The name is Branson. Sir Richard Branson.

Richard Branson is the founder & chairman of Virgin, a multi-billion dollar, 25,000 person enterprise.

The billionaire entrepreneur is looking for the most top-notch individual to run his company, and he's allowing you to come along for the ride.

Are you looking for an exhilirating adventure without leaving your couch?

Ten countries. Five continents. One show.

In a new TV Reality scavenger hunt which premiered with two episodes on November 9th Branson hosts The Rebel Billionaire.

That's Sir Rebel with a capital "R."

The show is touted by Branson himself as television's most thrilling adventure. And that, I attest, it is, at least for someone who has never watched one episode of Survivor, Fear Factor, Amazing Race or The Apprentice.

However, I admit, a bit embarassingly, that I did watch the first season of Mark Cuban's The Benefactor.

(No offense, Mark. As much as anything, I'd pick The Rebel Billionaire any day over The Benefactor, mostly because of the contestants Branson chose and the intense format of his "game.")

You might also say the British chap Branson is more my cup of tea as heroes go... (a statement I wrote for this article, even before learning about the tea party on top of the hot air balloon).

Not only is Branson's extreme adventure show exhilirating but the companies sponsoring the show have been targeted to appeal to those who share a love of adventure: American Express, Jeep, VisitRenoTahoe.com...

In the two-hour Debut Special as a kick off to his Reality program, Branson announced that 50,000 people applied for the opportunity to work for Virgin, to earn $1 million, and the international exposure associated with getting the job "on air."

The show begins with the introduction of Branson's top sixteen out of fifty thousand applicants.

Little do they know that one of them will end up with the key to the kingdom.

Corporate America is invited to watch the process of Branson's choosing the next person to take his job as president of Virgin.

Branson is looking for a brilliant entrepreneurial mind; a billionaire in the rough.

"First and foremost, he or she needs to inspire others," Branson says.

Branson's First Test

The Setting: Branson's estate in the Oxford countryside in England, or should I say, the ride to the estate.

Based on the contestants' behavior during their cab ride to his home, Branson was prepared to eliminate two of them, immediately.

Little did they know, Branson was dressed in disguise as the cab driver.

The Contestants

Aisha, 27, Pharmaceutical Sales Rep, Chicago, IL

Candida, 30, CEO Raw Foods Company, Orange County, CA

Erica, 28, Model, Los Angeles, CA

Gabriel, 34, Entrepreneur (Pizza Parlor co-owner at 19), Bachelors from Duke, MBA from Stanford, Miami Beach, FL

Heather, 31, CEO Little Laureate Videos, Chicago, IL

Jennifer, 24, Radio Advertising Executive, Philadelphia, PA

Jermaine, 30, Motivational Speaker & Technology Sales Specialist, Kansas City, KS

Jessica, 27, Enterpreneur & Former Director of Marketing, Washington D.C.

Michael, 28, Wall Street Strategist, Big Brother Volunteer, New York, NY

Nicole, 31, Employment Attorney who worked her way through school as a model, San Francisco, CA

Sam, 24, Financial Analyst, San Jose, CA

Sara, 33, Founder & CEO, Spanx, a national footless pantyhose apparel company

Shawn, 27, CEO of Love Sac Company (a national furniture manufacturer), Salt Lake City, UT

Spencer, 27, Used Car Salesman, Austin, TX

Steve, 23, Professional Tennis Player & President of a Real Estate Management Firm, Graduate of Yale, North Miami, FL

Tim, 30, Trial Attorney, Chicago, IL

Three individuals, who did not make a good first impression, were put on the hot seat upon arrival. Two of these people were asked to go.

Shawn was given a second chance. But Aisha and Spencer were asked to leave before the welcome party had even begun. Go to Fox.com for Branson's reasons for their departure.

Branson's Second Test

The Setting: Two Hot Air Balloons

To see how they perform under pressure, seven contestants were asked to cross a plank between two hot air balloons at an elevation of 10,000 feet.

Right off the bat, Sarah, the owner of Spanx, Footloose Pantyhose, expressed her fear of heights.

Branson said, "I have challenged myself physically, and I've challenged myself entrepreneurially." This was one of those challenges.

Five of the seven succeeded at getting across within the alloted time. The two left behind, Sarah and Tim, were, as a result, presented with yet another challenge.

Sharing A First with The World's Biggest Daredevil

Sarah and Tim must climb a 180' ladder to the top of the balloon where Branson has climbed before them to, in true British fashion, host an afternoon tea.

While both contestants ultimately "rose" to the challenge, in the end, it was Sarah who was presented with a ticket to continue on and join the others, while Tim was presented with a ticket to return to the states.

Branson's Third Test

Setting: Hong Kong and the trip there ...

Did you notice that everything is a trip?

The men and the women are separated on the flight to China. Both teams are asked to pick a leader. The men choose Jermaine, a motivational speaker. The women choose Sarah, in part as a reward for her recent bravery.

The surprise, because there always is one, is that Jermaine becomes the leader of the women and Sarah becomes the leader of the men.

The Challenge: Take $500 and develop a creative new in-flight service for forty-five upper class passengers.

Branson says to his crewmates:

The way Virgin Atlantic survived against the might of United and American Airlines for twenty years was by getting all the little details right. And if you're going to be a small company competing with big companies you've just got to be the best.

