After over six decades of activity in the public eye, Arnold Schwarzenegger has become known primarily for three things: his stint as governor of California from 2003–2011, his exceptional athleticism, and his willingness to reprise the same roles over and over again. However, now Schwarzenegger will be departing from his reprisal norm for the television season, as NBC has announced that he will be taking the reins of successful reality series Celebrity Apprentice.
Schwarzenegger may seem a dubious (or unexpected) choice for fans of the show. Despite his successful gubernatorial stint, Schwarzenegger remains best known for his catchphrases and action films. Nevertheless, those with total recall of his activities in the 21st century will know that he’s fully capable of icing out predatory critics to focus on what is important--in this case, hosting a reality show.
Overall, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a wise selection for the next host of Celebrity Apprentice. Although certainly no twin to the previous face of the series, Schwarzenegger is far from a junior replacement for his predecessor. The bodybuilder/actor/businessman/successful politician will bring a fresh twist to an aging series. Less of a media barbarian than the previous host, Schwarzenegger has escaped relatively unscathed after going emotionally commando in a few pop culture crises that he endured without permanently tainting his good name and future endeavors in the biz.
Already, NBC and Arnold Schwarzenegger have gone out of their way to emphasize a return to the focus on the charitable elements of Celebrity Apprentice. Thanks to Schwarzenegger’s past successes as governor and NBC’s determination to move the show out from under former host Donald Trump’s umbrella of media self-destruction, the new partnership will hopefully allow the show to jingle all the way to the bank for charity rather than mine the content for spectacle.
Of course, Schwarzenegger and NBC will inevitably draw attention to the infamous termination of Donald Trump from the show and the network with the announcement of the new host. While the former NBC cash cow had already bowed out of future hosting duties in order to focus on his presidential campaign, the network cut Trump off entirely following a speech riddled with inflammatory remarks about immigrants.
Many businesses associated with Trump have been scrambling to disassociate with him in the aftermath of his comments about immigration, but NBC had the highest uphill battle in escaping Trump’s legacy. Fortunately, the choice of Arnold Schwarzenegger as Trump’s replacement should be a step in the right direction.
To paraphrase Mr. Schwarzenegger himself from his role as John Kimble from the 1990 classic Kindergarten Cop, Trump was a headache rather than a tumor for the network, and the switch from inflammatory business mogul with eyes on the White House to former governor and proven businessman promises a great potential recovery for the future of Celebrity Apprentice. We'll let you know when Celebrity Apprentice is headed back to NBC.
