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Apprentice Thread 10/28/04
NBC ^ | Self

Posted on 10/28/2004 6:13:42 PM PDT by ClintonBeGone

Apprentice Ping for tonight. Apparently there is suppose to be some good fireworks in the board room


TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: apprentice; trump
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To: MomwithHope

I for one enjoyed seeing Ivana go last night....I knew as soon as she did her first *flash*, Carolyn would show her discorn....very unprofessional....I think this game is Kevin's to lose....Kelly made a few stupid statements last night and the blondes just don't have what it takes...


121 posted on 12/03/2004 5:55:26 AM PST by mystery-ak (Please pray for Maj Tammy Duckworth)
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To: Captain Beyond; MomwithHope; mystery-ak
Obviously Ivana and Kevin missed the “Trump Ice” episode with Troy and the “Art Gallery” episode with Nick.

Troy and Nick were wonderful, natural salesmen. Terrific personalities. I miss them! No one on this Apprentice has half their moxie.

As much as I enjoyed watching Ivana, I never saw her as a winner, and last night she richly deserved the boot.

I've thought for weeks that the game is Kelly's to lose. He moved closer to a loss last night, didn't work very hard at sales, and was a total idiot in the boardroom.

Meanwhile, Jen is moving up. She'll definitely make it to the final two. Kelly has had more success, but she's playing a very good and perhaps better game. If this were a brain-power contest, she'd win it hands down. But it's not.

Kevin is good in many ways, Sandy too. But I don't see either of them in the final competition. The upcoming interviews will knock them down. Kelly and Jen will make it to the finals, IMHO, and Jen may take it all.

Remember, this time the prize is a "job with Trump," not "running a Trump company." Big difference. I wonder why. Perhaps the producers thought that having less powerful contestants than last time would attract a larger audience. If so, they were wrong.

Meanwhile, Bill Rancic is looking good and doing well. A very high-powered guy. No one in the current crop gets close to the constellation of executive qualities he has.

122 posted on 12/03/2004 7:30:12 AM PST by Veto! (Opinions freely dispensed as advice)
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To: Veto!

I loved Troy last season and hoped he would win, but Trump has a thing for college educations and correct me if Im wrong, Sandy doesn't have one....Kevin has strong points in this area.....Jen, I can't remember one thing she has really contributed to in this season and I don't see Trump picking her....Kelly screwed up last night in the boardroom, until that moment I thought Kelly had it all locked up.


123 posted on 12/03/2004 8:00:12 AM PST by mystery-ak (Please pray for Maj Tammy Duckworth)
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To: mystery-ak
Kelly did screw up last night. I'm still taking him in the finals though.

Kevin acted like a completely different person in the boardroom last night. In the past he's never waited to pounce on someone but he backed off on Ivana. He still doesn't take any responsibility for any of his actions though. Selling the bars for a buck was just his latest mistake. He got Raj fired by backing up his contractor buddy who was a total disaster.

When Trump started talking about Ivana being a loser I almost fell out of my chair. There's some that "spoof" boss "My big fat obnoxious boss" and the boss is just an actor trying to drive the contestants crazy and the loser bit is exactly what he would have said. The more I see of this show and "Rebel Billionaire" the more I like Richard Branson and dislike Trump. Interesting to see if Trump sticks to that by not having Jen in the final two. Her record as PM was the same as Ivana's.

I like Sandy and I think she's a great worker with tremendous energy, but I just don't think she's quite as clever as the others. She's similiar to Troy last season who I too was rooting for.

I have yet to see Jen come up with an idea of her own. She does improve on the ideas of others though and presents them well. Not a bad trait in an employee so long as they are surrounded by creative thinkers. She just doesn't impress me. Bill didn't impress me last season either so what do I know. More of Jen's maneuvering was evident last night as she didn't seem to want PM since there would be no immunity. If they had lost she could have blamed Sandy and said you were PM it was your fault.

