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''The Apprentice'' is a
reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States.
Created by U.S.-based British producer
Mark Burnett
Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a television producer who is the former Chairman of MGM Worldwide Television Group. He is best known for creating and producing the reality shows ''The Apprentice'', '' Survivor'', ''The Voice'', and ''Sh ...
, the show depicts contestants from around the country with various professional backgrounds in an elimination-style competition to become an apprentice to a businessman. The show was originally hosted by real estate magnate
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
, who was also one of the producers. Burnett developed the show after previous success in bringing ''
Survivor'' to the U.S. Since its premiere, ''The Apprentice'' has spawned several licensed international versions as well as unlicensed imitations.
Original series
The U.S. version of ''The Apprentice'' is the first version of the reality game show franchise. It was broadcast on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
and billed as "The Ultimate Job Interview". The show depicted a group of 15–18 businessmen and -women competing in an elimination competition for a one-year, US$250,000 contract to run one of real estate magnate
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
's companies.
The first season aired during the winter and spring of 2004, executive-produced by
Mark Burnett
Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a television producer who is the former Chairman of MGM Worldwide Television Group. He is best known for creating and producing the reality shows ''The Apprentice'', '' Survivor'', ''The Voice'', and ''Sh ...
,
Jay Bienstock, and Trump, who also hosts the show. The show led Trump to become known for his fateful catch phrase "You're Fired!". The theme song for the show is "
For the Love of Money
"For the Love of Money" is a soul/funk song that was written and composed by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Anthony Jackson; it was recorded by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays for the album ''Ship Ahoy.'' Produced by Gamble and Huff for Phi ...
" by
The O'Jays
The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor ...
, and other themes and underscore are written by composers Mark T. Williams and Jeff Lippencott of
Ah2 Music.
During Donald Trump's reign over the show, the contestants lived communally in a suite at
Trump Tower
Trump Tower is a 58-story, mixed-use skyscraper at 721–725 Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, between East 56th and 57th Streets. The building contains the headquarters for the Trump Organization, as well ...
in New York City and the
boardroom showdown was with Trump and two of his associates (usually
Carolyn Kepcher, former chief operating officer (COO) and general manager for the Trump National Golf Club, and
George H. Ross, Executive Vice President and Senior Counsel, The Trump Organization). Season 6 saw the show move to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. On May 14, 2007, NBC announced the show was not on its fall 2007 schedule, but that a decision to cancel or renew it had not yet been made. On May 19, 2007, Trump announced that he was "moving on from ''The Apprentice''", effectively ending the series. However, on May 22, NBC responded by saying Trump still had a year left on his contract. On July 16, 2007, NBC renewed the show with a
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
series, ''
Celebrity Apprentice
''The Celebrity Apprentice'' is an American television reality competition series. It was a variation of ''The Apprentice'' series, hosted by then real estate developer (later 45th president of the United States) Donald Trump from 2008 to 2015, an ...
'', The sequel debuted with season seven on January 3, 2008. The eighth season of ''The Apprentice'' premiered on NBC on March 1, 2009. Similar to the previous season, all contestants were celebrities playing for charity. The ninth season of ''The Apprentice'' began in Spring 2010, also featuring a celebrity cast.
In June of 2016, Trump announced his campaign to run for
President of the United States of America
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
. He made several racially-charged remarks during his speech and was subsequently fired by NBC. Actor and former
Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced Trump, beginning in Season 15.
International versions
There are currently over 70 winners of the format, the first being
Bill Rancic
William Rancic (; born May 16, 1971) is an American entrepreneur who was the first candidate hired by The Trump Organization at the conclusion of the first season of Donald Trump's reality television show ''The Apprentice''. He is married to E! ...
of the United States.
Overview
Africa
Pan-African
An African version, ''
The Apprentice Africa
''The Apprentice Africa'' is an African version of the original American Reality TV format, ''The Apprentice'', hosted by Donald Trump. The show was hosted by Mr. Biodun Shobanjo, an advertising magnate, co-founder of Insight Communications and ...
