The Apprentice

I am an avid watcher of NBC’s Donald Trump reality show, The Apprentice, mainly because Kwame Jackson on the men’s team is a good friend from our days at HBS. Of course, Kwame isn’t the only one with an interesting background.

One of the contestants, Kristi Frank, in addition to being a real estate investor and restaurant owner, appeared in an episode of Showtime’s pornography series, the Red Shoe Diaries. In this particular episode, entitled “Swimming Naked,” Kristi appears as a lifeguard who falls for a swimmer on a beach.

When asked to comment on Kristi’s prior experience in front of the camera, Trump reportedly said, “She has a high IQ.”

Question: Why is it that television networks can’t uncover this sort of thing, while Internet enthusiasts can dig it out immediately? Or, do the producers and networks actually encourage this sort of disclosure for the publicity value? After all, who believes that Fox didn’t know about the Paris Hilton sex tape?