Undercover Boss (2010) s05e13 Episode Script
Utah Jazz
(Male announcer) Since the premiere of Undercover Boss, more than 60 bosses have given away nearly $6 million I have a check $250,000.
Oh, my God.
(Announcer) And implemented sweeping company-wide changes As a company, we're actually gonna restore the 401(K).
It's a million-dollar expense.
To benefit the lives of more than 40 million employees.
Whoo! Some people I just want to punch them in the face sometimes.
(Announcer) But not everyone deserved to be rewarded.
Someone's not saying something.
Welcome to Moe's.
I've had one minute of training.
If you can't do it, then you can't do it.
I know how to grow some really good weed if you're really interested.
I'm talking, and you come back here.
"I need dippin'.
I need dippin'.
" Y'all better chill.
(Announcer) Tonight the latest boss to join his team's starting lineup is Greg Miller, the C.
E.
O.
and co-owner of the Utah Jazz.
[Cheers and applause.]
By going undercover - I'm Mark.
- Hi, Mark.
- Nice to meet you.
- How are you? This hard-charging boss takes his best shot at finding the employees who keep his operation scoring big.
Whoa.
Oh, come on, man.
(Announcer) What happens This is crazy.
(Announcer) When this basketball boss discovers that not every bounce is going his way.
[Grunts.]
Go, Jazz! [Woman giggles.]
Manny, I need some help.
Is this your first night? (Announcer) Find out next on Undercover Boss.
Undercover Boss 5x13 - Utah Jazz Original air date February 28, 2014 (Announcer) Since making their home in Salt Lake City in 1979, the Utah Jazz have become one of the most recognizable teams in the NBA.
This beloved franchise is owned by the Larry H.
Miller group of companies, a family business turned corporate juggernaut with revenues in the billions.
Leading this huge company and its world-class NBA franchise is one man.
My name is Greg Miller, and I'm the C.
E.
O.
of the Larry H.
Miller group of companies.
We don't just own the Utah Jazz.
We've got approximately 80 businesses.
Our primary business is the automotive industry, the insurance industry, the finance industry.
We own the building the Jazz play in.
We own the TV station that broadcasts the games, and we own the radio station as well.
And our revenues are in the billions.
[People cheering.]
We've never won a championship, but back in '97 and '98, we made it to the finals, but we lost to the Bulls.
Most people identify the Utah Jazz and being mormon with the state of Utah, and without the Jazz, it would just be mormons.
My father, Larry H.
Miller, was an entrepreneur.
In the late '70s and early '80s, my dad just put his head down and went to work.
My dad bought his first car dealership in Murray, Utah.
That first little Toyota store grew into many stores.
Over the years, the community supported my dad's businesses very well.
In 1985, there was a group of investors that wanted to buy the Utah Jazz and move the team out of state.
When my dad heard about that, he knew that that was a real threat to the community.
The Jazz can't leave Utah.
(Greg) He came up with a plan that would bet everything he had to keep the team in Utah.
In 1985, my dad bought the first half of the Utah Jazz.
Then in 1986, he bought the second half of the Utah Jazz.
Both transactions required my dad to come up with money that was in excess of his net worth.
He gave everything he had to it, but it came at a very high price.
He contracted type 2 diabetes sometime in the late '80s or early '90s and really more or less ignored it for way too long.
My dad was 63 years old when he died way too young.
[Exhales sharply.]
[Voice breaking.]
Go about doing good until there's too much good in the world.
(Greg) When I took over, my primary concern was just perpetuating all of the values that had become part of our culture over the years.
And we ask for safety and protection as we go about our various activities, and we do so humbly in the name of thy son, Jesus Christ.
- Amen.
(All) - Amen.
(Greg) Well, as a mormon, I think the mormon doctrine is consistent with the way we try to run this family business hard work, no shortcuts.
Those are what make the Utah Jazz great.
I think they're gonna have a hard time disguising you.
I think your voice is going to be hard to disguise.
You need to practice a little bit of an accent or something that country drawl.
I think my voice is gonna have to do.
Ooh, that's gonna be hard.
I need your best stuff.
I'm thinking maybe add some length.
Okay.
(Greg) It's gonna be hard to disguise me for a couple reasons.
Number one, I'm 6'4".
Number two, I am the face of the Utah Jazz.
I'm on TV a fair amount.
Much different.
While undercover, I'll be posing as Mark Scott, an auto-repair-shop owner from Preston, Idaho, competing to win a $250,000 dream job.
The employees will think they're on a fake reality show that isn't Undercover Boss.
There you go.
[Laughter.]
She's scared.
(Greg) How y'all doing? [Baby crying.]
Your teeth are nasty.
I want to see your teeth.
[All groan.]
I won't be visiting you.
[Baby cooing.]
Well, we'll see you guys.
There's been a fair amount of change since my dad passed away in 2009.
My dad was hands-on.
He wanted to be in the middle of everything.
And now there's too much going on to do that.
I oversee 85 businesses in 46 states.
- Sorry.
[Laughing.]
- I love you.
[Laughing.]
I love you.
I've had to turn a lot of that responsibility over to other people.
I want to go undercover now because I want to direct all my attention to the Jazz.
The team was my dad's pride and joy, and I need to see if my dad's vision is still going strong.
[Upbeat rock music.]
Today I'll be going undercover at Energy Solutions Arena in the game operations department.
Jay! You want those laid out? Energy Solutions Arena was built to be the center of this community.
We could have an ice show on Monday night, a concert Wednesday, and a Jazz game Thursday.
[Cheers and applause.]
The game operations department are the people who work all night, do all the heavy lifting.
[Grunts.]
You got to help me lift.
(Greg) Today I hope to learn of things that we can do better, and I'm really excited to get to it.
- How you doing, man? - Good.
I'm Mark.
- Looking for Dennis.
- That's me.
- Hey, how you doing? - Good.
I work for operations.
We're gonna set the floor down.
Jazz floor.
Just letting you know now.
- Okay.
- Okay.
I thought Mark was gonna be lazy.
He's kind of sluggish in the midsection.
Just fat he looked fat.
I got two rules don't drop the Jazz court, 'cause it's my baby, and don't drop my tables, 'cause they're expensive.
Okay.
That sounds easy enough.
Yep.
We're gonna lay these.
[Greg exhales sharply.]
Looks like they got some miles on 'em.
I just say be careful, 'cause it's really old.
Like, these wood pieces a lot of them are starting to fall off now and stuff like that.
- Don't put yours down till I put mine down.
- Okay.
Where do you want this one, Dennis? Number two.
Row two.
Okay.
Put it on its side.
Oh, come on [Muttering.]
- Safety first, brother.
- Yep.
(Greg) We should all be wearing gloves.
It would be very easy to damage our hands or our fingers lifting all of these heavy pieces of wood.
So you guys can go here.
Be careful when you're dropping that, man.
Start bringing the court out.
A lot of people don't realize what we do here.
Yeah, I can tell it's a lot of work.
How I feel we're the backbone of the building.
So I'm grateful to have a job, you know? Everybody can't say they work for an NBA team.
How long have you been here? - 11 years.
- Really? Yes, sir.
- Do you like it here? - I love it.
It's a good company.
I would like to retire here.
I know that much.
- Oh, the floor.
- Yep.
Sweet.
Okay, you get behind there, and you push.
You have a wife, kids? Yeah, I got a wife and four kids.
- Right on.
- How about you? Yeah, I got a wife and two little girls, man.
Do you get to spend much time with them? Uh, not really.
We work a lot.
I work two jobs, so - And she's working two jobs.
- Yeah.
Let's spin this now.
There you go.
- Right there? - Relax.
Right there.
Everybody lift, same time.
And to the middle over here.
Each section of floor weighs 175 pounds, so it takes four guys to lift it safely.
- Hey, Eddie.
- Yeah.
- Hey, man.
- Get on that side.
We got to take this 15-piece down there.
(Greg) I was actually getting frustrated by the number of things I saw that were not as efficient as they could have been.
Set it down right here.
I was critiquing the process and came up with several suggestions that I'm going to implement to make this process more efficient in the future.
If we were organized, we'd be going even faster.
(Dennis) Come on, Mark.
Let's go.
Let's get it.
Hammer! Make a note that we ought to consider putting Dennis in charge of this circus.
(Man) Here you go.
(Greg) When I watch games from now on, I'm sure I'll have a much greater appreciation for all of the effort that goes into making the game possible.
So tell me about your girls.
It's hard times, man.
- Hard times? - Yeah.
How so? My wife, she's been in the hospital several times.
My oldest one she was in the NICU when she was born, so Ooh.
