It may be hard to remember now, but there was a simpler, purer
time not too long ago, when reality television was still all about
earning fast cash and 15 minutes of fame. Then “The
Apprentice” came along and changed all that.
This season’s crop of reality programming features a
number of shows following the “Apprentice” approach of
offering jobs to winners instead of, or in addition to, monetary
prizes. In FOX’s “The Rebel Billionaire,” Richard
Branson will supposedly be awarding the winner his job as the
chairman of the Virgin empire. In NBC’s upcoming “The
Good Life,” Kathy Hilton ““ mother of Paris ““ will
be awarding a one-year job to the female contestant who can best
fit into high society. There’s even an
“Apprentice” spoof ““ FOX’s “My Big
Fat Obnoxious Boss,” in which Ivy League contestants think
they’re vying for a job with a fake company. And earlier this
year, MTV aired “Faking the Video,” in which the winner
earned a chance to work with famed music video director Wayne
Isham.
It all amounts to a new phenomenon in television ““ the
reality show as employment opportunity. This extended and
challenge-based job interviews, where viewers can follow the action
week-to-week .
But despite the slew of new competitors, “The
Apprentice” still stands out as the only show attempting to
simulate the pressures of the business world. And as the second
season of “The Apprentice” winds down, UCLA alumnus,
Kelly Perdew, 37, remains one of a handful of contestants left
standing.
Upon graduating simultaneously with a master’s in business
from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a juris doctorate
from The UCLA School of Law, Perdew quickly made a name for himself
in software, raising over $5 million in equity financing for three
start-up companies. One of those companies, eteamz, which won
UCLA’s Business Plan competition, grew from three to 45
employees in less than a year (many of them UCLA alumni), and was
sold for over $13 million in 2000.
“When we got his resume, it went straight to the
top,” said Brian Johnson, CEO of Zaadz and co-founder and
former CEO of eteamz. Johnson is himself, a UCLA alumnus.
“What he had done spoke highly of him.”
Perdew was among over 200,000 people who applied to compete on
“The Apprentice.” Each week, contestants take on
business-related tasks, but only one out of the original 18 is
offered a job ““ a one-year, six-figure contract working under
Donald Trump. Last year’s winner, Bill Rancic, accepted an
impressive but not jaw-dropping $250,000 deal. In comparison, 90%
of the Anderson School’s class of 2004 have already reported
job offers with a mean base salary of $87,022, and a median total
compensation of $100,000.
So why would highly qualified, already successful businesswomen
and men, such as Perdew, commit several months of their time
jumping through hoops for the amusement of Joe Six-Pack back at
home?
“I would imagine that very few of the people are gunning
to be Trump’s apprentice,” said Gary Weinhouse, another
UCLA alumnus who worked with Perdew at eteamz. The two were
scheduled to try out together, but Weinhouse had to cancel because
of the birth of his daughter. “My gut tells me the people who
are trying out want the national exposure. They want the thrill of
the competition. They want an opportunity to be noticed, to use the
celebrity that comes with it to benefit them for their careers.
It’s going to give (Perdew) higher visibility, and allow him
to attract that type of talent and leverage suited to his
leadership abilities.”
The contestants also get to work with companies such as Crest
and Pepsi. Weinhouse explained that such opportunities offered
valuable experience to the contestants.
“Each week, there is a lesson in the show they are trying
to get out,” said Weinhouse. “The people who are
participating, are learning something firsthand that you
can’t get from an MBA. There’s nothing like real world
competition to teach you something.”
The American Management Association, the world’s leading
membership-based management development organization, seems to have
realized this as well. Each week, the AMA posts management and
leadership lessons based on issues raised on “The
Apprentice.” Last week’s lesson was “How to
Communicate With Your Boss.” The AMA has also held
“Lessons Learned From “˜The Apprentice'”
forums, featuring show participants and Donald Trump himself.
Both Johnson and Weinhouse expect their guy to win. They may be
biased, but an analysis piece by MSNBC agreed, citing Perdew as the
odds-on favorite with the “best shot at making it to the
end.” A look at last week’s show alone ““ in which
he earned immunity for tonight’s show, which guarantees a
spot in the final four ““ proves why.
“If you know Kelly, you know he’s perfect for the
show,” said Johnson. “It was so obvious he was going to
win, and I only watched three episodes. He’s really
intelligent, really driven, and very composed and
strategic.”
And Weinhouse is even more optimistic.
“I’ve been disappointed by the fact that there
doesn’t appear to be anyone who can give him a run for his
money,” Weinhouse said. “From an ability standpoint,
there is no one that can touch Kelly. Some of it may come down to
luck and some down to politics, though.”
If so, “The Apprentice” may be even closer to the
real world than its viewers imagined.