First season and concept
When the show first came out I liked the concept of a reality show testing business skills. When I consider the true potential for the show, I am disappointed by the result.
Where it went wrong
After the first season, the show just became a joke. The concept became more about pitching the Trump name than anything remotely having to do with any type of true business skills. Add in a few has-been celebs and the show got even worse. I regret that I recently starting watching it again.
Awful message to future business leaders
I am horrified to think there are future business leaders who watch this show and think for even a moment that back stabbing, sucking up, and politics are how you move ahead in the business world. If that’s the way things work at Trump, Inc. why would anyone want to work there?
I would actually prefer our future business leaders watch Michael Scott from The Office more than The Apprentice.
Ideas for tasks that would actually test business skills
Instead of selling snow cones on a Manhattan street corner maybe the task should represent true business skills. Instead of having the contestants manage each other maybe they should have to hire, train, manage and, yes, fire their own employees. Or maybe the consultants should have to create and implement a plan to save a struggling business. How about the contestants research HRIS solutions for a company, pick a product, and oversee the implementation of that system. There is certainly a large number of business skills involved in that process.
How NBC could save the show
As I said in the beginning of this article, I like the concept of the show; I just don’t like how it has been delivered. Here are my suggestions on how the show could be saved and actually provide value to those watching the show:
- Drop any affiliation with Trump; his ego is plenty inflated already.
- Hire a panel of business leaders or top business professors to run the show, maybe then we’ll actually see tasks that test true business skills.
- Provide the Project Managers the option of firing contestants during each task. Why must we waste our time and be forced to watch the entire train wreck just to see the “Don” fire the wrong person again?
- Drop the whole boardroom mess; it only shows the contestants and Trump at their worst.
To finish out this rant let me suggest that the winner does not have to become Trump’s apprentice or ever have to work for Trump, Inc.
