The Apprentice (American TV series)

The Apprentice is a reality competition show featuring season-long competitions. Each season begins with a new group of contestants vying to earn a place in one of the organizations run by the host. The contestants (who are referred to as "candidates") have come from business backgrounds in various enterprises, the backgrounds including real estate, accounting, restaurant management, management consulting, sales and marketing. During the show, the contestants live in a communal dwelling, a "penthouse suite", in New York City (save for Season 6 which took place in Los Angeles). The candidates are divided into two teams, treated as "corporations" within the show. These corporations select a name they are subsequently referred to through the rest of the show. Each week, the teams are assigned a task and required to select one of their members to lead the team as "project manager", who is to take responsibility for organizing the team and making executive decisions. Tasks are generally business oriented and tend to highlight one of several business skills. Tasks most commonly revolve around sales (selling the most items or earning the most money) and marketing (producing a specific marketing material or campaign that is judged by a company's executives). During the tasks, the teams are usually visited by one of the host's "advisors" for that week. Tasks typically last for one or two days. After the completion of the task, the teams meet with the host and the two advisers in "the boardroom". Boardroom meetings on The Apprentice typically unfold in three stages. In the first stage, all remaining candidates from both teams gather in the boardroom, where the host and advisors brief them on the task. The team members discuss how the task went, identifying strong or weak performers, and may be asked to comment on the opposing team's materials or products. At the conclusion of this stage, the host or advisors reveal the task results and announce the winning team, who are rewarded with a luxurious experience and excused from the boardroom. In later seasons, the winning team is allowed to observe the next boardroom stage via a television in their suite. The second stage focuses on the losing team, who return to the boardroom to face scrutiny over their performance. The team is questioned about the reasons for their loss and which members were responsible. The project manager is then asked to select a certain number of teammates (usually two, but occasionally one or three) to accompany them to the final stage, while the remaining teammates are sent back to the suite. The project manager and selected teammates step out briefly as the host consults with the advisors. In the final stage, the host and advisors continue interrogating the remaining candidates, often probing the project manager's decision about whom to bring back. Ultimately, at least one person—either the project manager or a teammate—is "fired" or "terminated" at the host's discretion, leaving the show. The host may also exercise the option to fire multiple candidates or dismiss someone on the spot before the final stage. The eliminated contestant is shown leaving the boardroom with their luggage and entering a taxi, reflecting on their elimination during the episode's closing credits. When only three or four candidates (depending on the season) are left, they are interviewed rather than being assigned a task. Executives from various companies interview the finalists and report their assessments to the host. Based on the interviews, a "boardroom meeting" and firing take place, leaving two candidates. The final two candidates are then each assigned a different final task. Each is given a support team of previously fired candidates. Final tasks generally require the finalists to organize (to various degrees) an event such as a party or a fundraiser which has multiple planning elements. In a final boardroom meeting following the final task, the host "hires" one of the two candidates to become the host's "apprentice", winning the show's prize of a one-year $250,000 starting contract to manage a business project offered by the host. == History and production ==