Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 02:11, 18 February 2007

For other uses, see The Apprentice (disambiguation).

The Apprentice is a reality television show that originated in the United States on NBC. Billed as "The Ultimate Job Interview", the show depicts a group of 15-18 businessmen and businesswomen competing in an elimination-style competition for a one-year, $250,000 job of running one of host and executive producer Donald Trump's companies.

Premise

Each season begins with a group of contestants with backgrounds in various enterprises, typically including real estate, restaurant management, political consulting, sales, and marketing. During the show, these contestants live in a communal house, allowing their relationships to build. They are placed into teams, and each week are assigned a task and required to select a project manager for the task. The winning team receives a reward, while the losing team faces a boardroom showdown in order to determine which team member should be fired (eliminated from the show).

Elimination proceeds in two stages. In the first stage, all of the losing team's members are confronted. The project manager is asked to select up to three (one, two, or three) of the team members who are believed to be most responsible for the loss. In the second stage, the rest of the team is dismissed, and the project manager and the selected members face a final confrontation in which at least one of the two-to-four is fired. However, if one or two candidates do especially badly on the task, then Donald will fire that candidate right on the spot, which has happened to only eleven people so far: Elizabeth in Season 2, Brian in Season 3, Toral in Season 4, and Brent, Lenny, Andrea, Charmaine, Tarek, Tammy, Roxanne, and Allie all in Season 5. If all candidates in the final boardroom confrontation did badly, all of them will be fired, which has happened twice in season 4, and once in season 5.

When the final candidates are left, an interview process begins, involving executives from various companies who interview each of the finalists and report their assessments of them to the host. After that, a firing takes place. In the event four are left, a double firing occurs. Seasons 4 and 5 were the only exceptions to this rule. In Season 3, interviews were used to eliminate one from a final pool of three; in Seasons 4 and 5, there were no final interviews, as Alla and Felisha from season 4 and Allie and Roxanne from season 5 were fired together, cutting the final four down to the final two and eliminating the need for interviews.

The final two are then assigned different tasks, along with support teams comprised of previously fired candidates. After the tasks are done, a final boardroom occurs, with testimonials from the team members and a last chance for the final two candidates to prove themselves to the target CEO. Finally, the CEO hires one of the two candidates to become his/her new apprentice.

The opening theme music used on the show is "For The Love Of Money" by the O'Jays. The background music is written by David Vanacore, Mark T. Williams and Jeff Lippencott.

American version

The first season aired during the winter and the spring of 2004. The Apprentice is produced by Mark Burnett and real estate magnate Donald Trump, with Trump as the host. The premise of the show, which bills itself as the "ultimate job interview" in the "ultimate jungle," is to conduct a job talent search for a person to head one of Trump's companies. The position starts with an introductory 1-year contract with a starting yearly salary at six figures ($250,000 USD to be exact, roughly about $4807.70 USD per week assuming a 52-week work-year). The show led Trump to become known for his fateful catch phrase, "You're fired!"

The contestants live communally in a suite at Trump Tower in Manhattan and the boardroom showdown is with Trump and two of his associates (usually Carolyn Kepcher, Former Chief Operating Officer and General Manager for the Trump National Golf Club, and George H. Ross, Executive Vice President and Senior Counsel, The Trump Organization). Season 6 saw the show move to Los Angeles, and it is rumored that Season 7 will originate from another city where Trump does considerable business.

In late August, 2006, Donald Trump released Carolyn Kepcher from her duties at the Trump organization saying only that he "wishes her the best." No official reason has been given for her being fired from the company, but Kepcher was quoted as saying "After 11 years with the Trump Organization, Donald and I had different visions for my future role in the company." Her future role on the Apprentice TV show has not been confirmed, although Kepcher has appeared on tape for the 6th season one or two times. It has been announced that Ivanka Trump will appear in a similar role on the show as Kepcher's, but will not be an official replacement.

Known for his tendency to surround himself with beautiful women, Trump's on-screen (and real-life) assistants have each grown in personal fame. Two assistants appeared jointly for the first five seasons: Rhona Graff and Robin Himmler. In the sixth season, Trump elected to have his newest executive assistant, Andi Rowntree, star in the LA-based show. Reports (verified by her personal blog) indicate that Rowntree left Trump's service immediately following the end of LA filming.

A spin-off, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart followed the same concept, with Martha Stewart as the host and eventual employer. It debuted in September 21, 2005, following Stewart's release from prison and home detention. The last episode aired December 21, 2005 and it was not renewed for a second season.

U.S. Television Ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of The Apprentice on NBC.

Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.

