#039;The Apprentice#039; proves not all reality TV shows are bad
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Even though I'm a self-professed anti-reality-TV type of guy, I must confess I fell off the wagon.
I followed NBC's "The Apprentice" in its entirety and was among the more than 40 million viewers who tuned in last Thursday when Donald Trump told Bill Rancic those two words everyone was waiting to hear
- "you're hired!"
Sure, I was a little disappointed that the calm, cool and collected Kwame Jackson did not win, and even more disappointed that my choice, the country boy with no college diploma Troy McClain, was not selected as a finalist, but all in all I was surprised how intrigued I was with the show.
If you think about it, all of the contestants - well, at least most of them - will profit from their appearances on the show.
Bill will be making $250,000 a year managing the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, which is currently under construction. Luckily, for him, if he does eventually hear the words he dodged for 14 weeks - "you're fired!" he has his cigar business on which to fall back.
Kwame, meanwhile, gave up a good job on Wall Street to try to be "The Donald's" protege. It was all or nothing for him. At least for a while, though, he will be able to live off TV appearances and such until he finds another job. Given the popularity of the show, he probably has already had a number of good job offers.
Even
Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, the former political consultant and all-around pain-in-the-neck, will get job offers.
Even though she whined after a small piece of plaster hit her head and attempted to use the "injury" as an excuse for poor performance, consistently lied through her teeth and always found ways to justify to justify her erratic behavior, she will get job offers.
More than anything, though, "The Apprentice" was educational. I can think of countless life lessons taught in the show.
First, and foremost, teamwork gets the job done. For those of you who watched the show, think back to who succeeded in each task. The team that got along the best and put differences aside to accomplish the task came out on top.
Secondly, pull your weight. Nothing cheeses off a teammate or co-worker more than someone who is not committed to doing the job - and doing the job right. This was illustrated numerous times during the show, but mostly when Sam Solovey was caught sleeping on the job and Omarosa's plaster-to-the-head incident.
But perhaps the most important lesson learned from "The Apprentice" is beware the Omarosas of this world. They are sometimes hard to spot, but if you don't discover and remove them, they can, and most likely will, destroy you. Just ask Kwame, who may have had a chance at winning it all had Omarosa not fumbled the ball on the final task.
I'm not ready to call myself a reality TV show freak or anything, but I am looking forward to the next installment of the series to premier this fall.
Who knew that reality TV could be so intriguing?
Shawn Doyle is managing editor of The Ironton Tribune. He can be reached by calling (740) 532-1445 ext. 19 or by e-mail to shawn doyle@irontontribune.com.