'', is hosted by advertising magnate and co-founder of Insight Communications, Biodun Shobanjo. The Apprentice Africa is based in Lagos, Nigeria. It is aired in
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
on (
Nigerian Television Authority
The Nigerian Television Authority or NTA is a Nigerian government-owned and partly commercial broadcast station. Originally known as Nigerian Television (NTV), it was inaugurated in 1977 with a monopoly on national television broadcasting, after ...
), Silverbird TV, Super Screen, and MBI Television;
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
on (
TV3);
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
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on (
KTN);
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
on (WBS); and
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
(TBC1). It premiered in February 2008. Eighteen contestants on the show come from Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Cameroon, and Republic of Guinea. Owner Patrick E. Isibor and Jajaebu Kamarou.
The maiden edition of ''The Apprentice Africa'' was won by Isaac Dankyi-Koranteng, a 31-year-old Sales Manager from
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
. Isaac beat Eunice Omole, a Nigerian American in a final show that saw most of the evicted contestants supporting the winner. Isaac was hired for Bank PHB Plc and will be assigned special responsibilities, by the Managing Director and CEO of the bank, which include research and development of products, and roll-out strategy for the bank in new markets, with supervision by the ''Apprentice Africa'' "CEO", Mr. Biodun Shobanjo.
South Africa
The
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
n version that aired on
SABC3
SABC 3 (stylised as S3) is a South African free-to-air public television network owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). It carries programming in English and, few in other South African languages. It has a number of its own re ...
is hosted by
Tokyo Sexwale
Mosima Gabriel "Tokyo" Sexwale (; born 5 March 1953) is a South African businessman, politician, anti-apartheid activist, and former political prisoner. Sexwale was imprisoned on Robben Island for his anti-apartheid activities, alongside figur ...
, a mining magnate. During the live finale 22 September, Sexwale hired the final two—Zanele Batyashe, 24, and Khomotso Choma, 34, which not only elicited anger from viewers, but also resulted in complaints across the country after the announcement was made. Later, US Series 4 winner Randal Pinkett recommended Trump not do so in the finale (See
US Series 4) after he pondered hiring the runner-up, something which may have been inspired by this incident. The catch phrase Tokyo Sexwale used was "You're dismissed!"
Asia
Pan-Asian
The Asian version of ''The Apprentice'' was aired on
AXN Asia
AXN is an Asian pay television channel owned by KC Global Media Asia based in Singapore. It primarily airs action, police procedural, and reality shows. The network was formerly wholly owned by Sony Pictures Television, but the Asia Pacific, Midd ...
.
Tony Fernandes
Anthony Francis Fernandes (born 30 April 1964) is a Malaysian entrepreneur. He is the founder of Tune Air Sdn. Bhd., which took over the first Malaysian budget airline, AirAsia. Fernandes turned AirAsia, a failing government-linked commer ...
, the entrepreneur behind the successful
AirAsia
Capital A Berhad, () operating as AirAsia (stylized as ''airasia'') is a Malaysian multinational low-cost airline headquartered near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the largest airline in Malaysia by fleet size and destinations. AirAsia operat ...
airline carrier, was the host for this version. It was revived in 2021 as ''
The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition'', with
Chatri Sityodtong, CEO of
ONE Championship
ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...
as the new host of the series.
Indonesia
Media mogul
Peter F. Gontha is the host. The show, the first ''Apprentice'' spin-off in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
, started on 3 October 2005, and aired every Monday on 21.30 Western Indonesian Time (GMT +7) on the television station
Indosiar
PT Indosiar Visual Mandiri, commonly known as Indosiar, is an Indonesian over-the-air television network. It broadcasts nationwide on UHF and can be received throughout the Indonesian archipelago on analog PAL television sets, established on ...
. According to the show's official website, the apprentice winner, a 29-year-old male whose name is Fendi Gunawan Liem, will be earning a salary of 600 million rupiahs, equivalent to about US$66,000.
