announcer) Andy Wiederhorn, CEO of Fatburger one of the fastest growing hamburger chains in the world.
Hey.
How are you? Sheldon Yellen.
(Announcer) Sheldon Yellen, CEO of Belfor a global leader in property restoration.
Hi, guys.
(Announcer) Anthony Wedo, president and CEO of Buffets, Inc the largest buffet provider in the United States.
- Hi.
It's good to see you.
- Good to see you, Jane.
(Announcer) And Jane Grote Abell, chairwoman of Donatos a $170 million a year family owned business.
- Very nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
Now I don't know if they're gonna have a good time, but I know I'm gonna have a good time.
Tricking your employees with a disguise, right, it's one thing that got to me a little bit.
It's the bummer part of it.
(Jane) It's very deceptive.
Doesn't it though, right? You'll come up.
- "What kind of waters do you want" - Okay.
Considering I've never, ever waited a table in my life, I needed a little bit of training.
- Do I have to memorize this? - Yes.
- All right, I got my stuff.
I got my pen.
- You're all set.
I gotta tell ya, I didn't think I was gonna be nervous at all.
I was like, "let's do this.
" As soon as that door opened and I saw the room, I was like, "oh, crap, I gotta be a waiter.
" Hi, guys, welcome to The Palm.
- Hello.
(Eric) - My name is Adam.
We're gonna start off just with some waters.
Flat? Sparkling? - Start with the lady.
- Flat.
- Flat? - Flat's good.
(All) Flat.
You're not gonna mix it up, are ya? [Laughter.]
(Jane) - I would like an ice tea.
- You can have an ice tea.
Hold on.
Let me write it down, because they yell at me in the back when I I don't do it right.
The waiter's acting really weird.
His energy was very over the top.
I'll have a hot tea, please.
Hot tea.
I mean, the minute he walked in, the 'stache, the wig I thought, "there is no way that's real.
" I'll get you guys goin'.
I'm sure you'll be hungry, right? (All) Yes.
The food's phenomenal.
You're gonna enjoy.
(Eric) All right, we'll be right back with this stuff.
(All) Thank you.
- I just have a question.
(Kat) - Hold on just a second.
Wait a minute.
Why was he so nervous, taking the water order? [Laughter.]
- Diet coke.
- Holy crap.
- A spoon.
- I'm a college dropout, just remember that.
All right, okay, here we go.
That guy's totally wearing a wig and a mustache.
- Yeah, same thing, right? - He's undercover.
I was gonna bust him.
Don't bust him, 'cause he's undercover.
Just get up and pull the mustache.
I know how to perform within a restaurant.
This guy didn't look like he belonged.
He looked like he had the right uniform on, but he didn't belong where he was.
He was a train wreck.
Oops, sorry.
Oopsy.
I'm gonna steal that from you.
- I'm sorry about that.
- All right.
- This is, uh - No problem.
He spilled water over by Andy, and cleaned it up very clumsily, if that's a word.
It's water though, that's the good thing.
I'm extra sanitizing your area.
- Easy with the knife, man.
- Oh, yeah.
[Laughter.]
Adam needs some training as a waiter.
Uh, we're gonna have some appetizers.
We've got this gigantic tower.
We call it the fish tower.
It's fabulous.
It was ad-lib central.
The whole menu they showed me, I forgot the whole thing.
I would like to see what an actual fish tower looks like, because I I said it was on the menu.
[Laughs.]
I am a big fan of the show, shh.
Here, pull up a chair.
Oh, you don't gotta as me twice, pal.
I'm come right in.
I'm here for ya.
Here at The Palms, we're very friendly with our our customers.
Kat's eyeballing me.
I'm like, "crap.
" So how long have you been doing this job? How long do you think I've been doing it? - An hour? - One day.
Ah, well I like the hair.
It's me, Eric Casaburi, the CEO from Retro Fitness.
[Laughter and applause.]
I'm like, "ah, I totally know.
" "You're the guy with the girl" "who wanted to punch people in the face.
" "This is gonna be awesome.
" I've come to join you folks.
- You got some - Yeah, I got mustache hair on me.
I'm gonna have to clean myself up a little bit.
We'll chat in a few minutes.
I'll be back.
It was a huge relief to know that Eric wasn't our waiter.
Well, you'll all start to notice as we chat, there was a common thread here.
'Cause most of you that are here - were either busted on your show - Yes.
- Or you revealed yourself.
- Self-busted, yes.
I thought it would be kind of funny if we had a little get-together and kind of put a little ruse on.
