If crooning pop-star wannabes or island survival tactics aren’t your idea of entertainment, NBC’s “The Apprentice” is taking reality TV to a whole new audience–and proving to be just as addictive.
The show drew 20 million viewers last week and holds a permanent slot on the network’s prime-time Thursday lineup. Plus, NBC is gearing up for a second season.
So what’s the difference from other reality TV shows? All the familiar tactics are there (competition, elimination and backstabbing) but now there’s a familiar setting too: corporate culture.
Young professionals and MBA students, with precious little couch potato time, are tuning in on Thursday nights to watch an eager bunch of job candidates vie for the prize: a six-figure position working for Donald Trump.
Some viewers say the initial draw was The Donald–the larger-than-life real estate mogul known for his dramatic antics.
“You kind of wonder what it’s like in Trump’s world,” said 34-year-old Kevin O’Brian, a student at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.
“Around here, you read about people who decide what to do with millions of dollars. For MBA students, one of the ideas is that maybe you will be one of those people and so [‘The Apprentice’] is a look into that world.”
It helps, too, that Trump is funny, theatrical and considered an oddball business character.
But aside from the Trump card, the show has developed and maintained a following because it addresses recognizable business issues, teamwork obstacles and office politics, some viewers say.
“I think it shows that you have to have a tough skin. Going to the boardroom to get fired–there’s some truth to that,” said Caren Chang, a 29-year-old financial analyst and MBA student at U of C.
“You have people [on the show] with MDs, Harvard MBAs, people that are self-made entrepreneurs, all kinds of diversity, backgrounds, but at the end of the day, it’s about survival of the fittest, the street smarts to get ahead in the game that they’re playing,” she said.
Although some of the projects are exaggerated or contrived–e.g. selling lemonade on Manhattan street corners–the show still covers some bedrock principles of business, students say. The recent episode in which the teams rehabbed an apartment, for example, is along the lines of what Trump actually does as a real estate developer.
James Heckman, a marketing executive and U of C MBA student, pointed to an early episode in which each team managed the Planet Hollywood restaurant in Times Square for one night, competing to generate the biggest percentage revenue growth versus the same day last year.
“They could do anything as far as promotions, and they had a bit of a budget to work with. It was interesting to watch them scramble to come up with new ideas to bring in traffic and get people to buy the drinks versus the cheaper appetizers. There are some applications to life,” Heckman said.
Other MBA students can try it out and see for themselves if they hurry–the deadline for applications for “The Apprentice 2” is today.
In the end, viewers say, “The Apprentice” plays true to its reality TV roots because the most entertaining aspect is the clash of personalities–think “The Real World” or “Survivor.” Rap sessions with Trump at the end of each episode pit participants against one another, plus there’s plenty of infighting along the way.
“It’s certainly better than watching people eat maggots out of a bowl,” Heckman said.
‘I like the people who are hustlers’
Sam Solovey was fired from “The Apprentice” in the third week after unsuccessfully leading a scavenger hunt designed to emphasize negotiation skills. He chatted with RedEye on Wednesday:
What reality shows do you watch?
None. I don’t like them.
You were recently in Chicago hanging with our hometown favorite, Bill Rancic. What do you think of Bill?
He’s a great guy. He’s got great business savvy, a heart of gold and a good communication style. I expected Bill to go far from the moment I met him.
Who deserves to win?
Nick. Or Bill or Heidi. I like the people who are hustlers, not corporate types.