The Apprentice was the breakout rookie hit of the 2003-2004 U.S. television season and helped NBC at a time when the network's two long-running successful comedies, Friends and Frasier, were ending their series' runs. The Apprentice filled the void on Thursday nights as NBC held on to the tagline Must See TV, even though CBS was quickly becoming the most-watched network on Thursday night.

Although the series is still one of the most-watched programs on NBC in the advertiser-friendly 18-49 age demographic, the franchise's total audience gradually dissolved, starting in late 2004, when it aired its second season that culminated in, what most Apprentice fans deem, an "overextended" 3-hour season finale on December 16, 2004.

The audience numbers (11.25 million viewers) for the June 5, 2006 fifth season finale were not factored in the fifth season average because it aired after the official television season ended.

The audience numbers for the show have still remained on the decline since its rookie season. Yet, NBC airs a sixth season of The Apprentice, competing against both immensely-popular series, Desperate Housewives and Cold Case. A seventh season has been ordered for the 2007-08 television season.

Criticism

US version

The chief criticism of the U.S. version of The Apprentice is that the challenges often amount to nothing more than commercials and product placements. This became more evident starting from the second season. The companies that have supplied challenges to the show include Planet Hollywood, Lamborghini, Domino's Pizza, Staples, Bally, Burger King, Yahoo!, Nestle, Visa, Sony, Home Depot, Walmart, Microsoft, and many others. These companies pay NBC to showcase their brands on the show, and usually the challenges revolve around the teams marketing existing or new products for the sponsors. The show also, of course, provides massive publicity for Donald Trump and the Trump Organization, and the carefully-edited portrayal of Trump is flattering. The second half of the show is usually set entirely in the boardroom, which typically degenerates into finger-pointing and name calling amongst the contestants.

There is also controversy regarding the jobs given to the hired Apprentices. Instead of becoming the CEO of one of Trump's companies, the winners of the show are hired as PR spokesmen for Trump and his brand due to the need to learn the trade. For example, Kelly Perdew, winner of the second season and Bill Rancic, the first season's winner, were given the title of 'owner's representative', and were also named executive vice presidents. On Perdew's first day, his boss introduced him to Florida developers working on a Trump-branded condo in Tampa. "Mr. Trump said, 'OK, Kelly, you're going to go help promote sales of the building'," Perdew recalls.

Another controversy revolves around age discrimination. In January 2007, a class action lawsuit was filed against Trump on behalf of those who did not make the cut for show due to what they contend was their age.

Video game

Legacy Interactive created a video game version of The Apprentice for the PC. It features Donald Trump and his advisors, as well as past candidates, and is currently available on Yahoo! Games.

Martha Stewart

On February 2, 2005, NBC announced that they would broadcast the first spin-off from The Apprentice, called The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. The show, which premiered on September 21, 2005 was hosted by Martha Stewart, who was the first woman in the world to become a self-made billionaire. It kept the format of the original series but changed a few elements to fit Stewart's personality. Trump was one of the executive producers of the show and castings were held in 27 cities across the United States.

The fourth season of The Apprentice earned less than spectacular ratings, while The Apprentice: Martha Stewart struggled. Trump claimed that there was "confusion" between the two shows. There has also been talk that Trump did not want Stewart to host the spin-off show. NBC announced that it would not bring back the show for a second season, although the network stressed that the show was initially planned to air only for one season. The show averaged between six and seven million viewers.

Other countries

Belgium

In Belgium, VT4 broadcasted 'De Topmanager' on March 1, 2006.

Brazil

O Aprendiz, a Brazilian version of The Apprentice hosted by marketing business man Roberto Justus, premiered on November 4, 2004. People+Arts (a cable channel that broadcasts The Apprentice in Latin America) and Rede Record (a Brazilian broadcasting network) teamed up with Fremantle Media to create the show. The show is aired twice a week with new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. People+Arts shows the episode 8:00pm while Rede Record shows it with a two-hour delay. The last episode aired on December 23, 2004 on a live show, with parts recorded earlier (the last task and a part of the board room). Justus' catchphrase is "Você está demitido" ("you're fired"). The second season of the show was shown in 2005.

Template:Spoiler The final two were Denis and Vivianne. On the last task both of them had to organize two charity auctions. Vivianne got 45% more money than Denis. Another point that was brought up on the board room was that when asked by Roberto Justus himself to change the day of the auction, while Vivianne accept the idea right away, Denis did not.

By the end of the show, Justus decided Vivianne should be The Apprentice, and just like the U.S. version, when he told her he hired her the whole stage opened showing a live audience and all the others candidate's as well as Vivianne's family run to hug her and gave her a tee shirt with the saying "I'm hired".

Justus then told Vivianne she wouldn't leave in a taxi like the ones who lost the show, but she would leave driving her new Mercedes-Benz A-Class. He also showed her in which of his enterprises she would work on her new R$250,000 yearly job.