Malaysia
''The Apprentice''
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
n version spin-off in
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
started on October 3, 2005, and aired every Monday on 22.30 Malaysia time (GMT+8) on the television station
TV3. The catchphrase is "", or "you are fired".
Cross-continent
Pan-Arab
Real estate tycoon
Mohamed Ali Alabbar hosts the Arabic version from
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
called (). The show has not started yet on LBC Lebanon.
Russia
In Russia the show is called ''Candidate'' (russian: Кандидат) and is broadcast on the
TNT
Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
channel. The first season in 2005 was hosted by restaurant tycoon
Arkady Novikov, and the winner, Tatyana Burdelova, was hired as the CEO for one of Novikov's companies. The second season in late summer of 2006 was hosted by the mining, metals, banking and property tycoon
Vladimir Potanin
Vladimir Olegovich Potanin (russian: Владимир Олегович Потанин; born 3 January 1961) is a Russian billionaire businessman. He acquired his wealth notably through the controversial loans-for-shares program in Russia in ...
. As of January 2007, Potanin's personal wealth is estimated to be $14.2 billion (roughly 369 billion rubles
which makes him the richest host of any version of the show so far. The catchphrase is , or "You are fired".
''Candidate'' failed to attract a Russian audience. British TV producer
Peter Pomerantsev
Peter Pomerantsev (; born Pyotr Igorevich Pomerantsev, russian: Пётр Игоревич Померанцев, label=none; born 1977) is a Soviet-born British journalist, author and TV producer. He is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Global ...
credited Russian culture with its failure, writing, "The usual way to get a job in Russia is not by impressing at an interview, but by what is known as ''blat'' – 'connections'. Russian society isn't much interested in the hard-working, brilliant young business mind."
Turkey
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
's version is hosted by one of that country's most successful businessmen,
Tuncay Özilhan
Tuncay Özilhan (born 9 July 1947) is a Turkish businessman and billionaire. He is the current chairman of the board of Anadolu Group, as well as the president of Anadolu Efes. He was also the president of TÜSİAD from 2001 to 2004. He is al ...
the CEO of Anadolu Group. The show is titled (''The Apprentice''), and the catchphrase is ("I do not want to work with you"). Ahmet Isik was the winner of the first season.
Europe
Belgium
In Belgium,
VT4 broadcast on 1 March 2006.
Rob Heyvaert from
Capco hired Claudia Schiepers from 16 candidates. Claudia Schiepers worked for Capco for almost 4 years, in both the UK and New York. Taping of the show happened in 2005 from May through July, mostly in the city of Antwerp.
Denmark
Hosted by Klaus Riskaer Pedersen in the
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...
version. Pedersen's catchphrase is ("you're fired"). Louise Holm was hired at the end of the first season.
Estonia
The Estonian version called was hosted by Armin Karu, the owner of the Olympic Entertainment Group (casinos and hotel chains). It was shown on
TV3 at the fall of 2007.
Finland
Former talk show host and current consulting firm owner
Jari Sarasvuo hosted the
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
version on
MTV3
MTV3 ( fi, MTV Kolme, sv, MTV Tre) is a Finnish commercial television station. It had the biggest audience share of all Finnish TV channels until Yle TV1 (from Yle) took the lead. The letters MTV stand for Mainos-TV (literally "Advertisemen ...
, called (slang term for "deal"). Olli Rikala was the winner of the first season, although his competitor in the final was also hired, as well three of the other competitors. The show was aired in spring 2005.
The second season was shown in Autumn 2009. It was hosted by well-known business entrepreneur and TV personality
Harry Harkimo
Harry Juhani "Hjallis" Harkimo (born 2 November 1953) is a Finnish businessman, sportsperson, and a member of the Finnish Parliament. Previously a National Coalition Party MP, he now chairs his own political party, Movement Now.
First elected t ...
, whose catchphrase was or ("You are fired"). The winner of the second season was Antti Seppinen. He was hired as the marketing manager of urban area project in
Sipoo
Sipoo (; sv, Sibbo) is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Helsinki metropolitan area. The municipality has a population of
() and covers an area of of
which
is water. The population density is
. The administrative center of the munic ...