Last night's prize was crap. Who cares to meet Bill. The guy won the first one but does he really want to help and give pointers to someone who could be a potential rival. You know that Bill isn't running that Chicago project. He may have some "honorary" title but I can't see Trump trusting some billion dollar project to a guy he hired on a TV show a little over a year ago. Then again considering his casino troubles maybe I can. Sandy was smart to stress how much she had in common with Bill. Bill could easily be one of the final interviewers. Notice there was no chance at immunity from the interviewers last night. Trump picks the two best people early on in the show and sets them up for the tests he throws at them. I don't think he really cares which one wins of the final two. He doesn't want to take a chance that someone like Ivana to win Immunity and make it into the finals then if lady fortune lends a hand and she wins her task and gets hired he's stuck with her.

The task wasn't even that good either. I agree with other posts that Ivana was lame to blame her loss on the sex appeal of two blondes. Has a team with mostly men done better at any street sales task yet? Lemonade last year and Candy bars this year. If you send out a group of men and a group of women to sell an item on the street the men will lose every time. Trump seems to set teams up for success or failure. Last season he let Heidi who had run restaurants manage a planet Hollywood. He let Raj the real-estate guru get a house selling task. He had Sandy open a bridal store. These people aren't necessarily PM but one team has a clear advantage. Raj, of course completely backfired which is why Raj never had a prayer of winning in the boardroom.
124 posted on 12/03/2004 10:29:01 AM PST by Alcibiades ("First come smiles, then lies. Last is gunfire"--Roland Deschain)
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To: Alcibiades

Wow.....very astute observations and I agree with almost all of them...btw...I was just at the grocery store and that candy bar sells for $0.48....LOL


125 posted on 12/03/2004 10:41:41 AM PST by mystery-ak (Please pray for Maj Tammy Duckworth)
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To: mystery-ak

Damn good candy bars too. My wife was going crazy trying to calm me down when they were tossing the rejects in the trash.


126 posted on 12/03/2004 10:44:51 AM PST by Alcibiades ("First come smiles, then lies. Last is gunfire"--Roland Deschain)
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To: Alcibiades

I wonder if they make them with peanut M&M's......I wonder if the plant employees get to take the rejects home?


127 posted on 12/03/2004 10:50:04 AM PST by mystery-ak (Please pray for Maj Tammy Duckworth)
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To: Huntress
Her obsession with Jen was getting really annoying

It goed back to jumping in on the Levi's size-wheel idea. Ivana really took that personally.

I agree with everyone who said that the girls had a big advantage in this task. But Ivana, as PM, should have reigned in Kevin. These people all seem to not be very good at managing people. And that is what business (and life) is all about.

I am rooting for Kevin, but sadly, I think Kelly will be the winner. If Jen wins, it will prove this show is NOT about getting the best candidate.

128 posted on 12/03/2004 10:59:30 AM PST by freedumb2003 (When does the Revolution start? I'm going for a bike ride for a while. Please fill me in later.)
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To: MomwithHope
I’m sure they had some seed money so they could have bought helium M&M balloons to pass out to the kids and paid somebody to dress up as one of the M&M characters to go along and help sell.

“I still think Trump will have some doubts about Kelly after his "price wasn't important" remark.

You are spot on there without a doubt. Kelly played it too safe IMO for the task. It was obvious that personal feelings and stereotypes were clouding his judgment. I guess he has never grasped the whole "It's not personal it just business" idea. Ivana was terrible leader on this project and all her flaws came out. On his way to the boardroom he must have drank a very tall glass of stupid. When he said “price wasn’t important” I wish they had instant replay or a flash back scene to the QVC episode of Pamela saying the same thing and getting fired for it for him to watch. Then to make the absurd charge the he, Kevin, and Ivana were the strongest three in the game was a “Maria in Denial Moment” if I ever saw one. At that point I was waiting for him to put on a pound of mascara and start strobe blinking at 3000 blinks per second and even at that I don’t think he could keep up with Maria. You could tell what Carolyn, George, and Donald were all thinking: “Hey Kelly wake up!!! You are in the boardroom and your team LOST big time!!!!” I loved it when Trump slammed him up side the head with the “Well If that is so. Then why are you three in the boardroom?” A truly priceless Kodak moment if there ever was one.

Kevin also found the stupid dispensers and drank heavily by just sitting there and not defending himself. It only dawned on him that he could be the one going home when Carolyn said “Are going to defend yourselves or are you just waiting for one of you to get fired?” That had to be a scary "Wake up call" for him to then realize that he had better get in the game and quit the I going in there be nice to you Ivana strategy.

