Full Article Text
NYP TV WEEK
• REALLY BIG SHOW
'Survivor' on 5th Ave.
By MICHAEL GIL TZ
REAUTY-TV contestants who
thought immunity challenges, bug
eating and Jeff Probst were as bad
as the genre gets will face the toughest
challenge of all in NBC's "The Appren
tice": The Donald.
Yes, Donald Trump is back. The real
estate tycoon of the 'SOs, who wrote best
selling books ("The Art of the Deal"), was
satirized in "Doonesbury," went deep into
debt but left his mark on the New York
skyline, is on top again. Business is boom
ing and, now, he's the star of the latest re
ality show from "Survivor" mastermind
Mark Burnett.
Getting Trump to do TV at all took
some convincing. "All of the networks
have wanted me to do a reality show," he
says. "Most of the shows [wantedl cam
eras following me around; nothing I was
interested in. I'm the largest developer in
the city - I don't have time [for thatl
Nor do the people I deal with want to
have a camera stuck in their face. I turned
[the networksl all down.
"But a year ago, [executive producerl
Mark Burnett approached me with this
idea of the jungle of New York. The Ap
prentice' is a very, very tough show. They
had 215,000 people [download applica
tions to take partl. Of course, a lot of peo
ple would rather be in New York than in
Panama (location of the most recent "Sur
vivor"). They chose 16 people and they're
really brilliant."
Following the proven "Survivor" for
mula, "The Apprentice" pits two teams of
eight contestants against each other. But
the Trump show, which debuts this
Thursday and moves to its regular 8 p.m.
time slot on Wednesday, January 14th,
has it all over "Survivor" when it comes
to creature comforts. Rather than starv
ing in a hut in some Godforsak en, far
flung locale, the players on "The Appren
tice," live in a midtown Manhattan loft so
fabulous that it's sure to arouse the envy
of any "Real World" resident.
The show's format is deceptively sim
ple. Each week, Trump gives contestants,
who range from MBAs to self-made en
trepreneurs, a new assignment. Their
first is one almost everyone can identify
with -running a lemonade stand. But
not everyone on "The Apprentice" can
hack it, apparently. The failing team re
ports to Trump's boardroom, where The
Donald fires one of them on the spot.
Despite the absence of immunity chal
lenges and other tests of athletic prowess
that are the hallmarks of "Survivor," Bur
nett says that in some ways "The Appren
tice" is even more physically challenging
than the all-time reality-TV champ. The
contestants, he says, get almost no sleep.
And he emphasizes the wildly different
jobs they have to tackle each week.
"None of this show takes place in an of
fice building," says Burnett. "Week to
week, [the contesantsl are being given
tasks [such asl operating a flea market,
which means getting seed money and
[figuring outl what the hell are you going
to sell, to [asking yoursel(J how do I get
space at a flea market and how do I make Donald Trump will
teach 16 eager
contestants the
tricks ofthe
tycoon trade on
"The Apprentice ';'
money? They'll also be asked to come up
with a celebrity charity auction, produce
a golf event and find real estate in a very
rundown neighborhood, renovate and
rent it above the market rate in 48 hours."
The winner of "The Apprentice" will be
awarded a one-year, $250,000 contract to
work for Trump.
While the contestants stand the most to
gain on this show, Trump himself has
nothing to lose, even though many reality
shows ("Newlyweds," "The Osbournes")
reveal their stars to be train wrecks wait
ing to happen. He's not worried about the
series tarnishing his image. "Mark never
said I was going to come across well
[necessarilyl," says Tnllnp. "I'm me. And
you know me and people know me. There
are certain instances where perhaps I
won't look good. Who knows? I don't re
ally care."
So far, Trump says he's been impressed
with the contestants, but admits that most people simply don't have what it
takes to be a major entrepreneur.
"Most people don't have the skill," says
Trump, who employs some 20,000 work
ers. "They're not born with it. Just like
people don't have the skill of Jack Nick
laus to hit a golf ball or Babe Ruth to hit a
baseball. Innate talent is a very important
ingredient. You can get better at some
thing, but having good genes is not the
worst thing that can happen to a person."
Trump has always excelled at being the
center of attention and fully expects "The
Apprentice" to be just as successful as his
latest real-estate development project on
the Upper West Side.
"I always like success," he says. "I think
[the show isl so good and hey, we've got
the best network and the best producer.
And they have me."
