Celebrity Apprentice: Land of the NPDs

   

     With New Year's Day falling on a Thursday I allowed myself more television than usual this long holiday weekend, justifying that projects on tap for 2015, require I check out the current landscape of reality shows. (Note, this was simply me justifying. I confess I'm a sucker for certain shows and for once, as a last little weekend gift to myself, I sat down to watch with no laundry, no ironing, no multitasking before me... just me and the remote~ Like a guy, I was watching for sport.)
     I was thrilled to find a new season of "Celebrity Apprentice" had begun, though with no Nashville representation on this one, I may not last the season. (Nashville participants may be banned at this stage, given we've won the last two (#thankyouJohnRich #thankyouTraceAdkins). Suffice it to say, I am intrigued with the gamesmanship of the show, but I am also intrigued as to why people watch this show in the first place (myself included).
     It's pretty clear to anyone who has watched for more than one season, that the key to winning is CYE. (Control Your Ego) While egomaniacs like Gary Busey are no doubt kept on a few extra weeks for the sheer insanity of things, seems the trick is to "tame the beast" ESPECIALLY at the game's onset, for bragging on yourself, pointing fingers at others, taking credit for things you did not do is NOT cool (after all, we the viewing public can see who is doing all the work, or at least who appears to be by way of the edited footage we're shown).
     I was told by a friend who once auditioned for such a show that there is a specific type they go for in the auditions (thought of which made me LOL, but also made so much sense I was surprised I hadn't thought of it before). The ideal personality type? (It's actually not a type, it's a disorder ~ ) The NPD (as in Narcissistic Personality Disorder). In other words, the more self-absorbed the person, the better the chances of landing a role on Trump's show, which, when you think about it, makes sense, does it not?
     That said, when I think about past winners (especially as it pertains to our boys from Nashville), the take away (at least from my perspective) was that yes, they all have egos (not sure you can be a country star without one) but winners tame their egos,  submitting to the larger egos in the room (be that other players; be it Trump). If you'll note, both Rich and Adkins kept their heads low but level throughout the game...focused, yes, but they acquiesced like my lug-of-a-pup Hix to the older, wiser TJ (king of the alpha barking rights and dog with the biggest head around here) which (as Hix is wisely learning) is the only way to keep yourself from getting killed.