Mark Burnett’s Real World
Killer Instinct
Celebrity Apprentice's Closet Fans
Ivanka Trump
With his new ABC show Shark Tank—featuring cash-hungry entrepreneurs trying to convince a panel of venture capitalists that their ideas are worth an investment—British-born Mark Burnett now has programming on all major networks.
And while Survivor has been an absolute hit, some of his other offerings have had mixed results. A look at some of his career-minded shows.
The Apprentice
Concept: Individuals compete against each other in business-oriented tasks and are gradually eliminated until there is a winner.
Prize: A $250,000 salary for one year as Donald Trump’s apprentice
Seasons Aired: 6
Average Viewership:
Season 1: 20.7 million
Season 2: 16.14 million
Season 3: 13.9 million
Season 4: 11.01 million
Season 5: 9.73 million
Season 6: 7.5 million
Catchphrase: “You’re Fired!”
The Apprentice: Martha Stewart
Concept: The Apprentice spinoff featured 16 people competing for a chance to work for Martha Stewart. When the show aired, Stewart was still serving five months of house arrest for the ImClone scandal.
Prize: A $250,000 salary for one year as Stewart’s apprentice
Average Viewership: 7 million
Seasons Aired: 1
Catchphrase: “Goodbye,” followed by a neatly written letter explaining the candidate’s opportunities.
The Celebrity Apprentice
Concept: In this Apprentice spinoff, 14 celebrities compete in business-oriented tasks to win money for charity.
Prize: A weekly winner gets the total cash raised as a donation to his or her charity. The ultimate winner gets an additional $250,000 to donate.
Seasons Aired: Two, renewed for third season with premiere date to be announced.
Average Viewership:
Season 1: 11 million
Season 2: No data available
Catchphrase: “You’re fired!” But softened with, “You’re great. I love you.”
The Contender
Concept: Boxers fight each other in elimination-style challenges. Sugar Ray Leonard was a past host; Sylvester Stallone and Tony Danza have also been involved.
Prize: A $1 million purse for the ultimate winner of season one, but that amount has dropped since.
Seasons Aired: One season on NBC with reruns on CNBC, two seasons on ESPN, one season on Versus
Average Viewership: 7 million on NBC, 1 to 2 million on ESPN
On the Lot
Concept: Could-be directors compete for a development deal. Viewers vote on the “box office returns,” and person with lowest returns goes home. Co-produced with Steven Spielberg.
Prize: A $1 million studio contract with Spielberg’s DreamWorks
Seasons Aired: 1
Average Viewership: 4 million
Romy Ribitzky is an associate editor at Portfolio.com.
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