(Sipoonranta). The third season was shown in Autumn 2010 and Harry Harkimo continued as a host. The winner of the third season was former Olympic
track cycler Mira Kasslin
Mira Kasslin (born 26 January 1978) is a Finnish cyclist. She competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial ...
. She was hired as the manager of hotel project in
Hanko.
Germany
In September 2004, German TV station
ProSieben aired an adaptation of ''The Apprentice'' called ''Hire or Fire'', produced by and starring
John de Mol. The show was cancelled after the first episode due to low ratings.
From October 2004 to January 2005, German TV station
RTL aired an adaptation of ''The Apprentice'' called ''Big Boss''. The show was hosted by former soccer manager
Reiner Calmund
Reinhold "Reiner" Calmund (born 23 November 1948) is a German retired football executive. He was the managing director of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen from 1976 to 2004 and most recently from 1999 worked as the first managing director of Fu ...
, and the winner received a prize of €250,000 ($300,000 at the time) for starting her or his own business. One candidate was eliminated at the end of each episode with the phrase (you are excused). The show scored fair to poor ratings and was not renewed for another season.
Ireland
An
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
version began in September 2008 on Irish broadcaster
TV3. It is hosted by business mogul
Bill Cullen, who has made his fortune from the motor industry, and is the owner of Renault Ireland; his company makes over €350 million annually. At the time of the announcement that Cullen would front the show, many were skeptical, saying that Cullen would not be scary or tough enough on the contestants, but many have praised his handling of the show since then. The show is based in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
, and the winner receives a 12-month contract working alongside Cullen with a package worth €100,000. Although TV3 have made home-produced versions of international programmes before such as ''The Weakest Link'', ''The Apprentice'' is without doubt proving to be the most successful for the broadcaster, attracting large viewing figures, and receiving much attention from the media in Ireland. The show's catchphrase is ''You are fired!''
The show's first scandal involved Joanna Murphy, one of the contestants. She had been in contact with her family between takes, even though it is forbidden according to the rules of the show. She used the project manager laptop to communicate with her husband, and received his help in the hope of winning a task. Her team had to collect electrical equipment, and this would be recycled. The team with the most equipment won the task. It was exposed that Joanna's family and friends were actually raiding a recycling centre near
Naas Racecourse
Naas Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, approximately 18 miles from Dublin. The course stages both Flat racing and National Hunt racing and in 2010 fifteen race meetings were held there.
The Naas Races Company ...
, and bringing it to her teams 'special recycling centre' down the road. Each vehicle was driven by her friends and family, but viewers and cameramen were unaware of this. Some vehicles even came in more than once, but changed number registration plates, so as not to be caught by the cameras. This stunt was exposed while in the boardroom; Cullen fired her as a result. The story was in nearly all of the national newspapers in Ireland, and was the first major scandal to hit the show. RTÉ, TV3's biggest rivals, have considered the show's success, and produced their own version of ''
Dragon's Den
''Dragons' Den'' is a reality television program format in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing investment finance from them. The program originated in 2001 in Japan, where it is k ...
'' as a result, in the hope of also attracting Irish viewers. The Irish ''Apprentice'' ended on , with Brenda Shanahan winning in the end, after collecting the most money for her charity, and winning 10 out of 11 tasks in the series. Brenda then started working for Bill, as his apprentice.
The success of the first series has led to a second series being produced, which aired on TV3 in 2009. The winner of the 2009 series was Steve Rayner. He won the show despite admitting on the show that he is a recovering alcoholic and gambler.
Italy
In 2012 and 2013, Sky Italia aired first on
Cielo and then on Sky Uno, two seasons of ''The Apprentice'', with
Flavio Briatore as main host.
The Netherlands
In 2005, high-profile lawyer
Bram Moszkowicz
Abraham Maarten 'Bram' Moszkowicz (; born 26 June 1960) is a Dutch jurist and former lawyer.
