Similar challenges continue for eight episodes (which have already been taped) at various sites across the country. Viewers get to vote to take three candidates down to two, and then choose the winner.

As with all reality shows, the participants are at the mercy of the producers when it comes to the editing. They never know how they'll be made to appear. "That is my biggest worry, and my wife's also," said Mack, who chose his wife to be his campaign manager. "Our biggest fear every day is — how is this show going to make us look? And I really think it's going to be extremely difficult for the show not to make me look like who I am — a Constitutional conservative. That's how I came to the show, and I'm positive that's how I'm leaving the show."

Mack admits that he's seen very little reality TV, other than a bit of "The Apprentice" — and some episodes of "American Idol" because his daughter Mandy was a contestant on that show. (She made it on TV a couple of times, but didn't make it anywhere near the finals.) "She sang the national anthem at my rally, and if that's not on, I'm going to be mad at 'American Candidate,' because she nailed it."

"American Candidate" producer R.J. Cutler admits he chose Mack for his strong views in two areas — he's against gun control of any kind and he believes that marijuana should be legalized. Some who saw the first episode referred to Mack as "the gun nut."

"If the only thing that comes out of this show is you see me as being a gun nut, then I would consider myself a failure in this process," Mack said. "I'm a much broader person than that. That's certainly one of my issues, but the entire spectrum of freedom issues applies to this. And especially regarding taxation and abolishing the IRS."

That's another issue sure to get him attention. "Freedom cannot survive such a Gestapo organization. So when you come to taxes and education and overspending and corruption in government, and then I come to gun rights."

Well, that and legalizing marijuana. "How many times do you see a former sheriff, a retired cop, a former narcotics officer say to the other people in government, and the other cops, 'We're spinning our wheels. Please let's do something else. Let's realize what we're doing has failed and be honest with our constituents enough to tell them that.' The drug war is a farce and a failure. C'mon guys, let's get serious about this and do something different."

Mack moved to Provo in 1997, following his term as sheriff when he filed suit against the federal government over gun-control legislation and a string of election losses. "After the Brady Bill thing, and after I lost my third election, we just needed a new start."