The Apprentice dumbererer / Voice / X-Factor

mfin

Is The Apprentice Dumber this year? I mean, I know the people come across dumb as you like, but I always thought that tasks worth watching were the one's when people who are watching can at least think 'I know what I'd do' at the same time as watching the idiots come up with complete rubbish.

I mean, a task like the one where it was 'come up with a product for the home' you can think of things yourself. But a task where they just have to sell things is not engaging at all, as all you can do is watch them perform/underperform.

Seems to me there's more of these kind of sales tasks this year and a lack of ones when you can think what you might do yourself. Might not be true, but the balance seems that way and hence its lost its chattability that it might have once had a lot more of??

Pross

I wouldn't know - one series of twenty-something upstarts who have CVs making out they've been running FTSE 100 companies for the last 5 years and egos the size of planets whilst screwing up the must basic of 'challenges' was all I could take.

mfin

I agree with that, as most people would I'd expect... I suppose it was more a question of have they weakened the reasons why it has made better telly in the past?

You get Reality TV and then these broad group of 'Talent' shows, and I suppose more in the press is The Voice and its weaknesses as a format. Seems like the success of both these Genres of programme over the last decade has ended up with producers resting on laurels of previous viewing figures and then tweaking formats in the wrong way, missing out what makes them good.

Actually, I can't say that about Reality TV as I don't watch it, I was really just drawing a bit of a difference between the two at the same time for some reason.

mfin

Here's another one. More for Mr Cowell...

I had thought (this might well work in Britain, where we like a moan) that on a programme such as x-factor, why not have TWO phone lines for EACH contestant. One to vote for them, and one to take a vote off them. Then they score a net amount of the two.

I know I wouldn't ever call a line to vote for anyone, BUT, I thiiiink there's a chance I'd vote if I could vote to get them OFF MY F***CKING TV.

You might even get someone having the presenter saying 'not only did you receive the least net votes, you actually scored a negative total, meaning more people wanted you off the telly than on it' ...then shove a mic in their face and say 'how do you feel?'.

...results would be more fun to watch, Mr Cowell makes more money, and more idiots get voted off. Only downside is if the idiots with the hate-factor get voted off then you might be left with a duller show, but I don't think so, you'd still have plenty of idiots to vote off.

p9uma

You could of course just switch the television off.

y33stu

I like the concept of the 2nd phone to get rid of someone. Not sure it would work in reality though. Totally agree with the Apprentice, used to be a big fan of it, now....meh! I can take it or leave it.

GiantMike

I don't understand why people watch these programmes in the first place, and then why they have some kind of emotional involvement that makes tham want to participate. I'm not saying it's wrong, just that I don't understand it.

I would actively vote to see And and/or Dec get stamped on for an hour, but I have no interest in whether 'Shantize' from Doncaster gets a recording contract or not, just as she doesn't care if I get many 3rd Cat points this year.

I used to watch the Apprentice for the comedy of watching back-stabbing idiots c0cking up simple tasks and then blaming eachother. I can't be bothered any more though. The end result is irrelevant.

solosuperia

I like a good few people on this thread cannot be ar$ed to watch the Apprentice anymore.....
My main concern is that a number of young people will believe that you should act like the no-hopers that appear on the show....
I hope I'm not being over pessimistic

capt_slog

p9uma wrote:

You could have course just switch the television off.

Whilst this is true, it would be nice if there was something on the prime channels at peak viewing times that I could watch instead. Like others on here I'm sick to death of these seemingly endless karaoke shows, it's not as if we are short of second rate singers covering other peoples tunes.

I don't watch the Apprentice either, I find the lack of common sense in the contestants depressing.

bompington

GiantMike wrote:

I don't understand why people watch these programmes in the first place, and then why they have some kind of emotional involvement that makes tham want to participate. I'm not saying it's wrong

Oh, I think at lot of us would say exactly that.

p9uma wrote:

You could have course just switch the television off.

+10^100^100. Not that most viewers would have a clue what that means.

p9uma

Capt Slog wrote:

p9uma wrote:

You could have course just switch the television off.

