I’m unsure who the culprit is at NBC who thought it was a good idea to return to Trump’s original Apprentice format, but they might be in the midst of a stern tongue-lashing. The Non-Celebrity Apprentice (my title, not NBC’s) aired to horrific ratings on Thursday, with just 4.5 million viewers. Why? Because no one cares anymore about non-celebrities on reality television. When The Apprentice originally aired, it was a success because of the gimmick format. Once people got used to it, they got tired of the show. The celebrity format resurrected it, because the public is actually interested in whether celebrities can rub two brain cells together. And with Bret Michaels’ surprise capability last season (i.e. he can actually make smart business choices that don’t involve how to avoid herpes from slutty hookers on Rock of Love), I’m surprised the producers returned to the original style. Good job, guys.
Yeah – why would the audience want to GO BACK to regular people – that doesn’t make any sense. Did they run out of celebs? If not, I don’t know how that idea – switching back to non-celebs – got anywhere.