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February 1, 2008
"He thinks he's still on the Sopranos..."
Posted by Bobbie Gossage at 6:01 PM
Even after watching his antics for two hours on the Apprentice last night, I'm still not totally sure what Vinny Pastore was up to. On her Celebrity Apprentice blog, former Inc. editor Nadine Heintz theorizes that Pastore felt guilty because the women were nice to him. She also offers a hilarious list of her favorite moments from the episode. My favorite moment was Piers Morgan's revelation that he was raised by nuns. They must have been some very interesting nuns.
January 18, 2008
Farewell, Gene Simmons
Posted by Bobbie Gossage at 1:39 PM
I've watched every season of the Apprentice (yes, I'm publicly admitting to that), and this one is by far the best. Gene Simmons was cracking me up last night. I was excited to discover that former Inc. editor Nadine Heintz is offering her witty take on the episodes. You can read her Celebrity Apprentice blog here, including a recap of Gene's downfall.
January 8, 2007
The Apprentice Season Premiere
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:43 AM
I reluctantly tuned in to the new season of the Apprentice last night. The Donald's recent desperate attempts to drum up publicity for the show have been nothing short of embarrassing. First the hullabaloo over the "shocking" antics of Miss USA. And then the ugly, ridiculous battle with Rosie. I guess it's just further proof that you can't buy class.
That said, I must confess that the Donald's sheer tackiness is part of the show's appeal. And tackiness is in no short supply this season. First of all, Trump seems to have died his hair bleach blond to blend in to sunny L.A. Then there was that opening scene that featured the Donald zipping up to his L.A. mansion to greet Melania and Baron. Gag! The contestants are no less artificial, which NBC seems to embrace by giving them one-dimensional labels. There's Heidi the Hottie, for example, and Surya the Hair. So are they basically admitting that the best thing Surya has going for him is his Gotti-esque hairdo? Not surprisingly, the women's labels are demeaning. Besides Heidi the Hottie, there's Jenn the Blonde and Nicole the Dreamer. But I guess Aimee the Thinker balances it all out. The fact that there's only one Thinker in the bunch doesn't bode well for the caliber of this season's candidates!
I will admit that I like the change of venue and it is pretty fun to watch the losing team camp out behind the winners' mansion. Not like the mansion is that great anyway. Are you telling me there's only one bedroom in that whole place? The bunkroom style sleep quarters are pretty bad. Still, it must be awful to watch the other players' relax in the pool while you sweat it out on a tree stump and brush your teeth over sinks of stagnant water. Despite those new twists, what's really going to make or break this season are the tasks. One reason why the New York show started to slump is that it seemed to be repeating the same lame challenges season after season, most of which were blatant promotions for advertisers. I'm hoping that the show will break out of that mode now that it's in L.A.
Last night's carwash challenge wasn't exactly thrilling, but at least it didn't involve a big box retailer or a car company. And it was pretty telling. Martin the Philosopher is clearly too timid to be a good salesperson and Frank totally blew it by spending an hour at the copy shop printing up those tiny black and white signs. That was a huge blunder. Sure, the other team looked like hitchhikers and hobos with their cardboard signs, but they did attract plenty of customers--too many, in fact. I would have been pretty annoyed if I had to wait an hour for a car wash. But Heidi and everyone else really rolled up their sleeves and got the job done. I was pretty impressed, especially when Heidi was kneeling on her bare knees on the pavement scrubbing hubcaps.
In the end, Heidi's high volume strategy trumped Frank's up selling approach. The latter strategy seemed particularly risky considering that Frank had no way of knowing whether his team members were good salespeople. Also, the $10 price point did seem pretty low. I like Frank's go getter attitude, but it would have been smart to hold a 10 or 15 minute strategy session at the start of the task. Frank's other problem is that he doesn't listen. He talks over everyone and can't take any second-guessing or criticism. I wouldn't want him on my team.
I seriously needed an aspirin during the boardroom scene. Frank and Martin were both irritating in their own special ways. I think Ivanka got it right when she said that Martin would never fit in at the Trump Organization. He's too full of himself, and we all know there's room for only one person like that at Trump Inc. Heidi was almost as smug and annoying as Martin. Considering her team won by a slim margin and hit some pretty serious rough patches, a bit more humbleness was in order. Though I agree with the Donald's decision to can Martin, I'm not a fan of Heidi or Frank.
So far, my favorite contestant is Angela the Olympian, just because she's the only one who actually seems to have any substance. Plus, she looks like a hockey player (which she is), not a Barbie doll. I'm looking forward to watching her in action. At this point, it's hard to form an opinion on many of the characters, but I will say that a couple of them, including James the Webhead, seem to have some potential to shine and entertain. That said, I have serious doubts that natty Ivanka will be a sufficient replacement for icy Caroline and wise old George. I guess we'll find out.
August 31, 2006
Room for only one diva at Trump Org?
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 1:12 PM
Carolyn neglected to follow what I always assumed to be an unspoken rule at the Trump Organization: Don't outshine the boss. I guess Carolyn was becoming a bit too popular for the Donald's tastes. According to a story in the New York Post, Trump's left-hand woman was spending too much time in the limelight, and not enough time memorizing the prices of goods in the pro shop of the Briarcliff, New York golf course she managed. So she's being replaced by Trump's daughter, Ivanka. I know a lot of people are Ivanka fans, and I thought she was better than, say, Alexis Stewart, but she's no Carolyn.