So, your challenge is called In Flight Service.

Each team will have twenty-four hours to come up with a new personal touch for Virgin's upperclass suite section. The leader of the losing team will have to choose a fellow team member to face off in the elimination challenge.

Both teams used the time on board their Virgin flight to Hong Kong to brainstorm ideas.

The guys' team with Sarah in the lead chose Steve's suggestion: A beanbag pillow he had brought with him on the trip.

Steve, a pro tennis player and business executive said, "This is why we're going to win the game right here. It has an immediate impact on everyone who touches, feels it, and especially if you sleep with it, you'll realize this is something you can not live without."

Meanwhile, the women's team led by Jermaine left the plane with many ideas, but not one clear direction.

Upon arrival to Hong Kong, the teams received a letter from Branson -- an obvious distraction. Both groups were invited to take a boat to see a large Buddha. Jermaine's team, not completely confident that they had their business accomplished, felt it was something they should do. Sarah's team of men, on the other hand, selected to not go on the trip. Instead they stayed focused on the task at hand.

Shawn used his Chinese language skills to negotiate an acceptable price for the beanbag pillows, which they found on the second day of their mission.

The Presentation

Back at the ranch in England, the two teams made their presentations to Sir Richard.

The gals' team with Jermaine in the lead brought back a Chinese bag full of "The Morning After" ammenities: a face moisturizer, face wipes, a bottle of deodorant and breath mints.

A message inside the bag read, "We hope it was as good for you as it was for us."

As the leader of the men's team, Sarah presented a mirror for the back of each passenger's television. They chose an unbreakable reflective material to avoid the risk of cracking or breaking. A "brilliant suggestion" Branson called it for those who want to freshen up without having to go to the lavoratory.

Sarah then presented a customized, Virgin-like fortune cookie, one of which said, "It's not the size of your carry-on that counts, it's how it fits into your bin."

Finally, on behalf of her team, she presented their red beanbag "moosh" pillow. A Virgin label had even been attached to the pillow before presenting it to Mr. Branson.

While the charismatic Branson praised both teams for their ingenuity, he thought "the wrapping" was the best part of the women's presentation but the inside of the bag lacked substance. Any entrepreneur who has founded and run a business could have told them that their choice to go on the boat trip before getting their business done only helped make Branson's choice easier. As a result, "the guys team" led by Lady Sarah was safe. As such, they were invited to take the balance of the day off, while one of the members of Jermaine's team was invited by Jermaine to join him for an elimination duel.

The Duel: To fly up in a bi-plane, and at 111 mph climb up to a standing position on top of the wing and pass a baton upside down or grab it right side up.

Because Jermaine was too big to personally represent himself, however, he was forced to choose one of his teammates as a surrogate. He selected Candida as his competition and Erica has his surrogate.

The women were given two attempts to succeed. One plane turned upside down with Erika in it holding a baton. In thirty seconds, before the plane was required to pull out of its inverted position, the women were required to pass the baton with only ten feet between them and the planes.

Fortunately, for Jermaine, they succeeded in the second attempt.

As a result, it was left up to Branson to decide who would be eliminated on the tarmac.

In the elimination ceremony, both Jermaine and Candida were given airline tickets -- just as Tim and Sarah were in the previous "round."

With the smile on Jermaine's face and the tears in Candida's eyes we fully expected to see Jermaine climbing aboard the Virgin Atlantic "ship." Instead both contestants entered the plane with a new twist.

Rich with tricks every step of the way, Branson had one more before the end of the first double episode premiere.

Both Jermaine and Candida would be given another chance. Before jetting off to their next adventure, they learned that Jennifer, the radio advertising executive from Philadelphia was giving up and going home.

Previously, Jennifer, another contestant who earlier in the show had communicated her discomfort with the required stunts, told Branson, had she been forced to meet the same death-defying challenge as Tim, Sarah, Candida and Erica, she would not have been able to do it. As such, she sacrificed herself, which meant that both Jermaine and Candida could stay on.

To the end: Exhilirating, surprising, "blow-you-away" entertainment.

Once he gives up his post at Virgin Atlantic, Branson should consider becoming a movie director.

Variety Magazine was spot on when Brian Lowry said that the show benefits from "the steadying presence of Richard Branson, who should send several bouquets to The Benefactor's Mark Cuban for lowering expectations regarding Reality TV's Billionaire Boys Club."

The Dallas Mavericks, Internet billionaire, Mark Cuban watched Branson in action and said this about his show: "Loved it. It's fun, unpredictable and the visuals are great."

"Have Fun" is Branson's middle name. It's also his motto in business.

Next adventure: Africa!

Stay tuned for the second/third episode of The Rebel Billionaire on Tuesday, November 16th.

For details, go to:

Hats off to musicians Chris Brady and Butch Walker for their contribution to the show. Their scores bring intensity to the program that make my palms sweat.

Inspire & Be Inspired (R).

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful and Branson-like - barrier - breaking living!

~ Jennifer Carolyn King

P.S. The instant the cab driver appeared on the screen, I said "That's Branson in disguise." I wonder how many of the contestants realized it too before he removed his old man identity, and if so, how it might have helped them during their cab ride to Branson's manor.