“50 Cent: the Money and the Power”
Thursdays at 10 p.m.
MTV
2.5 out of 5 Stars
Rapper, actor and entrepreneur 50 Cent can add Donald Trump impersonator to his list of endeavors with his new MTV reality series “50 Cent: the Money and the Power.” Fourteen hopefuls compete in a series of business and physical challenges that test their ability to think on their feet and work as a team. The winner will earn a $100,000 investment of 50 Cent’s own money, far less than the million-dollar prize offered on “The Apprentice.” Whether the winner will have any sort of continued business relationship with the rap-star is unclear, but from 50’s purposeful remark, “I’m not looking for some half-assed apprentice,” it seems unlikely.
The business-reality genre has been exhausted by Trump, Martha Stewart and several others who are looking to hit it big while getting another lackey in the process. Hell, even Andy Dick managed to find enough people who’d work for him. What makes “The Money and the Power” tolerable, despite its complete unoriginality, is that — like on all MTV reality shows — people curse, rip, tear, punch and claw at each other nearly 24/7. In the opening sequence, 50 says he wants to pit the book-smart against the street-smart. What really happens is that all the “street-smart” people scream and push each other around while the “book-smart” contestants watch in a mix of horror and amusement.
It may not seem like senseless bickering would be a necessary addition to the “Apprentice” formula, but it actually helps a lot. The fights among team members are exactly what people wanted to see on “The Apprentice” but never did, because contestants on network reality shows at least pretend to have dignity.
One surprising success that puts “The Money and the Power” above later seasons of Trump’s classic is that the focus isn’t on 50 Cent himself. The tedium of “The Apprentice” arose when the show became an outlet for Trump to show off. On the other hand, the show actually devotes a lot of screen-time to the interactions and back-stories of its contestants. Of course, portraits of 50 are all over the walls of “Camp Curtis,” the military-esque installation where the competitors live, but that’s the extent of his celebrity arrogance.
The inevitable and unsurprising downfall of the show, to be sure, is its uncanny similarity to the many business-reality shows that came before it. While it distinguishes itself to an extent, the show wastes too much time making a conscious effort to appear unique. “You’re fired” is replaced by the phrase “You’ve been dropped. Get the fuck outta here.” The board room is substituted for a rooftop. The business suits disappear in favor of baggy jeans, except for the elimination scene, where 50 sports some pretty fly business threads. In constantly trying to distinguish himself from Trump, 50 Cent just makes his show look even lower budget than it probably is.
“50 Cent: the Money and the Power” survives on its thug vibe and belligerent cast. The show can’t escape being a knock-off of “The Apprentice,” but fortunately for 50 Cent, the first season of “The Apprentice” was actually pretty good. With a smaller prize and a much smaller budget, 50’s version may not be the grand spectacle that Trump provided, but it still manages to entertain.