That's expensive.
Yeah.
So is your wife healthy now? She's trying to be healthy.
She's diabetic, so So how is that on you financially? Is that putting some pressure on you? Puts a lot of pressure on me, to be honest.
Honestly, our biggest thing right now is the car we have, 'cause we're paying $600 a month for our car payment.
I just look at it, it's life.
You just deal with it the best you can.
I can really identify with Dennis when it comes to caring about your family.
Type 2 diabetes is what ultimately took my dad's life.
I hope that we're able to help Dennis in some ways that will allow him to achieve a greater work/life balance and spend more time with his wife and daughters.
All right, the floor's done.
- Looks good.
- Pretty good to me.
Looks good.
(Dennis) Man, that's all we have left of Larry.
We're gonna take care of it.
(Greg) Did you ever meet him? Several times we talked.
He was a good man.
He'll be missed.
This floor means a lot to me, 'cause it has my dad's name on it, and so it's really important to all of us in this community as Jazz fans.
I feel a lot like Dennis does.
This floor is my baby, and I love that he's protecting it that closely like it's his.
All right, the floor's done.
Go take a break, buddy.
(Announcer) - Coming up - Go Jazz! [Woman laughs.]
Mark struggles to show his team spirit.
And later Go, Mark! Go! (Announcer) The boss tries to make halftime history.
[Lively rock music.]
(Arena announcer) It's opening day at Energy Solutions Arena, and the Utah Jazz are facing off against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Today I'm gonna be working as an interactive team member.
A lot of times our fans who sit further away from the court feel like they're left out of the game a little bit.
My dad was very passionate about our fans, so it's really important to me that the Utah Jazz fans have a great experience when they come to a game, and that's why the interactive team is so important.
I know they burn a lot of energy during the game.
It's gonna be a challenge for me to keep up with them with all this extra weight I'm packing around.
Hello? Hi.
- I'm looking for Amber.
- I'm Amber.
It's nice to meet you.
- How are you? - I'm Mark.
Let's go out here and talk 'cause it's kind of loud in here.
All right, Mark, it's nice to meet you.
What we do is we go out into the crowd, and we get people super pumped up and excited to be at the game.
We throw out free giveaways to people.
We get people to stand up on their feet.
We do chants.
Do you think that's something that you can do? - Sure.
- Yeah? So I have this bag here.
I'm gonna have you wear it.
Okay.
So get me excited to be here.
Show me what you got.
- You got to show me your energy.
- This would be a lot easier if I could see somebody demonstrate first.
- See somebody demonstrate? - Yeah.
You go, "come on, guys, we got some Jazz basketballs.
" "I want you to get up, get excited.
" "Show me.
Get up.
I can't hear you.
" Okay.
All right, guys.
Let's hear it for the Jazz! Go, Jazz! [Laughs.]
Mark is an interesting character.
You could tell he was a little bit shy, didn't quite know what he was getting himself into, which kind of made it more exciting for me.
(Amber) - Okay.
(Greg) - Okay, there's a time-out.
So this is the time-out.
So, as soon as they say, "117," you go up.
Get the crowd excited, get 'em pumped, and you're only gonna throw out your Jazz water bottles.
Okay, go.
Up, and run up to the top.
Get 'em super pumped.
Get 'em excited! [Cheers and applause.]
Let me see (Amber) The first giveaway was a little rocky.
He kind of just moseyed on up the stairs not a whole lot of energy.
[Cheers and applause.]
[Greg shouting indistinctly.]
All right.
Sorry, guys.
Might have been a little girly with a little leg kick in there.
I don't know.
[Chuckles.]
All right, so that was okay.
Okay, so we're gonna go over here.
And I want you to hold your Jazz sign up.
You're gonna go, "go, Jazz, go.
" - So I want to see a little bit more energy.
- Okay.
Get a little bit more excited.
Jazz! Let's hear it! Sorry.
Okay, that was a little awkward.
Yeah, so here.
We'll go like this.
Go! Jazz! Go! Okay, now you do it.
Go! Jazz! Go! Jazz! I'm not one that normally seeks the limelight.
Go! Jazz! Louder! Come on! For me to be the one that everybody's staring at and wanting a piece of was a little unusual.
- Good job! - Did I do okay? That was a little bit more successful than I expected it to be.
Nice improv.
This is a fun part of the job.
Have you ever worn one of these before? I've worn a backpack, but not a So you're gonna put it on just like a backpack.
There you go.
Okay.
So what we're gonna do is we're gonna go up S.
S.
, and we're gonna ask some of the people to try to shoot for a prize.
I'm 6'4", and having this backpack with the hoop on it on my back made me the biggest spectacle that I've ever been in my life.
Who wants to try to get a prize? [Cheers and applause.]
Nice.
Want to try, bud? How he was hunched over a little bit at first, he almost looked like the hunchback of Notre Dame walking up the stairs.
I think it did smack a child in the face.
(All) - Yeah! - Here you go.
- Good job.
- All right.
It was really fun, especially once I got the hang of it, to run up those stairs and get the crowd really into the game.
[Cheers and applause.]
Okay, here we go! It takes a lot of guts to get out there and do this, and I think Mark did really good.
Oh! [Buzzer sounds.]
(Arena announcer) And that is the game.
Oklahoma City 101, the Jazz 98.
We were so close.
You said you're from Idaho? And you have four kids? Four kids three boys and a girl.
I have a little four-year-old brother who is just the light of all our little world.
His name's Cam.
He has Down syndrome.
So that was really, really hard on my mom at first.
And it was kind of a shock to everybody.
He doesn't know how to say my name, so he calls me Bo-Bo, and he does the sign for "book.
" It's actually really cute.
Every time I walk in the house, he goes, "Bo-Bo, Bo-Bo" and does the sign for "book.
" It's really cute.
That's nice.
So you guys are close.
I try to be as close as I can.
I wish that my mom lived closer so that I could spend more time with my family.
My parents got divorced when I was 15, so I took that kind of on, you know.
My other sibling we're really, really close, and he actually got hit by a car and had to be life-flighted to a primary children's hospital and was in a coma for two weeks, and when he came to, him and I weren't he kind of lost a little bit of his personality.
It's obviously very hard for you.
Yeah, we were we were really close.
He's never really been the same.
He's definitely a different person.
He's just kind of 21 trapped in a 14-year-old mind-set.
My mom is still paying them back, and it happened four, five seven years.
- Seven years ago it happened.
- Mm-hmm.
Seven years ago.
And she's still paying for the medical bills.
It seems like your challenges with your brothers are near and dear to your heart.
You welled up when you talked about both of them.
Yeah, they're really, really close to me.
I just don't want to take life for granted, you know? I don't find those things as, like, challenges or problems in my life.
You know, you just take it as it is and you go with what you got, and you could either dwell on it and be upset and angry about it and be completely miserable your whole life or you can take it in stride and learn from it and move forward, so (Greg) It was really touching to me to hear what Amber shared with me about some of the things going on in her family life.
She's had some big challenges that she's had to deal with, and from all outward appearances, she's done a great job dealing with them.
She can come to work and have such a positive face and convey so much positive energy and do her job as well as she does, and I'm thrilled that she's a part of our company.
- I'll follow you.
- Oh, thank you.
[Lively rock music.]
Today I'm gonna be practicing and performing with the dunk team.
My dad knew how important it is to make Jazz games unique and entertaining for the fans, and we're famous for our mascot dunk team.
Normally I like to stay inside my comfort zone, but this seems like a neat adventure to me.
And first I'm gonna practice with the dunk team, and then I'm gonna go out tonight and hopefully dunk in a real game.
- How's it going? - Good.
How are you? - Good.
I'm looking for Matt.
- I'm Matt.
Dude, I'm so fired up for this.
Let me introduce you to these guys.
Come here.
- I'm Nate.
- Hey, Nate.
I'm Mark.
How are you? - I'm Mike.
- Hi, Mike.
I'm Mark.
Nice to meet you.
- I'm Vincent.
- Hi, Vincent.
I'm Mark.
Nice to meet you.
You're the tallest guy of everyone.
Exactly! I know.
(Matt) My first impression of Mark, he walks out on the floor, and I didn't know if he was gonna be able to run and jump and do anything.
All right, so am I gonna actually get to try to dunk it? Oh, you're gonna dunk it.
- Yeah? - Oh, yeah.
- Oh, yeah.
- Man.
Okay, Mark, you're up.
Here we go.
Tonight that's what you're doing.
All right, so So come on.
Come up here.
We're gonna start you at half-court.