As far as the interviews go I am still undecided. I’m leaning toward Kevin and Kelly but Sandy and Jen could surprise me again.

129 posted on 12/03/2004 2:25:42 PM PST by Captain Beyond (The Hammer of the gods! (Just a cool line from a Led Zep song))
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To: Captain Beyond

Ivanna's gimmick backfired on her. One could tell by the look on Carolyn's face that The Donald would not approve of it. Knew right then Ivanna would be fired. You could tell Ivanna was trying to cover her butt, so to speak, in the boardroom. She much too defensive.


130 posted on 12/03/2004 2:42:55 PM PST by tob2 (Old fossil and proud of it.)
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To: Alcibiades
Interesting to see if Trump sticks to that by not having Jen in the final two.Her record as PM was the same as Ivana's.

Ivana lied like a dog(no pun intended) on that in the boardroom because Jen is (1-0). Jen was PM on the Dog Care episode and she beat Wes. Ivana was on Jen's team. It just shows how out of touch with reality that Ivana had become with her "Hate Jen" obsession.

131 posted on 12/03/2004 2:58:06 PM PST by Captain Beyond (The Hammer of the gods! (Just a cool line from a Led Zep song))
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To: tob2
You could tell Ivanna was trying to cover her butt, so to speak, in the boardroom.

ROTFLOL!!! Good one. Yeah she definitely was a day late and dollar short on that. She has to really feel stupid. Here she was yanking her skirt off for men and all she had to show for it was $500.00. That had to be super humiliation for her in not being able to to beat Jen.

132 posted on 12/03/2004 3:10:59 PM PST by Captain Beyond (The Hammer of the gods! (Just a cool line from a Led Zep song))
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To: Captain Beyond

She's only been PM once? Talk about playing it safe. She shouldn't make the final two for that reason alone. Hang back, let others take the risks, that's the Bill Strategy indeed.

Ivana fell prey to the same jealous madness that infected Andy. The show isn't all about beating someone its about impressing Donald in the boardroom. Look how many times Bill's team lost last season. Conversely look at how many times Amy won. The only task you have to win is your last one.


133 posted on 12/03/2004 3:12:06 PM PST by Alcibiades ("First come smiles, then lies. Last is gunfire"--Roland Deschain)
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To: Captain Beyond

She's only been PM once? Talk about playing it safe. She shouldn't make the final two for that reason alone. Hang back, let others take the risks, that's the Bill Strategy indeed.

Ivana fell prey to the same jealous madness that infected Andy. The show isn't all about beating someone its about impressing Donald in the boardroom. Look how many times Bill's team lost last season. Conversely look at how many times Amy won. The only task you have to win is your last one.


134 posted on 12/03/2004 3:12:56 PM PST by Alcibiades ("First come smiles, then lies. Last is gunfire"--Roland Deschain)
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To: Veto!

You are absolutely right about this crop of “Apprentices”. In the first season all the players were serious sharks with hyper-type-A personalities as opposed to this season. The first show and the last three shows were the only ones were the groups have got really creative IMHO. They were all a little late in bringing their A-game if you ask me.

Hey Jen is (1-0) and Kwame was (1-2) going into the final 4 so yeah she has a good a chance as any of them. She doesn’t get flustered and she keeps her eye on the ball. Kelly is (3-0) but in the Bridal competition all he had to do was stay out of Sandy’s way and he would get the win. So it could be argued that Sandy has three wins also instead of just two. Kevin has 2 wins but one of his is because Maria blew the budget for the other team not because of his leadership skills. From last season we learned it is not necessarily how many wins one has but how they conduct themselves under pressure in the boardroom and in the interviews. So Jen does have a big advantage going into the final 4 with her attitude right now. But in the final two a clear win is a must have.


135 posted on 12/03/2004 9:51:30 PM PST by Captain Beyond (The Hammer of the gods! (Just a cool line from a Led Zep song))
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To: Alcibiades
With the random drawing they have for PM it is not that big a stretch to see a person only being PM once. Last season they would sometimes wait and see what the task was going to be and then let the person on the team with most experience lead. Or they would let the ones on the team that had not lead yet have it. I think they should debate it out to see who the PM is going to be. If one going to lead they need to able to convince the others in their group that they need to be the Project Manager IMHO.