You wore the mustache.
[Laughs.]
Here's to getting busted.
[Laughter.]
- Or almost busted.
- Or almost.
Or self-busted.
(Jane) Or should've been busted.
(Eric) Or not busted.
You guys all know, particular you guys in the restaurant business, one person in your store, one bad apple in your store (All) Yeah.
Boy, it's done.
I had a situation where I had a guy he was training me as a dishwasher, a young man named Skye.
This guy was just completely, attitudinally in left field, crazy.
It's basically crash and burn.
'Cause when I'm in here, I only have time enough to show the basics, and then that's it.
I've had one minute of training.
If you can't do it, then you can't do it.
He wasn't happy about training me.
He wasn't happy with my company.
Uh, this guy was not happy about anything.
This is actually kind of fun.
It sucks.
I hate doin' dishes.
[Clattering.]
Oh, well.
What you waitin' for? [Laughs.]
I got to a point where I just couldn't take it anymore.
[Chuckles.]
And my first step was, his manager.
What's up, Ernest? How you doing, man? Ernest, I really need to see you, if you don't mind, for a minute, back in your office.
Is that okay? All right, let's go back.
I got something to tell you.
My name's Anthony Wedo.
I'm the president and CEO of Buffets, Inc.
Wow.
Yeah.
When he told me he'd seen some things that he wasn't happy with in the dish room, the attitudes, I was very, very aware of 'em.
I did my best to fix 'em on my own, but didn't have the support.
What's stopping you from doing the right thing - with these people? - It's not me.
I can't do it by myself.
That's not the way, you know, the company is.
And that's not the way I am.
And Tony promised they'd give me some help.
- Ernest, the cavalry is coming.
- Good.
Okay, I'm gonna turn that store upside down, uh, from managers, the whole way down through - processes, procedures, and all the stuff.
- Thank you.
I walk back in the store about ten days ago.
How y'all doing? - Doin' great.
- Good.
Nice to see you.
You too.
[Laughs.]
Hey, my man.
- How the heck are ya? - What's happening? - My goodness.
- Did I surprise you today? Yeah! How's it going? Good to see you, man.
It's good to see you.
- Have a seat.
- Okay.
I'm gonna sit down, yeah.
So when I told you the cavalry was coming They came and came and came and came.
[Laughs.]
Good.
It's been a wonderful experience.
Well, look around, I mean, it's just I can feel I walked through the dining room to come here to see you, and I could feel - a whole different energy in this place.
- It is, it is.
A totally different energy.
And Skye's doin' wonderful.
I haven't had any problems with Skye.
He's happy to be here.
I asked him today, "are you happy to be here?", he said, "I'm happy and I'm grateful to be here.
" Well, you know what? I mean, look.
I gotta to tell you.
I thought a lot about this.
So what I'd like to do is give you a special CEO bonus for $5,000.
- And I want you to use that for you and your family.
- Okay.
- Okay? - That that thank you.
I think we have a great partnership, - so I'm excited about it.
- Thank you very much.
My pleasure.
Before Undercover Boss, I was gonna quit.
I just felt like I was fighting a battle that I couldn't win.
Well, I wanna go out and say hi to some other folks.
- Can I do that? - Yes, yes, for sure.
- Like, one in particular.
- Skye.
Let's go talk.
I'm grateful for Undercover Boss.
And meeting Tony, it's changed my life.
- How are you, man? - Good.
You? Good to see you again.
How you been? My fiancee's pregnant.
I'm gonna be a dad.
Well, that's a congratulations.
Oh, yeah, most definitely.
Look, we talked about second chances.
You got a second chance.
- You're making the best out of it.
- Yeah.
- That's what it's all about.
- Mm-hmm.
And I appreciate that.
You know what I wanna do? I wanna give you a pre-baby shower.
$500 bonus is that gonna work for you? - Huh? Come on, man.
Is that gonna work for you? - Yeah.
[Laughter.]
Tony's a man of his word.
He came back, which I didn't expect him to do.
Now I'm hoping just that Tony will allow me to get some more training, so can go as high up in the company as I want.
And I'll see you, uh, again soon.
- All right? - Yes, sir.
All right, all right.
Take care.
Great outcome.
Really happy and I'm so happy with that.
(Announcer) Coming up She just kinda did the whole, like, "I know it's you.
" (Announcer) A boss remembers what it was like to get busted on her first day undercover.
What would've stopped her from calling all the other stores? (Announcer) And later Big bakery concept launch.
