The Apprentice TV Show
From LoveToKnow Reality-TV
At one time The Apprentice TV show was the reality television program to watch. There was drama, conflict, humor, competition and elimination. The show became so popular in its own right that it even coined the catch phrase, "You're fired!'
About The Apprentice
The Apprentice is the ultimate job interview. For 16 weeks, contestants vie for a position in the Trump Organization, which is owned and operated by billionaire socialite and real estate developer Donald Trump. The show, which is created by Mark Burnett, came to NBC in January 2004 and ran for six seasons. Poor ratings during the last two seasons almost caused the show's cancellation. Seasons seven and eight saw a change in format and starred many "B-list" celebrities raising money for charity.
The Show's Premise
Eighteen contestants, each with various backgrounds and education levels, are split into two teams and forced to live together in one of Trump's penthouses in New York City except in Season 6, where the losing team had to live in tents outside in Los Angeles where the show was based. Each week, the contestants compete against each other in a high-level task, most commonly being a marketing strategy for a big-name company or event. One member from each team is chosen to be that project's manager.
Elimination is two-fold. The team that does not win the task - as selected by the company which is represented in the project - must come to Trump's boardroom for interrogation and elimination. The project manager of the losing team must then bring back one or two cast members who they feel performed poorly on the task. Trump and two of his sidekicks evaluate the three members and decide who will be eliminated. Donald Trump can fire anywhere from one member all the way up to three members. It is his prerogative who stays and who goes home.
It all comes down to week 16, when the final two contestants must show Donald Trump that he or she deserves to work for his organization. Again, Season 6 had four contestants from which to choose. Usually broken over two weeks (in television time), the winner is chosen after critiques are given by former teammates.
So what does the apprentice receive as his or her grand prize? Besides working for the Trump Organization, the show's winner receives a one-year contract worth $250,000 to head-up one of the company's major projects.
Trump's Boardroom Cohorts
In the first five seasons, Donald Trump chose two members of his organization to be his "eyes and ears" in the playing field. When the show originally aired, Carolyn Kepcher - then chief operating officer and general manager for the Trump National Golf Club - and George Ross who was the executive vice president and senior counsel for the Trump Organization. After some disagreement with the direction of the show, Kepcher was released after Season 4. At the same time, Ross decided to cut back on his appearances. Trump's children, Donald Jr. and Ivanka, were hired as their successors. During Season 6, the project manager from the winning team each week was asked to sit in on the boardroom meetings and was allowed input on who should be fired.
Past Winners
The following are the winners of the first six seasons of The Apprentice TV show and the project they have been chosen to work on:
- Season 1: Bill Rancic, Trump Tower Chicago
- Season 2: Kelly Perdew, Trump Ice
- Season 3: Kendra Todd, Palm Beach Mansion
- Season 4: Randal Pinkett, Trump Entertainment
- Season 5: Stefani Yazbeck, Trump Soho
- Season 6: Stefani Schaeffer, Cap Cana
About The Celebrity Apprentice
Declining ratings and a lack of interest by NBC officials forced Donald Trump to change his show's format. He did what many game and reality shows have done in the past: bring in a few celebrities to help bring in the viewers.
The premise of Season 7 of the show, also known as The Celebrity Apprentice, was pretty much the same as the original series. However, instead of landing a job in the Trump Organization the winner received the title, "Best Business Brain" and donated all monetary donations to charity. As a matter of fact, all the money raised throughout the various tasks were also given to a variety of charities.
Initially, this ploy by Trump to revamp the ailing show's ratings worked. The season premiere was show's best since its September 2005 season opener. It was number one in its 9 p.m. time slot. Although the ratings dropped some throughout its run, it was picked up for a second season, starting in January 2009.
Contestants on The Celebrity Apprentice
Season 1 of The Celebrity Apprentice included:
- Piers Morgan, judge of America's Got Talent and tabloid editor (winner)
- Trace Adkins, country music star (runner up)
- Carol Alt, actress and model
- Lennox Lewis, boxing champion
- Stephen Baldwin, actor
- Omarosa, reality show contestant
- Tito Ortiz, martial artist
- Marilu Henner, actress
- Nely Galán, former Telemundo executive
- Vincent Pastore, actor
- Jennie Finch, Olympic athlete
- Gene Simmons, KISS singer, reality show star
- Nadia Comaneci, Olympic athlete
- Tiffany Fallon, Playboy playmate
Slated to appear on Season 2 are:
- Clint Black, country music artist
- Andrew Dice Clay, comedian
- Annie Duke, professional poker player
- Tom Green, actor and comedian
- Jesse G. James, owner of West Coast Choppers
- Claudia Jordan, model and actress
- Natalie Gulbis, golf pro
- Scott Hamilton, figure skater
- Khloe Kardashian, Reality television star
- Brian McKnight, R&B singer
- Joan Rivers, socialite, reality television star
- Melissa Rivers, Joan River's daughter
- Brande Roderick, Playboy playmate
- Dennis Rodman, NBA star
- Herschel Walker, NFL player
- Tionne Watkins, R&B singer
For More Information
For more information regarding The Apprentice TV show, check out the NBC website. You can also read up on your favorite gossip from show by checking out these LoveToKnow articles:
Learn More
This page has been accessed 730 times. This page was last modified 01:19, 29 October 2008.
© 2006-2009 LoveToKnow Corp.
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