From a business owner's perspective, it sounds like Carolyn might have deserved to be fired. But from a TV watcher's perspective, it was just another one of Trump's bad HR decisions. Carolyn's witchy straight talk has always added a lot of spice to the Apprentice. Not only does she give her opinion, she doesn't bother to sugar coat it. She was a nice counterbalance to George, who's honest in a crusty but lovable grandpa way. I'll also miss the uncomfortable tension between Carolyn and Bill Rancic. I wonder if Bill is upset...or relieved. As for Carolyn's future, I wonder if people will continue to take her business advice. If past celebrity scandals are any indication, she'll be more popular than ever.
Even worse news: the Post article hinted that George might be replaced by the Donald's son. The Apprentice has been hanging by a thread ratings-wise for two seasons now. The elimination of both George and Carolyn would surely guarantee that this upcoming season will be the Donald's last. Perhaps that's his plan?
June 6, 2006
The Apprentice - Finale
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:25 AM
I'm not surprised that Sean won last night. The Donald was being generous when he said that Lee did a "good" job. In the end, the hockey fundraiser was a success, but Gold Rush's performance was terrible.
Lee was in way over his head. Even worse, he didn't seem to take the task, or the sponsors, seriously. His biggest mistake was putting so much trust in Lenny. Why the heck did Lee put him in charge of handling the celebrity hockey players, especially after he made that stupid comment about Jamie Fox in front of the woman from the Leary Firefighters Fund? Jaime Pressley and Michale J. Fox, not Jamie Fox, were coming to the event, you fool! As Caroline pointed out, Lenny made everyone uncomfortable. I felt especially bad for Jason Priestley when the woman at the Chelsea Piers sign-up desk asked him for his name. That was unbelievable. And then Lenny abandoned Jaime Pressley in the men's locker room. I loved when she told Lenny to "Get your *&^! together, apprentice boy." That was priceless. Thank goodness the celebs had a good sense of humor.
Overall, it didn't seem like Gold Rush did much of anything. The women from the Leary foundation shot down most of their ideas. Lee couldn't even figure out how to introduce the players, or how Jaime Pressly would get on the ice without slipping. The pre-party looked like a snooze fest, the auction was slapdash, and Lee capped off his terrible performance by failing to greet the Donald at the front door. Unbelievable. By the end of the challenge, it was clear that Lee could not handle a huge real estate project.
Sean had his own set of problems. I almost died when he suggested that the Donald drive on stage with a giant panda bear in the passenger seat. The Pontiac executive was clearly appalled by the idea, but Sean kept pushing it. He should have been able to read the executive better. Then he went ahead and rented the panda suit anyway! Having the panda greeting people really dumbed down the whole event. It would have been classier to emphasize the wildlife aspect by, say, filling the pre-party room and the stage with big potted plants. Of course, the other huge mistake was not putting any Pontiac signage in the pre-party room. Maybe if Sean had met with the sponsor initially, instead of cooing over Tammy during the meeting with the caterer, he would have had a better idea of Pontiac's expectations.
Overall, though, Synergy's pre-party seemed fun and lively, the auction went well, and everything looked great. I also liked the Donald's splashy entrance onto the stage. Importantly, the band seemed to be well cared for and Sean was on the helipad to greet the Donald as soon as he landed. The difference between Sean and Lee was night and day. The one thing they did have in common was excessive hair gel. I can't believe that Sean actually ran into the hotel salon for some good luck hair product!
I must admit that I skipped over some of that "live audience" nonsense during last night's show. I can't believe that Donnie Jr., Ivanka, and George didn't have anything interesting to say. Sure, Lee is a good guy and he has potential, but it was clear after the final task that Sean was the better candidate, thanks, in large part, to his ten years of business experience. And then, just as Caroline was about to give her pick, the Donald cut her off. How boring!
The one surprise of the night was Sean's confession that he and Tammy were going to get married. Did I hear that right? Too bad Tammy was in the dark, literally, at that point. I would have loved to see the expression on her face. I never got the feeling that she liked Sean as much as he obviously likes her. Be careful, Sean! It should be interesting to see if next season's move to L.A. revives this show. I have no idea how the Donald is going to handle the commute. I guess we'll find out in January.
May 30, 2006
The Apprentice - Week 14
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:34 AM
Has Sean lost his mind? He seems more focused on winning Tammy than on becoming the next apprentice. I'm surprised by his immature behavior. If he acted like that with an actual employee, he'd be in big trouble. Tarek should take him aside and attempt to re-focus him on the event.
Sean wasn't the only one screwing up last night. Lee is in way over his head. First of all, I can't believe he chose Pepi to be on his team. Pepi got canned in week two after the disastrous Gillette/bathrobe incident. Caroline didn't even remember his name! Surely that choice won't reflect well on Lee if the task does wind up being a disaster. Lee's other big mistakes are his cocky attitude and his lack of respect for the woman from the Leary foundation. I don't blame her for being annoyed when Lee asked her, "What's up?" That's not very professional behavior. He's treating her like a pest...and right in front of Carolyn! I'd like to see him try that with Denis Leary.
As Carolyn pointed out, Lee doesn't seem to be taking the task seriously at all. I can't tell if Lee and his team have accomplished anything so far. They really botched the negotiation with the Pontiac sponsors by aiming too low. The fact that they didn't press for matching funds after Pepi brought up that possibility made them seem disorganized and sloppy. They really should have discussed their strategy beforehand!
It's hard to say how well Sean's team is doing at this point. They weren't very creative with their fundraising ideas. The thought of asking Pontiac for a matching donation didn't even occur to them. The fact that Sean chose to join Tammy at a meeting with the caterer instead of talking to the event sponsor shows how bad his judgement is right now. I couldn't believe it when he kissed Tammy on the head! He really needs to table that nonsense for later. It's not even clear whether Tammy is interested, or if she's just playing along for now. The whole situation is very bizarre.
