By MITCHELL COOK and JANELLE POORE

Utahans may see a familiar face on television if Richard Mack is chosen as the "American Candidate," of the new reality television series, to hit the airwaves this fall.

Mack, 51, a Provo resident, was chosen as one of 12 finalists out of approximately 1,500 hopefuls from across the nation who signed up for the show. As a result, he dropped out of the race as the Libertarian candidate for governor of Utah to be part of the series.

One rule of the show is that no one who is currently in an actual political race can take part in the televised race. Calling the Showtime program a great opportunity, Mack said it would be foolish to turn down the chance at national airtime and a $200,000 prize, so he withdrew from the governor's race.

The "American Candidate" series, which will debut on the Showtime Network this summer, will allow the American people to identify the "People's Candidate" that they would like to see run for President of the United States.

Over the course of the television show, the 12 candidates will face-off against each other in a series of challenges designed to test their presidential mettle and to show viewers what really goes on in the making of a presidential candidate.

Hearing about the opportunity from his lawyer, Mack filled out and sent the 30-page application, 20-minute video and six-minute speech on why he wanted to be chosen and his platform.

"I sent that in and thought I'd never hear from them again," Mack said.

After an extensive background check, including interviewing friends, neighbors and relatives, Mack is now on his way to being the next reality television celebrity. Mack said a four-man camera crew will follow him and his family from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every day.

As his first assignment, Mack was given a briefcase Tuesday with instructions to hold a campaign rally with only a $100 budget. With a day and a half to advertise, Mack and his staffers contacted friends, family and supporters of the former Provo City police officer, and passed out more than 1,000 fliers around Provo, including on BYU campus.

The rally was at the Provo Elks lodge. Supporters and passersby were counted at the door. The candidate that gets the least amount of people to show up at the rally will most likely be eliminated.

"We were trying everywhere around town," Mack said. "There are a lot of people here who aren't personal friends."

Gary Gray, a UVSC student from Pleasant Grove, heard about the event and came to show his support for Mack. He said he hopes Mack will be able to come through on all his platform promises.

"Plus, I heard we'd be on TV," Gray said.

One of Mack's platform promises is to bring back the founding fathers' ideas of democracy and liberty, Mack said.

"I want to change the political structure of America and get us back on the path the founders laid out for us," Mack said. "I'm just the messenger bringing back the message of the founding fathers."

Mack, who is a registered Libertarian, prescribes to the party's ideology of individual liberty and personal responsibility, a free-market economy of abundance and prosperity and a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace and free-trade.

The Libertarian Party is America's largest "third party." Currently, more than 590 Libertarians hold public office across the nation. There has never been, however, a Libertarian elected as president of the United States.

University of Utah student Zac Terry said he liked the idea of Mack being on a reality television series.

"I think it's good to get the philosophy of liberty out there and to expose people to his ideas," Terry said.

The producers plan to visit various cities across the nation, allowing people to meet and greet all the candidates.

All 12 candidates will be on the road with the production team for a period of up to seven weeks, depending on how successful they are on the show.

"I really have no idea where I will be or what I will be doing tomorrow," Mack said.

The producers' goal is to provide a forum for new and diverse ideas and a path to national prominence for people with a passion to make a difference.

"I think it's a great idea to allow average people to voice their opinion in this sort of setting," said Shawn Morris, 24, a BYU student from Fresno, Calif. "This will be much more interesting than 'The Bachelor.'"

Each week, the original pool of candidates will be winnowed down, with the final episode being a showdown between the two remaining candidates, and one person will emerge victorious - the "American Candidate."

"The winner will take all the publicity they have with them from the show, as well as $200,000 and will be allowed to address a nation-wide audience," said Rob Latham, Mack's former campaign manager.

"American Candidate" premieres in August on the Showtime Network and will run for 10 weeks.



Copyright Brigham Young University 24 Jun 2004