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The Apprenctice and Dream Job expand our Reality TV horizons
The two new shows educate the viewers as well as entertain

We watched with great amazement how a rat beat a snake in the first Survivor. We found out what happens in a house when Big Brother and the rest of Americas are watching. We have had some really good shows coming out of this genre, and some others that we rather forget.

The latest two relevant shows have as much in common as the people who are playing for the ultimate prize. I am talking about Donald Trump’s highly narcissistic “The Apprentice” and ESPN’s recently started “Dream Job”. These two shows actually have corralled my interest in different ways.

“The Apprentice” is more than an endless exercise in job interviews techniques. It’s really a lot more than that. The winner will named president of one Donald’s companies. The selection of participants (or victim’s, depending your point of view), was made several months ago. The cross section of society is pretty well diversified; after all, we live in an era of political correctness.

The women in general have taken the lead over the men as the sexes were originally divided. The females have run the table using anything and everything in their armamentarium including their own sexuality. It is very interesting to point out that the men refer to Trump as "Mr. Trump" and the women just say Donald. Amidst the results, "Donald" has now reshuffle the deck and by doing so, interesting alliances and even a romance have surface.

What makes the show very good is what most college professors don’t teach with much fervor. Donald shows us the viewing public, how to do business the “Donald” way, whether you like it or not. It is after all his own reality. Now, many colleges and universities are taking notes as many business professors are using the show as a learning tool.

Business ethics, loyalty and team-work have been so far the staple of success for the Donald in the show and it has tremendously adhered to his dogma.

Even though, I do have a feeling as to who will win the job, the truth is that is just that, a feeling. The reality is that you could be up in the suite one week and down on the street, the next. Ironically to some, hearing the magical dismissal “you’re fired” seems to offer the comfort of an old maid’s bride’s maid.

Switching the channel to the self proclaimed world-wide leader in sports, ESPN takes a slightly different path to the ultimate job, at least to the majority of former or wannabe jocks.

“Dream Job” is a bit different than “The Apprentice” in the sense that the majority of the people who applied to the show were probably prepared to do the job. “Dream Job” is different because even on the 12 finalists, only two have truly enough scholastic or on the job experience to do the job of a Linda Cohn or Kenny Mayne. I guess after all is why they call it a dream job.

The show is set up like American Idol, where contestants have to talk the talk to walk the walk. A four member panel will judge each of the Chris Berman’s wannabes. At the end of each show a contestant will be cut by the panel and the viewing public.

On the maiden show the panel of judges was made by veteran sportswriter and Pardon the Interruption co-host Tony Kornheiser, Cold Pizza’s eyecandy Kit Hoover, Washington Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington (huh! who declined to judge these hacks last minute? Was Joe Namath not available?) ESPN’s VP of production recruitment and talent negotiation, Al Jaffe will round up the judging panel.

Each week the contestants have to do the same similar tasks as a seasoned “SportsCenter” anchor would. The winner will be signed to his or her own one year contract. "You just have to be able to write a story and make it sing and you've got to write it in about 20-25 seconds," said the former weekend sports anchor at WESH channel 2 and host of the show Stuart Scott. "I think the urgency is going to trip some people up."

The show is highly entertaining thanks in part to the different characters competing for the elusive job. On the other hand Scott’s over the top “boo-yeah” antics get as old as any of Chris Berman’s classic rock references.

Speaking of Stuart’s antics, ESPN radio personality and “SportsCenter” regular Dan Patrick criticized the networks’ intentions as to give a year contract to someone with hardly any television or reporting experience on his radio show Monday afternoon. The pompous Patrick was short of suggesting that being a SportsCenter anchor was as trained, as brain surgeon. I guess Dan is feeling the heat now that he will have to share duties with someone who might not be as “en fuego” as he seems to think he is.

Being selected to either position will definitely be a dream come true to any of the participants of either show. Me personally, I would like to be in radio and like the former jock that I am, but for the time being, the web is not a bad place to be awake.

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