Why The Apprentice Ended In 2017

The Apprentice was one of the most lucrative and popular reality business shows of all time, but the show came to an end in 2017 following a very short-lived revival. For the first fourteen seasons, the show was headed by ex-president Donald Trump as the contestants went through several knockout challenges as they competed for the chance to promote one of the entrepreneur’s properties for one year. The show also lent its name to the controversial biopic The Apprentice, which follows the earlier years in Trump’s professional life.

Although the show was extremely popular during its heyday, The Apprentice ended in 2017 - much to the dissatisfaction of its many fans. However, the project developed a strong legacy that’s manifested in other versions across the world, including the beloved The Apprentice UK. The show was also responsible for pushing Trump into the spotlight of the entertainment world, allowing him to develop the public persona and loud social media presence on Twitter that he’s carried forward into his political career.

The Network Decided They Should Part Ways

In 2015, it was revealed that Donald Trump would not be returning to The Apprentice for the upcoming season. The reason behind this decision, while initially unclear, soon revealed itself to be the derogatory comments that Trump made about Mexican immigrants. NBC cut ties with the presenter completely, announcing that The Apprentice would continue without him. CBS News reported that Trump had been “fired” from the project - a claim that’s been disputed by Trump over the years.

NBC’s statement read that Trump had been removed from The Apprentice due to “the recent derogatory statements [...] regarding immigrants,” and the company claimed to be “ending its business relationship” with the mogul. The statements in question were made during Trump’s official announcement that he was running for president, during which he falsely claimed: “[Mexican immigrants] are bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” It was the first of several controversial statements made by the politician in the run-up to the 2016 election.

Donald Trump Says He Chose To Leave The Apprentice To Pursue Politics

The Presenter Denies That He Was Fired From The Show

However, Donald Trump denies the claim that he was “fired” from the project, claiming instead that he stepped back from The Apprentice in order to pursue politics and focus on his presidential campaign. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Trump refuted the suggestion that his exit from the show was involuntary: “They didn’t cut ties with me, I cut ties with them out of respect,” he said. “They wanted me to do The Apprentice, and they were very angry that I didn’t do it.” This clearly goes against NBC’s official statement, and raised many questions about the nature of the exit.

It was little more than a year after his departure that Trump was elected President of the United States of America, succeeding Barack Obama.

Like many of the figures that appear in The Apprentice biopic, Trump’s career is one that’s been plagued with controversy and conflict. His departure from the show was clearly no different, with both parties presenting completely different stories of what happened. Regardless, Trump certainly did shift his focus to politics after leaving The Apprentice - it was little more than a year after his departure that Trump was elected President of the United States of America, succeeding Barack Obama.

NBC Tried To Save The Celebrity Apprentice By Replacing Trump With Arnold Schwarzenegger

The Hollywood Star Presented The Show For One Season

Close

Following Trump’s exit from The Apprentice, NBC hired politician-turned-actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to replace him as the face of the show. While the decision to continue The Apprentice without Trump was an understandably divisive one, Schwarzenegger seemed like a suitable replacement: not only was he extremely popular, but he also had enough experience both in business and Republican politics to make the transition seem natural. Though Schwarzenegger is best known for his many great movies, business and politics have always been core to his career.

The controversy surrounding Trump’s replacement and subsequent election to the White House made The Apprentice’s fifteenth season an interesting experiment - everything was rebranded to remove any trace of the businessman from the show. Schwarzenegger replaced his signature catchphrase “you’re fired” with a more fitting “you’re terminated”, and instead of sending the losers away in black limousines, they were suitably told to “get to the chopper” and removed by helicopter. It was a clear attempt to rebrand the show, and it mostly worked.

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​​​​​Trump’s absence from The Apprentice was certainly felt in its fifteenth season, but NBC did a great job of making the transition smooth and giving the show a whole new feel to usher it into a new style. The tasks were more or less the same, but the high stakes of working for Donald Trump’s properties weakened the competition. It was less intense and more lighthearted, which was perhaps an attempt at overcoming the behind-the-scenes tension of the revival. The stakes were lower; but the winner, Matt Iseman, donated over $1,000,000 to the Arthritis Foundation following his victory.

The Apprentice's Viewers Hit A Near Record Low In The Final Season

People Lost Interest Once Trump Had Left

Unfortunately, the show’s new format was a huge misfire. The show reached an average viewership of 4.8 million, which was only marginally higher than season 10’s record-low count of 4.7 million. The Apprentice simply struggled to retain viewers without a character like Trump at the helm, and while Schwarzenegger did a great job of bringing new life to the project, it had already run its course. Following the poor ratings, Schwarzenegger decided to step down from the show, and NBC announced its official conclusion soon after.

The Apprentice was undeniably one of the most successful reality shows out there - mostly thanks to its boundary-pushing format and high-stakes prizes that could only be enabled by a project of this magnitude. While its conclusion may not have been as satisfying as most fans hoped, and certainly left a lot to be desired considering the trajectory of Trump’s subsequent career, the first fourteen seasons were mostly great television that helped many people get their feet in the door of the business world and display their talents on-screen.

Sources: CBS News, The Hollywood Reporter