Trump to Cash In

OK. I admit it. I am addicted to reality television. Well not so much, because I am pretty busy, so it saves me from getting too insanely addicted, but I am close. And I have my favorites. "The Apprentice" is one. And I am not alone; I am but one among an average of 20 million viewers a week on NBC and 1.6 million viewers a week on Global. Maybe we all tune in for the cutthroat ballsy antics of these proteges. Maybe we tune in because all the contestants seem pretty normal, as they battle to win the ultimate prize, to head one of Donald Trump's companies. It's that "it could've been me" feeling you get, as you watch it. It's also pure envy, that it isn't me. They'll earn $250,000 a year, and become part of the corporate machine of the Trump dynasty, Trump Organization, a $10-billion business including real estate, hotels, casinos and golf courses.

But these proteges are not what you would expect. Some even appear rather bad at just about everything. They complain, whine, bicker, waste time, have an amazing lack of creativity at points, and very few seem to have any leadership abilities at all. And let's face it, those of us that are hooked, loved it when Omarosa heard, "You're Fired". In fact, each week, I love hearing, "You're Fired," because it usually brings about some sort of moan fest, and some of the people fired are just too icky for words. Well, Donald, ever the salesman, knows we love to hear it, and has decided to cash in on it.

There are only five proteges left on the show, and only four more times for us to hear that phrase. As each one becomes more desperate, Trump becomes more desperate to make this show as lucrative as possible. He has not seemed very impressed thus far with his corporate gems, and he says, he's looking for that special "something." In the meantime, he'll settle for more money. So he's filed to trademark the phrase, "You're Fired." He has not received the go ahead, but he's gambling that he'll get it. Meanwhile, we get to continue watching the catfights whittle away at the remaining five competitors.

Whichever one of these proteges trumps, though, still has a lot of work to do when the cameras and the lights fade into an every day workweek. In fact, they could still hear "You're Fired," even after they win. "These guys aren't going to be given control, without work." He says he expects a true entrepreneurial spirit to really only last a year. "I think they want to go out and make their own money. They don't want to work for Donald Trump," Trump said in a January press conference. "They are learning."

When Trump came up with this idea, television critics and the public were skeptical. Now, the show is one of the hottest on television. And as is his style, he is maxing it out for all its worth. As he says, "Learn from the Past...Dream About the Future."

At that same press conference in January, Mark Burnett, Executive Producer of "Survivor" and "Eco Challenge" said that over 200,000 filled out applications for "The Apprentice." To give you an idea, over 50,000 fill out applications for "Survivor." Of course that could be because in "The Apprentice" you don't have to eat bugs, or swim in shark and crocodile infested waters, although, many would say the corporate world has its share of bugs, and sharks. But these guys want the big prize. As Burnett said in January, "They realize working with him (Trump) for a year is the tool to become a billionaire."

I tune in for his ego, his attitude, and that hair. You would think, with all that money, he could buy a proper mop. But Trump knows I tune in for that. And every week he gives me more and more to chat about with friends, and colleagues. We've seen the splendor of his Westchester "house," which is really a palace/mansion that could fit half of Manhattan in its spacious flooring, his yachts, his helicopters and planes. We greedily eat up his arrogance, and the man himself, and how he impatiently rejects each new boardroom victim. And, of course, I tune in for "You're Fired."

The man knows his business. He appeals to the male demographic by showing us aggressive competitors; filling the show with beautiful female proteges, and filling the front office with luscious babes as receptionists (a different one every week). He shows us the beauty of the Trump Towers; the contestants get to share dinner and champagne at the Trump table at New York's legendary 21 Club. We watch as they play a hole on the Trump National golf course, visit Yankee Stadium and, best of all, have a personal 10 minute one-on-one with the man, the myth, which one of the most recent "project managers" has won. It's all vicarious. So is "You're Fired". And he's betting, by trade marking it, he can market that vicarious powerhouse even more.

Most of the viewers of this show are higher income brackets, (not me I assure you!), and make millions for NBC in advertising, even rivaling "Friends" in the intense draw it is having. The network renewed the series only four weeks into its launch. Trump only half jokes about the millions he will ask for, if the show continues with its current blockbuster success. Trump says the show takes up almost a full 40-hour workweek, not the mere 3 hours that executive producer Burnett had originally promised him at the start of the series. When Trump is too busy to take Jay Leno's calls, you know some major bucks are forthcoming. Trump says he enjoys the work, and the renewed attention but shares that his first season take home pay was "less than the rent he receives from Aspreys of London", located on the ground floor of the Trump Tower.

"The Apprentice" is no longer a gamble for Trump at this point. The show has become its own phenomena, aside from the original premise. This is not surprising, considering the man went bankrupt in 1990, and worked his way back up the hill to one of the richest men in the world. And this series has only served to magnify the image of Trump. Ridiculed at first, for everything from his love affairs gone awry, to his hair, to this latest egocentric series, he has now brought new life and iconic proportions to the Trump Empire, he's a household name again, and his phrase "You're Fired", is now an anthem of his following. He will be hosting Saturday Night Live on April 3.

The only downside he says is that people can now second-guess his moves. "My life is a game of poker." I think the magnate is safe in that arena. We still haven't figured out what's going on with the hair, much less figuring his strategic moves out. We know one thing for sure. When he says, "You're Fired," he ain't bluffing!