What do you say, Nate? So part of our warm-up is just to make sure everybody can do every pass out there bounce pass, glass pass, flip passes Did you say "flip pass"? - Whoa.
- You know what? Not everybody here is doing flip passes and stuff, - but - Okay.
Let's just try it from here.
(Greg) I'm thinking I have no idea what the physics are.
I have no idea how high or how low I'm gonna bounce.
Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed.
I was a little bit worried he was gonna get hurt.
[Greg groans.]
[Dramatic music.]
Hurdle off of one foot and make it to the mat.
Make to the mat.
That's the most important thing is to always make it to the mat.
- Jump first.
- Okay.
Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed.
[Groans.]
That's all right.
No worries.
My footing was way off on that one.
Those springs are stiff.
Let's just do it a million times.
(Matt) The first time that he hit a tramp Yeah, there you go.
It didn't look like he's ever done anything like this before.
- Ah! - Very good.
Ah.
Oh, yeah.
It just felt like I was watching some little kid out there.
There you go.
There you go.
There you go.
- Get some! - Oh, dude! [Groans.]
(Greg) I'm 47 years old.
I'm way too old to be doing this.
I mean, the more that you do it, the more you're gonna get comfortable with hitting the tramp with the ball in your hand, running with the ball.
- Let's do it.
- Okay.
Come on, Mark.
There you go.
Nice and simple.
Right there on the hardwood.
There you go.
There you go! There you go.
There you go.
There you go.
There you go.
There you go.
Finish it.
Finish it.
Finish it.
- Yes! - Yeah! He stuck with it, and he worked hard.
He kept running down, and he kept hitting the tramps, and he kept falling down, and he kept getting back up, and he was committed to doing it, and that's huge right there.
- Oh, yes! - Good.
Okay, all right, let's see it.
Put it in.
[Laughs.]
Put it down.
Let's see it.
Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed.
Whoo-ah! - Yeah! - Oh, baby! See? Dang! (Greg) Every member to a man had positive energy, and they were quick to share it with everyone else in the group.
[Cheers and applause.]
It'd be nice if we, like, got rich doing this stuff, but for the most part, I mean, we get a pair of shoes, sometimes we get a shirt.
So you just do this for the love of it? Oh, yeah.
And it's a good relationship? They take good care of you? Sometimes, you know, a pain in the butt to kind of get stuff.
We turn in a budget, but we never know if we have any money to spend.
It'd be nice if it was said, "you guys have this much money.
" "Don't go over it.
" No problem.
Sounds like it's pretty ambiguous, and it's just hard for you to really plan anything solid.
I'm surprised to learn that they really don't have a point of contact in the Jazz organization, and there's really not a lot of clarity on their budget either.
I like my job, and I like doing this, and I don't make the most money, but I got two great kids.
Got a son, 16, he lives in Price.
Price is, like, two hours south.
And then my daughter lives in Virginia, in Richmond.
So that makes it tough to get together probably.
Yep.
Yep.
Matt obviously cares a lot about his kids, and because they're spread out so far geographically, it's hard for him to spend as much time with them as he would like to, and I know that's got to be hard for him, 'cause it would be hard for me if I was in that situation.
Here you go, man.
I'm glad that you're gonna be a part of this.
I think you're set for tonight, yeah, hey.
Go get changed up, man.
It's very intimidating to do what I did today in front of those guys.
I can't imagine what it's gonna be like when it's a full house.
I'm about to perform with the Utah Jazz dunk team in a real Jazz game.
[Whistle blows.]
From an undercover standpoint, this is the highest risk job of all, because not only will I be right in front of my family, there'll be about 19,000 Jazz fans with their eyes on me.
And there's one guy I know will recognize me.
Excuse me.
Do you know who I am? Do you recognize me? So, Bear, I wanted to let you in on this.
I'm going undercover on Undercover Boss, so I need you to promise me that you're not gonna reveal who I am.
Okay? I can count on that? Yeah? Okay, thanks a lot.
We'll see you out there in a bit, okay? - How you feeling, man? You okay? - Yeah, I'm good.
Got butterflies, but I'm good.
Dude, butterflies are butterflies are good.
[Buzzer sounds.]
Let's get out there! (Arena announcer) Our own dunk team Hey, come on! Hey! Hey! (Matt) "100%" on three! One, two, three! [Cheers and applause.]
You guys ready? Get it to the rim, baby.
Go for it, Mark! [Greg grunts.]
I'm with you, Jay.
I'm with you, Jay.
I really wanted to make that dunk.
That was a big deal to me, and I just didn't have the energy in my legs to jump as far as I needed to, and I came up just a little bit short.
Okay, good job.
(Greg) Good job.
Good job.
I just met these guys, and they've already made me feel like I've been part of the team for 10 or 15 years.
That makes me really proud of the fact that they're part of the Utah Jazz organization.
Ready? Let's go! I'm with you, Jay.
I'm with you, Jay.
Come on! Make it work! Make it work! Come on, man! [Cheers and applause.]
These guys aren't members of the Jazz dunk team for the money.
They do it for the love of the game.
(Matt) Thank you so much.
This was a great night.
"100%" on three.
One, two, three.
(All) 100%! (Greg) It's been an amazing week, and today is my final job undercover.
One thing that's unique about us owning the Utah Jazz is that we also own all of the concessions that our fans eat when they come to games.
The revenue that we generate from our concessions is a very important part of the Utah Jazz operation.
- Hello.
- What can I do for you? - I'm looking for Manny.
- Manny? So tonight I'm gonna be going undercover in the concession stand for a Utah Jazz game.
- I'm Mark.
- Hi, Mark.
- How are you? - Good.
I'm gonna be your boss today.
You ready? I don't know.
I guess I am.
So basically, this cashier, it's pretty much easy.
- Blue is drinks.
- Okay.
Red is food.
Yellow is the side orders.
Now, paying you're gonna hit "total.
" All you have to do is just read and just hit the button.
- Think you can do it? - I think so.
Hello.
Can I get one of your all-star dogs and a large coke? All-star dog.
Large coke.
That'll be $12, please.
Okay, so I hit 10.
I think I messed that one up.
What'd you do? Don't hit "cash.
" - Just hit the dollar bill.
- Okay.
Thank you.
Here's your All-star.
$8 is your change.
- Thank you.
- Thanks a lot.
So now do I hit "clear" or what? Just keep going.
Just keep going.
Greet the customer.
- How are you? - Good.
How are you? Two Dasani waters.
Two Dasani waters.
Okay, so that will be $7.
So then I hit $7 here, right? No, they're paying you with $20.
Okay.
Okay.
So $20.
I taught Mark how to use a cash register as simply as I could explain it.
The buttons are kind of confusing, I guess.
Okay, Manny, I need some help.
I messed this transaction up.
I hit "cash.
" They're paying for it with a credit card.
How much was it? It was $9.
$9.
50.
Yeah, it's $9.
50, actually.
- Just do it again.
- Is this your first night? My first night.
This line's getting pretty long.
We need to go fast.
(Manny) A job like this halftime gets swamped.
The lines are huge, and you have to move fast.
Two sodas would be $9.
50.
So we still need to add the Philly cheesesteak to it.
Sorry about the mix-up.
Oop.
[Coin rattles.]
Normally when I come to a Jazz game, I eat in one of the clubs down near the floor, so I don't have a lot of interaction with concessions.
Good.
What can I get for you? There's a lot to manage here.
Are there lids back there? Can I just get cheese fries? $10, right? Starting to get the hang of this.
Want to do a little competition? Whoever sells the most chicken baskets before halftime ends, the loser has to buy ice cream upstairs.
- You got it.
- You on it? Manny says, "hey, I bet I can sell" "more chicken fingers than you.
" I grew up in a car dealership, so I'm right at home with this challenge.
I own you.
I said, "bring it on, Manny.
" Can I get you a chicken basket? Um, no, thank you.
What can I get you? A regular soda.
No chicken basket? Can I interest you in a chicken basket with that large soda? No, thanks.
Do you guys have nachos here? We have chicken baskets.
Yeah, we have chicken baskets.
Why are you guys trying to sell your chicken baskets so hard? We've got an ice cream bar riding on it.
You guys are having a contest over chicken baskets? We are.
I could just feel the energy increase in the room.
It added a lot of levity and a lot of fun to the whole environment.
I should go buy a chicken basket from him.
No, you should stay right here and buy it.
That brought out the competitive spirit and salesman in me.
You want a chicken basket? Can I interest you in a chicken basket? Absolutely.
Okay.
[Cheers and applause.]
Here you go.
Can I interest you - Chicken.
- Chicken tenders.