(Announcer) The president of Cinnabon recounts her close call.
I was so nervous.
Well, your heart is pounding.
I got this microphone really close, it's probably blowing their ears out.
[Laughter.]
Hi! (Announcer) Seven bosses have come together at a famous New York City landmark Here's to getting busted.
[Laughter.]
(Announcer) To discuss their undercover journey and share stories of the moment they were busted.
I got to a point where I just couldn't take it anymore.
I would love to do Undercover Boss, but I'm not gonna put another wig on my head.
My biggest challenge was not the hair, 'cause I really enjoyed the hair.
[Laughter.]
I had tattoos up and down my forearms.
And so, you know, they flew in a tattoo artist.
At my house, you know, it took hours to create these tattoos on both forearms.
But because I was in the kitchen every day, every day they had to be reapplied with black sharpie.
For me, that was the toughest thing.
- But they weren't real tattoos? - They weren't real.
- They were done with a sharpie.
(Jane) - I had 'em also.
(Kat) They looked great though.
Yeah, I felt comfortable with my disguise, but I'm six-foot, so I knew it was gonna be difficult.
So it's on campus at Ohio State.
It's my first job going in.
And as soon as I walked in, the manager, her name is Kim, she just kinda the whole, like, "I know it's you.
" - Hi, is Aaron here? - Hey, how's it going? - Good.
- It's me.
Nice to meet you.
- Are you my contestant? - I am.
I'm Kathy.
Awesome.
Um, so I guess I should probably show you around then.
I was only in the store for just a couple of minutes.
Kim's just standing there, staring at me.
She was just like, "oh, yeah", "I know something's going on.
" (Jane) Will you excuse me for a minute? - Can I talk to you? - Yeah.
So, I decided to come out.
I pulled her outside and we went to the alley.
- I think you know - I do.
- Who I am.
Okay.
- Yeah, yeah.
I could totally tell, - when you sized me up and down.
- It was shocking.
- It was shocking.
- Have you told anybody at all? - I did.
- You did? - I did.
- Okay.
Can you do me a huge favor? I need you to play this ruse this whole competition thing up.
Yeah, no, I understand.
I was just like, "this is really important.
" "And this is why I'm doing it.
" And she kind of dispelled it and made it okay.
And people believed her.
It was high stakes, because this is the first visit.
And I'm working you know, like, what would've stopped her from calling all the other stores? - It would've blown your cover.
- It would've blown the whole rest of the week.
But Kim made it okay, and I really trusted her.
I really did.
She's a really great person.
So I went back to see her, just for a visit, just to see how she's doing.
(Jane) Hey, Kim.
(Kim) Hi, Jane.
How are you? I'm good.
How are you doing? Good, thank you.
- It's good to see you.
- It's nice to see you.
- I love your hair.
- Thank you.
I appreciate that.
Okay, so now that I can be me again, and not undercover, 'cause I have really talked to everybody since, so I don't have to pretend you're Kathy anymore? - You don't have to pretend I'm Kathy.
- Oh, wonderful.
I I know, it caused me a lot of anxiety too.
Yeah, it was a pretty anxious night.
It was really great of Jane to come in and touch base.
It really shows that she cares about us, she cares about the store.
And she wanted to make sure that everything was okay on our end, and just really thank us for everything we did that day.
And that was really nice of her.
I really appreciate it.
If I didn't trust you, and if I didn't feel like you trusted me, - then my cover could've been blown.
- Right.
And I'm thankful to you.
I hope I did what I could.
[Chuckles.]
You really did and I know that was hard.
It was hard to put you in that position.
- It was okay.
- Thank you again.
- Oh, no problem.
- I know you probably gotta get back to work.
It was the least I could do.
But it was really good to see you.
It's all an experience.
And I'm glad I was here for it, honestly.
She's doing great.
She's still at campus.
- And she's a wonderful manager.
- Nice.
- That's awesome.
- So she did a great job.
Absolutely.
Kat, what tipped you off? How'd you realize it? Like, how did you know you were getting busted? So, I am working in one of our Travel Plaza locations, which is where the Cinnabon franchise is inside of someone else's business.
So I go in, I meet Moka, who is the coffee hostess that oversees the Cinnabon operation there.
Hi, welcome to Pilot Flying J.
Thank you.
I'm looking for Erika.
That's me.
I'm actually addressed as Moka.
- Moka? Got it.
- Yes.
[Laughs.]
Much more fun.
Of course.
And as we're working together, this dude comes up, leans over to my ear, and just says, "is this Undercover Boss?" Wow.
