Legendary business mogul Donald Trump has teamed up with Mark Burnett, the executive producer of Survivor, to create "The Apprentice," a reality TV show depicting survival in the business world.

Trump is the personification of the American Dream. With a start in real estate, he has amassed a fortune and developed an empire out of properties in Manhattan and Atlantic City, just to name a few. With his net worth somewhere in the billions, one would be hard pressed to find a working man or woman who doesn't respect him for his venture to the top. After acquiring over a billion dollars and having most of it washed away due to loan payments in the early 90's, he rebounded and came back even stronger, thanks to his savvy business skills.

Now, Trump is offering the American Dream to one of 16 contestants on "The Apprentice" vying for a coveted six-figure salary job of a lifetime with the Trump Organization. Each week, the group is whittled down one person at a time. The two teams take to the streets of Manhattan and take on the task given to them. Typically, the challenges incorporate all facets of the cutthroat business world, including marketing, sales, and advertising, amongst others. The team that loses that episode's challenge is called to the boardroom where one of them is fired, while the triumphant team is bestowed some type of extravagant reward, like a couple of rounds on the Trump National Golf course. Now, only five contestants remain, only one of which is a woman, and one will be moving on up the corporate ladder while the remaining four will be moving out and on to other ventures on the first season finale, which airs April 15.

Dominating Thursday nights, and bringing in 22.8 million viewers this week alone, according to Nielson ratings, "The Apprentice," with its rave reviews, will be returning for a second season. The show is becoming the talk around the water cooler not just for its entertainment value, but for the lessons in leadership and business savoir-faire it brings as well. A recently ousted contestant, Katrina Campins, asserted in an article on MSN.com that Trump has a great managerial style.

"For the most part, Mr. Trump did a pretty good job of firing people. "I think he's a great boss," she said. For a man of such great success, it's hard to believe so many people questioned the longevity and popularity of the show before it aired. According to the Pioneer Press of St. Paul MN, Trump likes a gamble because he goes into it with a no-fail attitude.

"You're always surprised when you become the top in so much competition. I was told by some very smart people who advised me not to do this show because 95 percent of the shows on television fail. And they said, 'You don't want to be associated with failure.' In theory, I shouldn't (have been surprised about the show's success), because I've had good success over the years," he said.

However, while the smash success of "The Apprentice" is ever strong, the Trump Hotel and Resort Company is going under, with a 1.8 million dollar debt according to the Associated Press. The auditors question whether the company will be able to survive. This will stand to test just how high one man can build his empire.