I couldn't let the whole week go by without some sort of rant.  First, as
far as recap shows go, this season's was enjoyable to watch.  Sure,
we saw much of the same footage of highlights, but we were treated to
new scenes that were generally entertaining.  My two favorites were
Chapera play-acting Saboga's first trip to Tribal Council, and when
Mogo Mogo obtained coffee.  Rob C did a fantastic impersonation of
host, Jeff Probst.  All of them did well with their characters.  Small
wonder why Chapera is the 'happy tribe'.  Watching Mogo Mogo get
all torqued up on java was hysterical.  Especially Colby!  His eyes
looked like they were ready to shoot out from his skull like high
velocity rounds from a Soviet 76L70 anti-tank gun.  CRASH-BOOM!
On to other matters.

I really like "The Apprentice".  If I had the time this season, I would
have done articles on it as well.  As some of you may have heard, the
rumors are that this may be the last season for "Survivor", due to
contract negotiations between Burnett and CBS.  Money and creative
control are in dispute.  So if "Survivor" is doomed after this, or the
next season, "The Apprentice" will become it's successor. 

Unlike "Survivor", "The Apprentice" is more in-line with Burnett's
vision of a reality-game show based on the concept of a meritocracy.
In "Survivor", weaker contestants band together an eliminate the
stronger players.  Rarely does the best contestant (who could actually
thrive in a true survival situation) wins.  The show devolves into a
boring phase of 'pagonging' when one faction outnumbers the rest,
prior to the final showdown of the winning alliance.  While this back-
stabbing politics is fun to watch, it falls short of Burnett's dream of
the meritocracy.

"The Apprentice", on the other hand, is truer to this lofty ideal.  There
is little room for Survivor-like alliances, for there is only one vote that
counts, one person to impress, The Donald!  Trump is the natural
choice for doing this show, though I hope at some point he'll pass the
torch to others, say Bill Gates.  Donald's choice for who to fire each
week boils down to a very objective standard of value.  Money!  Who
made the least, who fouled up the most, who failed to measure up. 

With Trump calling the shots from Mount Olympus, striking down the
weak and feeble, we have here a true meritocracy.  Darwinism at it's
finest!  I will look forward to the conclusion on April 15th, about the
only thing worth looking forward to on that day, and to the second
season.  Who would've thought we'd get so much joy from hearing
those devastating words, "You're Fired!".