Early life and education
Abraham Maarten Moszkowicz was born on 26 June 1960 in Maastricht in the Netherlands. He is the son of Berthe Bessant and l ...
offered a highly paid position ("the new Moszkowicz") in his law firm in
AVRO's show . The show focused much on the character of Moszkowicz, a flamboyant man known for defending a number of very unpopular figures, most notably
Desi Bouterse. Eventually Nienke Hoogervorst won out.
In 2011, a new Dutch adaptation of The Apprentice aired, called , closely following the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
format. This time, the series centered around Dutch entrepreneur
Aad Ouborg, known mostly for creating and managing the Princess Household Appliances brand. The phrase used by Ouborg to fire contestants is , which translates as "I'm not going into business with you". Key scenes were filmed in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
, although the Boardroom scenes take place in a theatre in the city of
Breda, which is the city where Ouborg's HQ.
Norway
Produced for network
TVNORGE
TVNorge (literally "TVNorway"; originally abbreviated TVN, now just abbreviated N in the logos) is a Norwegian television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA.
History
TVNorge went on the air on 5 December 1988 and was the first adver ...
, this was notable for being the first ''Apprentice'' spinoff in Europe. It is also notable for having the first female host—hairdressing mogul Inger Ellen Nicolaisen hosted the first season of the
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
version. The show is titled (''The Candidate''), and the catchphrase is ("you're fired").
Spain
The Spanish version of the show, called , premiered in September 2009 on
La Sexta
La Sexta (; "The Sixth"; stylized as laSexta) is a Spanish free-to-air television channel. It is privately owned and was originally founded on 18 March 2001 as Beca TV that began broadcasting on 1 April 2001, that same year. By 21 July 2003, the ...
. It was hosted by advertising mogul Lluís Bassat.
Switzerland
Swiss publishing mogul
Jürg Marquard hosts the show, which first aired in April 2005 on
SF1. The show is titled (Dream Job), and the catchphrase is ("You are out"). Martin was ultimately hired at the end of the first season.
United Kingdom
Alan Sugar
Alan Michael Sugar, Baron Sugar (born 24 March 1947) is a British business magnate, media personality, author, politician and political adviser. In 1968, he started what would later become his largest business venture, consumer electronics com ...
, founder of electronics company
Amstrad
Amstrad was a British electronics company, founded in 1968 by Alan Sugar at the age of 21. The name is a contraction of Alan Michael Sugar Trading. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in April 1980. During the late 1980s, Amstra ...
, is the boss on ''
The Apprentice
''The Apprentice'' is a reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States.
Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with various professional backg ...
'' in the United Kingdom. He ranks 84th on The
''Sunday Times'' Rich List 2007 with an estimated worth of around £973m. His catchphrase is "You're fired". Like the US version, the show also has a narrator, Mark Halliley. It has a very different visual and musical style to the US series, and in keeping with BBC guidelines, features no product placement. In later series, Lord Sugar offers the winner an investment, rather than direct employment.
The show started on 16 February 2005 on
BBC Two, with the final episode of the first series shown on 4 May 2005.
Tim Campbell, a former transport manager for the
London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England.
The ...
, was ultimately hired and as a result, landed a position at Amstrad with an introductory contract of 1 year with a salary exceeding £100,000.
Saira Khan
Saira Khan (born 15 May 1970) is an English television personality. She was a contestant on the first series of ''The Apprentice'' in 2005, in which she finished as the runner-up. From 2012 to 2017, Khan co-presented '' The Martin Lewis Money ...
was fired on the series finale but has used the show to help launch a media career, including a regular column on the BBC ''Apprentice'' website and presenter of the enterprise show ''
Beat the Boss'' on
CBBC
CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...
.
James Max
James Max (born 20 May 1970) is a journalist, TV and radio presenter specialising in current affairs and business issues. He presents the Early Breakfast Show from 5am to 6.30am on TalkTV. He is a regular contributor to The Talk on TalkTV, The J ...
