Reality Show Losers Turned Winners

Kwame Jackson
The Show: The Apprentice
Place: Runner-up to winner Bill Rancic
From Loser: For nearly 11 weeks, this Harvard Business School grad was content to sit in the background, channeling his subdued energy to his teammates and inspiring them to get the job done and get it done well (um, though he often lost), while reaping praise from both the Donald and his fellow contestants. When the field narrowed to four, Kwame stepped up to the plate and really began to shine, acing his interviews with Trump's staff and knocking Nick and frontrunner Amy out of the competition. Unfortunately, after playing his hand so brilliantly, this soon-to-be-single stud (he's separated from his wife) made a critical mistake: He chose the much-hated Omarosa as part of his final team. In the days to follow, she lied, sabotaged and tried to upstage Jessica Simpson. (Hello, Omarosa -- she's famous for a reason; you're just her lackey for the day!) Ultimately, Kwame's lack of leadership -- Donald felt that he should have fired the troll -- doomed him, and instead he sat in the boardroom as Bill heard the words, "You're hired!"

To Last Laugh: Come on now. Is getting $250,000 to work for a year under Donald Trump really that great a prize? Doesn't seem like it, considering that on most of these reality shows, you can agree to marry some schmo and land a check for at least half a million. Kwame, meanwhile, has been inundated with job offers. His old employers at the prestigious firm Goldman Sachs allegedly tried to lure him back with reams more money, and KFC wants him to run their outfit for a week. He also has plans to start his own entertainment firm, Legacy Communications Group, and is being courted by the Dallas Mavericks as well. No, not to play, but rather to read over new business proposals. Seems like whichever option he goes for, he won't be anyone's apprentice for long. Bill...well, he has to endure the Donald's hair for at least another year.

Next: Shandi Sullivan