''Gana la Verde'' was a controversial

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...

which first aired in 2004 that promised the contestants (would-be immigrants to the US) legal help with getting a

green card A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...

.Controversial Show Offers Immigrants Legal Residence
/ref> There was a mild controversy when the advertising suggested that a green card would be the automatic prize for the victor. The events on the show, often testing a character's stomach or willpower, were similar to ''

Fear Factor ''Fear Factor'' is an American stunt/ dare game show that first aired on NBC from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The show was adapted by Endemol USA from the original Dutch series titled ''Now or ...

'', another controversial game show that aired at the same time. The program played on third-party

Spanish-language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...

channels in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, and

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. The program was created by Lenard Liberman, executive vice president of Liberman Broadcasting.What's Wrong With 'Win The Green'?
/ref> The show was produced and directed by

producer Adrian Vallarino (''El Show de Don Cheto'') and hosted by Mexican action sports personality George X. The show wrapped production after its third season at the beginning of 2005 but re-runs were still being aired once a week as of September 2007.

References

External links

* Immigration to the United States 2000s American game shows 2004 American television series debuts {{US-game-show-stub