The Apprentice (2004– )

A reality-tv based show in which contestants compete for a job as an apprentice to billionaire American Donald Trump.

Creator:

Mark Burnett

Stars:

Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, Robin Himmler

Nominated for 9 Primetime Emmys. Another 11 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Donald Trump	...	Himself (177 episodes, 2004-2013)
Ivanka Trump	...	Herself - Boardroom Advisor (80 episodes, 2006-2013)
Robin Himmler	...	Herself (71 episodes, 2004-2006)

Storyline

"The Apprentice" is a 15-episode unscripted drama in which 16 candidates from all walks of life, including both Ivy League MBA graduates and street entrepreneurs with no college education, will endure rigorous tasks each week while living together in a hip Manhattan loft apartment. The tasks will test their intelligence, chutzpah and street-smarts. They will face the challenges of living in close quarters and must compete sometimes humorous but always difficult job assignments and will be forced to think outside the box in order to outshine each other to get to the top. Upon their arrival to New York City (some for the very first time), the 16 candidates will be rushed over to Trump Tower to meet with Donald Trump, the centerpiece and driving force of this series. After splitting the group into two teams of 8, Trump then issues the first task. Teams will be given time constraints for each task and they will be observed by either Trump himself or members of his staff at every moment ...

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Plot Keywords:

team | business | competition | dream job | marketing | 

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Taglines:

It's nothing personal... it's just business.

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Genres:

Game-Show | Reality-TV

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

NBC [United States] Official NBC Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 January 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

All-Star Celebrity Apprentice

Filming Locations:

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Trump Productions LLC, Mark Burnett Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

As described in an interview with applicant Tammy Lee, during the first season of The Apprentice, the ending clip each week showing the fired applicant exiting the Trump Tower and entering a cab had actually been filmed during one of the first few days of production before the contest started to cut down on the cost of having to set up for such a shoot each week. Every contestant had this clip filmed regardless of whether they were actually fired or not. From the second season onward, the fired contestants were actually filmed leaving the building after they were fired.

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Goofs

In several of the episodes, when the fired apprentice leaves Trump Tower they get into a cab in which the hack number is clearly visible; however, when the cab pulls away there is a different number on the side of the cab.

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Quotes

Raj Bhakta: The Ice Queen is dead.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.92 (2012)

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Soundtracks

"For The Love Of Money"
by The O'Jays

User Reviews

Used to love it - now it's just embarrassing to watch

For the first couple of seasons, I thought The Apprentice was a highly engaging and exciting show. The combination between reality TV and a 16 week job-interview was innovative, and the producers of the show managed to keep the show relevant and not too "out there".

The new season 6 is nothing more than a big joke and it has absolutely nothing to do with business - at all. In the earlier seasons they used to put a lot more emphasis on the business-related tasks - now the focus is mostly in the boardroom where the contestants are expected to do EVERYTHING to keep them on the show (that means lying, trash-talking, backstabbing etc.). The boardroom can be entertaining to watch, but it's entertainment at it's low-point - Sometimes you wonder if you are watching a repeat of an old Jerry Springer episode. The tasks on the show are, at most, boring and mostly a showcase for the companies who are dumb enough to pay NBC for the publicity. And what is the deal about half of the contestants living in tents in season 6? That is just plain stupid and has nothing to do with business in real-life.

I have absolutely NO respect for any of the contestants this season, they all seem like idiots to me. In earlier seasons at least some of the contestants had a bit of integrity, now it seems like the contestants would kill their own mother to keep them on the show. It also seems like Donald Trump's massive ego becomes bigger and bigger for every season that pass by and to be honest, I can't see why anyone with a common sense would want to work for him. His rationality in the boardroom mostly doesn't make any sense at all and sometimes it seems he just like to trash people for what it's worth.

R.I.P The Apprentice. Please NBC, for God's sake, get the show off the air as soon as possible. It's just too embarrassing to watch. The Apprentice was once a great TV-show, but now it's just a big fat joke.