Thank you.
You guys don't want chicken baskets? Um, no, thanks.
- Chicken basket? - Chicken basket? Thanks for buying the chicken baskets.
I really need this chicken basket.
I think this competition's a great idea.
It helped me with morale.
It probably helped others too.
And it certainly helps with sales, which is great for the bottom line.
How much did you get from the competition? I got three.
How about you? Well, I got zero.
- Looks like I'm gonna have to buy you ice cream.
- All right.
This is very rare for a newbie to beat me in a competition.
It was a blowout.
Probably the most embarrassing thing in my life.
Well, thanks for the ice cream.
Yeah.
You know, you're pretty good.
Well, thank you.
If it was up to me, I'll hire you as soon as you walk in that door.
Well, it's cool.
I feel like I made a friend tonight.
Honestly, I see you kind of like a father to me.
Really? Well Well, a father, you know just a father who hasn't really got his shoes tied, you know? [Both laughing.]
Do you live with your family? I live with my father my father and my stepmother.
I lost my mother when I was 12 years old.
- I lost my mother, my three sisters - Sorry to hear that.
My stepfather all on the same day.
What happened? They died on they died in a car crash.
That's terrible.
Those are all people I really loved.
It's pretty hard for me because I really love my mom, yeah.
- I'm sorry to hear that.
- It's all right.
How's that affecting you? It's hard for me, but I'm still trying to keep that weight - and that strength on my shoulders.
- That's good.
I'm trying to do as much as I can, you know, just to graduate and just go to college.
If I wasn't making money at work, at my jobs, I'd have to go to my backup plan to go join the military just for them to pay for my supplies for school.
Well, I just want to, you know, make myself, you know, like, useful, make myself and my mom proud.
I don't think I had that much ambition and drive when I was a senior in high school.
Well, yeah, I got a lot of expectations for me, and I will achieve my goal, no matter what.
- I wish you the best.
- Thank you.
I wish you would win this contest.
Thank you.
Can I help you clean this up? Yeah.
I'm very impressed with Manny.
The loss of all of those family members was a pivotal moment in his life, and I'm thankful for the opportunity that I've had to get to know these employees and learn about some of the challenges they're facing in their lives.
There's no way I would have been able to do that had I not gone undercover, and I'm eager to do what I can to help them.
(Announcer) Coming up the employees think they're going to decide whether or not Mark deserves to win his dream job.
How will they react when the boss reveals his true identity? I'm Greg Miller, co-owner of the Utah Jazz, and you're on Undercover Boss.
Sweet.
(Greg) I've really gained a great appreciation for the wonderful people that we have in this organization, and it's been very gratifying for me to see that my dad's vision is alive and well through our employees.
I'm in Salt Lake City in the locker room of the Utah Jazz, because I'm going to meet with each person I worked with and reveal my true identity to them.
So how did Mark do? He did pretty well.
Did he catch on quick? Yeah, the first run was a little difficult.
He missed his dunk.
Yeah, so did I.
[Both chuckle.]
Do you recognize me? I think so.
Looks like you're not wearing a beard.
Looks like you were Mark.
I'm Greg Miller, the C.
E.
O.
of the Larry H.
Miller group of companies and co-owner of the Utah Jazz, and you're on Undercover Boss.
[Chuckles.]
What? Sweet.
Dang.
Matt, I want to tell you, I was blown away with your commitment and your enthusiasm.
There you go.
Finish it.
Finish it.
Yes! Yeah! I gained a whole new appreciation for what you do to enrich the fan experience at a Jazz game.
- It's pretty neat.
- Oh, yeah.
There were a couple of things that you shared with me as well, and I know you have a daughter that lives clear across the country.
Yeah.
And your son's not close either, but what I'd like to do is arrange to have both of your kids attend a Jazz game as my guest in a V.
I.
P.
setting where they can watch you perform.
They can see what dad does when he goes to work.
All right.
I know it's probably important for you that they both get a good education.
Yes.
So I'd like to give you $10,000 for each one of your children's college educations.
[Inhales deeply.]
[Exhales sharply.]
That is very kind.
[Chuckles.]
Before you go, there's a couple of guys that I want to bring in.
You guys are wearing nice clothes.
Listen, I'm not Mark, but I'm Greg Miller, C.
E.
O.
of the Utah Jazz [All chuckle.]
And you're on Undercover Boss.
So I just want to [Laughter, chatter.]
I just want to thank you guys for making me feel like a part of the team right out of the chute.
I'm impressed to see how much you do with so little.
So we're gonna give you a $25,000 budget so you can buy some jerseys and some basketballs.
There's one other thing.
I'd like all of you to have your families at a Jazz game as my guest in a luxury suite so they can watch you guys perform at a Jazz game.
Thank you very much.
Yeah, thank you so much.
Do a high five? One, two, three.
(All) 100%! (Matt) This has just changed my life forever providing something for my kids that I don't know how I would ever be able to do that for them.
And for the dunk team that I love so much.
Look at that.
Ah! [All cheer.]
It's just so it's so amazing.
[All grunting and laughing.]
Dennis, I'll tell you right off the bat what you said to me.
I got two rules don't drop the Jazz court, 'cause it's my baby, and don't drop my tables, 'cause they're expensive.
That floor is named in my dad's honor, and to know that you cared that much about it, I knew I was in good hands.
I was very impressed with what a tight ship you run.
I learned a lot about how we can make the operation better.
You told me that you actually lost the tip of your finger from somebody dropping one of those big pieces - of the floor on it.
- Right.
I think one of the things that we're gonna have to do is make sure that everybody has gloves on, and that was one thing you pointed out.
Safety is important.
You shared some things that are very personal, and I appreciate that.
You told me that you'd like to retire with the Jazz and that you and your wife each work two jobs.
So what I'd like to do is promote you to a supervisor role, and with that promotion comes a raise.
That's amazing.
That would help me.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Thank you.
You've earned it.
- You mentioned that you have a big car payment.
- Yeah.
One of the things I'd like to do is pay that loan off for you.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
- You're a one-car household.
- Yes, sir.
And with you needing to use the car to come here to work, I'd like to make that problem go away for you.
I'd like to buy you and your wife a second car.
[Sighs.]
Thank you.
And there's one more thing that I'd like to do for you and your family.
It's too much.
How long has it been since you've been on a trip with your family? We haven't took one.
I'd like to send you on an all-expenses-paid trip to Disneyland with you and your girls.
It's unbelievable.
That stuff doesn't happen to people like me.
Thank you for everything.
Thank you.
(Dennis) I'm really blessed.
That's all I know.
I work for a good company.
Guess what.
(Girl) What? We're all gonna go to Disneyland, buddy.
Yeah! [Laughs.]
Amber, I want to tell you how impressed I was.
I thought it was neat that you didn't waste any time putting me to work and that you had me go right out and do a cheer first thing.
All right, guys.
Let's hear it for the Jazz! Go, Jazz! You mentioned your family's been through - some medical challenges.
- Mm-hmm.
And I'd like to help you with that.
I'd like to give you $30,000 to help pay your medical bills.
- Is this, like, a joke? [Chuckles.]
- It's not a joke.
[Voice breaking.]
Sorry.
I just don't really know what to say.
[Sighs deeply.]
I think that that would take a lot of stress off my mom too, which would be really amazing.
Amber, there's one more thing I'd like to do for you before we go.
I'd like to give you $20,000 to make life a little bit easier.
Will that help? Thank you for being such a great employee.
Thank you for employing me.
[Chuckles.]
You're welcome.
I just feel, like, so overwhelmed.
I, like, don't It just isn't real, is what it doesn't feel like.
It just doesn't seem real.
And I don't even my mom is gonna freak out.
Thank you.
This experience has taught me not to lose faith in humanity, that there really are good people out there.
Manny, it was a pleasure to get to know you.
You made me feel welcome.
Want to do a little competition? Whoever sells the most chicken baskets before halftime ends.
The loser has to buy ice cream upstairs.
You got it.
You mentioned that you're gonna be the first person in your family to graduate from high school.
And, you know, when you do that, I want you to let me know, because I want to attend your graduation.
And then after that, I'd like to invite you to be my guest at a Jazz game and sit with me on the front row.
Thank you.
How does that sound? I'm sorry.
I don't know what to say.
That'd be a fun way to celebrate such a big event in your life, - wouldn't it? - That would.
You know, the other thing you told me that it was your dream to graduate from college because you wanted to make your mom proud.
So I'd like to help you realize that dream by giving you a scholarship.
[Crying.]
I think my mother is proud of me.
