In spite of the recent global recession, shows like THE APPRENTICE and DRAGONS’ DEN remind us of what is still great about the free market, which is that you can make your own success. But can the Donald “trump” the Dragons, or will he get burned like the investment bankers of Wall Street for playing with fire?
ROUND 1: THE SETTING SKIRMISH
THE APPRENTICE: THE APPRENTICE is the ultimate job interview to become Donald Trump’s next big employee. Except for the sixth season when it moved to the sunny skies of Los Angeles, the show has been set against the bustling backdrop of New York City. No other milieu could be more fitting than this, the epicentre of economic competition.
DRAGONS’ DEN: DRAGONS’ DEN is an apt name for the studio where the Canadian show of the same name is filmed. A dark and dingy stage serves as a refuge for the five investment “Dragons” who host visitors to the Den looking for money in exchange for equity in their companies. Perhaps they should consider investing in a cooler lair first!
The Dragons’Den looks more like your grandma’s basement. The New York City lights lure in the first point for THE APPRENTICE!
SCORE: THE APPRENTICE – 1
DRAGONS’ DEN – 0
ROUND 2: HOSTING HEAVYWEIGHTS
THE APPRENTICE: All great TV shows have equally great personalities. Donald Trump is no exception. Arguably better known for his celebrity feuds than for his real estate transactions, Trump can take sole credit for the success of THE APPRENTICE thanks to his likeable, no-nonsense persona. Case in point: Martha Stewart tried – and failed – to match Trump’s on-screen presence in her own version of the show.
DRAGONS’ DEN: The current Dragons include marketing maven Arlene Dickinson, ex-RCMP officer-turned franchise king Jim Treliving, oil baron Brett Wilson, security software CEO Robert Herjavec, and Kevin O’Leary who sold his educational software company for over $3 billion. The diversity of their expertise and size of their egos put Trump to shame.
Trump can be critical, but no one can survive a tongue-lashing from Kevin O’Leary. The Dragons score!
SCORE: THE APPRENTICE – 1
DRAGONS’ DEN – 1
ROUND 3: THE LOONIE CALLED AND IT WANTS ITS GREEN BACK
THE APPRENTICE: Rather than show the world something it hasn’t seen before, THE APPRENTICE merely pats corporate America on its proverbial back. On display are “projects” created by the largest transnational corporate sponsors in what is the most blatant demonstration of product placement.
DRAGONS’ DEN: On the other hand, DRAGONS’ DEN showcases new and innovative products from small- and medium-sized Canadian businesses seeking to grow their operations. The show doesn’t play like an advertisement, but ratherislike an open marketplace where all people with good ideas are welcome.
DRAGONS’ DEN gives much-needed exposure to the little (Canadian) guy!
SCORE: THE APPRENTICE – 1
DRAGONS’ DEN – 2
ROUND 4: THE PRIZE POINT
THE APPRENTICE: The winner of THE APPRENTICE usually gets the key to a new car, but the main course is a $250,000 annual salary and a one-year job contract to work for Donald Trump. More recently, celebrity winners have earned money for their favourite charities.
DRAGONS’ DEN: By contrast, there isn’t just one winner in each season of DRAGONS’ DEN. Any entrepreneur who successfully slays the Dragons with their proven sales, business savvy, and presentation skills can walk away with the Dragons’ own cash. Deals in the Den have ranged anywhere from a few hundred to millions of dollars.
You know what they say about winners…the more, the merrier! DRAGONS’ DEN nabs another point!
SCORE: THE APPRENTICE – 1
DRAGONS’ DEN – 3
ROUND 5: REALITY CHECK
THE APPRENTICE: Both THE APPRENTICE and DRAGONS’ DEN purport to be reality TV shows, but just how “real” are the situations they put people in? Sure, project teams around the country compete to satisfy their clients, but on Trump’s show contestants compete in a bubble with candidates preselected for their dramatic sensibilities.
DRAGONS’ DEN: Meanwhile, entrepreneurs who enter the Den are not judged on their merits in relation to other competitors on the show, but in relation to all competitors in the real market. What happens on the show happens every day in boardrooms with real venture capitalists just like the Dragons!
THE APPRENTICE is more preoccupied with what makes good TV than with what makes good business sense.
SCORE: THE APPRENTICE – 1
DRAGONS’ DEN – 4
ROUND UP: Trump put his money where his mouth is, but still came up short. THE APPRENTICE will forever be remembered as a ground-breaking show when it premiered in 2004, but it peaked too soon and its time has passed. DRAGONS’ DEN profits from its priceless personalities, Canadian content, cold cash rewards, and accurate depiction of venture capitalism, making a show that is both educational and entertaining. So, sorry, Trump – “You’re fired!” A new star is born and, like so many great business ideas, it started in a basement.
The sixth season of DRAGONS’ DEN premieres this fall on CBC!