Maybe Andrea's illness will snap Sean back into reality. I've never liked Andrea, but I can see why Sean hired her. What she lacks in personality and sales prowess she makes up for in organizational skills. I hope she's not seriously ill. A quick Google search of her symptoms turned up a wide array of possible reasons for coughing up blood, from a common cold to lung cancer. Yikes. And yet Tammy had the audacity to ask Andrea to stop off at the store on her way back from the doctor's office. I realize they have a job to do, but that wasn't right. A colleague's health should trump all else.
It should be interesting to see which one of these buffoons wins the apprenticeship. Will Sean snap out of his lovesick puppy routine? Will Andrea bounce back? Will Lee get it together at the eleventh hour? I guess we'll find out next week.
May 23, 2006
The Apprentice - Week 13
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 9:59 AM
Last night's episode was delicious. As Tammy predicted, Allie and Roxanne couldn't handle a non-sales task. Allie broke every rule in the book. She ignored the needs of the customer (the hotel employees), she dismissed her teammate's ideas, and she pretended to know more than the design expert. Plus, she was just plain rude and obnoxious.
The weird dynamic between Allie and Roxanne was fascinating. Roxanne knew Allie was wrong to go with skirts instead of pants for the front desk workers, but the friendship prevented her from putting up a fight. Roxanne seemed shocked by the way Allie treated the designer, but she kept her mouth shut once again. Meanwhile, Allie treated Roxanne like she wasn't even part of the team. Some friend. I wrote a story about being friends with your employees a couple of years ago, and the general rule of thumb seemed to be that if you can compartmentalize the different facets of your relationship, it can work out. But that's incredibly hard to do. Obviously, Allie and Roxanne are not mature enough to handle a complex relationship.
Lee and Sean, on the other hand, struck the perfect balance between having fun, being pals, and getting the job done. They have a good relationship, but there's a healthy amount of distance...they weren't hugging and kissing every five seconds like phony Allie and Roxanne.
Relationship dynamics aside, Gold Rush had the clear advantage. Sean obviously has good taste, and Lee didn't do so badly either. Even though Sean was the style guru on the team, he had no problem taking Lee's suggestions regarding design and fabric. That's a sign of a good leader. Lee's biggest contribution was listening to the hotel workers and realizing that they didn't want a drastic change or trendy uniforms. They just wanted to be comfortable and look nice. Sure, Gold Rush's designs weren't exactly cutting edge, but the fabric was breathable and the clothes were well suited for all different body types.
The same cannot be said for Synergy's ridiculous designs. As Ivanka pointed out, not many women would look good in Synergy's puffy-sleeved get-ups. I was getting uncomfortable just looking at the material. I can't imagine changing sheets and vacuuming in such a tight-fitting, synthetic fabric. And why did Allie decide to break the mold by putting the cooks in khaki? Didn't she stop to ask why cooks always wear white? She clearly missed the whole point of the task, which was to win over the staffers. The outfits belonged in a B movie about hotel workers, not real life.
Needless to say, I was very happy that Sean and Lee won. (I felt terrible for Sean when the women returned from the boardroom and proceeded to tear apart Tammy. I don't know if it's just an act, but Sean really seems to have a thing for Tammy. I'll have to keep an eye on them at the finale party.) The reward was pretty great, the next best thing to having dinner with the Donald himself. Ivanka and Don Jr. seem like nice people.
The same cannot be said for evil Allie and Roxanne, especially after the boardroom massacre. I wasn't surprised at all by the fact that they ripped each other apart. Allie clearly deserved more of the blame, but two nicer people might have figured out a way to get around the slugfest. Remember when Lee helped prep Lenny for the boardroom, and defended him vehemently? If the women had any sense, they would have figured out that the Donald admires loyalty (most of the time, at least). When he tried to pit them against each other, they should have stood their ground and shared the blame. That was their only chance at survival. Instead, they attacked each other like two angry dogs. In the end, the Donald made the right choice by firing them both. I'm only shocked they made it this far. I was also surprised by the taxi cab confession. The fact that Allie and Roxanne could switch from attacking one another back to the best friends routine shows how phony they really are. Good riddance!
Even though this season's contestants have been the worst yet, Sean and Lee aren't bad. I could see either one of them turning into the next Bill Rancic. I guess we'll find out in the next couple of weeks!
May 16, 2006
The Apprentice - Week 12
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:55 AM
Last night was really painful. I couldn't bear to watch Allie and Roxanne. Their performances proved once and for all that they are way too petty and immature to run a Trump company, or any company, for that matter. Tammy was no star, either. Her red carpet idea was lame. I didn't really see a clear connection between that and the X-box. I didn't think the lounge looked as bad as Trump made it out to be, but it was a huge mistake not to feature prices and other signage explaining the product. As the executives pointed out, it was a cool place to hang out, but it didn't promote buying anything.
That wasn't Tammy's only blunder. I can't figure out why she told Allie and Roxanne that she wanted the task to be about her. Why on earth would she say that, especially to two self-centered brats like Roxanne and Allie? Tammy's next big mistake was her whiny leadership style. Maybe if she had shown some more backbone, she would have inspired her team to offer suggestions and put more effort into the task. In the end, I'm not sure it would have mattered. Allie and Roxanne should be embarrassed by their grade-schoolish behavior.
In contrast, Lee and Sean worked together very well. It was obvious from the beginning, however, that something was going to go terribly wrong with the floor and roof. I was very leary when the contractor said he could have the floor done in a few hours. That seemed overly optimistic. But Sean seemed to be quite pleased with himself for outsourcing the bulk of the task. In the end, relying on someone else was his downfall. If it had worked, though, the display would have been spot-on.
