The Apprentice
At the risk of having Donald Trump come after me and call me a fat slop and an idiot, I believe it is time for the reality show “The Apprentice” to close up shop.
When the show first appeared, I hated the idea and shunned the program. Trump was not someone I wanted to emulate (and he still is not). From a format standpoint, it is a direct copy of Survivor, and considering that both shows share the same creator, etc., that is not a surprise.
There were friends of mine who fell in love with the program. They listened and wrote down the tips Donald offered each week. When the program offered a competition between “book-smart” and “street-smart”, my daughter and I decided to tune in.
Not to change the subject, but here is my theory of reality programming: Reality television is like cocaine.
Now, I have never tried cocaine, but from what I have read, the first time you try it, it is a great feeling. The subsequent uses of cocaine are attempts to get the same feeling you did that first time. It never feels as good as it did the first time, but you always hope it will. Again, that is not my experience talking, but what I have read. Please do not hammer me if you have other beliefs about cocaine.
My point is that reality shows share the same experience. The first time you watch a season of a reality show is the best. The first Survivor I watched was the Survivor: All-Stars. None of those that have followed have measured up. The first Amazing Race I watched was Season Five (I think). The people were more clever and the tasks more fascinating than anything that has followed.
On each show, including The Apprentice, the people were more fun and the tasks were the best. Each season that follows you hope will match or exceed that first season you watched.
Some reality shows drop farther than others. Joe Millionaire disappeared quickly after a hot first season. Once the joke was out, there was no point to doing it again. The same is true with other reality programs.
Shows like Survivor and Amazing Race have lasted because it is fun to watch the exotic locales and the human interaction. You always hope to see something “Amazing” but it does not happen often enough. It does happen enough, however, to keep us hooked.
The Apprentice has lost its steam. My wife and daughter have lost interest in the program, but my eight-year-old son still likes to watch. We tape the Sunday show and watch it Monday night. Or Tuesday night.
My son likes the competition. He is not fond of the board room, which is my favorite part. The problem with recent editions of The Apprentice is that the show has become predictable. You know who won the task before they announce it. You know who is going to be fired before they walk in.
The recent text message game the show has adopted has not helped. Last week they chose five people you could guess would be voted off. Four were with one team and one with the other. When the team with four people offered won the task, you knew Amy would be voted away. The show was over with fifteen minutes to fill.
Moving to sunny California has not helped the show. Cutting Mr. Trumps little business advice segments at the top of the show has not helped. Switching the “eyes and ears” people from his daughter to his son to past Apprentice winners has not helped (I miss the older guy).
I do like the idea of letting the winner from one team fill a chair to help decide (ho, ho) who gets fired. That is a cool move that is adding some interest to the board room scenes.
Otherwise, we have learned as much as we can from Trump. Ratings are down. Once this season is over (and Heidi has won) it will be time to say, “Donald, you’re fired.” (Please don’t hurt me.)
When the show first appeared, I hated the idea and shunned the program. Trump was not someone I wanted to emulate (and he still is not). From a format standpoint, it is a direct copy of Survivor, and considering that both shows share the same creator, etc., that is not a surprise.
There were friends of mine who fell in love with the program. They listened and wrote down the tips Donald offered each week. When the program offered a competition between “book-smart” and “street-smart”, my daughter and I decided to tune in.
Not to change the subject, but here is my theory of reality programming: Reality television is like cocaine.
Now, I have never tried cocaine, but from what I have read, the first time you try it, it is a great feeling. The subsequent uses of cocaine are attempts to get the same feeling you did that first time. It never feels as good as it did the first time, but you always hope it will. Again, that is not my experience talking, but what I have read. Please do not hammer me if you have other beliefs about cocaine.
My point is that reality shows share the same experience. The first time you watch a season of a reality show is the best. The first Survivor I watched was the Survivor: All-Stars. None of those that have followed have measured up. The first Amazing Race I watched was Season Five (I think). The people were more clever and the tasks more fascinating than anything that has followed.
On each show, including The Apprentice, the people were more fun and the tasks were the best. Each season that follows you hope will match or exceed that first season you watched.
Some reality shows drop farther than others. Joe Millionaire disappeared quickly after a hot first season. Once the joke was out, there was no point to doing it again. The same is true with other reality programs.
Shows like Survivor and Amazing Race have lasted because it is fun to watch the exotic locales and the human interaction. You always hope to see something “Amazing” but it does not happen often enough. It does happen enough, however, to keep us hooked.
The Apprentice has lost its steam. My wife and daughter have lost interest in the program, but my eight-year-old son still likes to watch. We tape the Sunday show and watch it Monday night. Or Tuesday night.
My son likes the competition. He is not fond of the board room, which is my favorite part. The problem with recent editions of The Apprentice is that the show has become predictable. You know who won the task before they announce it. You know who is going to be fired before they walk in.
The recent text message game the show has adopted has not helped. Last week they chose five people you could guess would be voted off. Four were with one team and one with the other. When the team with four people offered won the task, you knew Amy would be voted away. The show was over with fifteen minutes to fill.
Moving to sunny California has not helped the show. Cutting Mr. Trumps little business advice segments at the top of the show has not helped. Switching the “eyes and ears” people from his daughter to his son to past Apprentice winners has not helped (I miss the older guy).
I do like the idea of letting the winner from one team fill a chair to help decide (ho, ho) who gets fired. That is a cool move that is adding some interest to the board room scenes.
Otherwise, we have learned as much as we can from Trump. Ratings are down. Once this season is over (and Heidi has won) it will be time to say, “Donald, you’re fired.” (Please don’t hurt me.)
Labels: Entertainment
posted by Alexander Dimm | 6:33 AM
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