The first idea Silver pitched was less cynical, however: a competition to sell the most lemonade to New York pedestrians. This childlike, universal task, which wasn’t tied to any particular brand of lemonade, would become the center of the first episode. It was symbolic of the aspect of The Apprentice that was truly clever, and in its way, even idealistic, centered on a fantasy vision of capitalism as a meritocratic game, a joyful sport open to anyone—Mark Burnett’s vision of America.
