Phil Simmons had an extraordinary way of talking on the show. He chatted happily with the other three big shots and communicated with them as if they were equals. Phil could catch all the jokes that the other party threw out. He did not have any stage fright at all.
Not only that, Phil often teased himself and made a few jokes, causing the audience to laugh.
However, things developed as everyone had expected when it came to the selection stage: Phil could not find a capable apprentice at all.
'Successor' had already gone through the auditions. Those who participated were all people with the potential to become superheroes. However, only a very small number of them could obtain the favor of the judges.
The main task of the contestants during the live selection segment was to leave an impression on the judges and the audience. There were many ways to leave an impression: it could be good looks, it could be special talents or skills, or it could be a good story.
Some elegant and likable people, if they happened to have a likable face, as well as very special talents and skills, would have a much higher chance of winning the favor of a teacher.
Of course, if he did not have any of these but happened to have a complicated background that aroused the sympathy of the audience, allowing him to obtain a special label, then he might also obtain the favor of a mentor.
In the first episode, all the outstanding contestants were basically divided up by the other three mentors. The worst one managed to snatch an apprentice. Only Phil Simmons' team was empty.
Thus, it immediately became very popular on the internet after the first episode was broadcasted.
Some people thought that Phil did not have the qualifications to be a mentor in this program and were gloating. Others thought that Phil's speech was not bad and was not inferior to the other judges at all. He was also clear and logical when discussing some professional issues. That meant that Phil was still capable.
What's more, Phil did not advertise his real estate business on the show at all. He was not doing it for fame or profit. That bit of appearance fee was probably far from his net worth. In other words, his participation in this program was probably just a carefree attitude of playing with life.
On the other hand, those apprentices did not see Phil's shining point. They still treated him as an incompetent rich second-generation heir. Even the production team wanted to make Phil "act pitiful" to create popularity. That was too much!
Both parties quarreled online, causing another round of heated discussion.
Behind many of these voices, it was obvious that Phil was supporting and inciting them to do so.
Amidst the high popularity and topicality, "Successor" continued to be filmed and broadcasted.
In the second episode, Phil finally obtained his first apprentice. He was very happy and hugged this ugly black apprentice warmly. He promised to make him enter the top five of the talent show.
There was another heated discussion on the internet, saying that Phil was boasting and boasting. Such a mentor was not worth the apprentices following.
The other three mentors also joked about this on the show. One of them even joked that it was not too late for Phil to withdraw from the competition. However, Phil was not angry at all. Instead, he said confidently that he was confident that he could lead the apprentices to victory in the team competition.
Soon, the first part of 'Successor' was broadcasted.
The teams of the four mentors were all full. The teams of the other three mentors looked very luxurious, but Phil's team was very shabby. Most of the apprentices joined in the second half, and they were the type that the other mentors did not like. The audience's response was also mediocre. There were even two vacancies in the end. The production team had no choice but to start a revival competition at the last minute. They chose two of the eliminated people to fill in Phil's team.
All the audience did not think highly of Phil's team for the upcoming team competition. In a random questionnaire survey done by the television station, more than 70% of the audience thought that Phil's team would definitely be in the last place. Almost no one thought that Phil's team would be in the top two.
However, all the audience did not know that this was all a script arranged by Phil.
The second part of 'Successor' was a team competition led by the four mentors. The competition was divided into four forms:
First, speech/debate. The production team would give a topic. This topic was often a hot topic that attracted a lot of attention. Most of it was related to superheroes.
The mentors would lead their own teams to prepare. They would give a live speech and debate with teams with opposing attitudes. The winner would be decided based on how much the audience was convinced.
Superheroes had their own groups to represent, their own ideas and principles. They often had to give speeches, and the format of this team competition was to test the abilities of the apprentices in this regard.
Second, formulate a rescue plan. The production team would give a specific situation. For example, a group of criminals would kidnap hostages, and the apprentices would study and formulate a rescue plan.
However, they did not need to save the hostages themselves. Instead, professionals would practice according to the rescue plan.
Superheroes often had to participate in similar rescue operations, but they could not be brainless boors. That might cause the hostages to be hurt or cause greater damage to the city.
Superheroes with brains were more popular with the public, and this team competition was to test the apprentices' abilities in this regard.
The third was a combat ability test. The production team would give a specific physical challenge stage, including physical confrontation between the teams, to see which team completed it better.