I think if she was here right now she would give me a big hug and, you know, give me a kiss on the cheek.
Thank you so much.
My dream has come true.
Oh, my God.
(Announcer) And implemented sweeping company-wide changes As a company, we're actually gonna restore the 401(K).
It's a million-dollar expense.
To benefit the lives of more than 40 million employees.
Whoo! Some people I just want to punch them in the face sometimes.
(Announcer) But not everyone deserved to be rewarded.
Someone's not saying something.
Welcome to Moe's.
I've had one minute of training.
If you can't do it, then you can't do it.
I know how to grow some really good weed if you're really interested.
I'm talking, and you come back here.
"I need dippin'.
I need dippin'.
" Y'all better chill.
(Announcer) Tonight the latest boss to join his team's starting lineup is Greg Miller, the C.
E.
O.
and co-owner of the Utah Jazz.
[Cheers and applause.]
By going undercover - I'm Mark.
- Hi, Mark.
- Nice to meet you.
- How are you? This hard-charging boss takes his best shot at finding the employees who keep his operation scoring big.
Whoa.
Oh, come on, man.
(Announcer) What happens This is crazy.
(Announcer) When this basketball boss discovers that not every bounce is going his way.
[Grunts.]
Go, Jazz! [Woman giggles.]
Manny, I need some help.
Is this your first night? (Announcer) Find out next on Undercover Boss.
Undercover Boss 5x13 - Utah Jazz Original air date February 28, 2014 (Announcer) Since making their home in Salt Lake City in 1979, the Utah Jazz have become one of the most recognizable teams in the NBA.
This beloved franchise is owned by the Larry H.
Miller group of companies, a family business turned corporate juggernaut with revenues in the billions.
Leading this huge company and its world-class NBA franchise is one man.
My name is Greg Miller, and I'm the C.
E.
O.
of the Larry H.
Miller group of companies.
We don't just own the Utah Jazz.
We've got approximately 80 businesses.
Our primary business is the automotive industry, the insurance industry, the finance industry.
We own the building the Jazz play in.
We own the TV station that broadcasts the games, and we own the radio station as well.
And our revenues are in the billions.
[People cheering.]
We've never won a championship, but back in '97 and '98, we made it to the finals, but we lost to the Bulls.
Most people identify the Utah Jazz and being mormon with the state of Utah, and without the Jazz, it would just be mormons.
My father, Larry H.
Miller, was an entrepreneur.
In the late '70s and early '80s, my dad just put his head down and went to work.
My dad bought his first car dealership in Murray, Utah.
That first little Toyota store grew into many stores.
Over the years, the community supported my dad's businesses very well.
In 1985, there was a group of investors that wanted to buy the Utah Jazz and move the team out of state.
When my dad heard about that, he knew that that was a real threat to the community.
The Jazz can't leave Utah.
(Greg) He came up with a plan that would bet everything he had to keep the team in Utah.
In 1985, my dad bought the first half of the Utah Jazz.
Then in 1986, he bought the second half of the Utah Jazz.
Both transactions required my dad to come up with money that was in excess of his net worth.
He gave everything he had to it, but it came at a very high price.
He contracted type 2 diabetes sometime in the late '80s or early '90s and really more or less ignored it for way too long.
My dad was 63 years old when he died way too young.
[Exhales sharply.]
[Voice breaking.]
Go about doing good until there's too much good in the world.
(Greg) When I took over, my primary concern was just perpetuating all of the values that had become part of our culture over the years.
And we ask for safety and protection as we go about our various activities, and we do so humbly in the name of thy son, Jesus Christ.
- Amen.
(All) - Amen.
(Greg) Well, as a mormon, I think the mormon doctrine is consistent with the way we try to run this family business hard work, no shortcuts.
Those are what make the Utah Jazz great.
I think they're gonna have a hard time disguising you.
I think your voice is going to be hard to disguise.
You need to practice a little bit of an accent or something that country drawl.
I think my voice is gonna have to do.
Ooh, that's gonna be hard.
I need your best stuff.
I'm thinking maybe add some length.
Okay.
(Greg) It's gonna be hard to disguise me for a couple reasons.
Number one, I'm 6'4".
Number two, I am the face of the Utah Jazz.
I'm on TV a fair amount.
Much different.
While undercover, I'll be posing as Mark Scott, an auto-repair-shop owner from Preston, Idaho, competing to win a $250,000 dream job.
The employees will think they're on a fake reality show that isn't Undercover Boss.
There you go.
[Laughter.]
She's scared.
(Greg) How y'all doing? [Baby crying.]
Your teeth are nasty.
I want to see your teeth.
[All groan.]
I won't be visiting you.
[Baby cooing.]
Well, we'll see you guys.
There's been a fair amount of change since my dad passed away in 2009.
My dad was hands-on.
He wanted to be in the middle of everything.
And now there's too much going on to do that.
I oversee 85 businesses in 46 states.
- Sorry.
[Laughing.]
- I love you.
[Laughing.]
I love you.
I've had to turn a lot of that responsibility over to other people.
I want to go undercover now because I want to direct all my attention to the Jazz.
The team was my dad's pride and joy, and I need to see if my dad's vision is still going strong.
[Upbeat rock music.]
Today I'll be going undercover at Energy Solutions Arena in the game operations department.
Jay! You want those laid out? Energy Solutions Arena was built to be the center of this community.
We could have an ice show on Monday night, a concert Wednesday, and a Jazz game Thursday.
[Cheers and applause.]
The game operations department are the people who work all night, do all the heavy lifting.
[Grunts.]
You got to help me lift.
(Greg) Today I hope to learn of things that we can do better, and I'm really excited to get to it.
- How you doing, man? - Good.
I'm Mark.
- Looking for Dennis.
- That's me.
- Hey, how you doing? - Good.
I work for operations.
We're gonna set the floor down.
Jazz floor.
Just letting you know now.
- Okay.
- Okay.
I thought Mark was gonna be lazy.
He's kind of sluggish in the midsection.
Just fat he looked fat.
I got two rules don't drop the Jazz court, 'cause it's my baby, and don't drop my tables, 'cause they're expensive.
Okay.
That sounds easy enough.
Yep.
We're gonna lay these.
[Greg exhales sharply.]
Looks like they got some miles on 'em.
I just say be careful, 'cause it's really old.
Like, these wood pieces a lot of them are starting to fall off now and stuff like that.
- Don't put yours down till I put mine down.
- Okay.
Where do you want this one, Dennis? Number two.
Row two.
Okay.
Put it on its side.
Oh, come on [Muttering.]
- Safety first, brother.
- Yep.
(Greg) We should all be wearing gloves.
It would be very easy to damage our hands or our fingers lifting all of these heavy pieces of wood.
So you guys can go here.
Be careful when you're dropping that, man.
Start bringing the court out.
A lot of people don't realize what we do here.
Yeah, I can tell it's a lot of work.
How I feel we're the backbone of the building.
So I'm grateful to have a job, you know? Everybody can't say they work for an NBA team.
How long have you been here? - 11 years.
- Really? Yes, sir.
- Do you like it here? - I love it.
It's a good company.
I would like to retire here.
I know that much.
- Oh, the floor.
- Yep.
Sweet.
Okay, you get behind there, and you push.
You have a wife, kids? Yeah, I got a wife and four kids.
- Right on.
- How about you? Yeah, I got a wife and two little girls, man.
Do you get to spend much time with them? Uh, not really.
We work a lot.
I work two jobs, so - And she's working two jobs.
- Yeah.
Let's spin this now.
There you go.
- Right there? - Relax.
Right there.
Everybody lift, same time.
And to the middle over here.
Each section of floor weighs 175 pounds, so it takes four guys to lift it safely.
- Hey, Eddie.
- Yeah.
- Hey, man.
- Get on that side.
We got to take this 15-piece down there.
(Greg) I was actually getting frustrated by the number of things I saw that were not as efficient as they could have been.
Set it down right here.
I was critiquing the process and came up with several suggestions that I'm going to implement to make this process more efficient in the future.
If we were organized, we'd be going even faster.
(Dennis) Come on, Mark.
Let's go.
Let's get it.
Hammer! Make a note that we ought to consider putting Dennis in charge of this circus.
(Man) Here you go.
(Greg) When I watch games from now on, I'm sure I'll have a much greater appreciation for all of the effort that goes into making the game possible.
So tell me about your girls.
It's hard times, man.
- Hard times? - Yeah.
How so? My wife, she's been in the hospital several times.
My oldest one she was in the NICU when she was born, so Ooh.
That's expensive.
Yeah.
So is your wife healthy now? She's trying to be healthy.
