Parents' Guide to

The Celebrity Apprentice

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Trump's latest mixes celebs, charity, and extra iffy stuff.

TV NBC Reality TV 2008
The Celebrity Apprentice Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 6+

Based on 4 parent reviews

CSMContentDefault
CSMContentDefault Adult
October 16, 2018
age 2+

All of the reviews are FAKE NEWS

FAKE NEWS! THIS SHOW IS AMAZING! MR TRUMP HAS A WONDERFUL SHOW WHERE HE FIRES PEOPLE AND ALL NEGATIVE REVIEWS ARE FAKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
CSMContentDefault
CSMContentDefault Adult
August 26, 2017
age 2+

My kids loved this so much!

My kids watch this everyday! No swearing or bleeped swears ever in it! Trump teaches my kids how too build a wall! Now my house has rooms in it! Let your kids watch this!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE, the latest version of The Apprentice franchise, pits celebrities against each other for a good cause. Each week the group of actors, models, musicians, comedians, athletes, and even a shamed politician, competes as two teams in a variety of business challenges to raise money and awareness for their favorite charity. Executive members of the Trump Organization, including Trump's children, Don Jr. and Ivanka, monitor their progress. The team that earns the most money at the end of each contest wins a cash donation to an aid organization. As expected, The Donald fires members of the losing group. The winning celebrity not only wins the title, but an additional $250,000 bonus for his or her chosen charity, and the satisfaction of knowing that they've helped people in need.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (8):

The franchise's now-familiar formula takes on a colorful twist thanks to the personalities of people like Gene Simmons, Joan Rivers, Sharon Osbourne, and Bret Michaels. The ensembles of Type-A personalities usually leads to lots of arguing and catty behavior both in and out of the boardroom. However, because the contestants are competing for charity rather than for a high-profile job, the overall series is slightly less cutthroat than its predecessor, though it makes up for it with more foul language and sexy content than ever before.

Some of the scenes are clearly staged, and some the celebs, including impeached Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, are making the most of the publicity they are receiving for their participation. The presence of Trump's kids, while offering a glimpse into their family relationship, also seems a little nepotistic. But if you look past all the reality drama, you will see some very passionate efforts to give back to the community.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how much of what they see in this show is real. Given that the contestants are celebrities, how much of what you see is staged? Do you think a lot of planning goes into what celebs are going to say (or not say) while the cameras are rolling?

  • Do you have a favorite charity? What kinds of things have you done to support it? Can you think of creative ways to raise awareness about its cause, or to raise money for its efforts?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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