(Kat) And I look over and I was so nervous.
I didn't wanna look at him.
Well, your heart is pounding, right? - Jumping out of - Oh, my heart was pounding.
Like, "there's a microphone really close", "it's probably blowing their ears out.
" Hello, sweetheart.
What can we do for ya? I've got a bakery concept that I wanna launch, and I'm learning how some of the big bakery concepts launch.
Everybody always asks me, you know, did I hear the guy come up and say, "hey, is this kinda like Undercover Boss?" And, you know, I heard it No, no.
That would be cool.
But at that time, with everything going on, I was oblivious to what he actually said.
If it wasn't about the buns, I really didn't hear him.
[Laughs.]
- Right now - Okay.
let's take the buns from here.
And we're gonna go frost 'em.
And then we're gonna bring them back out here.
At that point, I was beyond focused on what I had to do.
Is that enough, or should I do a little more? That's perfect.
I never, in a million years, thought that my CEO would come see me, and I could possibly be on the show.
I love to sing.
That don't mean I'm Diana Ross or anything.
It's still a pretty cool feeling.
Moka's actually the single mother of three children, like my mother was the single mother of three children.
And one of her daughters has a very rare illness.
And they had big medical bills.
And so, part of Moka's gifts and savings for her family for scholarships and just to live off of.
Now, she's doing very well with her three little girls.
She's not working in that Travel Plaza anymore.
But we brought her to the Women's Food Service Forum for some professional development.
She and her daughter did a Disney visit and tour, just to have a nice memory a trip they would've never given themselves.
- In addition to the savings that they got.
- How nice.
That's great.
Hi, welcome to Pilot Flying J.
Who's that? (All) You.
Watching my daughters' reactions to my appearance on Undercover Boss made me ecstatic.
I was very excited and I was very proud to know that they were proud of me.
[Laughs.]
Y'all got the cool mom, right? Since Undercover Boss, my life has been a fairy tale.
I have my own place.
I pay all of my bills.
I have my own vehicle.
I am able to do things for my kids that I wasn't able to do, prior to.
And it's all thanks to Undercover Boss.
Having Kat recognize something in me through the Undercover Boss experience was everything.
- Ready? - Mm-hmm.
Go.
To have her see something in me and work with that, that's all I needed.
It boost my confidence.
It boost my drive.
I'm a lot more ambitious than I've ever been.
And, I mean, I'm riding this wave out.
And I still say Kat has wings under her blazer.
She's an angel.
And as far as business, I mean, hey, I wanna be like Kat, of course.
You girls have fun? (All) Yes! All right, let's get some dinner.
(Announcer) Coming up I'm actually doing a cold call.
I completely screw up, um, who I am.
(Announcer) A boss recalls putting his foot in his mouth.
- Hey, guys.
(Both) - Hey.
- How are you? (Both) - Good.
How are you? I am great.
I am Paul I mean, Mark.
(Announcer) And later Not only was she an awesome individual human being, but she had a rough go.
(Announcer) The CEO of Retro Fitness has a touching reunion with his employee.
(Eric) Special delivery.
Oh, my God! [Laughs.]
For us, our catering represents about 8% of our total sales.
And so Janet from Columbia, South Carolina, is, you know, in my eyes, a rock star in our organization.
(Both) Nice to meet you.
I'm here to spend the day with you.
Whoo-hoo! Lucky you, man.
No, I'm just kid [Laughs.]
There is a scene where I I'm actually doing a cold call.
I know everything about our brand.
And I can roll a burrito.
But I have never gone on a cold call to sell the catering.
I completely screw up who I am.
And, you know, for me, I'm not an actor, so every morning I woke up, I was like, "my name is Mark.
" "My name is Mark.
My name is Mark.
" I'm in the shower, "my name is Mark.
" "My name is Mark and I have hair.
" "My name is Mark.
" When I was in close quarters with Janet in the car, I was reciting that to myself.
I'm like, "my name is Mark.
My name is Mark.
" 'Cause I knew I was gonna interact, really for the first time, with the general public.
And I walk right into that hair salon.
Everyone is there, the place is packed.
And I go, "hi, my name is Paul.
" [Laughter.]
- Hey, guys.
(Both) - Hey.
- How are you? (Both) - Good.
How are you? I am great.
I am Paul I mean, Mark.
So, did you follow up with Janet after? Did you try to ask any questions that would get at if she suspected? No, I ran I ran from that.
I mean, seriously.