Unfortunately for Sean, that didn't happen. The fact that he and Lee won the competition despite their flabby, unfinished display underscores how lame this season has been. Sean's concept was excellent, and I liked the way he and Lee integrated various products that could be used with the X-box, but the execution was miserable. In past seasons, execution has always been weighed as heavily, or almost as heavily, as concept. I don't blame the executives for seeming underwhelmed.
I considered pressing Mute several times during the boardroom scene. Tammy's whiny voice was really getting to me. I loved when Ivanka pointed out that Allie was rolling her eyes. I'm glad Bill spoke up and mentioned how Allie was doing the same early on. Bill obviously thinks Allie is unprofessional. However, it was smart of her to stay relatively mum as Roxanne and Tammy screamed at each other. What an embarrassment! All three of them should have gotten the ax.
As Tammy pointed out in her taxi cab confessional, it should be interesting to see how Allie and Roxanne perform without her on another non-sales task. They're great salespeople, but that's about all. I'm sure they'll both have wonderful careers in that capacity, but it takes more than sales acumen to run a company. I can't imagine either one of them managing a team well. So I guess I was totally wrong about Tammy and Sean being in the final two. Unless Synergy peforms a miracle next week, it may be a male-dominated final showdown. And rightly so.
May 9, 2006
The Apprentice - Week 11
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:38 AM
I really wanted Allie to lose last night. I can't believe that her team did so well, considering that they did very little marketing beforehand and had no concept planned. In fact, I can't figure out exactly what Synergy did the night before the tailgate party. They just seemed to be driving around in the van talking about cheerleading.
At the end of the day, however, the task came down to selling, not marketing. The guys had hundreds of people at their event, but they didn't think big. I was surprised that Lee didn't come up with the idea of delivering large orders to people at their cars. That seemed like a classic Lee move. Maybe he was too overwhelmed to step back and think. Plus, the price points were really low. I think the guys were charging just $3 or $4 for one of those giant blooming onions, which go for at least $5 at restaurants. As George pointed out, college kids go to football games with enough cash to buy lots of beer and food. That's especially true with homecoming games, I would imagine.
I hate to admit it, but I was impressed by Allie's sales prowess. It seemed like she was the first one to sell a large order and deliver it. She really saved the day, even though she wasn't even the project manager. That said, I still can't stand her personality. I think she's too petty and vindictive to be a well-respected leader. Instead of working out her problems with Sean, she held a huge grudge. That's not professional. I loved when Sean put the ear plugs in last night! Roxanne and Allie need to give it a rest.
Obviously, it was no shock that Michael was fired. It's about time! I can't believe he made it this long. I could see pretending to consider the head cheerleader's request, but I don't think he was pretending. I think he was fibbing in the boardroom when he said that he never intended to loan out a couple of cheerleaders to Synergy. On top of that, he didn't sell anything and he did a bad job of emceeing the events. Also, his cocky statement about how Gold Rush was bound to win since the party was a man's event made me laugh. A college guy would buy way more from Allie in a cheerleader outfit than he would from Michael! That shows how little he knew about the target audience.
I'm really disappointed in Sean and Lee. It seems like Allie, Tammy and Roxanne are the only real contenders left. At this point, I'm rooting for Tammy. She has just as much moxie as Allie and Roxanne, without the petty attitude. I guess we'll find out soon enough!
May 2, 2006
The Apprentice - Week 10
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:37 AM
I was shocked by Charmaine's awful leadership last night. I almost collapsed when Bill walked into the salon to find her getting her hair done. That was absurd. But that was just the icing on the cake. She was horrible from the very beginning. It was a complete waste to spend hours arranging hair products on shelves. As Lenny pointed out, marketing should have been Gold Rush's first priority. When they did finally get around to marketing, they wasted hours putting those cheap flyers on windshields in far-flung parking lots. I get really annoyed when I find one of those on my car, so I definitely would not have attended the so-called grand opening.
Charmaine was mostly responsible for the loss, but Tarek's bad attitude didn't help. He acted like a petulant child. At least Lee tried to talk Charmaine into focusing on marketing. Tarek spent most of the task whining like a baby and poking fun at Charmaine, which didn't really help the situation. That said, if Tarek had been less argumentative in the boardroom, the Donald might have spared him. He did do a great job on last week's Statue of Liberty brochure.
I was relieved that Synergy won, simply because I couldn't bear to see Sean raked over the coals by witchy Allie. I didn't blame Sean for not ganging up against Andrea in the last episode. Even though I couldn't stand Andrea, I thought it was honorable for him to help her out a bit while the ladies attacked her. I can't figure out why he told Allie that he did that to be strategic. Why didn't he just admit that he felt bad for Andrea? I don't get it.
I'll admit that Allie did a good job on the task. She's a great salesperson. But she's not a nice person overall. She reminds me of the schoolyard bully who alienates anyone who doesn't adore her and do her bidding. I hope she doesn't make it to the final two. I'm very disappointed in Roxanne as well. Thank goodness Tammy rose above the pettiness. I'm starting to like her more and more. I can't quite figure out if she and Sean really like each other in a romantic way, or if they're just flirting. It would be interesting to see them pitted against each other in the finale.
Right now, Tammy and Sean are leading the pack. I have no idea how Michael has lasted this long. He's always seemed clueless, which was confirmed last night when he said that Charmaine had done a good job. The Donald said that Michael's speech was great, but I thought it was comical. Give me a break! I'm not sure how long Lee the politician will last either. His non-strategy strategy seemed to fall apart last night when Caroline told him his argument didn't make sense. That said, I do like Lee's big ideas and he's definitely in my top three for now. It's too bad he didn't come up with a smart strategy for last night's task. Maybe going to a local office park and offering a great deal for lunchtime haircuts?
