Finding feedback for this series was a lot more difficult than I had anticipated. After our tutorial in class I was hoping that tapping into reviews for the “Celebrity Apprentice” would be a fairly straight-forward venture! Unfortunately though, I instead found that this series has been cast into a category of television right along with other celebrity-related reality shows, such as “Dancing with the Stars” and “Celebrity Rehab”. Articles that noted “The Celebrity Apprentice” as a standalone where pretty brief and typically derived from quick magazine exerts highlighting shows to watch for during the upcoming week.
From the info that I got in articles based around the comparison and uprise of “celeb reality” programs, I did take away the sense that these series’ are often cast as a “guilty pleasure” sort of viewing. Most of those who commented on it noted the lack of class or respectability found within the content, but were all the same drawn to watch the developments of “unscripted celebrity”- a unique occurrence in and of itself.
Another reference that seemed to tie in repeatedly with this program was mention of the cost-efficiency of such a program. Many of the articles made brief statements about the downturn in economy, and rise of cheap, drama-filled reality shows in place of quality, scripted programs with notably more meaningful content. I found this interesting, and directly applicable to our own concept and creations. It’s important to note the rise of low-budget television in such unstable times. And reminded me much of what was shared by our guest speaker Ethan Morris. Funding is an obvious issue not only for us, but for the entertainment industry as a whole- and these trends are important in terms of possible competition, as well as concept development in our own projects.
Overall, it became clear that “The Celebrity Apprentice” was not a highly regarded program among those reviewing, but nonetheless had a distinct appeal that none of them could deny. Unfortunately though, it does not seem that Trump’s productions will ever be held as more than a “guilty pleasure”.
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