Go behind the scenes of Celebrity Apprentice with host Mark Bouris

MARK Bouris talks about working with Pauline Hanson on new reality series and reveals what he thinks about Donald Trump's hair.

switched hanson

JUST what does Pauline Hanson bring to the table?

It's a loaded question that has been put to the Australian electorate over many years, with mixed response.

But in TV's latest dragon lair the set of Celebrity Apprentice Australia it's a puzzle "boss" Mark Bouris has to unravel.

Sitting at the very end of the boardroom, literally cornered, Hanson is on familiar turf.

Fighting for survival early in the Channel 9 series, defending herself against attacks from within her own team and bracing for the barbs outside it the former politician sparks into action.

Accused of not pulling her weight during an art show challenge, the One Nation founder bristles at the "un-Australian" suggestion.

Explaining the inspiration behind a personal art piece she creates her time wrongly jailed for fraud Hanson's emotions threaten to betray her tough exterior.

It's a speech that captivates the room of Australian stars, from singer Deni Hines (who dubs Hanson as "Mumma P") to model Jesinta Campbell and NRL great Wendell Sailor.

But none is taken more by her "raw honesty" than Bouris, who is clearly side-swiped by the confessional.

He admits Hanson is not who he expected, a revelation and just the kind of surprise element that attracted him to this format of the show.

"She has an honesty which is quite stunning," Bouris says. "Obviously her honesty has got her in trouble in the past, because certain people misinterpret it. But she is not only honest in terms of telling people she might be racist, but, equally, the flipside is she has an honesty that is quite endearing, too.

"To talk about herself, what she can do and can't do and what drives her ... to me, that's fascinating."

For all the tricks of the reality TV business, honesty wins the day with Bouris on the show and over the years building his financial empire, Yellow Brick Road. He tells us: "I think that's the only way you can operate in business."

It's with the same candour Bouris admits the first series of The Apprentice Australia didn't work.

"It was a bad timeslot. We were on at 9.30pm and in 2009, it was also a different period in Channel 9's life, too. They are a lot better positioned today. I originally went to (producers) Fremantle and said we should do a celebrity version next and they've been trying to sell that idea into Nine for a long, long time."

It's this straight shooting that has impressed network insiders not always used to such forthright talent.

A production source explains how Bouris approaches show meetings: "Always in control, gets the answers he wants, then he's out of there".

"It is still business for me," Bouris says, unapologetically.

The only difference is when the cameras roll, he says he's not always sure what's going to happen next.

"I'm dealing with celebrities; it's like herding cats. They have strong views and can be frustrating. They are all very emotional, some hide it better than others, but it's their reputations on the line."

With huge egos on display, it doesn't take long for the emotions to heat up and the tears to flow, with Hanson and Warwick Capper often at the centre of the drama. Bouris says he pushed for the celebrity version in part because he was a fan of the star-studded US series led by Donald Trump.

Trump filmed a brief cameo while touring here last month, leaving a lasting, if not entirely positive impression.

"I really don't know what business he does other than put his name up on hotels," Bouris says, adding, "he's not the same sort of businessman I am (with him) it's game on, all the time."

Joking he has "better hair" than the Donald, he admires the effort it takes Trump to maintain the "the same image, the same story, the same language, the same tone, the same phrases, every single time".

"He is brilliant at that."

The explosive moments and revived ratings of the US celebrity series inspired Bouris.

"To the extent Australian celebrities are equal to American celebrities, which is just not the case, we got a lot of the characters off the US.

"I was hoping we'd get a Dionne Warwick, a Gary Busey (oddball actor) and I thought we did that with Warwick Capper. Jose Canseco, a big baseballer; I hope we get that out of Wendell."

It was Dionne Warwick's walk-out and Meat Loaf's meltdown earlier this year that helped re-ignite interest in the Apprentice show, Bouris says.

"I was absolutely mortified by the way Dionne went on.

"I got the surprise of my life. But these people are really being exposed.

"And that's what makes it so interesting."

Celebrity Apprentice
October 24 at 7pm on the 9 Network