Daily Variety has reported that "Survivor" producer Mark Burnett began shooting his new NBC "The Apprentice" reality series in New York City today. Starring Donald Trump as a mentor to sixteen would-be personal assistants, the series is currently scheduled to premiere sometime during the February 2004 sweeps period.
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"We are so impressed with Mark Burnett and his team for finding the smartest contestants ever to participate in an unscripted drama, and we have every reason to believe that 'The Apprentice' will become a franchise for NBC," entertainment president Jeff Zucker told Variety.
The series will test what matters most -- street smarts or formal education. In each of the thirteen episodes, Trump will assign a business task. The last contestant left -- "the apprentice of the master" -- will be awarded a yearlong job with Trump and a six-figure salary.
The sixteen contestants, like Burnett, arrived in New York late last week. According to Variety, on Friday, Burnett and Trump told an informal gathering of reporters that the 16 candidates were selected from 215,000 applicants, a figure that seems extremely high, even when compared to application submissions to other hit reality shows.
Given that Burnett is also committed to filming the much talked-about all-star edition of "Survivor" for CBS in time for an early Spring 2004 premiere, it's anticipated that the shooting schedule for "The Apprentice" will only last a few weeks.