By the end of the episode, I was fed up with both Charmaine and Tarek, so I'm glad they're both gone. The taxi cab scene was priceless. I expected a little bickering, but the dead silence and Charmaine's crazy facial expressions were even more entertaining. Apparently the gang is heading to college next week to run an Outback Steakhouse tailgate party. I wonder if Tammy and Sean will be canoodling under the bleachers? I guess we'll find out.
April 25, 2006
The Apprentice - Week 9
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:58 AM
I'm glad that Andrea finally got canned last night. She hit the nail on the head when she said it's a good thing that she works for herself. It sounds like she might not have any employees, either, which is probably for the best. She's definitely not a people person and she basically admitted that her strongest talent is delegating. Of course, that's a key skill that any leader must have, and it's not easy to trust other people with important assignments. But in order to make it on this show, you must have other skills to contribute. How else can you win the respect of your teammates?
At the end of the day, Andrea was a bad salesperson, a bad team member, and a horrible designer. The Ellis Island booklet was ugly and amateurish. And who can forget the cheesy cereal ad that she created? That said, I wound up feeling bad for her by the end of the episode. I really didn't like the way things went down. But more on that later.
It was very refreshing to see Gold Rush win for a change. I have to hand it to Tarek for being creative and having a great eye. Andrea could learn a thing or two about graphic design and photography from him. Charmaine was also a star. She really hustled on the phone and stuck with it, despite rude responses from many of the hotels. I'm glad that one hotel sale came through in the end, even though the $85 deal wasn't a huge score.
I give Lee credit for thinking big, but he didn't seem to contribute much else to last night's task. Charmaine obviously has an ax to grind with him. I can't believe she was so shocked when inept Leslie was fired instead of Lee. That said, I do agree with Charmaine's assessment of Lee's performance last night. It definitely seemed like Tarek was project manager. And while Charmaine was busting her hump to make some bulk sales over the phone, Lee was merely feeding her leads. How hard is it to round up a bunch of hotel phone numbers? Lee did rally the troops early to stake out the best spot in Battery Park, and he's a good face-to-face salesperson. But he didn't pull as much weight as Tarek and Charmaine. And what about Michael? I thought he had been fired until I looked on the NBC site this morning. He's been virtually non-existent in the past couple of weeks.
For every good move that Gold Rush made, Synergy made a mistake. Andrea was right to criticize Allie and Tammy for wasting too much time on the tour scribbling down information. Pictures make a glossy booklet great; the words are secondary. Mistake numbers two, three, and four: Running back with Tammy to get the notebook, missing the boat, and handing over the design job to Tammy, knowing what a horrible job she did on the cereal billboard. I wish we had seen more of the brochures. All I know is that the "drastic changes" made by Allie didn't help the cover much.
As a matter of fact, I'm not quite sure who deserved to be fired more, Allie or Andrea. Allie seemed pretty clueless during the whole task. I can't believe that her team arrived downtown so late, essentially handing Gold Rush a captive audience and a victory. Sure, Andrea should have come forward with her bulk sales suggestion a day earlier, but why didn't Allie think of that? Then, after blowing the entire task, Allie launched a nasty campaign against Andrea. I understand that a little covert planning might be necessary in this game, but I was shocked when Allie made references to "blood on the boardroom walls" several times! That was pretty creepy. And then she sat in the boardroom all innocent looking as Roxanne extolled her virtues, saying that she's such a good person. I disagree. I'm surprised that Roxanne took part in the witch hunt, and I felt bad for Andrea. I'm glad Sean declined to get involved with Allie's scheme. Good for you, Sean.
I agree with the Donald's decision to fire Andrea last night, but I hope he realizes that Allie isn't much better. Don't be fooled by the perky smile and the perfect updo, Donald! After last night, I'm guessing that Charmaine, Tarek, and Sean will make it to the final three. At least I hope so.
April 11, 2006
The Apprentice - Weeks 7 and 8
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 2:13 PM
Lenny really blew it last night. I know he's never been a people person, but I didn't expect him to choke that badly with the Ace Hardware execs. The silence during that meeting was painful. Lenny's inane comment about Ace being a small town store was even worse than his silence. I understand what he meant, but it came out all wrong. Way to insult the judges, Lenny.
Charmaine was right when she suggested that Gold Rush prep for the Ace meeting, but she's clearly not assertive enough. A few episodes ago, she set up that ill-fated meeting that led to Bryce's downfall. Instead of insisting that they leave the loft, she waited for Bryce to take the lead...and the fall. That seems to be part of Charmaine's strategy. She makes a suggestion for the record, then sits back and watches as her project leader blows it. Maybe she doesn't have 15,000 faces, as Lenny proclaimed, but she definitely has two. And maybe if she whined less, people would actually listen to her when she makes a good point. Needless to say, I'm not a big Charmaine fan, even though she does have some good qualities.
As Bill aptly pointed out, the challenge was over when Gold Rush blew the initial meeting. If someone had asked the execs what they were looking for, they might have realized that the all-music room didn't encourage team work, which should have been the main objective. The room did look nice, and I'm sure some of the kids will enjoy it, but the judges' desires should have come first.
As for Synergy, Michael drove me crazy throughout the entire episode. He performs well when he's being managed by someone else, but he's obviously a terrible leader. He was unwilling to delegate tasks, yet it took hiim forever to make a simple decision. He needs a lot more confidence. In the end, though, the concept wound up working, thanks mostly to Michael's hard-working underlings. His presentation was pretty good as well.
