I don’t know if it’s a reality television influence or perhaps this isn’t a new trend at all, but the N.Y. Times has recently “embedded” reporters as a flight attendant on American Airlines and as a nail polish technician at Fashion Week. Both reporters underwent training for their roles and spent time on the job without telling their customers. The flight attendant had the harder job of course, dealing with air rage and long shifts, but the nail tech did have to deal with the widely varying conditions of toenails on fashion models.