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'Undercover Boss' Season 11: TGI Fridays employees' stories in premiere episode make fans go teary-eyed

Every employee Ray interacted with showed immense passion and dedication to their work, and also seemed to take pride in what they were doing

When fast-food restaurant chain TGI Fridays fell on hard times, the top management made several changes to the way things functioned in order to boost the business. So, when its CEO, Ray Blanchette, was roped in to appear on the premiere episode of 'Undercover Boss' Season 11, he seized the opportunity to understand the real-time challenges and adversities faced by the staff in executing the changes.

While Ray initially went in with the mindset of understanding the challenges to the business, and how things could be improved better, he came back from the whole experience with a newfound respect for his staff. Every employee he interacted with showed immense passion and dedication to their work, and also seemed to take pride in what they were doing.

To ensure that the employees didn't feel overwhelmed or conscious about discussing their woes to the CEO, Ray was transformed into a persona named Keith. Ray 'revealed' that Keith worked in an inn, and joined TGI Fridays as an entry-level worker. Keith's journey began in Maryland, where he met Brittany, who trained all the new bar staff. After meeting Brittany, Ray was blown away by how patient and kind she was. Ray turned out to be really bad at making drinks, but Brittany patiently ran him through all the steps and explained things to him. This impressed him a lot. Later, when the two went out for a quick break, he began casually talking to her about work and life.

Brittany then revealed how she was a former drug-addict, but TGI Fridays gave her a chance to redeem herself and get a second shot at life. Ray was pleasantly surprised to hear about her past, and praised her for how far she had come in life. Later, Ray went to New York to meet assistant manager Michelle, who would be training him for his new job. Although Ray was impressed by Michelle's hardworking style, he felt that everything at the restaurant was chaotic. While talking to Michelle, he learned that she lost her mother a week ago. She then began explaining how working at the restaurant is her passion, and that she loves working hard. He then met Susanne, who impressed him with her maturity, while Abdul's optimism left Ray impressed.

Each employee's heartwarming story left fans feeling emotional. Several fans took to their Twitter to express how the episode moved them. A user tweeted, "This episode touched me so much. I identified with an aspect of each one of them. #UndercoverBoss." "U see why I luv this show I get teary every time I watch it #UndercoverBoss," wrote a fan. Another fan commented, "That #UndercoverBoss closing segment made for a good needed sob."

'Undercover Boss' Season 11 airs every Friday at 9/8c only on CBS.