She's diabetic, so So how is that on you financially? Is that putting some pressure on you? Puts a lot of pressure on me, to be honest.
Honestly, our biggest thing right now is the car we have, 'cause we're paying $600 a month for our car payment.
I just look at it, it's life.
You just deal with it the best you can.
I can really identify with Dennis when it comes to caring about your family.
Type 2 diabetes is what ultimately took my dad's life.
I hope that we're able to help Dennis in some ways that will allow him to achieve a greater work/life balance and spend more time with his wife and daughters.
All right, the floor's done.
- Looks good.
- Pretty good to me.
Looks good.
(Dennis) Man, that's all we have left of Larry.
We're gonna take care of it.
(Greg) Did you ever meet him? Several times we talked.
He was a good man.
He'll be missed.
This floor means a lot to me, 'cause it has my dad's name on it, and so it's really important to all of us in this community as Jazz fans.
I feel a lot like Dennis does.
This floor is my baby, and I love that he's protecting it that closely like it's his.
All right, the floor's done.
Go take a break, buddy.
(Announcer) - Coming up - Go Jazz! [Woman laughs.]
Mark struggles to show his team spirit.
And later Go, Mark! Go! (Announcer) The boss tries to make halftime history.
[Lively rock music.]
(Arena announcer) It's opening day at Energy Solutions Arena, and the Utah Jazz are facing off against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Today I'm gonna be working as an interactive team member.
A lot of times our fans who sit further away from the court feel like they're left out of the game a little bit.
My dad was very passionate about our fans, so it's really important to me that the Utah Jazz fans have a great experience when they come to a game, and that's why the interactive team is so important.
I know they burn a lot of energy during the game.
It's gonna be a challenge for me to keep up with them with all this extra weight I'm packing around.
Hello? Hi.
- I'm looking for Amber.
- I'm Amber.
It's nice to meet you.
- How are you? - I'm Mark.
Let's go out here and talk 'cause it's kind of loud in here.
All right, Mark, it's nice to meet you.
What we do is we go out into the crowd, and we get people super pumped up and excited to be at the game.
We throw out free giveaways to people.
We get people to stand up on their feet.
We do chants.
Do you think that's something that you can do? - Sure.
- Yeah? So I have this bag here.
I'm gonna have you wear it.
Okay.
So get me excited to be here.
Show me what you got.
- You got to show me your energy.
- This would be a lot easier if I could see somebody demonstrate first.
- See somebody demonstrate? - Yeah.
You go, "come on, guys, we got some Jazz basketballs.
" "I want you to get up, get excited.
" "Show me.
Get up.
I can't hear you.
" Okay.
All right, guys.
Let's hear it for the Jazz! Go, Jazz! [Laughs.]
Mark is an interesting character.
You could tell he was a little bit shy, didn't quite know what he was getting himself into, which kind of made it more exciting for me.
(Amber) - Okay.
(Greg) - Okay, there's a time-out.
So this is the time-out.
So, as soon as they say, "117," you go up.
Get the crowd excited, get 'em pumped, and you're only gonna throw out your Jazz water bottles.
Okay, go.
Up, and run up to the top.
Get 'em super pumped.
Get 'em excited! [Cheers and applause.]
Let me see (Amber) The first giveaway was a little rocky.
He kind of just moseyed on up the stairs not a whole lot of energy.
[Cheers and applause.]
[Greg shouting indistinctly.]
All right.
Sorry, guys.
Might have been a little girly with a little leg kick in there.
I don't know.
[Chuckles.]
All right, so that was okay.
Okay, so we're gonna go over here.
And I want you to hold your Jazz sign up.
You're gonna go, "go, Jazz, go.
" - So I want to see a little bit more energy.
- Okay.
Get a little bit more excited.
Jazz! Let's hear it! Sorry.
Okay, that was a little awkward.
Yeah, so here.
We'll go like this.
Go! Jazz! Go! Okay, now you do it.
Go! Jazz! Go! Jazz! I'm not one that normally seeks the limelight.
Go! Jazz! Louder! Come on! For me to be the one that everybody's staring at and wanting a piece of was a little unusual.
- Good job! - Did I do okay? That was a little bit more successful than I expected it to be.
Nice improv.
This is a fun part of the job.
Have you ever worn one of these before? I've worn a backpack, but not a So you're gonna put it on just like a backpack.
There you go.
Okay.
So what we're gonna do is we're gonna go up S.
S.
, and we're gonna ask some of the people to try to shoot for a prize.
I'm 6'4", and having this backpack with the hoop on it on my back made me the biggest spectacle that I've ever been in my life.
Who wants to try to get a prize? [Cheers and applause.]
Nice.
Want to try, bud? How he was hunched over a little bit at first, he almost looked like the hunchback of Notre Dame walking up the stairs.
I think it did smack a child in the face.
(All) - Yeah! - Here you go.
- Good job.
- All right.
It was really fun, especially once I got the hang of it, to run up those stairs and get the crowd really into the game.
[Cheers and applause.]
Okay, here we go! It takes a lot of guts to get out there and do this, and I think Mark did really good.
Oh! [Buzzer sounds.]
(Arena announcer) And that is the game.
Oklahoma City 101, the Jazz 98.
We were so close.
You said you're from Idaho? And you have four kids? Four kids three boys and a girl.
I have a little four-year-old brother who is just the light of all our little world.
His name's Cam.
He has Down syndrome.
So that was really, really hard on my mom at first.
And it was kind of a shock to everybody.
He doesn't know how to say my name, so he calls me Bo-Bo, and he does the sign for "book.
" It's actually really cute.
Every time I walk in the house, he goes, "Bo-Bo, Bo-Bo" and does the sign for "book.
" It's really cute.
That's nice.
So you guys are close.
I try to be as close as I can.
I wish that my mom lived closer so that I could spend more time with my family.
My parents got divorced when I was 15, so I took that kind of on, you know.
My other sibling we're really, really close, and he actually got hit by a car and had to be life-flighted to a primary children's hospital and was in a coma for two weeks, and when he came to, him and I weren't he kind of lost a little bit of his personality.
It's obviously very hard for you.
Yeah, we were we were really close.
He's never really been the same.
He's definitely a different person.
He's just kind of 21 trapped in a 14-year-old mind-set.
My mom is still paying them back, and it happened four, five seven years.
- Seven years ago it happened.
- Mm-hmm.
Seven years ago.
And she's still paying for the medical bills.
It seems like your challenges with your brothers are near and dear to your heart.
You welled up when you talked about both of them.
Yeah, they're really, really close to me.
I just don't want to take life for granted, you know? I don't find those things as, like, challenges or problems in my life.
You know, you just take it as it is and you go with what you got, and you could either dwell on it and be upset and angry about it and be completely miserable your whole life or you can take it in stride and learn from it and move forward, so (Greg) It was really touching to me to hear what Amber shared with me about some of the things going on in her family life.
She's had some big challenges that she's had to deal with, and from all outward appearances, she's done a great job dealing with them.
She can come to work and have such a positive face and convey so much positive energy and do her job as well as she does, and I'm thrilled that she's a part of our company.
- I'll follow you.
- Oh, thank you.
[Lively rock music.]
Today I'm gonna be practicing and performing with the dunk team.
My dad knew how important it is to make Jazz games unique and entertaining for the fans, and we're famous for our mascot dunk team.
Normally I like to stay inside my comfort zone, but this seems like a neat adventure to me.
And first I'm gonna practice with the dunk team, and then I'm gonna go out tonight and hopefully dunk in a real game.
- How's it going? - Good.
How are you? - Good.
I'm looking for Matt.
- I'm Matt.
Dude, I'm so fired up for this.
Let me introduce you to these guys.
Come here.
- I'm Nate.
- Hey, Nate.
I'm Mark.
How are you? - I'm Mike.
- Hi, Mike.
I'm Mark.
Nice to meet you.
- I'm Vincent.
- Hi, Vincent.
I'm Mark.
Nice to meet you.
You're the tallest guy of everyone.
Exactly! I know.
(Matt) My first impression of Mark, he walks out on the floor, and I didn't know if he was gonna be able to run and jump and do anything.
All right, so am I gonna actually get to try to dunk it? Oh, you're gonna dunk it.
- Yeah? - Oh, yeah.
- Oh, yeah.
- Man.
Okay, Mark, you're up.
Here we go.
Tonight that's what you're doing.
All right, so So come on.
Come up here.
We're gonna start you at half-court.
What do you say, Nate? So part of our warm-up is just to make sure everybody can do every pass out there bounce pass, glass pass, flip passes Did you say "flip pass"? - Whoa.