, a semi-finalist of the show, presents the daily Business Update on
TalkSPORT alongside
Ian Wright
Ian Edward Wright (born 3 November 1963) is an English television and radio personality and former professional footballer. He works as a pundit for BBC Sport and ITV Sport.
Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal ...
and
Adrian Durham
Adrian Durham (born 13 May 1969) is an English football journalist and broadcaster.
Early life
Durham was born in Peterborough and was educated at Dogsthorpe School.
Career
Durham began his broadcasting career in Leeds in the early 1990s wo ...
he also covers for non-sports presenters on a regular basis. He presents two weekly shows on
LBC 97.3 Radio on Saturday and Sunday evenings.
A second series of ''The Apprentice'' UK began on Wednesday 22 February 2006, with the winner being
Michelle Dewberry
Michelle Louise Faye Dewberry (born 9 October 1979) is a British businesswoman, politician, presenter, and media personality.
Dewberry won the second series of British television programme ''The Apprentice''.
Early life
Dewberry was born a ...
, chosen over
Ruth Badger
Ruth Badger (born March 1978) is a British businesswoman, best known as the 2006 runner-up in the second series of the UK version of reality TV show ''The Apprentice'', in which contestants compete for a £100,000-a-year job working for British ...
.
Series three of ''The Apprentice'' UK began on Wednesday 28 March 2007, 'promoted' to the more mainstream
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
channel because of the series' increasing popularity. The winner was
Simon Ambrose who was chosen over Kristina Grimes.
Series four of ''The Apprentice'' UK began on Wednesday 26 March 2008 on BBC One and ran for twelve weekly episodes. A record 20,000 applications were received. The winner of the 2008 series was Lee McQueen, having beaten Claire Young, Helene Speight and Alex Wotherspoon in the final, which featured four candidates instead of the usual two. The series peaked at 9.7 million viewers during the last episode, an unprecedented figure for the series.
A spin-off show, ''
The Apprentice: You're Fired!'', is shown on
BBC Two straight after the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
broadcast. The 30-minute programme has a studio audience and interview with the fired apprentice, and
Lord Sugar
Alan Michael Sugar, Baron Sugar (born 24 March 1947) is a British business magnate, media personality, author, politician and political adviser. In 1968, he started what would later become his largest business venture, consumer electronics com ...
usually appears in the final episode of each series.
The
RTL Group
RTL Group (for "Radio Television Luxembourg") is a Luxembourg-based international media conglomerate, with another corporate centre in Cologne, Germany. The company operates 68 television channels and 31 radio stations in Germany, France an ...
holds international licence rights for the show worldwide, and the show is produced by RTL's
Talkback Thames
Talkback Thames (stylised as talkbackTHAMES) was a British television production company, a division of Fremantle (part of the RTL Group, which in turn is owned by Bertelsmann). It was formed by the merger of Talkback Productions and Thames ...
. The UK opening theme is "
Dance of the Knights" from
Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...
's ''
Romeo and Juliet'', with the boardroom music provided by UK artist
Dru Masters
Dru Masters (born 29 July 1965) is a British composer, best known for composing television music. He has composed tracks for the British version of ''The Apprentice'' and '' The Unteachables'', amongst others. He has also composed music for the ...
.
The BBC has also screened series 1–5 of the US version (as of winter 2010), being broadcast some considerable time after the original US airing, and in the
graveyard slot (11:00 pm onwards).
The television show inspired recreation of the show in form of competitions amongst student enterprise community and in 2013 has launched as a joint event called National Student Apprentice.
A number of university societies organised local 'Apprentice Competitions'.
In 2011, the 7th series was broadcast, with one major difference: the candidates would be competing for a £250,000 investment into their business for a 50% equity stake from Lord Sugar. In previous years, the prize was a six-figure job at one of Lord Sugar's companies. It is widely viewed as the reason that the show has continued to air whilst all other international versions have fallen away.
