Do not disturb? Choice Hotels CEO is first 'Undercover Boss' of new season

The president and CEO of Choice Hotels International (Steve Joyce), one of the world's largest hotel chains, will be the first boss to make an undercover journey this fall when the second season premiere of "Undercover Boss" airs Sunday, Sept. 26 (10 p.m. ET/PT), on CBS. Starting Sunday, Oct. 3, the series will return to its regular 9 p.m. (ET/PT) time period.

In addition, CBS announced other companies participating in the second season of "Undercover Boss," including:

• Frontier Airlines (Bryan Bedford, chairman of the board, president and CEO)
• Chicago Cubs (Todd Ricketts, owner)
• Lucky Strike Lanes (Steven Foster, co-founder and CEO)

Previously announced companies whose bosses are also making the undercover journey this season include:

• DIRECTV (Mike White, chairman, president and CEO)
• NASCAR (Steve Phelps, senior vice president and chief marketing officer)
• Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (Fernando Aguirre, chairman and CEO)
• Great Wolf Resorts, Inc. (Kim Schaefer, CEO)

Additional companies and airdates will be announced soon.

During the premiere episode, Joyce hits the frontlines of his own company, which includes such popular hotel franchises as Comfort Inn, EconoLodge, Quality Suites and Cambria Suites, and receives an exhausting, up-close look at the industry while manning the front desk, cleaning rooms, plunging toilets and working with a maintenance crew at the world's largest EconoLodge.

"Undercover Boss" was the Emmy-nominated No. 1 new series of the 2009-10 season, averaging 17.7 million viewers. "Undercover Boss" premiered following the Super Bowl to 38.7 million viewers, the largest audience for a new series following the Super Bowl. It also ranks as the biggest new series premiere since 1987 and the most-watched premiere episode of any reality series.

Each week, "Undercover Boss" follows a different executive as they leave the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their companies. While working alongside their employees, they see the effects that their decisions have on others, where the problems lie within their organizations and get an up-close look at both the good and the bad while discovering the unsung heroes who make their companies run.

Stephen Lambert, Eli Holzman and Chris Carlson are executive producers for Studio Lambert.