But Jen is going to have to really kick it up a notch if she goes to the final two. By kicking it up a notch I mean if she had a 100 watt Marshall Stack she is going to have to find a way to turn up the volume from 10 to a 15.
136 posted on 12/03/2004 10:24:58 PM PST by Captain Beyond (The Hammer of the gods! (Just a cool line from a Led Zep song))
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To: Alcibiades
More of Jen's maneuvering was evident last night as she didn't seem to want PM since there would be no immunity.

False, I guess you missed where Trump told them to hurry up and make a decision, because they kept discussing who would lead. If Jen didn't want to lead, the decision would have been quick. Some of the Jen-hate reminds me of the reflexive anti-Bush hate, and Ivana got so wrapped up in her obsessive jealousy that she totally lost her cool and her default reaction to any problem was to insert 'Its all Jen's fault". Which will make it even more fun to see the Jen-haters go nuts when she wins the whole thing.

Sandy's run has been enjoyable, but I get the sense she's bumping at her current ceiling now. Kevin seems decent and hard-working, but like Pam he just seems to keep making too many bad decisions. Kelly originally looked to be the one to beat, but many of his boardroom comments last night (especially since he was under immunity) may have really hurt him and he's coasted a good bit when under immunity. He'd probably be Carolyn's pick, but I get the sense that George doesn't care for him. So my guess is that Jen is the most likely to make the final 2, Kelly second most likely but Sandy could be a surprise, and Kevin has no shot. Jen's biggest weakness is that she's only led one task, but she should excel in the interviews and seems to be a good manager. I think many are overestimating the importance of creativity for the job these candidates are interviewing for. You can hire a design team to be creative, but it is much harder to outsource some of the other leadership skills she brings to the table.

Unlike many of the lame rewards, this prize was fine, they got a getaway trip to Chicago in a corporate jet(how often does Sandy get to do that?) and met with last year's winner. Consider that the show was filmed on an intense schedule with 3 tasks and firings a week, the interviews would start tomorrow or the day after, and the final 4 candidates had to now shift from teamwork to individual battles to win a position working with Trump. Thus the trip probably was a real morale-booster to give them a taste of what is within their grasp, of what they have been working so hard for. Yeah, the Matt Lauer look-alike had some pretty generic advice, but he's also accomplished what they are on the brink of, so at this stage(unlike say after task 4,5,6) it probably was a better prize than dining on the Queen Mary(which was the best reward after the free jewelry.)

BTW, Trump didn't 'set' Raj up, because other than the Chris exception he doesn't know who will be leading the teams when he announces them.

137 posted on 12/04/2004 11:04:52 AM PST by Diddle E. Squat
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Oh yeah, just wanted to point out that moral-relativist Ivana grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas.


138 posted on 12/04/2004 11:10:07 AM PST by Diddle E. Squat
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To: Veto!
"Remember, this time the prize is a "job with Trump," not "running a Trump company."

I think the job working directly with Trump on day to day basis would be a better prize because one gets to see him and his key people in action and is better able to discover what it takes to run a billion dollar business and to see what does work and what doesn't work first hand. Plus they get to network with people on a daily basis that they probably would never in a life time have access too. Don’t get me wrong Bill definitely landed a once in a life time job that will benefit him in more than just monetary ways for years to come but being in the middle of the action with the main man for me would be more fun.

139 posted on 12/04/2004 1:28:16 PM PST by Captain Beyond (The Hammer of the gods! (Just a cool line from a Led Zep song))
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To: Alcibiades
If you send out a group of men and a group of women to sell an item on the street the men will lose every time.

Except when they sold ice cream in bow ties earlier in the season. Remember? Jenn and Sandy remembered and dressed themselves in matching outfits, presenting the "uniform appearance" that Donald had praised the ice-cream men for.

Jenn & Sandy's trip to Chicago was a terrific prize, IMHO. A fancy dinner is just another fancy dinner, but traveling on Trump's corporate jet and probably by limo from airport to town is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Heady, very heady.

140 posted on 12/04/2004 3:44:30 PM PST by Veto! (Opinions freely dispensed as advice)
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