Due to success of this show, another Brazilian version of The Apprentice was aired, Porcel being the winner. Template:Endspoiler

Colombia

Hosted By Jean-Claude Bessudo, a French-born tourism entrepreneur. The show first aired in May 2005 on Canal Caracol. The Spanish version is called El Aprendiz (literal translation from the original show's name). The show's catchphrase is "Estás despedido!" (You're fired!).

Denmark

Hosted by Klaus Riskaer Pedersen in the Danish version. Pedersen's catchphrase is "Du er fyret" ("you're fired"). Louise Holm was hired at the end of the first season.

Finland

Former talkshow-host Jari Sarasvuo hosted the Finnish version, called Diili (slang term for "deal"). The Finnish catchphrase is "Olet vapautettu", or "You're free to leave". Olli Rikala was the winner of the first season.

Currently there are no plans for a second season.

Germany

In the fall of 2004, German TV station RTL aired an adaption of The Apprentice on German television called Big Boss. The show was hosted by former soccer manager Reiner Calmund and only scored fair to poor ratings. The catchphrase was "Sie haben frei", or "you are excused". Carmen Dohmen was hired at the end of the first season and Sandra Trögl wound up getting fired at the end of the first season.

Greece

Publishing tycoon Petros Kostopoulos hosts the Greek version, where the catchphrase is "Efiges", which is slang for "you're out." Thanos Marinis was hired at the end of the game, while Nikolaos Bartzoulianos lost in the final stage presenting a controversial public speech about "the severeness of being yourself in business". According to the "Boss", Nikolaos Bartzoulianos could be "closer to show-biz than real-biz."

Thanos Marinis is now working as a marketing consultant in Petros Kostopoulos publishing company,"IMAKO".

Nikolaos Bartzoulianos, after declining offers from national media, was admitted with the Harvard Business School MBA Class of 2008.

India

Cyrus Sahukar is the host of the Indian version, called Business Baazigar, which literally translates to Business Tycoon. It was seen on Sunday evenings and early Monday mornings on Zee TV. this may be inspired by The Apprentice but is not a syndicated show. Irfan is the winner of the first season of Business Baazigar.

Indonesia

Media mogul Peter Gontha is the host. The show, the first Apprentice spin-off in Asia, started on October 3, 2005, and aired every Monday on 21.30 Western Indonesian Time (GMT +7) on the television station Indosiar. According to the show's official website, the apprentice winner, a 29-year old male whose name is Fendi Gunawan Liem, will be earning a salary of 600 million Rupiahs, equivalent to about USD 66,000. The catchphrase is "Anda saya pecat", or "you are fired"

The Netherlands

High-profile barrister Bram Moszkowicz offered a highly paid position ("the new Moszkowicz") in his law firm in AVRO's show De Nieuwe Moszkowicz. The show focused much on the character of Moszkowicz, a flamboyant man known for defending a number of very unpopular figures, most notably Desi Bouterse.

Eventually Nienke Hoogervorst won out.

Norway

Produced for network TVNORGE, this was notable for being the first Apprentice spinoff in Europe. Hairdressing mogul Inger Ellen Nicolaisen hosted the first season of the Norwegian version. The show is titled Kandidaten (The Candidate), and the catchphrase is "Du har sparken" ("you're fired").

Pan-Arab

Real estate tycoon Mohamed Ali Allabar hosts the Arabic version from Dubai called " el idara jadara". The show hasn't started yet on LBC Lebanon.

Russia

In Russia the show is called "Kandidat" (Russian: Кандидат) (The Candidate) and is broadcast on the TNT channel. The first season in 2005 was hosted by restaurant tycoon Arkadi Novikov, and the winner was hired as the CEO for one of Novikov's companies. The second season in late summer of 2006 will be hosted by the mining, banking and property tycoon Vladimir Potanin. According to Forbes magazine, Potanin's personal wealth is $7.6 billion as of 2006, which makes him three times richer than Donald Trump and the richest host of any version of the show so far.

South Africa

The South African version that aired on SABC3 is hosted by Tokyo Sexwale a mining magnate. During the live finale September 22, Mr. Sexwale hired the final two -- Zanele Batyashe, 24, and Khomotso Choma, 34, which not only elicited anger from viewers, but also resulted in complaints across the country after the announcement was made. Later, US Series 4 winner Randal Pinkett recommended Trump not do so in the finale (See US Series 4) after he pondered hiring the runner-up, something which may have been inspired by this incident. The catch phrase Tokyo Sexwale used was "You're dismissed!" ,

Switzerland

Swiss publishing mogul Jürg Marquard hosts the show, which first aired in April 2005 on SF1. The show is titled Traum Job (Dream Job), and the catchphrase is "Sie sind duss" ("You are out"). Martin was ultimately hired at the end of the first season.

