Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass

3.4 3.4 out of 5 stars | 598 ratings

Price: 15.99

Last update: 12-21-2024


About this item

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From the editor in chief of Variety and author of the New York Times bestseller Ladies Who Punch, the never-fully-told, behind-the-scenes story of Donald Trump and The Apprentice, the long-running reality series that catapulted him to the White House.

Here for the first time is the definitive untold story of Donald Trump’s years as a reality TV star. Trump himself admits he might not have been president without The Apprentice. Now, just as he uncovered the chaos inside the daytime favorite The View in his bestselling Ladies Who Punch, Ramin Setoodeh chronicles Trump’s dramatic tenure as New York’s ultimate boss in the boardroom, a mirage created by Survivor producer Mark Burnett and NBC boss Jeff Zucker. With unprecedented access, including hours of interviews with Trump, his boardroom advisers George Ross and Carolyn Kepcher, Eric Trump, and some of the most memorable contestants, and writing with flair and authority, Setoodeh shares all the untold tales from this legendary show that has left its mark on popular culture, shaped the legend of its star, and ultimately changed American history.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Joe McDonnell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Grift
    Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2024
    Not worth the money
  • Ziegmont
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Malignant Narcissist's Past
    Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2024
    A good tell of DJT's warped transformation from silver spooned fool to the sadly sickening narcissist so stuck in the past. Reality can be hard for many, and he's especially prone to fantasies of yesterday.
  • Bob Canning
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not great but a fast, entertaining summer read
    Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2024
    Author Ramin Setoodeh interviewed Donald Trump quite a number of times for his best-selling book, "Apprentice in Wonderland” over a 20-year period. In the early 2000s many viewers were entertained and amused by "The Donald’s" showmanship on NBC’s “The Apprentice” and "The Celebrity Apprentice." They were my favorite must-see TV shows as my career was in advertising, marketing and show business (Disney Studios for 15 years). The challenges on those shows were like the World Series to me.

    Nowadays far more people are horrified and revolted by the despicable dishonesty of the convicted felon he is today and will be forever more. Yet, MAGATs and Evangelicals still blindly believe "the pretend ruler" (Setoodeh's words) won the 2020 election because he told them ad nauseum that he believed he won.

    However, in a recent follow-up interview for the book with the convicted felon about Geraldo Rivera on "The Celebrity Apprentice," Setoodeh writes on Page 191:

    "When I ask Trump whether they're still on good terms, he tells me a story. 'After I lost the election...,' Trump says. These words come tumbling from his mouth, almost against his will, and he winces in surprise. It's a moment of candor that catches Trump off guard; even he can’t believe he said it. The spin artist takes immediate control, trying to erase this humiliating gaffe of speaking the truth, one that could alienate his base and cost him his pride.”

    The convicted felon “corrects” himself and repeats the Big Lie yet again. And later in the book, while several WHITE former Apprentice contestants claim Trump isn't a racist, Arsenio Hall would beg to differ with them.

    The author better keep those tapes well hidden and locked up, because if this dangerous and mentally imbalanced dictator wannabe goosesteps back into office, he'll send his lickspittle stormtroopers to get those damning tapes.
  • SJ
    5.0 out of 5 stars Through the looking glass we go….
    Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2024
    This book gives you a look at Trump from a new perspective. We all watched The Apprentice. We all have said “You’re Fired” at one point. We have bought the ties and didn’t plan dinners for Thursdays. Then he became President. He took his role on The Apprentice and expanded it. He understands ratings and the overall appeal of having different characters, the good looking one, the villain, etc. Somehow, he bumbled all that together and created a character half the country loves. Did he ruin the country? Did he create division? Did he set back human rights 50 years? Has he made the US unsafe for minorities and LGBTQ? Has he kidnapped the American flag and the term “patriot” to the point half the country doesn’t even want to celebrate the 4th of July or wear a shirt with the flag on it in fear of being thought a Trumper? Does it matter? He’s looking for fame. He’s looking for season 2. He doesn’t care what it takes. He’s in character and half the country thinks he’s the answer. God save us.
  • Fiona Webster
    4.0 out of 5 stars surprisingly compelling, uneasily amusing
    Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2024
    By grounding his portrayal of Trump in his role as a reality TV star, Setoodah nails something Trump's other chroniclers have missed: Trump is *still* a reality TV star—one who now, in summer of 2024, is angling to get renewed for another season.

    With the exception of a few passages where he gets lost in the weeds of "splits" of money between this revenue stream vs. that one, who was running which network and why—topics only of interest to Hollywood insiders who obsessively follow the news in Variety—Setoodah is a good writer. He observes Trump keenly and has a knack for capturing telling details.
  • GWS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, I Get It
    Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2024
    For years I have not understood the country’s collective fascination with Donald Trump. I always knew he was bad for the country, and was utterly confused why everyone couldn’t see that. I’ve read several books on Trump…trying to get it. This is the first book that helped me “see the light”. The author shows that Trump certainly has all the characteristics necessary to be the star of a reality television show; narcissism being first among those. It only became scary when so many Americans were fooled into thinking what he offered was real and would translate well into a presidency. Let Donald Trump sit at as many fake boardroom tables as he wants, just keep him out of the Oval Office. He is woefully not qualified.
  • Michael
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really Enjoyed This Book
    Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2024
    Read this book while I was on vacation in Key west in July 2022 - and couldn't put it down. Easy read, and really shows trump for who he is - which we all know by now of course - but the details and insight from the in person meetings are so telling - highly recommend.
  • Zinger
    3.0 out of 5 stars Wow, was this book hyped!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2024
    Knowing that this book was written by Variety's co-editor in chief I should perhaps have had lower expectations. I should have known that this wasn't going to be a hard-hitting piece of investigative journalism. I never saw Trump on "The Apprentice" TV show but suppose readers who did might find the behind-the-scenes gossip interesting. I didn't. I found the pallid criticisms of Trump, his pathological need for attention, rather fawning in fact. I guess that is to be expected. Show business is performed by out-of-control egotism at all levels, and those embedded in it must be acclimated to the dysfunction. Including those who cover it in the press.

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