Whilst this is true, it would be nice if there was something on the prime channels at peak viewing times that I could watch instead. Like others on here I'm sick to death of these seemingly endless karaoke shows, it's not as if we are short of second rate singers covering other peoples tunes.

I don't watch the Apprentice either, I find the lack of common sense in the contestants depressing.

I agree, it would be nice if there was something good to watch but there isn't, so it stays switched off.

Pross

I quite like The Voice, it's far more positive and in one series has had more decent singers than all the X Factor series put together. It would be nice if they would give more musicians time on all these things though and encourage them to write and perform their own material. There's good musical talent out there and I think having somewhere for them to showcase their talent. If it was up to me I would take the voting out of it and have a show where unsigned acts get a chance to put themselves in the shop window over a few weeks.

The Apprentice though is an odd concept in any case, using an entertainment industry style format to choose a business person is just wrong. Something along the Dragon's Den model is probably a better way to get an idea of business aptitude, all The Apprentice does it test sales skills on a generally pre-prepared audience. It would be better to get them each running a mock business for a few months, building it up from scratch rather than short term weekly challenges.

alihisgreat

mfin wrote:

Is The Apprentice Dumber this year? I mean, I know the people come across dumb as you like, but I always thought that tasks worth watching were the one's when people who are watching can at least think 'I know what I'd do' at the same time as watching the idiots come up with complete rubbish.

I mean, a task like the one where it was 'come up with a product for the home' you can think of things yourself. But a task where they just have to sell things is not engaging at all, as all you can do is watch them perform/underperform.

Seems to me there's more of these kind of sales tasks this year and a lack of ones when you can think what you might do yourself. Might not be true, but the balance seems that way and hence its lost its chattability that it might have once had a lot more of??

Its just the nature of reality TV -> If you're good enough to be successful then the chances are you already have a nice job and wouldn't touch the apprentice with a bargepole... so you get a load of unsuccessful half-wits applying instead.

I suppose it may make more interesting TV because at least you have something to laugh at?

Redhog14

The Apprentice is never watched in my house. IMO, this self perpetuating BS that you are only "successful" in business by aggressively shafting people and that that is some measure of worth I have always found to be quite repugnant.
X Factor on the other hand stimulates good music by ensuring people who think it is drivel go out and make good shit instead. As for BGT? where's the harm? That Lithuanian comedian guy was priceless.

mfin

I'm not actually interested in any of these programmes for the talent they dig up, I was more on about the programmes themselves from an entertainment/engaging sort of angle. More like if you 'take them as a product' where that product has evolved and changed and loses its focus and popularity.

The popularity, I'm not actually even going on viewing figures, just how it seems to me, although some of the viewing figure drops do reflect this I suppose.

Apprentice seems to have been able to provide a bit of entertainment to lots of different people, those who just watch it, those who think 'what would I do if faced with that task' but you can't do the latter when you're watching people sell things, only when they are actually tasked with 'doing something creative' (and usually failing miserably).

The Voice achieves none of its 'noble aims' to me at all, plus, at the same time its dull. My daughter is prime audience, but can't stand it, says 'it's borrrrrrrrring'.

I find it all a bit interesting (not the programmes on face value), but then again I do a lot of creative stuff for a living, that's where I'm coming from.

simple_salmon

The Horrible Histories version of the Apprentice is much better than the real one IMHO.

majormantra

This never gets old:

http://youtu.be/3ss-59fi4nM

I still find myself watching the Apprentice. It's completely absurd from a business point of view and the sycophantic awe of Lord Sugar is laughable, but I still seem to derive enjoyment from watching ar*eholes being horrible to one another.

BigJimmyB

My wife went to the gym last night. After i got the kids off to sleep, instead of reaching for the remote and scanning for the least innane s**t I could watch, I read - firstly a few articles from SingleTrack, then a book I've reading on my commute.

Mrs B coming through the front door at 8:55 was the first time I looked up (save retreiving a dummy from down the side of a cot to get my daughter off to sleep again).

I'm going to do it more I think, I actually enjoyed the peace and can bet that I missed precisely feck-all on TV.