In CNBC's Behind the Counter: The Untold Story of Franchising, CNBC’s Darren Rovell takes an inside look at franchising and reveals the surprising realities –good and bad-- of joining a chain.

We’ll peel back the curtain on Five Guys’ amazing success and see how it’s filtered down the supply chain to the one businessman, Rick Miles, who supplies all the potatoes that go into its famous fries. We will meet enthusiastic pet lovers who want a piece of the $35 billion pet care business and hope that Heidi Ganahl, founder of the Camp Bow Wow doggie day care model, will show them the way.

We will explore why Proctor & Gamble is dipping its giant toes into franchising waters and hoping that a new chain of TIDE-branded dry cleaners will increase its $79 billion annual revenues. And we’ll look at how franchisees build up some muscle of their own, whether it’s through franchisee organizations or strong immigrant alliances. In the Midwest region 90% of the Dunkin’ Donuts owners are of Southeast Asian descent.

In the MidAtlantic it is similarly high. We'll take a look at how Dunkin' Donuts helped this immigrant group follow its American Dream.

In the franchise business, there’s no doubt that dreams can also become nightmares. We’ll talk to Don Sniegowski of Blue MauMau, the foremost franchise journalist in the country, who says that many franchise buyers don't realize that when they buy into the business they can lose more than their initial investment.

Finally, we will talk to the FTC to find out why they aren't doing more to protect the unfortunate people who get taken for a ride into franchise hell.