Lenny's presentation, on the other hand, was a disaster. He blamed the language barrier and tiredness, but I think he just choked. He's been in the U.S. for 14 years, and he's perfectly clear when he's telling off his teammates, so the language excuse is pretty lame. That said, I felt bad for him and I thought it was nice, though bizarre, that Lee was trying to help. I'm surprised that those two wound up being friends after the whole religious holiday debate. It was very risky for Lee to be so loyal to Lenny, especially in the boardroom. Sometimes Trump slams contestants for putting friendship above business. This time, however, the Donald was clearly impressed by Lenny's loyalty. It made for one of the strangest boardroom scenes ever. I loved when Lenny said that he painted the room red to give props to his native country. It's too bad that, in the end, the Donald had no choice but to fire "the Russian." I will miss Lenny a lot, though I know he deserved the boot.
I like how the "Lee is a rebel" theme continued into the second episode last night. I thought Lee had an excellent point about the sandwich prices. I also liked his idea to sell a huge amount of P'Eatzzas to one person. That said, his negotiating skills leave a lot to be desired. George would have been appalled when Lee offered the potential customer $3, the rock bottom price, on the second go around. Hello? He should have cut the price from $7.99 to $5, then worked down from there. Even though the negotiation was a bust, Lee earned a lot of points from the Donald for thinking big. He's becoming a real contender.
Leslie, on the other hand, was clueless most of the time. Sure, the cooler was a good idea, but it all came down to price.Why didn't she listen to Lee when he said that the store managers thought $7.99 was too much? That's more than a fancy Cosi sandwich! As George pointed later on, Leslie clearly doesn't have what it takes to be the next Apprentice.
I really wanted Synergy to lose last night, just to see Andrea pummelled in the boardroom. I can't stand her smug, self-satisfied attitude for one more week. I couldn't believe her when she insisted on handing out those cheesy hats. Who the heck wants a 7-11 cap? And how do hats relate to sandwiches? In addition to being a dictator, she's a terrible salesperson. She's more offputting than the nasty-looking P'Eattzza sandwich.
I'm getting tired of Gold Rush losing every week. Hopefully the Donald will shake up the teams again in the next episode. It would be great if Michael landed back on Synergy's side. Right now, my money's on Lee and Charmaine for the final two.
April 4, 2006
The Apprentice - Week 6
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:04 AM
I'm still dumbfounded by Gold Rush's inept performance on the last task. They had a 10:15 meeting with the Arby's executives and they were still in the suite at 10:10. Even when they were clearly running late, they didn't seem the least bit upset. And they didn't even apologize when they walked into the room! The Arby's guy had to solicit an apology. Then Bryce lied and said that he didn't realize they were late. Charmaine clearly told him that the appointment was at 10:15. I don't get it. For a team that blew the last task in a big way, Gold Rush didn't seem too worried about screwing up. Where did the Donald find these people?
I didn't care for Gold Rush's jingle either. Charmaine and Leslie's lyrics were okay, except for the obvious omission, but the tune was way off. It sounded more like a folk song than a jingle...meat sandwiches aren't exactly folksy. That was Tarek's fault. Clearly, he and Charmaine should have gone to the boardroom instead of Lee. I can't believe that Charmaine thought the Donald might spare them all. What a joke! Bryce was a terrible leader, Lenny was useless, and the people who did contribute did a poor job. The team work just wasn't there.
Synergy's performance, on the other hand, was excellent from the get go. Roxanne kicked things off in the very beginning with her idea and everything flowed from there. The group dynamic was very positive; everyone seemed to contribute something. The jingle itself was a little edgy and very current. I was impressed. I was also happy that Sean made a good presentation after joking two weeks ago. He had something to prove and he did it. Good for you, Sean.
Back to the boardroom: I was shocked when Bryce picked on Lee for observing a religious holiday. What a mistake! The Donald made it clear a couple of weeks ago that missing a task to observe a holiday was acceptable. Even Lenny learned his lesson and kept his mouth shut this time. But Bryce is too cocky. I was amazed when he kept interrupting the Donald. And he also made a snarky comment! What an idiot. He definitely doesn't have the tact to run a big company. I'm so glad he was fired.
I was also disappointed in Lenny last night. His excuses seemed pretty lame...as Bill aptly pointed out, Lenny has lived in the US for 14 years, so he should be familiar with jingles. Maybe the lyrics would have been tricky for someone whose first language isn't English, but he could have helped in some other way. Instead, he just skulked in the shadows for the most part. He should probably offer to be project manager next week to prove himself to the Donald.
Speaking of project managers, Sean's lady killer routine is pretty amusing. All the women on his team seem to have a huge crush on him. It's rather entertaining. Maybe Sean and Roxanne will be this season's Nick and Amy?
For now, my money's on Roxanne and Sean to make it to the final two. Roxanne seems a little less seasoned than the others, but that could actually be an advantage. After all, Kendra was chosen, in part, because she was young enough to be molded into a proper Trump employee. Tammy's a contender as well, but I don't care for her witchy personality. Roxanne and Sean have a lot more heart.
I tried to get the inside scoop from George Ross at the Inc. 500 conference in Savannah last week. He spoke about negotiating strategies and he also talked a bit about the Apprentice. When I asked him who the next Apprentice would be, he said NBC would dock him $5 million if he leaked any secret information. He did mention how appalled he was by some contestants' behavior in the boardroom. He said one fight went on for two hours. No wonder he's going on so many "business trips" these days! The negotiation talk itself was excellent. George is as Frank in person as he is on TV. In fact, he surprised some audience members by saying that it's okay to lie during negotiations. I wonder if Bryce's fib about the appointment time was a wise move after all?