While watching my episode of Undercover Boss, I kept thinking, "how in the world did I miss that?" "How did I not hear that?" But he worked real hard.
He had a genuine interest in what we were doing.
And I had absolutely no idea that I was on Undercover Boss And make sure everything is fluffed, if you will.
- Until the very last second - Hello.
when Paul actually revealed himself.
I am the president of Moe's Southwest Grill.
I was like, "oh, my gosh.
" "I just spent the entire day" "with the president of Moe's," "and I had absolutely no clue.
" Since that episode, she has been I've been in contact with her regularly.
And she's been at our regional meetings.
She's a franchisee's director of catering.
And she is presenting to the franchise.
That's great.
Because of Undercover Boss, my world has been turned upside down.
When Paul revealed himself, he was generous enough to give me a shopping spree definitely one of my favorite hobbies.
I have not spent it all yet.
Hm.
I do have my eyes on a pair of heels that I'm really excited about purchasing here in the near future, but I'm just going slow and easy with it right now.
I don't wanna get too crazy just yet.
Hey, I just wanted to introduce myself to you.
- I'm Jenn Way.
- Hey, Jenn.
I can't go anywhere without people recognizing me.
"Hey, are you the lady from Undercover Boss?" "We love Moe's.
" I had a chance to watch the show myself.
My kids give me a hard time.
Like, "oh, mom, you think you're all that.
" As part of my reward on Undercover Boss, I have been given the opportunity to present on a catering session here at our regional meeting, and put some of my wild and crazy ideas out there.
Hey, good morning.
I'm super excited to be here.
Now I feel that I have the platform and I'm ready to soar.
The doors are wide open and business is boomin'.
[Applause.]
- You killed it.
- Oh.
Well, thank you for everything.
- It's been fantastic.
- Awesome.
They listen to you.
You speak and they are driven onto you.
- You did so good.
- That was fun.
Well, thank you.
Having the president say, "hey, Janet.
" "You know, you've done an amazing job.
" "I'm so proud of you.
" That was rewarding in itself for me.
We're definitely on our way.
And I'm determined that everybody's gonna know about Moe's.
She's the face of Moe's catering right now, which is really a cool place to be.
That's awesome.
So when I go undercover, one of the toughest parts for me remembering my name and then not trying to do everyone's job better than they're doing it.
Because I want them to do it the way I'm doing it.
I was having an anxiety attack that it wasn't going the way that I know it should be going.
And it got to a place where I was like, "oh, man, I don't think I can shut up," like, I actually said that to myself.
And I honestly think the only reason I didn't get busted was 'cause Megan is probably the nicest human being you'll ever meet.
I'm looking for Megan.
You found her.
Wow.
The second I saw Barry, I was wondering, "okay, these members are probably" "gonna be afraid of him, 'cause he looks really strange.
" I knew that he was supposed to be there to hopefully open up his own gym one day.
Attention, Retro members.
There's $1 off the Retro blend smoothie bar.
When he started talking like he knew everything about Retro My gosh, you're a pro already.
Why am I teaching you? I felt like we completely switched roles.
Let's make a nice appointment - to get them in here tomorrow.
- Yeah, absolutely.
- So we could do a free workout tomorrow, and then - Yeah.
He knew about the free passes.
And I wasn't sure if I mentioned the free passes in the first place.
I felt like he knew a little too much.
Maybe what you guys could do, is you come and have a morning workout together, get you both here.
And I was like, "okay, whatever.
" "He probably studied before he came in.
" Barry was afraid that maybe his wig would've moved.
When I found out that I was just on Undercover Boss, I was in a lot of shock.
And I felt terribly embarrassed.
Oh, my gosh.
[Laughs.]
Are you serious right now? I felt very dumb.
But I'm happy that Eric had a lot of good things to say about me.
[Both laugh.]
I should've been busted, but I'm really glad that I didn't.
Because what we find out as I get to learn more about Megan, is not only was she an awesome individual human being, but she had a rough go.
(Megan) So I met this guy and he, um, became abusive.
During that time, I had gained a lot of weight.
Like, I was 155 and I went to 210 pounds.
And, um, I really destroyed myself.
But then I came here.
And then I lost all that weight.
And it was almost, like, a calling.
And it was just the biggest blessing I've ever had.
We were able to do some great things for her That's terrific.
and we changed her life, I mean, in a great way.
Since Undercover Boss, my life has taken a complete 180.
I'm currently a full-time student at Penn State University.
Eric Casaburi blessed me with $40,000 for tuition and a little money after that to kinda get started.