Superheroes needed to have brains, but the necessary physical fitness and combat skills were also essential. A superhero who could "fight" would make the public feel more secure. They would not feel that "this superhero is wasting superpowers".
The fourth was a large-scale comprehensive test.
This kind of test often included many aspects. It required the team leaders of each team to make overall arrangements and assign personnel. After completing the task, the production team would conduct a comprehensive evaluation.
These four tests were gradual. The production team would record the preparations of each team throughout the process and give more shots to the key figures. Gradually, the public would become familiar with and like these apprentices who might become superheroes in the future.
During this process, the mentors' guidance had to be moderate. They could not take over everything. That way, they would steal the limelight of the apprentices and make the apprentices, who did not have the chance to show their faces, lose in the subsequent favorability rating. They could not completely let it go either. Otherwise, it might lead to a crushing defeat in the team competition.
All in all, a team competition similar to a talent show was like a preview of a superhero's future work.
The first episode of the team competition was indeed as everyone had expected. Phil's team suffered a crushing defeat in the competition with the other teams.
The production team also gave Phil's team the least amount of shots. This created an illusion for the audience: it seemed like Phil did not do anything, and his team was as useless as him. They were quickly defeated.
Thus, the discussion about Phil became popular again.
However, Phil's team seemed to have become brand new in the second episode. They obtained second place with outstanding performance.
However, the production team still gave Phil's team the least amount of shots this time, causing a lot of information during the preparation process to be missing, causing the audience to be dissatisfied.
The audience felt that the production team looked down on Phil's team and did not pay attention to them. They gave more shots to the other three teams, causing Phil's team to not be treated fairly even though they had achieved good results.
Thus, the production team gave Phil's team more shots in the third episode of the team competition. This time, the audience could see the entire preparation process of Phil's team.
Phil Simmons played a very key role in the preparation process. He constantly encouraged the apprentices' confidence and gave them hints and pointers. He did not directly film the plan for the apprentices to carry out. Instead, he used a more enlightening method to let them think of a more perfect plan on their own.
The apprentices, who were originally in a state of disunity, suddenly became full of fighting spirit. Not only did their trust in the group rise to a whole new level, but their individual abilities also seemed to shine brightly.
Thus, Phil's reputation and comments on the show began to change.
Many people's impression of Phil had changed greatly, and their evaluation of him had more dimensions:
He was a playboy, a rich second-generation heir. He was born at the finishing line of many people, making people envious and jealous;
He was a genuine person. He spoke without restraint on Twitter, and the things he liked were no different from poor young people. He made people feel that he was very down-to-earth;
He had a high degree and opened his own company. His results were very good. At his age, this meant that he had high talent and achievements in business. Not only was he smart, but he was also hardworking;
The most impressive thing was that he could see through many problems and see problems much more clearly than ordinary people. On the show 'Successor', not only did he chat and laugh with the other three mentors, he also strategized and led a lousy team to victory. His level was completely at the same level as the big shots in the industry.
Of course, there were still doubts about Phil, and they were growing stronger by the day.
However, the voices supporting Phil became stronger, completely covering the voices of doubt.
After all, Phil's performance on the show had already conquered many people. Those who doubted Phil were easily labeled as "jealous", "hateful of the rich", and "loser mentality".
After the show ended, the black lad from Phil's team obtained second place with his outstanding performance at the end.
Phil had previously said that he would fulfill his promise of getting in the top five. What's more, he had fulfilled his promise.
On the show, the black lad was grateful to Phil and had tears in his eyes. However, Phil only smiled and said, "This is all your own hard work. I only helped you unearth your potential."
This made the audience feel that Phil knew people well and was worthy of the title of 'mentor'.
After the show ended, the production team worked with a few large management companies. A few outstanding apprentices were arranged to debut as superheroes. They were in an unparalleled position for a while.
Many people went crazy, thinking that Phil would take this opportunity to debut as a superhero.
However, Phil sent a tweet saying that he had participated in the show on a whim and had no intention of becoming a superhero.
After that, Phil did not participate in any topics related to superheroes, causing the audience to feel regretful.
However, what they did not know was that the first phase of Phil's plan had been a complete success.
He might not have debuted as a superhero, but he had received a lot of attention and successfully changed the public's impression of him: from a rich second-generation heir who was completely unrelated to superheroes to a truly powerful industry insider who knew the professional content of superheroes like the back of his hand.
Phil had to wait for a better opportunity to continue implementing the next plan.
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