March 28, 2006
The Apprentice - Week 5
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:03 AM
I must admit that I liked Lenny's castaway idea at first. I thought ads that told some sort of story were usually a hit, but maybe that was a fad. Or maybe the commercial was just badly executed. I was picturing a Tom Hanks-type castaway on a nice wooden raft in the middle of a big ocean. Instead, Gold Rush gave us a guy covered in seaweed on a raft right next to a dock. That made no sense! The commercial looked amateurish compared to Synergy's polished footage. And Tarek's refusal to use a voice over instead of text was the final blow. Lenny was right to put up a fight over that decision.
Danny was a terrible leader. I wanted to smack some sense into him in the beginning of the episode. There was no reason for his obnoxious, high-strung behavior. That set a bad tone for the rest of the task. Danny was a complete control freak who couldn't trust his teammates with anything. The only person he listened to was Tarek, and that wound up being a huge mistake. Tarek is just as much of a control freak as Danny. He seemed insulted when Lenny suggested doing away with the text on the commercial. Get over yourself! In a previous season, the same thing...too much text on an ad...led to another team's downfall. I guess Mr. Mensa didn't do his homework before coming on the show.
Andrea's behavior during last night's episode made me like her even less. She was clearly looking to make Roxanne a scapegoat to pay her back for her negative comments in the last boardroom. How manipulative and petty. I'm glad Andrea's evil plan didn't work. I'll admit that Roxanne did seem shaky at first, but she eventually came into her own, despite Andrea's domineering behavior. I'm glad Roxanne stood up to Andrea and stuck with the opening black and white scene, which really grabbed the attention of the cruise line executives. Maybe that will teach Andrea some humility, but I doubt it.
I was disappointed in Lee last night. I like him, but I'm starting to think Danny and Tarek have a point. I can't remember Lee making any great contributions in the past few weeks. He should probably volunteer to be project manager next week to prove that he's not merely a politician. That said, I don't think Lee deserved to be in the boardroom. Danny should have brought in Tarek and Lenny. He totally bungled that decision. Then he tried to cover his tracks when Caroline and the Donald called him on it, which only made him seem like a liar. Even though Lenny should have been in the boardroom since he came up with the castaway idea, I don't think he deserved to be fired. The idea could have worked if it was executed properly. A voice over, which Lenny suggested, would have helped out a lot. At least Lenny has big ideas. And he's also toned down his personality. I didn't hear him utter one curse word last night.
I was very interested to see how Synergy would perform without Brent. Although they won, the chemistry was still pretty terrible. I blame Andrea. She's a very negative person who always seems to have it out for somebody. She's just as disruptive as Brent. I'm curious to see how Synergy will do next week. Apparently the task involves creating a jingle for a chicken joint. That will require a lot of collaboration, which is not one of Andrea's strong points. Maybe the task will finally push her over the edge. I can only hope!
March 21, 2006
The Apprentice - Week 4
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:52 AM
I don't blame the Donald for firing Brent last night. But I do blame him for having Brent on the show at all. I'm convinced that Brent was chosen as a contestant for pure comic relief, and that's not fair. I feel bad for the guy. He never had a chance. He definitely blew it in the boardroom. If he had just kept his mouth shut, he wouldn't have been fired. That was his problem all along...he said too much, and people began to ignore even his good ideas.
I was secretly hoping that Andrea would get the boot last night. I can't stand her attitude. Sure, her sticker business is successful, but I think she's out of her league. And last night's lame graphic design job proves it. At least she wound up taking out the cutesy heart in the end. Hearts and curlicues may sell stickers, but come on.
Not that Andrea is entirely to blame for Synergy's loss. I liked the "next generation" concept, but it was way too complicated for a billboard. I blame Allie for that. And that guy they hired to play the dad was way too young. The Donald was right on when he said that the father/daughter duo looked more like booyfriend/girlfriend. What were they thinking? Tammy and Andrea were too busy high-fiving each other to take a critical look at the idea and the execution. The presentation was awful, too. I was really disappointed in Sean's bumbling presentation. But it was Andrea's dumb idea to use power point slides. Boring!
I didn't have high hopes for Gold Rush either. Their idea seemed overly simple at first, but I guess that's what billboard ads are all about. I thought the picture of the lady chugging the cereal was a little creepy, but it would definitely get my attention. I still can't figure out how they got the cereal to hang in the air. I also thought the baby carriage was pretty hokey. I could have done without it. That said, I do think Charmaine was a good leader. She kept the team on track, made decisions fast, and never second guessed the idea. She really turned it around after the crying jag in the beginning of the show. That was a tad dramatic.
Overall, things seemed to go pretty well with Gold Rush, except for Bryce's last-minute wimp-out. I'm glad Charmaine called him on that. Hopefully he learned a lesson about sticking to your guns. Also, I can't figure out why everyone was so shocked when Lenny added his own touch to the dish during his reward. Loosen up, people! With Brent gone, it should be very interesting to see how Synergy performs. Now, they won't have anyone to blame their failures on but themselves.
March 14, 2006
The Apprentice - Week 3
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:16 AM
Last night's episode was fabulous. It had everything viewers could ask for: Religious conflict, fighting, dumb models, and a foulmouthed comedian. Plus, of course, Donald Trump.
The Donald definitely made the right decision when he fired Theresa. For some reason, that woman really creeps me out. Maybe it's her beady eyes. I loved when Lenny suggested that Trump fire both Tarek and Theresa, but I'm glad Mr. Mensa didn't get canned. He seems to have toned down the whole brainiac thing in the past two weeks. And he kept emphasizing the importance of developing a theme to tie Gold Rush's event together. Theresa just kept yelling and talking over him. Her behavior in the planning session was really abrasive. It seemed like her whole strategy was to delegate all the important stuff, then blame everyone else when her team lost. That didn't work very well!