Oceania
Australia
The
Australian version of ''The Apprentice'' began airing on 28 September 2009 on the Nine Network. The host is
Mark Bouris, the founder and chairman of Wizard Home Loans. The series is produced by the production company
FremantleMedia
Fremantle (; formerly FremantleMedia) is a British multinational television production and distribution company based in London. Fremantle takes its name from Fremantle International, acquired by predecessor company All American Television i ...
. Sales consultant Andrew Morello won the series and was employed as a sales director to Bouris. Morello is currently head of business development at Bouris' wealth management company, Yellow Brick Road.
''
The Celebrity Apprentice Australia
''The Celebrity Apprentice Australia'' is an Australian reality television series which aired on the Nine Network. Based on NBC's ''The Apprentice'', it first aired on 24 October 2011 and originally featured Mark Bouris, the founder and chairm ...
'' began screening on the Nine Network in October 2011, with comedian
Julia Morris winning the first season. Two more seasons followed. The show did not air in 2014, but returned in 2015 for a fourth season, with singer and model
Sophie Monk
Sophie Charlene Akland Monk (born 14 December 1979) is an Australian singer, actress, model, and television personality. She was a member of the pop girl group Bardot, winners of the first season of '' Popstars Australia'' in 2000, and later re ...
winning.
New Zealand
''
The Apprentice New Zealand
''The Apprentice New Zealand'' was a New Zealand reality television series that aired on TV2 16 February to 11 May 2010. It features Terry Serepisos, Wellington
based multi-millionaire property developer, as the chief executive officer (CEO). ...
'', initially aired in 2010, was hosted by
Terry Serepisos
Terry Serepisos (born 1963) is a Wellington-based property developer and former owner of A-League association football club Wellington Phoenix. In 2010, he was the host in the New Zealand incarnation of the hit TV series ''The Apprentice''. Aft ...
. The show had 14 contestants each vying for the prize of getting a six-figure salary at one of Serepisos' companies. The show began screening on 16 February 2010 on
TV2.
The series relaunched in 2021 under the title ''
The Apprentice Aotearoa'', hosted by
Mike Pero. The relaunched series began screening on 10 May 2021 on
TVNZ 1
TVNZ 1 ( mi, Te Reo Tātaki Tahi) is the first national television channel owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster Television New Zealand (TVNZ). It is the oldest television broadcaster in New Zealand, starting out from 1960 as indep ...
.
South America
Brazil
, a
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
ian version of ''The Apprentice'' hosted by marketing businessman
Roberto Justus
Roberto Luiz Justus (born 30 April 1955) is a Brazilian investor, businessman and television personality.
Biography and career
Justus was born in São Paulo, Brazil, to a Jewish Hungarian immigrant family. He is best known for ''O Aprendiz'', br ...
, premiered on 4 November 2004.
People+Arts (a cable channel that broadcasts ''The Apprentice'' in
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
) and
Rede Record
RecordTV (), formerly known as Rede Record, is a Brazilian free-to-air television network. It is currently the second largest commercial TV station in Brazil, and the 28th largest in the 2012 world ranking. In 2010, it was elected by the adverti ...
(a Brazilian broadcasting network) teamed up with
Fremantle Media
Fremantle (; formerly FremantleMedia) is a British multinational television production and distribution company based in London. Fremantle takes its name from Fremantle International, acquired by predecessor company All American Television in ...
to create the show. Justus' catchphrase is ("you're fired"). For 2009 and 2010, the show had businessman João Doria, Jr. as the host.
Justus returned in 2013 to host the ninth season with a cast of candidates from previous seasons. In late 2013, Rede Record confirmed the first season of , a Brazilian version of ''
Celebrity Apprentice
''The Celebrity Apprentice'' is an American television reality competition series. It was a variation of ''The Apprentice'' series, hosted by then real estate developer (later 45th president of the United States) Donald Trump from 2008 to 2015, an ...
'', which premiered in April 2014. The show was broadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays with a total of 22 episodes. Fifteen Brazilian celebrities battled for a prize of R$1.000,000,00.
