Martha Stewart to Star in “Apprentice” Spin-off

By: Daniel Fienberg
Posted In: Entertainment

Franchise expansion: It’s a good thing.

In what NBC Universal President Jeff Zucker described as a “big, exciting and thrilling announcement,” NBC revealed on Wednesday (Feb. 2) that Mark Burnett and Donald Trump will spin-off their successful business reality franchise with “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart,” an upcoming series featuring the currently incarcerated domestic diva.

“While both Donald and Martha are incredible business icons, they’re in very different businesses,” Burnett says. “This allows each version of ‘The Apprentice’ TV show to have a very different look and feel, while operating within the same successful format. This is really a win, win win. It’s a win for NBC, absolutely. It’s a win for Martha. And definitely a win for Donald and I as partners.”

“The Apprentice: Martha Stewart,” which will land the winner an unspecified job with Martha Stewart Ominimedia, is the second announced project teaming Stewart, Burnett and NBC Universal. A syndicated series is currently selling well with affiliates and is hoping for a launch some time this fall.

“There’s no question that each of us is fascinated by the rags-to-riches and comeback in this country and I think that nobody is a better example of that than Martha,” Zucker boasts. “I think that that is part of what the tremendous interest in her will be both in daytime and in the primetime version of ‘The Apprentice’ when that airs.”

Although Burnett acknowledges that a deal for the spin-off was in place before Stewart was incarcerated, the official announcement was held until February to avoid confusion with the third season of “The Apprentice” and, allegedly, so as not to take attention away from The Donald’s recent nuptials. No timetable has been set for the premiere of Stewart’s “Apprentice,” but on the show’s upcoming 27-city casting tour, applicants will be given the opportunity to choose whether they want to audition for the Trump-flavored fourth season, or Stewart’s different brand.

“She’s looking for somebody’s who’s creative, but defined broadly, creativity includes marketing, inventing, using technology to sell her brand,” explains Burnett. “She’s also looking for someone who can think on their feet and can make decisions and be brave.”

It’s unclear how Stewart’s “Apprentice” will set itself apart from the first three installments, which have been characterized by Trump’s bombast. Stewart is expected to come up with her own catch phrase to deviate from The Donald’s popular “You’re fired,” and she’ll have her own equivalent for the boardroom setting.

“Martha has her own way of dealing with things,” is all that Burnett will promise.

One thing that won’t be a major part of the new show is Stewart’s time behind bars at Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia, where Burnett has made regular visits.

“The show is not going to be focusing on her walking out of Alderson,” he says. “That won’t even be in the show, in any of the shows. I’m not interested in that side of it. It happened. It was an experience. She won’t avoid it. She may mention it, but in passing. We’re not going to try to make a mockery or a game out of a very serious part of her life.”

Rumors were flying that Trump was eying Stewart as a possible successor for when his initial “Apprentice” contract ran out this spring, but with a new deal in place for two seasons next year, Trump just wants to warn his friend that she has her work cut out for her.

“The biggest advice is be prepared to work hard, because it is more difficult than anybody would know,” says Trump. “It takes more time than you’d think and it’s more difficult, but the rewards are great and the psychological rewards are great, of having a top show on television. For me it’s been a lot of fun and it’s really been a good thing.”

Even in the midst of their excitement over the new show, Trump and Burnett are able to poke fun at some less successful imitators.

“It’s going to be nothing at all like ‘Wickedly Perfect,'” cracks Burnett of CBS’ failed domestic diva reality series. “The first difference will be this will be a success. The second difference is that’s a parody attempt at comedy which failed, this is a intelligent franchise that deals with real-world business problems that is totally aspirational for millions of people in America who want to make it.”

For his part, Trump jokes that Stewart, serving time for obstruction of justice, wasn’t their only billionaire candidate for the spin-off.

“We had in mind Richard Branson and Mark Cuban, but we had some free research done by other networks.”

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