Turkey

Turkey's version is hosted by one of that country's most successful businessmen, Tuncay Özilhan the CEO of Anadolu Group. The show is titled Cırak (The Apprentice), and the catchphrase is "Seninle çalışmak istemiyorum!" ("I do not want to work with you"). Ahmet Isik was the winner of the first season.

United Kingdom

Sir Alan Sugar, founder of electronics company Amstrad, hosts the show The Apprentice in the United Kingdom. He ranks 71st on The Sunday Times Rich List 2006 list of richest people in Great Britain, with an estimated worth of around £800m. His catchphrase is "You're fired". Unlike the US version, the show also has an unseen narrator, Mark Halliley. The show started on 16 February 2005 on BBC TWO, with the final episode of the first series shown on 4 May 2005. Tim Campbell, a former transport manager for the London Underground, was ultimately hired on May 4, 2005, and as a result, landed a position at Amstrad with an introductory contract of 1 year with a salary exceeding £100,000. Saira Khan was fired on the season finale but has used the show to help launch a media career including a regular column on the BBC Apprentice website.

Series 2 of The Apprentice UK began on Wednesday 22 February 2006 at 9pm and ended on Wednesday 10 May 2006, with the winner being Michelle Dewberry, chosen over Ruth Badger.

Series 3 of The Apprentice will be shown on (the more mainstream) BBC One instead of BBC TWO because of the high ratings of series 2.

Oddly, despite the RTL Group licence (RTL Group holds international licence rights for the show worldwide), and the show being produced by RTL's Talkback Thames, the UK opening theme is Dance of the Knights from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, with the Boardroom music provided by UK artist Dru Masters.

The BBC has also screened series 1, 2 and 3 of the US version (as of autumn 2006), the show is being broadcast some considerable time after the original US airing, and in the Graveyard Slot (11pm onwards).

Similar programs

• The Assistant, with Andy Dick, an MTV-produced parody.
• The Benefactor, with Mark Cuban of the NBA Dallas Mavericks
• The Cut with Tommy Hilfiger
• Fire Me... Please/The Sack Race, where contestants try to get fired from their job
• Hell's Kitchen with Gordon Ramsay
• The Law Firm with Roy Black
• My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss, a parody and hoax
• The Rebel Billionaire, with Richard Branson of the Virgin Group
• Project Runway, with Heidi Klum
• Top Chef, with Katie Lee Joel (season 1) and Padma Lakshmi (season 2)
• Ultimate Hustler, with Damon Dash This new series will be shown on 8 March 2006, which starts from 8pm to 9pm.

References

1. Viewership numbers of primetime programs during the 2003-04 television season
2. Viewership numbers of primetime programs for the week of April 12-18, 2004
3. ^ Viewership numbers of primetime programs during the 2004-05 television season
4. Viewership numbers of primetime programs for the week of December 13-19, 2004
5. Viewership numbers of primetime programs for the week of May 16-22, 2005
6. ^ Viewership numbers of primetime programs during the 2005-06 television season
7. Viewership numbers of primetime programs for the week of December 12-18, 2005
8. Viewership numbers of primetime programs for the week of June 5-11, 2006
9. "reality blurred + 16.9 million watch Apprentice 2 finale, fewer than last season's clip show". December 20, 2004. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
10. "Mediaweek.com: The Programming Insider". June 14, 2006. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
11. Rebecca Lieb (2005). "Apprentice" Advertisers Share Their Numbers Retrieved Feb. 24 2006
12. Story about the winner of the BBC edition from the BBC

External links

• The Apprentice Official Podcast and Blog Site
• The Apprentice Official Site on Yahoo!
• NBC.com: The Apprentice season 1, season 2, season 3, season 4 , season 5, season 6
• NBC.com: The Apprentice: Martha Stewart
• The site for the UK version on the BBC
• The site for the South African version on SABC3
• The site for the German version on RTL
• The site for the Colombian version on Canal Caracol
• O Aprendiz - The Brazilian version of The Apprentice (Portuguese language)
• The site for the Finnish version on MTV3
• The site for the Indonesian version
• NBCUniversalStore.com - NBC's The Apprentice Store
• "Who's the Boss," a theory on how Donald Trump and Martha Stewart were picked to host the two Apprentice shows
• Kendra Todd Season 3 Winner interviewed by Nubricks.com
• All seasons of The Apprentice on Yahoo! TV
• Interview with Casey Sherrel of The Apprentice: LA

• 2004 television program debuts
• NBC network shows
• The Apprentice
• Television in the 2000's