After almost five years, the reality show returned again, featuring 18 digital influencers competing for a R$1.000,000,00 cash. It was broadcast by
Band
Band or BAND may refer to:
Places
*Bánd, a village in Hungary
*Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania
*Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...
and
Canal Sony.
Colombia
The
Colombian version is called (literal translation from the original show's name). It was hosted by Jean-Claude Bessudo, a French-born tourism entrepreneur. The show first aired in May 2005 on
Canal Caracol. The show's catchphrase is (You're fired!).
Similar programs
*''
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart'', a
spin-off with
Martha Stewart
Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing pu ...
* ''
The Cut'', with
Tommy Hilfiger
Thomas Jacob Hilfiger ( /hɪlˈfɪgər/; born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and the founder of Tommy Hilfiger Corporation.
After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's Place in upst ...
* ''
Project Runway
''Project Runway'' is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on December 1, 2004. The series focuses on fashion design.
The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted by time, mater ...
'', with
Heidi Klum
*''
The Assistant'', with
Andy Dick
Andrew Roane Dick (born Andrew Thomlinson; December 21, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, musician, and television and film producer. Known professionally as a comic, his first regular television role was on the short-lived but influential ...
, an
MTV-produced parody.
*''
The Benefactor'', with
Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958) is an American billionaire entrepreneur, television personality, and media proprietor whose net worth is an estimated $4.8 billion, according to ''Forbes'', and ranked No. 177 on the 2020 ''Forbes'' 400 list ...
of the
NBA Dallas Mavericks
*''
Fire Me...Please/The Sack Race'', where contestants try to get fired from their job
*''
The Law Firm'' with
Roy Black
*''
My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss'', a
parody
A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...
and
hoax
*''
The Rebel Billionaire'', with
Richard Branson of the
Virgin Group
Virgin Group Ltd. is a British multinational venture capital conglomerate founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell in February 1970.
Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by the Companies House, who class it as a holding co ...
*''
Ultimate Hustler'', with
Damon Dash
*''
I Want To Work For Diddy, with "P'Diddy"
Sean Combs
Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
''
*''
Tycoon
A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...
'', with
Peter Jones
*''
Dragons' Den
''Dragons' Den'' is a reality television program format in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing investment finance from them. The program originated in 2001 in Japan, where it is k ...
''
*''
The Next Internet Millionaire'', by Internet entrepreneur
Joel Comm
Joel Comm (born May 5, 1964) is an American author and Internet marketer. Comm is the CEO of InfoMedia, a social media consulting company. Comm is the founder of ClassicGames, a family-friendly multiplayer game, multiplayer gaming website he sold ...
*''
50 Cent: The Money and the Power'', by
50 Cent
*''
The Grand Hustle'', by
T.I.
*''
The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition'', with
Chatri Sityodtong
References
External links
Trump not over just yet''The Apprentice Los Angeles'' computer gameThe Armchair Apprentice Podcast and Blog
''The Apprentice'' Official Site on Yahoo!NBC.com: ''The Apprentice'' season 1season 2season 3season 4season 5season 6NBC.com: ''The Apprentice: Martha Stewart''The site for the UK version on the BBC''The Apprentice UK Blog''at
Blogger
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...
The site for the Asia version on the AXN AsiaThe site for the South African version on SABC3The site for the German version on RTL
The site for the Colombian version on Canal CaracolO Aprendiz– The Brazilian version of ''The Apprentice'' (
Portuguese language
Portuguese ( or, in full, ) is a western Romance language of the Indo-European language family, originating in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is an official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and ...
)
The site for the Finnish version on MTV3The site for the Indonesian versionThe site for the Spanish version on La SextaNBCUniversalStore.com – NBC's ''The Apprentice'' Store
"Who's the Boss," a theory on how Donald Trump and Martha Stewart were picked to host the two ''Apprentice'' shows
{{DEFAULTSORT:Apprentice, The
Reality television series franchises
Television series by MGM Television
Television series created by Mark Burnett