It's a great feeling, knowing I have a future.
It is a complete dream come true.
[Elevator dings.]
I was sad to leave Retro Fitness, because it became, like, a home to me.
I keep in contact with everybody I worked with.
And it's great having their support.
[Knock at door.]
(Eric) Special delivery.
Oh, my goodness.
[Laughs.]
Eric, hi! [Gasps.]
Yeah, I wanted to see how we were doing here.
Oh, my God! - Hey.
Oh, my goodness.
- How you doing, Meg? - What a surprise.
- How are you? I know what it's like to be in college for the first time and away from home.
All the girls at the office helped put this together.
And they all miss you to death.
I know, I miss everybody.
- So tell me, how many classes are you taking? - I'm taking five.
So I'm taking a full load, 'cause I want to graduate as soon as possible.
Good girl.
Good.
But yeah, I'm really enjoying my journalism class.
I just can't believe how everything's perfect.
Like, it really is perfect.
You're working hard now.
And you got a great future ahead of you.
There's so much going forward that you have to look forward to.
Like, I wake up every morning thinking, "is this really happening to me?" "Like, I'm actually Megan Pustaver?" "I was on Undercover Boss? Like, no way.
" For once in my life, I feel worth it.
Like, I feel like there's something good ahead, when I thought there was nothing good ahead.
Graduation's a big thing, so are you gonna come see me? I would be honored to come and spend the day watching you complete your journey.
Thanks.
I look forward to it.
It's a great feeling knowing I have a future.
And I can now hold this for the rest of my life.
And I can tell my kids one day and all my friends that, "hey, you know, anything's possible.
" (Announcer) Coming up - Is, uh, Jen here? - Yes.
Hey.
(Announcer) The CEO of Belfor tells the emotional story of how he was compelled to reveal his true identity.
It's not the homeowners' fault that I get paid peanuts.
[Crying.]
I don't think I'm supposed to do this, but I something something to tell you.
(Announcer) And the bosses share how their lives and their companies It was absolutely worth it.
(Announcer) Have been changed forever.
(All) Cheers to our employees.
So I get busted my first stop visiting.
Val as I start to walk into the restaurant, she says to me, "you're the CEO of Fatburger.
" [Laughter.]
(Andy) I'm here to see Val.
- Hi.
- Hi, I'm Myron.
Hi, Myron, I'm Val.
How are you? Nice to meet you.
I'm the CEO of this Fatburger.
She was telling me, "I'm the CEO of this location.
" It was your paranoia taking over.
(Andy) But I was so paranoid, I didn't hear it right.
And I'm just dying, like, "what do I do?" Like, "I can't believe this just happened.
" Turn around and run out.
And then she starts to take me in, to teach me how to make hamburgers, and keeps looking at my wig.
She decided that I already know how to make the burger.
And how could I have figured this out? It just was a disaster.
[Laughter.]
Mm-hmm.
Oh, you look like you've done that before.
Okay.
You look like you've done that before.
- Go ahead, all right.
- Thanks.
I have done several events that Andy had attended.
So I had seen him a few occasions.
But what really topped it off is when he wrapped the burger.
Wow, that takes people a long time to learn how to do it that way.
Very good job.
Think I can take a break for a minute, - and you can finish this? - Sure.
And even some of the team members at the store thought he looked familiar.
- Don't he look like Andy? - He look like someone yeah, yeah, yeah, Andy, yeah.
(Val) He looked like Andy.
You look like the president of Fatburger.
I look like him? Like, really like a brother.
I think he thought, "okay, she knows, she knows.
" When you were saying, you know, I looked like the CEO? - Uh-huh.
- You know it's me, right? Have you figured that out? - Yes, I figured that out.
- You did? When he told me that, I thought that was the funniest thing in the world.
This is Undercover Boss.
[Laughs.]
Oh, my Undercover what? Undercover Boss, for real? [Laughs.]
I still think it's funny.
[Laughs.]
You don't like my wig? I almost snatched it off.
You know, he can come work the line with me anytime.
Don't tell anybody, 'cause this is a secret.
- Absolutely.
- Love you.
It's okay.
So I'm the luckiest person to have been busted by Val, because Val got to come clean with me about things that I needed to know about.
Sure.
Her list of, "hey, these things need to happen.
" "They need to be fixed.
" "And if I didn't know that it was you, Andy," "I wouldn't have told you.
" So in that process of getting busted, I think learned more than I might've otherwise learned.
- So cool.
- She has a great personality, by the way.
