American Candidate - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia

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American Candidate is a political reality television show. The program aired for one season on Showtime in 2004, and was hosted by Montel Williams. It was created by documentary filmmaker R. J. Cutler, and produced by film director Jay Roach.

American candidate 2004

Concept

Paralleling the 2004 United States presidential election, the show featured contestants running as "candidates" in a mock campaign. Initially, the public could announce their "candidacy" on the show's website and garner support. Eventually, eleven contestants were chosen to appear on the show itself.

Each week, the contestants would compete in a politically themed challenge, coached by various political experts. The two contestants who fared the poorest each week would debate, and one would be eliminated (voted by the remaining contestants). For the final two episodes, the viewers voted, and eventually chose the final winner.

Challenges

Throughout the series, the contestants traveled in a bus all over the United States, participating in various challenges, each modeled on real activities candidates for public office might expect to undergo:

Week 1: Hometown support

Week 2: Deliver a speech on the War on Terror to residents of New Hampshire

Week 3: Press conference on jobs and the economy in Allentown, Pennsylvania

Week 4: Charlottesville, Virginia

Week 5: Focus groups in New York City

Week 6: Political ads in Washington D.C.

Week 7: Philadelphia

Week 8-9: Los Angeles

Week 10: Finale