- You know what? Not everybody here is doing flip passes and stuff, - but - Okay.
Let's just try it from here.
(Greg) I'm thinking I have no idea what the physics are.
I have no idea how high or how low I'm gonna bounce.
Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed.
I was a little bit worried he was gonna get hurt.
[Greg groans.]
[Dramatic music.]
Hurdle off of one foot and make it to the mat.
Make to the mat.
That's the most important thing is to always make it to the mat.
- Jump first.
- Okay.
Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, speed.
[Groans.]
That's all right.
No worries.
My footing was way off on that one.
Those springs are stiff.
Let's just do it a million times.
(Matt) The first time that he hit a tramp Yeah, there you go.
It didn't look like he's ever done anything like this before.
- Ah! - Very good.
Ah.
Oh, yeah.
It just felt like I was watching some little kid out there.
There you go.
There you go.
There you go.
- Get some! - Oh, dude! [Groans.]
(Greg) I'm 47 years old.
I'm way too old to be doing this.
I mean, the more that you do it, the more you're gonna get comfortable with hitting the tramp with the ball in your hand, running with the ball.
- Let's do it.
- Okay.
Come on, Mark.
There you go.
Nice and simple.
Right there on the hardwood.
There you go.
There you go! There you go.
There you go.
There you go.
There you go.
There you go.
Finish it.
Finish it.
Finish it.
- Yes! - Yeah! He stuck with it, and he worked hard.
He kept running down, and he kept hitting the tramps, and he kept falling down, and he kept getting back up, and he was committed to doing it, and that's huge right there.
- Oh, yes! - Good.
Okay, all right, let's see it.
Put it in.
[Laughs.]
Put it down.
Let's see it.
Speed, speed, speed, speed, speed.
Whoo-ah! - Yeah! - Oh, baby! See? Dang! (Greg) Every member to a man had positive energy, and they were quick to share it with everyone else in the group.
[Cheers and applause.]
It'd be nice if we, like, got rich doing this stuff, but for the most part, I mean, we get a pair of shoes, sometimes we get a shirt.
So you just do this for the love of it? Oh, yeah.
And it's a good relationship? They take good care of you? Sometimes, you know, a pain in the butt to kind of get stuff.
We turn in a budget, but we never know if we have any money to spend.
It'd be nice if it was said, "you guys have this much money.
" "Don't go over it.
" No problem.
Sounds like it's pretty ambiguous, and it's just hard for you to really plan anything solid.
I'm surprised to learn that they really don't have a point of contact in the Jazz organization, and there's really not a lot of clarity on their budget either.
I like my job, and I like doing this, and I don't make the most money, but I got two great kids.
Got a son, 16, he lives in Price.
Price is, like, two hours south.
And then my daughter lives in Virginia, in Richmond.
So that makes it tough to get together probably.
Yep.
Yep.
Matt obviously cares a lot about his kids, and because they're spread out so far geographically, it's hard for him to spend as much time with them as he would like to, and I know that's got to be hard for him, 'cause it would be hard for me if I was in that situation.
Here you go, man.
I'm glad that you're gonna be a part of this.
I think you're set for tonight, yeah, hey.
Go get changed up, man.
It's very intimidating to do what I did today in front of those guys.
I can't imagine what it's gonna be like when it's a full house.
I'm about to perform with the Utah Jazz dunk team in a real Jazz game.
[Whistle blows.]
From an undercover standpoint, this is the highest risk job of all, because not only will I be right in front of my family, there'll be about 19,000 Jazz fans with their eyes on me.
And there's one guy I know will recognize me.
Excuse me.
Do you know who I am? Do you recognize me? So, Bear, I wanted to let you in on this.
I'm going undercover on Undercover Boss, so I need you to promise me that you're not gonna reveal who I am.
Okay? I can count on that? Yeah? Okay, thanks a lot.
We'll see you out there in a bit, okay? - How you feeling, man? You okay? - Yeah, I'm good.
Got butterflies, but I'm good.
Dude, butterflies are butterflies are good.
[Buzzer sounds.]
Let's get out there! (Arena announcer) Our own dunk team Hey, come on! Hey! Hey! (Matt) "100%" on three! One, two, three! [Cheers and applause.]
You guys ready? Get it to the rim, baby.
Go for it, Mark! [Greg grunts.]
I'm with you, Jay.
I'm with you, Jay.
I really wanted to make that dunk.
That was a big deal to me, and I just didn't have the energy in my legs to jump as far as I needed to, and I came up just a little bit short.
Okay, good job.
(Greg) Good job.
Good job.
I just met these guys, and they've already made me feel like I've been part of the team for 10 or 15 years.
That makes me really proud of the fact that they're part of the Utah Jazz organization.
Ready? Let's go! I'm with you, Jay.
I'm with you, Jay.
Come on! Make it work! Make it work! Come on, man! [Cheers and applause.]
These guys aren't members of the Jazz dunk team for the money.
They do it for the love of the game.
(Matt) Thank you so much.
This was a great night.
"100%" on three.
One, two, three.
(All) 100%! (Greg) It's been an amazing week, and today is my final job undercover.
One thing that's unique about us owning the Utah Jazz is that we also own all of the concessions that our fans eat when they come to games.
The revenue that we generate from our concessions is a very important part of the Utah Jazz operation.
- Hello.
- What can I do for you? - I'm looking for Manny.
- Manny? So tonight I'm gonna be going undercover in the concession stand for a Utah Jazz game.
- I'm Mark.
- Hi, Mark.
- How are you? - Good.
I'm gonna be your boss today.
You ready? I don't know.
I guess I am.
So basically, this cashier, it's pretty much easy.
- Blue is drinks.
- Okay.
Red is food.
Yellow is the side orders.
Now, paying you're gonna hit "total.
" All you have to do is just read and just hit the button.
- Think you can do it? - I think so.
Hello.
Can I get one of your all-star dogs and a large coke? All-star dog.
Large coke.
That'll be $12, please.
Okay, so I hit 10.
I think I messed that one up.
What'd you do? Don't hit "cash.
" - Just hit the dollar bill.
- Okay.
Thank you.
Here's your All-star.
$8 is your change.
- Thank you.
- Thanks a lot.
So now do I hit "clear" or what? Just keep going.
Just keep going.
Greet the customer.
- How are you? - Good.
How are you? Two Dasani waters.
Two Dasani waters.
Okay, so that will be $7.
So then I hit $7 here, right? No, they're paying you with $20.
Okay.
Okay.
So $20.
I taught Mark how to use a cash register as simply as I could explain it.
The buttons are kind of confusing, I guess.
Okay, Manny, I need some help.
I messed this transaction up.
I hit "cash.
" They're paying for it with a credit card.
How much was it? It was $9.
$9.
50.
Yeah, it's $9.
50, actually.
- Just do it again.
- Is this your first night? My first night.
This line's getting pretty long.
We need to go fast.
(Manny) A job like this halftime gets swamped.
The lines are huge, and you have to move fast.
Two sodas would be $9.
50.
So we still need to add the Philly cheesesteak to it.
Sorry about the mix-up.
Oop.
[Coin rattles.]
Normally when I come to a Jazz game, I eat in one of the clubs down near the floor, so I don't have a lot of interaction with concessions.
Good.
What can I get for you? There's a lot to manage here.
Are there lids back there? Can I just get cheese fries? $10, right? Starting to get the hang of this.
Want to do a little competition? Whoever sells the most chicken baskets before halftime ends, the loser has to buy ice cream upstairs.
- You got it.
- You on it? Manny says, "hey, I bet I can sell" "more chicken fingers than you.
" I grew up in a car dealership, so I'm right at home with this challenge.
I own you.
I said, "bring it on, Manny.
" Can I get you a chicken basket? Um, no, thank you.
What can I get you? A regular soda.
No chicken basket? Can I interest you in a chicken basket with that large soda? No, thanks.
Do you guys have nachos here? We have chicken baskets.
Yeah, we have chicken baskets.
Why are you guys trying to sell your chicken baskets so hard? We've got an ice cream bar riding on it.
You guys are having a contest over chicken baskets? We are.
I could just feel the energy increase in the room.
It added a lot of levity and a lot of fun to the whole environment.
I should go buy a chicken basket from him.
No, you should stay right here and buy it.
That brought out the competitive spirit and salesman in me.
You want a chicken basket? Can I interest you in a chicken basket? Absolutely.
Okay.
[Cheers and applause.]
Here you go.
Can I interest you - Chicken.
- Chicken tenders.
Thank you.
You guys don't want chicken baskets? Um, no, thanks.