Is she working at corporate now? Yeah, she came to work at corporate, as a training and store opening team manager.
And it's great to have her on board.
(Val) After Undercover Boss, it's been a wild ride.
I used to be a general manager for a franchisee.
Now I am a field training supervisor for Fatburger.
Good morning, everyone.
I absolutely love my new job.
I supervise training for new store openings.
That looks good, that looks good.
A few years ago, Fatburger co-branded with Buffalo's Cafe, so we took a part of the Buffalo's menu and incorporated in Fatburger's menu.
Honey garlic, two ounces.
This is good.
I feel I'm like an ambassador for Fatburger.
Enjoy your breakfast.
That's probably my biggest duty that I'm proud to do.
The store's looking good.
Thank you guys for letting me visit you and work with you in your kitchen.
- Thank you.
- Okay, buh-bye.
Since Undercover Boss and being on the show, that was a great experience.
Besides the promotion, Andy gave me money to take a vacation.
Andy Wiederhorn is a wonderful person.
And, wow, he changed my life, giving me the opportunity that I don't think that maybe other people would.
So I appreciate that very much.
- Hi, Andy.
- Hi, Val, how are you? (Val) Fine.
How are you? Good, good.
Come on in.
Tell me what's going on.
Busy.
Do you love your new job? I miss my crew a little bit, but I like being in the field.
I like going to other stores.
Now if you wanna send me overseas, that's cool too.
- You ready to go to Dubai - Sure, I'll - or maybe Hong Kong or something? - Sure.
I'll take that too.
(Andy) What's the plan for your vacation? I hear you haven't gone on it yet, and you went right to work.
And you jumped from the field to corporate.
What's the plan? We'll probably go to New York for our vacation.
- Sweet.
- You know, late spring, maybe early summer next year.
I'm glad that you haven't taken your trip yet, because I'd like to take care of your airplane tickets for that also.
[Laughs.]
When you plan it, let me know, okay? Okay.
Ha.
He's gonna love it.
Okay.
[Laughs.]
Val, I'm really proud of what you've accomplished here.
Becoming a field training supervisor for Fatburger and helping with our training team, and now experiencing our sister brand Buffalo's Cafe and integrating some of the Buffalo's products, you've just done a fantastic job.
- And I'm really proud of you for that.
- Thank you.
And I really wanna expand your promotion and your title to be a field training supervisor for both brands.
Okay.
[Laughs.]
Okay, I'll I can do that too.
It's been a wild ride.
I got a new job.
I got a little money.
I get to travel a little bit.
I get to eat some good food.
What's better than that? Thank you for everything.
I appreciate it.
Life is great.
Life is cool.
- I'll see you in the field.
- Okay.
It was a good experience for me, to get more information than I otherwise would've gotten.
And I think for Val, you know, it also just it takes that deception element away, where you're not feeling so guilty - that someone who you really do know - Yeah.
is able to be straight.
So, think back to 2008 to 2009.
Ugh.
So, the whole world crashed.
The economy just crashed.
So we got 6,400 great people around the world.
And so, sitting in the office, I felt it was a prudent move to just put a wage freeze in place.
Let's put a hiring freeze in place.
Let's not lay off anybody.
And let's get through this the best we can.
It was a year later.
I go out into the field in the middle of that recession.
Is, uh, Jen here? Yes, hey.
I'm a water tech.
How you doing? Yeah, hi, I'm Tom.
- How are you? - Good.
- This is unbelievable.
- Yeah.
Oh, my God.
I was scared in that crawlspace.
I mean, I really thought a snake or a rat or something was gonna be down there with us.
And I started saying to myself, "this girl puts her best foot forward," "does the best of things in the worst of times" "for others.
" Tells me, while I'm in the house, trying to dry it out, that we owe this homeowner the best we've got.
And that's what we do at Belfor, every day for others in need.
And we get back out afterwards.
And we're standing by the van.
And Jenn is telling me that the night before working with me in this house, she sat at home, deciding which bills she could pay, which bills she couldn't pay, how she was trying to work more overtime, but there wasn't enough overtime available.
And management was really trying to cut down on overtime, because there was a wage freeze in place.
And I know there's a wage freeze in place, 'cause I'm the one that, you know, said it.
And I realize that it's hurting her.
If corporate says there's a raise freeze, there's a raise freeze.
Nobody gets a raise.
But we're still out doing what we do every day.
It's not the homeowners' fault that I get paid peanuts for the amount of work that I do every day.
I can't walk in there and, because I may not have been able to make a payment of some kind the night before, and let them see that.
