In Martha's world, the good life isn't easy

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Very different contenders
Want more clues about how Martha's version will differ from Trump's? Look no farther than the two sets of candidates.

Given leeway to select his own posse, the Donald eagerly picked not one but two former beauty queens. Most of his contestants have some sort of vague real-estate background, and use enough fudge words in their bios — "had involvement in," "newest category in prestige retail" — to make a human-resources exec squirm. (There's also the topless-dancer thing.)

Martha, by contrast, chose a gaggle of mini-Marthas. A few we're especially keen to see:

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Dawna, 37, St. Petersburg, Fla.: Talk about a Martha clone — she's a former financial analyst (very Martha) and corporate exec (even more Martha) who helms her own magazine. (Eerily Martha.) The only drawback? Martha won't want anyone who might possibly upstage her. If the original "Apprentice" is any guide, Trump picked junior contestants who could be molded to fit the Trump image. It's safe to assume Stewart will want the same.
Bethenny, 34, New York, N.Y.: She double-barrels chef duty, catering to celebs with one hand while selling lowfat cookies with the other. She used to produce celebrity events. She imports pashmina. Oh, and did we mention she used to date the son of Charles Koppelman, Omnimedia's CEO and Martha's version of Trump's George? Burnett's team insists the conflict-of-interest will be dealt with on the show, so perhaps Bethenny gets booted. But Martha has always stormed ahead despite the appearance of impropriety, so perhaps she'll keep Bethenny around to bond over A-listers and blueberry oat bars.
Marcela, 27, Tijuana, Mexico: She caters and teaches cooking from her home, but don't let her south-of-the-border vibe fool you. She studied pastry at Paris' Ritz Escoffier and she's worked for Bon Appetit magazine — all before hitting 30. Sounds like prime credentials for an Omnimedia gig, if she can demonstrate enough business sense to impress.
Howie, 33, Closter, N.J.: He used to be on Wall Street. Now he runs a clothing line for women and kids. And he's a Jersey boy, which should warm Martha's heart. On the other hand, it's a woman's world, and all the male contestants will be struggling to catch Martha's eye.

While Trump is tough guy on the outside, with the soft bits inside, Martha's always been the gracious hostess with a heart of steel. She makes for compelling TV — even if she's taking out her rage on an unfortunate head of cabbage — and she knows what makes her fans tune in faithfully.

Her prison stint, rather than pushing away her fans, has given her a weird sort of highbrow-lowbrow street cred. No one else could commiserate with Diddy about the "jake" (that's the cops, as Diddy explained to the nice ladies in the audience) and ask him what he uses for a monogram in the same 15 minutes of television. No one else can channel her Polish heritage by feeding Diddy pierogies while wearing $8 million of Harry Winston diamonds.

As she rapped on her daytime show last week: "They gave me love on the inside / That's why they call me M. Diddy."

"M. Diddy, baby," the original Diddy replied, waving his watering can.

Such is Martha's unique world, now on display in prime time.

MSNBC.com lifestyle editor Jon Bonné remembers "Entertaining" as a staple of his parents' bookshelf.

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