The Apprentice
Thursday, 8:30 p.m., NBC
• REALLY BIG SHOW
'Survivor' on 5th Ave.
By MICHAEL GIL TZ
REAUTY-TV contestants who
thought immunity challenges, bug
eating and Jeff Probst were as bad
as the genre gets will face the toughest
challenge of all in NBC's "The Appren
tice": The Donald.
Yes, Donald Trump is back. The real
estate tycoon of the 'SOs, who wrote best
selling books ("The Art of the Deal"), was
satirized in "Doonesbury," went deep into
debt but left his mark on the New York
skyline, is on top again. Business is boom
ing and, now, he's the star of the latest re
ality show from "Survivor" mastermind
Mark Burnett.
Getting Trump to do TV at all took
some convincing. "All of the networks
have wanted me to do a reality show," he
says. "Most of the shows [wantedl cam
eras following me around; nothing I was
interested in. I'm the largest developer in
the city - I don't have time [for thatl
Nor do the people I deal with want to
have a camera stuck in their face. I turned
[the networksl all down.
"But a year ago, [executive producerl
Mark Burnett approached me with this
idea of the jungle of New York. The Ap
prentice' is a very, very tough show. They
had 215,000 people [download applica
tions to take partl. Of course, a lot of peo
ple would rather be in New York than in
Panama (location of the most recent "Sur
vivor"). They chose 16 people and they're
really brilliant."
Following the proven "Survivor" for
mula, "The Apprentice" pits two teams of
eight contestants against each other. But
the Trump show, which debuts this
Thursday and moves to its regular 8 p.m.
time slot on Wednesday, January 14th,
has it all over "Survivor" when it comes
to creature comforts. Rather than starv
ing in a hut in some Godforsak en, far
flung locale, the players on "The Appren
tice," live in a midtown Manhattan loft so
fabulous that it's sure to arouse the envy
of any "Real World" resident.
The show's format is deceptively sim
ple. Each week, Trump gives contestants,
who range from MBAs to self-made en
trepreneurs, a new assignment. Their
first is one almost everyone can identify
with -running a lemonade stand. But
not everyone on "The Apprentice" can
hack it, apparently. The failing team re
ports to Trump's boardroom, where The
Donald fires one of them on the spot.
Despite the absence of immunity chal
lenges and other tests of athletic prowess
that are the hallmarks of "Survivor," Bur
nett says that in some ways "The Appren
tice" is even more physically challenging
than the all-time reality-TV champ. The
contestants, he says, get almost no sleep.
And he emphasizes the wildly different
jobs they have to tackle each week.
"None of this show takes place in an of
fice building," says Burnett. "Week to
week, [the contesantsl are being given
tasks [such asl operating a flea market,
which means getting seed money and
[figuring outl what the hell are you going
to sell, to [asking yoursel(J how do I get
space at a flea market and how do I make Donald Trump will
teach 16 eager
contestants the
tricks ofthe
tycoon trade on
"The Apprentice ';'
money? They'll also be asked to come up
with a celebrity charity auction, produce
a golf event and find real estate in a very
rundown neighborhood, renovate and
rent it above the market rate in 48 hours."
The winner of "The Apprentice" will be
awarded a one-year, $250,000 contract to
work for Trump.
While the contestants stand the most to
gain on this show, Trump himself has
nothing to lose, even though many reality
shows ("Newlyweds," "The Osbournes")
reveal their stars to be train wrecks wait
ing to happen. He's not worried about the
series tarnishing his image. "Mark never
said I was going to come across well
[necessarilyl," says Tnllnp. "I'm me. And
you know me and people know me. There
are certain instances where perhaps I
won't look good. Who knows? I don't re
ally care."
So far, Trump says he's been impressed
with the contestants, but admits that most people simply don't have what it
takes to be a major entrepreneur.
"Most people don't have the skill," says
Trump, who employs some 20,000 work
ers. "They're not born with it. Just like
people don't have the skill of Jack Nick
laus to hit a golf ball or Babe Ruth to hit a
baseball. Innate talent is a very important
ingredient. You can get better at some
thing, but having good genes is not the
worst thing that can happen to a person."
Trump has always excelled at being the
center of attention and fully expects "The
Apprentice" to be just as successful as his
latest real-estate development project on
the Upper West Side.
"I always like success," he says. "I think
[the show isl so good and hey, we've got
the best network and the best producer.
And they have me."
The Apprentice
Thursday, 8:30 p.m., NBC