They have enough to worry about.
I didn't know what to do.
Uh, I just I lost control.
And I told her who I was.
I I couldn't help it.
I just I really appreciate it, Jen.
- You're terrific and - No problem.
and, um, I don't think I'm supposed to do this, but I got something to tell you.
The moment where Sheldon revealed himself all of a sudden, he's peeling his hair off, and you can see the tape coming off his head.
And I'm like, "what is happening?" My name is Sheldon Yellen.
I'm the CEO of Belfor.
[Chuckles.]
And, you know, he's crying.
I've been working undercover.
And I was like, "holy moly.
" You're getting that raise that you want.
I watched this show.
And I couldn't imagine how people were as dumb as they were, not to know what was going on.
Hook, line, sinker.
Very, very, surreal.
I didn't wanna cry, 'cause water techs don't cry.
I cried hard.
I knew my life, as I knew it, from that moment, is going to be different.
And, wow, has it been.
Um, I know that Jen, since then, has done terrific.
And, um, she is training people.
We fly her around the country.
That's cool.
That's cool.
She's relocated to Philadelphia.
- I can't watch you cry.
- I know, that's - She went back - I got your back, man.
Um, she's doing just terrific.
And she's inspired me to go out and do Town Hall meetings and get closer to others.
And we've been so lucky and blessed that we've been able to touch and reach more people, and hopefully positively affect more people's lives.
And Jen is just she's an incredible lady.
Since Undercover Boss, Sheldon gave me the back pay for the raise that never came, that I'm glad that he felt like I deserve.
Uh, he sent me on vacation, which was a wonderful experience, going to Costa Rica.
My job has significantly changed.
Before, I was the water tech for my office in Chesapeake, Virginia.
But now, currently, I am in their training and development.
I teach a variety of different things in the form of one-day classes, everything from water damage basics to mold.
It's fantastic.
So when it comes to putting on our P.
P.
E.
, it's important that we put it on the contaminants that we potentially might breathe in.
Teaching is something that I kind of thought I always wanted to do, but I had no idea how to do it.
Sheldon and Undercover Boss gave me this opportunity, and I am running with this.
In this picture, who's got it right? The guy on the right.
The guy on the right.
He's got everything correct.
I can't even begin to really express just how much I'm enjoying teaching and meeting these technicians.
And now, I'm an extension of corporate.
And I am the one that's getting to shake the hands and meet the technicians.
And, "how are you doing?" "How can we make things better?" "Give me your ideas.
" And knowing that I am a catalyst in helping them do that has been fantastic.
So I'm gonna have one team set containment in this doorway.
Sheldon and I keep in touch.
In our interactions, whether it's through emails or phone calls or face to face Right there.
.
025, that was perfect.
If I do get to see him out, you know, whether it's in the field because of, you know, a hurricane, or at an event that Belfor's putting on, any of the Town Hall meetings, that extra hug that we get to share with another is just that little bit more special.
Boise, you've been fantastic.
What a great little town.
All right, guys, thank you very much.
I appreciate it.
[Applause.]
Life is pretty good right now.
Good for you.
And she's good for Jen.
And I wish everybody could be as lucky as I was to have met somebody like Jen or your Val or others.
It just they're life-changing people.
Well, they're life-changing people, but that was a moment for you that affected the entire company and the way you approached your people.
That was one of the biggest changes I saw on any of the episodes.
Every one of us has spoken about the integrity of so many great people, out there in the workforce.
I mean, really great, heroic people that have their own struggles, but are carrying - the flag of our brands, each and every day - With pride.
with all they got.
And the truth is, we were lucky enough to realize that we stand on their shoulders.
They don't stand on ours.
We stand on the shoulders of those giants, so that, God willing, we can do more good for more people.
Create more jobs, help more families.
Help more families and do more good.
And they too can carry it on.
That's right.
The worst part was not being able to tell people what was going on.
But at the end, when you can change their lives, it was absolutely worth it.
I'd do it again, in a heartbeat.
We're all lucky that we got to experience it.
Of course the people that we worked with were lucky that they got to experience it.
And we just hope that everybody can get a little bit of luck along the way.
Yeah.
[Cork pops.]
[Cheers and applause.]
(Jane) Nice job, nice job.
(All) Cheers to our employees.
To our people.
To all the great people.
(All) Cheers.
And great meeting all of you.
[Overlapping agreeing.]
So we'll keep doing this once a month? Perfect.
(Kat) We do need a little reunion visit.
(Jane) That would be great.

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