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Israel’s answer to The Apprentice

Israeli reality television produces shows as crappy as everywhere else. We shmaltz it up with our version of American/Pop Idol. We bare witness to the whorish and self-important twenty-somethings of “Project Y,” our version of Big Brother but with a lot more sex. Then there was “Take Me Sharon,” Channel 2’s version of The Bachelorette.

Thus far, there has been only one Israeli reality show that wasn’t a complete embarrassment. “Sof Haderech” was based on The Amazing Race. The entire competition was held in Israel and teams traveled from Eilat to the Golan and everywhere in between. Unlike in “The Amazing Race,” these teams did not know each other previously to the race and were from completely different walks of life. There was the national religious guy paired up with the secular homosexual, the religious mother of five paired up with a Tel Aviv club dancer, the Kibbutznik farmer with the Physics professor, etc. You catch my drift.

Well, Israel reality TV is about to get better. I just saw a promo for Israel’s answer to “The Apprentice.” It’s called “The Ambassador” and its looks promising.

From the press release:

Twelve of the most talented, intelligent and motivated people in the country will compete for the position of the “spokesperson”. Over a period of 12 intensive weeks the participants will have to complete a series of challenges designed specifically to test their skills and suitability.

Each episode will take place in a different country and will culminate in a final event in which one participant with the necessary skills (including oratory ability, management and leadership qualities, determination, motivation and charisma) will be selected to fulfill the mission.

The winner will become the ultimate Israeli ‘ ambassador’ – a representative of Israel throughout the world. He or she will Travel the world, meet and speak with students, school children, government bodies, broadcasters etc – all as a part of the Israel at Heart (Joey Low) organization.

Location for the show will take place in the UK – London and the University of Cambridge, Paris, Milan, Washington DC and New York.

Planned participants on the show are former Israeli Prime ministers, Shimon Peres and Benjamin Netanyahu, Former Head of Israel’s secret services, Mr. Yaakov Peri and other key figure and experts in the feilds of media, diplomacy, politics and public relations.

Presumably there will be less backstabbing and pettiness considering the job at hand. No word on the catchphrase, but I don’t think it’s going to be atah m’footar (you’re fired in Hebrew).

Cross posted to the view from here

7 thoughts on “Israel’s answer to The Apprentice

  1. Did nobody tell them that New York and Washington D.C. aren’t technically in different countries? I could completely understand if they had said, “New York and California” or even “New York and Vermont,” but come on, now.

  2. only isreal would put their former prime ministers on a reality tv show. i love it. can anyone imagine bush and kerry competing on, say, survivor? or, even more bizarre, an apprentice-type show with a real polticial position as the final goal? there’s something wonderful about the “we are all in this together” attitude profressed by israelis. americans are too high and mighty to really imagine stepping into someone else’s shoes or experiment with strange creative ideas or confront class and pop culture issues on a serious level. the closest we came was having puff daddy use james carville as his campaign manager for a “vote or die” election get out the vote campaign…. yikes.
    i wholeheartedly look forward to this new show. even though i do not have a tv, is there any way for americans to watch this? internet? mobius you want to mail out CDs/DVDs of this? or, is there a website to track the outcome of the show? just curious.
    peace. gotta love israel.

  3. There was also that ISraeli reality TV show “steve” where they took the guy and told him he was gonna be on the hit Israeli soap opera, brought him in, filmmed episodes, gave him acting direction, etc. made him feel like a big shot soap star only to tell him the whole thing was faked. Cruel, but entertaining, and, as far as i know, not based on an American counterpart

  4. Danya:
    “Did nobody tell them that New York and Washington D.C. aren’t technically in different countries?”
    The ambassador to DC would be the ambassador to the US while the ambassador to NY would be ambassador to the UN (unfavourable enclave surrounded by a friendly city).
    Laya:
    “There was also that ISraeli reality TV show “steve” where they took the guy and told him he was gonna be on the hit Israeli soap opera,[…] Cruel, but entertaining, and, as far as i know, not based on an American counterpart”
    “The Steve Show” was inspired by the movie “The Truman Show”.
    Sam:
    :only isreal would put their former prime ministers on a reality tv show. i love it.”
    Great idea! Channel One could engineer a comback by besting “HaShagrir” with something like “HaNivhhar” in which several politically inclined players have to overcome various imaginatively nasty tests) it’s like a party’s primary opnly more fun and you get to particuipate via SMS, the winner gets to run in the real upcoming elections and if he wins he’ll have Hhaim Yavin saying his famous “Rabotai Mahapakh!” phrase.

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