Entertainment of Tuesday, 27 January 2009

Source: Derrick Addai (Daily Express/Jive)

Donald Trump’s Apprentice Comes To Ghana

The Apprentice is an American reality television show hosted by real estate magnate Donald Trump, created by Mark Burnett and broadcast on NBC. Billed as "The Ultimate Job Interview" in the “ultimate jungle,” the show stars sixteen to eighteen businesspeople competing in an elimination-style competition for a one-year, $250,000 starting contract of running one of business magnate Trump's companies.

The show which made Trump famous for his catch phrase ‘you are fired’ is set to be served to the Ghanaian viewing public in the days to come. BrassRing Media network, a trendsetting media organisation is at the forefront of this initiative. The move is the first in a series of productions in the works for BrassRing Media Network which according to its CEO is “going to change the face of television in the country.”

Benjamin Kwame Tawiah, C.E.O of BrassRing Media Network says his outfit has won the franchise to broadcast the show in the country and beyond and according to him the initiative is geared towards harnessing young minds in the country, who have the ability to become candidates on The Apprentice with Donald Trump themselves if given the opportunity. He believes that watching the show will help to challenge and task the youth to aspire to greater heights. He made reference to the fact that most enterprising young men pay heed to ‘motivational speakers’ who don’t provide practical ways for success and reflected that in watching the show “they would get more practical, try and tested lessons from Trump and his apprentices which would challenge their minds and see the skies as a starting point for success.”

He is also of the belief that if policy makers pay attention to the tactics and methods employed by Donald trump and his apprentices, “in the next 365 days the country will undergo significant positive transformation.”

Each season of the show begins with a group of contestants with backgrounds in various enterprises, typically including real estate, restaurant management, political consulting, sales, and marketing.

During the show, these contestants live in a communal penthouse, allowing their relationships to build. In Season 6, however, the teams were separated, with the winning team living in the LA mansion and the losing team taking up residence in tents located in the mansion's backyard. They are placed into teams, and each week are assigned a task and required to select a project manager for the task. The winning team receives a reward, while the losing Team faces a boardroom showdown in order to determine which team member should be fired (eliminated from the show).

The show, soon to be aired on a nationwide satellite television station, would also involve interactive talk shows on which issues that come up during the show would be delved into, not only on television but also on some radio stations. Viewers would also be able to participate in the discussions through text messaging and other services to be introduced in due time.

The show is in its 8th season in the United States and currently features celebrities who are competing to make money for charity but viewers would have o wait a while to see that as plans are that broadcasts in the country would begin with the maiden season so as to give viewers a clear understanding of the show as it progresses as the current season has already begun airing in the United States.