Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov will recruit a new aide through an Apprentice-style reality television show, state channel Rossiya-1 announced on June 30.
Rossiya said candidates for The Team show must be ready and willing to work 24 hours a day and have ideas for developing the Caucasus republic, which endured two brutal separatist wars with Russia.
Contestants will face challenges such as climbing mountains as well as "experiencing Chechen hospitality and traditions to the full degree," the broadcaster said.
An introductory episode on June 30 showed a young man with an eager look on his face gasping for breath after laboring through an obstacle course used for training Chechen police.
Kadyrov will select the winning candidate himself with the help of a jury and give him or her a job as head of the Strategic Development Agency, Rossiya said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has relied on Kadyrov to stabilize Chechnya after two destructive wars, allowing him to rule the region like a personal fiefdom.
Human rights activists blame him for serious abuses, including widespread use of kidnapping, torture, and extrajudicial murders.
