On Monday morning, Mack, who was selected from hundreds of applicants after a series of interviews and tests, got his first challenge, delivered in a black briefcase.

"It was like 'Mission Impossible,' " says Mack, who looks like an aging Clark Kent from a distance. "I have two days and $100 to gather as many people as I can for a political rally."

With the sleeves of his light blue shirt rolled up, Mack spent the day making fliers, calling talk radio stations, and recruiting neighbor kids to spread the word — his every move captured by a film crew that has worked on such shows as "Cops," "Survivor" and "The Bachelor."

Mack insisted "American Candidate" is different from those shows, a welcome departure from the typical bug-eating fare that dominates reality television.

He views the show as a powerful vehicle to share political views — such as his belief that the U.S. government has abandoned the U.S. Constitution by becoming too large and intrusive.

By Monday afternoon, Mack had secured the Provo Elks Lodge to hold his rally.

A neighbor rang the doorbell, her four kids in tow, and volunteered to pass out fliers for the rally, which Mack hoped would draw 1,000. The neighbor, a short, red-headed woman who wore a pro-gun T-shirt that read "What Part of Infringed Don't You Understand?"

She said she belonged to a group called "Women Against Gun Control."

"If Richie were president I think this country could live by the Constitution instead of just pretending to," said the neighbor, Lisa Briggs.

Mack describes himself as a Constitutional Conservative, and for the last year the lifelong Republican has belonged to the Libertarian Party. The office in his home is decorated with a large sword, a bald eagle statue that glows when plugged in, and a photo of Mack standing in a barn with a group of men dressed like cowboys and holding rifles.

Mack, a BYU graduate and former Provo police officer, served two terms as sheriff in Graham County, Ariz., where he and several other county sheriffs filed a lawsuit challenging the original Brady gun law. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Congress couldn't make local sheriffs pay for conducting background checks on gun buyers, making Mack a hero to gun-rights activists across the nation.

When Mack unsuccessfully ran for Utah County sheriff in 1998, he gained national attention when he said the prison had become too much of a "resort," with inmates watching television and eating three hot meals a day.

Mack promised that, if elected, he would send inmates on work details and only feed them bologna sandwiches and cold cereal. The campaign was featured on a segment for Comedy Central's "The Daily Show."