I never like to admit that I watch reality TV, since many people give me a look of disgust when I disclose this guilty pleasure. However, I can't help getting sucked in, especially to The Apprentice. We all know that Donald Trump is obnoxious, egotistical and annoying but that doesn't mean that his people can't make a good TV show. While the first season seemed like a real competition that was cutthroat and entertaining, the second season doesn't have the same fire. Once Trump realized his show had been a success, he decided, in true Trump fashion, to make as much money off of it as possible. This season the show seems to be much more focused on selling a product which anyone can buy. Unfortunately, this has caused a decrease in the value of the show and its competitive nature.

The first season of The Apprentice started off with a team of women and a team of men, and for the first few episodes the men were getting creamed. The obvious business ability that all the competitors had made for fantastic and cutthroat competition. The tasks assigned for each competition were very eclectic; the teams had to do everything from selling lemonade to renting out the most expensive penthouse in New York.

While, ultimately, it came down to two men, the women exhibited strength and intelligence, as well as business savvy.

This season has been another story. While the second season of The Apprentice still pulls viewers into NBC on Thursday nights, the ratings aren't quite as high as they were before. What's more this season makes me embarrassed to be a woman. The women are all incredibly catty and none of them stand out as being exceptionally intelligent or talented. Tales of horror include every woman calling Stacie J. crazy in the boardroom and Elizabeth completely breaking down both times she led a task.

And it was no secret in the first season that all the girls didn't get along. Omarosa didn't become a household name without reason, but even with all of Omarosa's problems she still seemed like a strong woman. The women on The Apprentice 2 aren't even likeable, and I find myself rooting for the guys every week.

Heidi from the first season, who now writes commentary about every episode of the second season, put it perfectly when she said, "This is what bothers me about the second season: If they do not like a project manager, then they do not even care if they lose. Last year, both teams did anything to win regardless of the feelings we had for the project manager."

Heidi doesn't only talk about a problem with the women but a problem with group dynamics in general. This past week, Chris, after he not being picked to go back into the boardroom, spoke out about his group in general. He told Trump, for no apparent reason, that their team chemistry is bad. First of all, the comment was totally uncalled for and inappropriate. Second of all, he showed complete disloyalty to his team and a desire for it to be broken up. This doesn't really help the team morale, since Donald wants him to be project manager next week, I wouldn't be surprised if he's the next one to go. It's unlikely an already-divided team will come together under a leader who doesn't have faith in its members.

The other big difference between the seasons is that season two has become a marketing tool for Donald Trump and his corporation. While of course the show's existence itself is a marketing ploy, Trump has banked off the first season's success to make as much money as possible. While the first season was involved in selling projects, none of the things they sold were being offered to the general public. This season has been different. In one of the first weeks, the two teams had to develop their own ice cream flavors and sell it on the streets of New York City. Trump jumped on the opportunity to make more money by offering their created flavors for sale.

They were also in charge of marketing Vanilla Crest, a new kind of toothpaste. While marketing projects are easy to put on this show, it would be nice to see more variety. The only projects I've seen that aren't marketing are strikingly similar to tasks of the first season. For example, last season they had to renovate apartments and sell them to the highest bidder. This past week the teams had to renovate houses on Long Island.

Like many reality shows done the second time around, The Apprentice is not living up to the original. I'll still be glued to my TV screen every week but it won't be with as much enthusiasm as last year. Unlikable contestants and repetitive tasks make this season a lackluster follow up to the smash hit first season.