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{{Short description|2005 American reality television series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
|image =
|genre = [[Reality television|Reality]]
|camera = [[Hidden camera]]
|presenter = [[Dave Holmes (actor)|Dave Holmes]]
|runtime = 60 minutes
|network = [[CBS]]
|country = [[United States]]
|language = English
|company = LMNO Productions
|num_seasons = 1
|first_aired = {{Start date|2005|06|07}}
|last_aired = {{End date|2005|07|05}}
}}

'''''Fire Me...Please''''' is an hour-long [[hidden camera]] reality series which aired on [[CBS]] in summer 2005. It was based on a [[BBC]] series called '''''The Sack Race'''''. Two contestants each reported to a new job at separate locations and figure out how to get fired as close to 3:00 p.m. as possible (the store owners are in on the gag, but the managers are not). When both contestants are fired, they report back to host [[Dave Holmes (actor)|Dave Holmes]], and whoever was fired at the right time wins $25,000.

''Fire Me...Please'' was believed to be the first reality show to employ a [[laugh track]]. The show was also believed to be the first reality series to have one half of an episode feature a repeat, and the other half feature new material. Although critics were not overwhelmed, the series did fairly well in the 18- to 49-year-olds demographic, often placing second against the popular drama ''[[House (TV series)|House]]''. The show was announced as one of the debut selections on CBS's Innertube website in May 2006, but never appeared on the website.

The show's on-air title was ''Fire Me Please!'' but CBS insisted the official title was ''Fire Me...Please.''

The show is a close adaptation of a short-lived British format, ''The Sack Race'', devised by Hugh Rycroft and first broadcast on [[BBC Three]] in 2003, with a repeat run on [[BBC Two]] in 2004. (Although the show is often considered to [[parody]] the popular series ''[[The Apprentice (franchise)|The Apprentice]]'', ''The Sack Race'' in fact debuted some months earlier.) The main difference between the two versions is that the British version was played entirely for laughs, with all of the contestants being young stand-up comedians (including an early appearance by [[Laura Solon]]), and no significant prize money at stake - the prize being merely the average daily wage for the job they took on. While ''The Sack Race'' was promoted purely as a comedy programme, ''Fire Me...Please'' was advertised as a [[reality television]] show.

==External links==
* [http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/The_Sack_Race ''The Sack Race'' at UKGameshows.com]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050607154036/http://www.cbs.com/primetime/fire_me_please/ Official Website]
*{{IMDb title|419324}}

[[Category:2005 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:2005 American television series endings]]
[[Category:2000s American reality television series]]
[[Category:American television series based on British television series]]
[[Category:CBS reality television shows]]
[[Category:American hidden camera television series]]

Fire Me...Please - Revision history

imported>Natg 19: Disambiguating links to Apprentice (disambiguation) (link changed to The Apprentice (franchise)) using DisamAssist.