By Jacquelynn D. Powers, Photos: Seth Browarnik

ith the overnight success of The Apprentice, Donald Trump, the billionaire realestate developer, has become even more famous. While Trump was always a media-savvy star in his own right, the NBC hit show has made him an accessible figure, someone people shout out to on the street. Fans corner him even in his private Mar-a-Lago Club during a luncheon celebrating Valentino's latest fashions: "I'm glued to the show," "I'm glad you got rid of Sam," "I can't wait to watch next week," and, most frequently, "You're fired!"

By the end of the day, even I'm sick of hearing the phrase, "You're fired" - and we are in Palm Beach, where the blue-bloods pride themselves on their discretion. I can only imagine how loud the din gets back in New York City, where Donald spends his weekdays. But through it all, he remains unruffled by the increased attention. In fact, he seems to enjoy the clamor his new show and ensuing catch phrase are causing all across America. "It has been really exciting," he says. "I go down Worth Avenue and people are screaming out, 'You're fired,' from their Rolls-Royces. It's crazy. I had no idea it was going to go to this level. I'm on the cover of TV Guide. Can you believe it?"

The Apprentice has also become the number one show during its Thursday-night timeslot after Friends and Will & Grace. (Donald even whips out the Nielsen ratings to show me firsthand.) Furthermore, the 15-week reality show, which pits 16 contestants against each other to duke it out for the opportunity to run one of Trump's companies, has emerged as a water-cooler phenomenon à la Survivor and The Bachelor. Everyone is talking about it. Perhaps it is because of the sheer satisfaction of seeing someone else get fired every week in the imposing boardroom, or because Trump is just so damned charismatic, but The Apprentice doesn't show any signs of abating until its live two-hour finale on April 15th.

And Trump certainly likes being on the winning team. After all, his name is on the line, a name that is synonymous with excellence, opulence and toughness. In order to maintain that integrity, he devotes 30 hours a week to the series (instead of the three creator Mark Burnett promised) and even signed on as an executive producer. "It is more work than I thought," he reveals. "But as I was doing it, I started seeing that this thing could be really big and I wanted to do it right."

Trump's reputation alone garnered more than 215,000 applicants from all over the country. "It's a record in the history of television," he notes. "On average, Survivor gets 50,000 people." And unlike Survivor, only serious candidates with the best business minds were chosen for the final 16. Wannabe actresses and bartenders were quickly weeded out. "They all have incredible drive and intelligence," Donald explains. "Their brain levels are amazing. And the thing that surprises people is some of the folks are attractive. Some of the women are really beautiful, and the guys are good-looking, too. It's a very interesting mix and that has captivated people." ...

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