Commentary By Alisa aka CaliGirl
September 30, 2004
Personal Observations
I have watched several episodes of The Benefactor as well as The Apprentice and have come to the conclusion that there is not very much difference between two powerful, successful and rich men who can make the decision about who stays and who has to leave on their shows as well as in life.
Donald Trump was born on June 14, 1946 in New York, New York. He graduated from the Wharton School of Finance and is an adventurous risk taker in every sense of the word. He's had a great deal of success in real estate. To hear him tell it, he owns most of New York City, but he is also a philanthropist who is active in many charities and does more than merely send them a check.
He also owns casinos in Atlantic City and big beauty pageants like Miss U.S.A., Miss Teen U.S.A. and Miss Universe. While beauty pageants seem so passé, they do quite well in the ratings.
Mark was born in Pittsburgh, PA on July 31, 1958, a child of immigrants. He started selling garbage bags door-to-door when he was 12 years old and just moved up that ladder of success. He knew computers were going to be the next big thing and made it his business to learn about them. His company MicroSolutions was sold to CompuServ and his Broadcast.com was a huge success as well. He sold that to Yahoo.com for 5.7 BILLION dollars. His time is now taken up mostly with the Dallas Mavericks who he helped propel to a first class NBA team. He also gives his money generously to good causes as we saw on the episode where one team took him to the Scottish Rite children's hospital where the Mavericks are already major contributors.
Clearly, Mark Cuban is the more generous of the two. He is giving away a million dollars, whereas Trump is offering the winner of "his" show a stipend of $250,000 he or she has to work an ENTIRE YEAR to earn. After that, who knows if they'll succeed at anything else.
While Donald Trump was able to reap the benefits of his father's money, Mark Cuban is a self-made man. Trump always is in business attire but you won't catch Cuban in a suit if he can help it.
They share a few excellent traits; tenacity, intelligence and the willingness to take huge risks are merely a few. They are virtually fearless in that regard. Another commonality is that both of them enjoy basking in the limelight. You can't be effective if you remain anonymous is a belief held by both men. They love their celebrity status.
However, I don't believe there is much love lost between these two titans. Mark is open and friendly and approachable, while Donald Trump holds himself in check and is ostentatious to the extreme. Look at that gaudy place that he calls his home. It's all for show, but not for comfort. The latest fiancée that drapes herself around his arm is also for show.
The Men In Charge
The mens' personalities are also poles apart. Whereas Trump comes across as very business-like, although he throws around a few bon mots now and again, Mark Cuban is much more fun loving despite being as driven as the Donald. Both men became wealthy because of their drive, enthusiasm and business acumen.
Mark Cuban is playful, although he never sets time aside for himself to play. Therefore, when one of the challenges turned into not wasting his time but doing something resourceful with him, the team that lost was the team that hadn't done enough research about what Mark would like, and had to sit in some hokey yard making small talk. They forgot the premise of their challenge, but Cuban remembered. Time is of the essence and there is no excuse to waste it.
Apprentice vs. Benefactor
Which is the better show? Which show is more entertaining? These questions are difficult to answer in that they are both well thought out and produced. However, one is very structured, and the other is loosy goosy on the surface. Guess which is which.
I believe that Mark Cuban is less full of himself than Donald Trump. Proof of that is apparent in that he does not have to stamp his big phallic symbol buildings with his silly name.
Instead, Mark would love to have more leisure time to enjoy himself if he wasn't such a successful entrepreneur. Every once in a while he lets that side of him show through and it's delightful to see. He has a genuine hearty laugh and doesn't appear to be stern or strict like Donald Trump. Instead, he is a guy who enjoys social interaction with the people on his show. I can see that he has already picked out certain people and the traits that he likes in them. He's a good judge of character and doesn't need a George or a Carolyn to give him their opinions.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, looks for the Achilles heel and goes for the jugular. That's a fancy way of saying that the team members have to be on their toes at all times. If they want to impress him, it isn't by talking too much, or trying to astound him. He also has a good sense of who the players are and what they are all about. I will say that as weird as Tracy J. appeared to be in the first episode, the fact that her teammates were ganging up on her and calling her crazy after the fact seemed to sway Trump more than her accomplishments. I thought that was very unfair of him. They are all avaricious bitches and he shouldn't have based his ultimate decision on their say so.
If you like an "Urban Survivor" type of show in the tried and true Mark Burnett formula, then you might prefer "The Apprentice" to "The Benefactor." The players are divided into two teams and each week difficult challenges must be overcome and the team with the bigger profit or lower expenditure is safe, whereas the other team members are all vulnerable. This is where the drama comes in. By the time the three ultimate "victims" are chosen, they meet in the boardroom and one of them gets the axe.
I like surprises and there are very few on Trump's show. The only twist comes in the form of the occasional catfight among the women, or conflict on the men's team. I do enjoy the Boardroom scenes although they have become somewhat predictable.
Try It, You'll Like It
"The Benefactor" pulls out all the stops. On one occasion, 2nd grade kids were given the power to determine who should stay and who should leave the show because Mark thinks that kids are great judges of character. At other times, the contestants get the privilege. Of course Mark Cuban may also determine who goes, but it's all very random and that makes it so much more interesting. That doesn't mean that the pressure isn't intense. Hell, they're playing for a million dollars and that's not chump change.
The challenges on The Benefactor are extremely creative and a lot more freewheeling than on The Apprentice. The teams are pretty much flying by the seat of their pants as they have to come up with ways to start an enterprise, or entertain Mr. Cuban without wasting his time.
Other than that, The Apprentice is garnering major ratings, while The Benefactor is still trying to prove itself in its freshman season. Frankly, I don't think you have to make a choice; you can watch them both and be entertained. However, for that extra measure of pleasure, I heartily recommend Mark Cuban's "The Benefactor." You just never know what might happen and that's why I like it.
Alisa aka CaliGirl loves the Ocean, granola and winemaking. When not busy with that, writing is her biggest thrill, well almost. She can be reached at california_girl100@yahoo.com