- Chicken basket? - Chicken basket? Thanks for buying the chicken baskets.
I really need this chicken basket.
I think this competition's a great idea.
It helped me with morale.
It probably helped others too.
And it certainly helps with sales, which is great for the bottom line.
How much did you get from the competition? I got three.
How about you? Well, I got zero.
- Looks like I'm gonna have to buy you ice cream.
- All right.
This is very rare for a newbie to beat me in a competition.
It was a blowout.
Probably the most embarrassing thing in my life.
Well, thanks for the ice cream.
Yeah.
You know, you're pretty good.
Well, thank you.
If it was up to me, I'll hire you as soon as you walk in that door.
Well, it's cool.
I feel like I made a friend tonight.
Honestly, I see you kind of like a father to me.
Really? Well Well, a father, you know just a father who hasn't really got his shoes tied, you know? [Both laughing.]
Do you live with your family? I live with my father my father and my stepmother.
I lost my mother when I was 12 years old.
- I lost my mother, my three sisters - Sorry to hear that.
My stepfather all on the same day.
What happened? They died on they died in a car crash.
That's terrible.
Those are all people I really loved.
It's pretty hard for me because I really love my mom, yeah.
- I'm sorry to hear that.
- It's all right.
How's that affecting you? It's hard for me, but I'm still trying to keep that weight - and that strength on my shoulders.
- That's good.
I'm trying to do as much as I can, you know, just to graduate and just go to college.
If I wasn't making money at work, at my jobs, I'd have to go to my backup plan to go join the military just for them to pay for my supplies for school.
Well, I just want to, you know, make myself, you know, like, useful, make myself and my mom proud.
I don't think I had that much ambition and drive when I was a senior in high school.
Well, yeah, I got a lot of expectations for me, and I will achieve my goal, no matter what.
- I wish you the best.
- Thank you.
I wish you would win this contest.
Thank you.
Can I help you clean this up? Yeah.
I'm very impressed with Manny.
The loss of all of those family members was a pivotal moment in his life, and I'm thankful for the opportunity that I've had to get to know these employees and learn about some of the challenges they're facing in their lives.
There's no way I would have been able to do that had I not gone undercover, and I'm eager to do what I can to help them.
(Announcer) Coming up the employees think they're going to decide whether or not Mark deserves to win his dream job.
How will they react when the boss reveals his true identity? I'm Greg Miller, co-owner of the Utah Jazz, and you're on Undercover Boss.
Sweet.
(Greg) I've really gained a great appreciation for the wonderful people that we have in this organization, and it's been very gratifying for me to see that my dad's vision is alive and well through our employees.
I'm in Salt Lake City in the locker room of the Utah Jazz, because I'm going to meet with each person I worked with and reveal my true identity to them.
So how did Mark do? He did pretty well.
Did he catch on quick? Yeah, the first run was a little difficult.
He missed his dunk.
Yeah, so did I.
[Both chuckle.]
Do you recognize me? I think so.
Looks like you're not wearing a beard.
Looks like you were Mark.
I'm Greg Miller, the C.
E.
O.
of the Larry H.
Miller group of companies and co-owner of the Utah Jazz, and you're on Undercover Boss.
[Chuckles.]
What? Sweet.
Dang.
Matt, I want to tell you, I was blown away with your commitment and your enthusiasm.
There you go.
Finish it.
Finish it.
Yes! Yeah! I gained a whole new appreciation for what you do to enrich the fan experience at a Jazz game.
- It's pretty neat.
- Oh, yeah.
There were a couple of things that you shared with me as well, and I know you have a daughter that lives clear across the country.
Yeah.
And your son's not close either, but what I'd like to do is arrange to have both of your kids attend a Jazz game as my guest in a V.
I.
P.
setting where they can watch you perform.
They can see what dad does when he goes to work.
All right.
I know it's probably important for you that they both get a good education.
Yes.
So I'd like to give you $10,000 for each one of your children's college educations.
[Inhales deeply.]
[Exhales sharply.]
That is very kind.
[Chuckles.]
Before you go, there's a couple of guys that I want to bring in.
You guys are wearing nice clothes.
Listen, I'm not Mark, but I'm Greg Miller, C.
E.
O.
of the Utah Jazz [All chuckle.]
And you're on Undercover Boss.
So I just want to [Laughter, chatter.]
I just want to thank you guys for making me feel like a part of the team right out of the chute.
I'm impressed to see how much you do with so little.
So we're gonna give you a $25,000 budget so you can buy some jerseys and some basketballs.
There's one other thing.
I'd like all of you to have your families at a Jazz game as my guest in a luxury suite so they can watch you guys perform at a Jazz game.
Thank you very much.
Yeah, thank you so much.
Do a high five? One, two, three.
(All) 100%! (Matt) This has just changed my life forever providing something for my kids that I don't know how I would ever be able to do that for them.
And for the dunk team that I love so much.
Look at that.
Ah! [All cheer.]
It's just so it's so amazing.
[All grunting and laughing.]
Dennis, I'll tell you right off the bat what you said to me.
I got two rules don't drop the Jazz court, 'cause it's my baby, and don't drop my tables, 'cause they're expensive.
That floor is named in my dad's honor, and to know that you cared that much about it, I knew I was in good hands.
I was very impressed with what a tight ship you run.
I learned a lot about how we can make the operation better.
You told me that you actually lost the tip of your finger from somebody dropping one of those big pieces - of the floor on it.
- Right.
I think one of the things that we're gonna have to do is make sure that everybody has gloves on, and that was one thing you pointed out.
Safety is important.
You shared some things that are very personal, and I appreciate that.
You told me that you'd like to retire with the Jazz and that you and your wife each work two jobs.
So what I'd like to do is promote you to a supervisor role, and with that promotion comes a raise.
That's amazing.
That would help me.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Thank you.
You've earned it.
- You mentioned that you have a big car payment.
- Yeah.
One of the things I'd like to do is pay that loan off for you.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
- You're a one-car household.
- Yes, sir.
And with you needing to use the car to come here to work, I'd like to make that problem go away for you.
I'd like to buy you and your wife a second car.
[Sighs.]
Thank you.
And there's one more thing that I'd like to do for you and your family.
It's too much.
How long has it been since you've been on a trip with your family? We haven't took one.
I'd like to send you on an all-expenses-paid trip to Disneyland with you and your girls.
It's unbelievable.
That stuff doesn't happen to people like me.
Thank you for everything.
Thank you.
(Dennis) I'm really blessed.
That's all I know.
I work for a good company.
Guess what.
(Girl) What? We're all gonna go to Disneyland, buddy.
Yeah! [Laughs.]
Amber, I want to tell you how impressed I was.
I thought it was neat that you didn't waste any time putting me to work and that you had me go right out and do a cheer first thing.
All right, guys.
Let's hear it for the Jazz! Go, Jazz! You mentioned your family's been through - some medical challenges.
- Mm-hmm.
And I'd like to help you with that.
I'd like to give you $30,000 to help pay your medical bills.
- Is this, like, a joke? [Chuckles.]
- It's not a joke.
[Voice breaking.]
Sorry.
I just don't really know what to say.
[Sighs deeply.]
I think that that would take a lot of stress off my mom too, which would be really amazing.
Amber, there's one more thing I'd like to do for you before we go.
I'd like to give you $20,000 to make life a little bit easier.
Will that help? Thank you for being such a great employee.
Thank you for employing me.
[Chuckles.]
You're welcome.
I just feel, like, so overwhelmed.
I, like, don't It just isn't real, is what it doesn't feel like.
It just doesn't seem real.
And I don't even my mom is gonna freak out.
Thank you.
This experience has taught me not to lose faith in humanity, that there really are good people out there.
Manny, it was a pleasure to get to know you.
You made me feel welcome.
Want to do a little competition? Whoever sells the most chicken baskets before halftime ends.
The loser has to buy ice cream upstairs.
You got it.
You mentioned that you're gonna be the first person in your family to graduate from high school.
And, you know, when you do that, I want you to let me know, because I want to attend your graduation.
And then after that, I'd like to invite you to be my guest at a Jazz game and sit with me on the front row.
Thank you.
How does that sound? I'm sorry.
I don't know what to say.
That'd be a fun way to celebrate such a big event in your life, - wouldn't it? - That would.
You know, the other thing you told me that it was your dream to graduate from college because you wanted to make your mom proud.
So I'd like to help you realize that dream by giving you a scholarship.
[Crying.]
I think my mother is proud of me.
I think if she was here right now she would give me a big hug and, you know, give me a kiss on the cheek.
Thank you so much.
My dream has come true.