As Tarek pointed out, the problems started in the planning phase, when Theresa refused to develop a theme. I knew right away that the idea of hiring models, a comedian, and a horsedrawn carriage was going to be a total bust. Synergy, on the other hand, focused on their theme right away. Then everything else fell into place. Their event was perfect. I'm still not sure how I feel about Andrea, but I was impressed with her management style. She's no-nonsense, but she's not a control freak or a tyrant. I was particularly impressed with the way she handled Brent. Giving him busy work that he couldn't screw up was smart. I doubt that poor Brent will last much longer. That was really pathetic when he left the meeting to have lunch. I'm beginning to wonder why he was even picked to be on this show. Was it only for comic relief?
Gold Rush's event was laughable. I can't believe Theresa thought a horse and carriage would teach car dealers about horse power. How lame! And the putting green looked terrible. Sure, that was Tarek's task, but I did hear him tell Bill that Theresa wouldn't let him spend money on astro turf. Needless to say, the comedian was ridiculous. Where did Charmaine find that woman? Not only was the comedian inappropriate, but she wasn't funny at all. I can't believe Charmaine paid her the full $1,700! The models were embarrassing as well, but the deck was stacked against them. Basically, they had 20 minutes to learn everything about the Tahoe. I can't believe Theresa didn't take Charmaine into the boardroom instead of Lenny.
That said, I can understand why Theresa was annoyed with Lenny. I love his brash attitude, but I was really disappointed when he told Theresa that it wasn't his problem that the speakers were missing. Anyone who says "That's not my problem" or "That's not my job" is very questionable, in my book. Also, he should have stopped complaining about the fact that Lee and Dan took two days off to observe a religious holiday. I kind of see how he might feel justified, since he's also Jewish and didn't take the day off, but the Donald clearly thought it was okay. I really liked the way he diffused that whole discussion in the boardroom by simply telling Lenny, "That's life." Then he changed the subject. People may make fun of the Donald, but he does seem like a good manager.
By the end of the show, I had forgiven Lenny. As Bill pointed out, he was a workehorse during the task. He should probably tone down his yelling and cursing, though I did love it when he said that he wished Theresa's brain was as big as her other endowments. He just can't keep his thoughts to himself!
The shark "reward" was pretty scary. I'd much rather have dinner at some fancy restaurant than get into a tank with those 12-foot-long man-eaters. I give Brent a lot of credit for taking the plunge. According to the preview for next week, it looks like Brent's about to go "over the line" and act crazier than ever. That should be interesting! So far, I'm not sure who will win this season. Andrea's definitely a contender, and maybe good old Lee. I guess we'll find out.
March 7, 2006
The Apprentice - Week 2
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:21 AM
I was really shocked by Stacy's bad behavior last night. She was clearly manipulating the truth so Brent would be fired. She changed her "threat" story so many times that nobody seemed to believe her in the end. I guess she hasn't learned much as a criminal defense lawyer. If you're going to fabricate stories, at least get your facts straight. Anyone who watches Law and Order knows that.
Needless to say, I was happy with the outcome of the show. The Donald definitely made the right decision in the boardroom. Brent is pretty absurd, but he wasn't the reason for the loss. He's clearly the type of person who just wants to be heard. As long as he's not rambling on endlessly, I don't see the harm in listening to his ideas. After all, his contributions to last week's brainstorming session helped his team win the big box challenge. Stacy was rude and only escalated the problem. And Pepi failed to nip things in the bud. I guess he only knows how to manage cooperative people. As we've learned in past seasons, that's not going to cut it.
Speaking of bad managers, Lee really went off the rails for a while. I was disappointed. But I liked the fact that he gave in to Lenny's demands later on and admitted that he was wrong to spend so much time coming up with the right keyword. This task was all about pounding the pavement. The teasers for last night's show made it seem like Lenny was being crazy, but he saved Gold Rush from disaster. I kind of like his brash attitude. I can definitely see him running a Trump organization.
Other than Lenny, nobody else stood out in a good way this week. Allie and Tarek seemed to make minimal contributions. Admittedly, the task didn't involve much creativity or business know-how. It was all about location, which is why Stacy deserved to be fired. Michael's robe idea was also terrible, but the Donald was right to give him another shot.
There weren't many standouts, but Synergy did work well together as a team. I couldn't believe that they were already in Times Square while Gold Rush was still eating breakfast. As for Brent, I'll admit that his dance moves were ridiculous and embarrassing, but at least he tried. His teammates just seemed to flounder. Instead of switching to plan B when they realized the location was poor, they simply froze.
I liked the Donald's daughter. Unlike Alexis Stewart, Ivanka was sharp as a tack and had plenty to say in the boardroom. She's a welcome addition to the cast. I also liked this week's reward. It's nice to see reality TV contestants doing something selfless for a change. I was kind of disappointed that the Donald didn't give the three unemployed guys jobs, though. At least they received snazzy interview suits.
It looks like next week's challenge is going to be much more interesting, in a Fear Factor sort of way. I can't wait to see the wimpy wanna-bes swimming with sharks. And they think Brent is scary?
February 28, 2006
The Apprentice - Season Premiere
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:50 AM
I didn't have very high hopes for the new season, especially after that weird publicity stunt that the Donald pulled last week. His letter to Martha was absolutely bizarre. It was also genius...it generated more attention for the show than any ad campaign NBC could come up with. It's almost like the Donald is trying to singlehandedly turn around the ratings for the show. In last night's episode, he let us know right off the bat that he's bringing out the big guns this season. The opening scene was deliciously absurd. I loved when he sped up to his private jet in a sports car. Ridiculous!
That over-the-top opening set the tone for the rest of the episode. This may be the most cut-throat, self-centered group of Donald wanna-bes to date. All of the candidates seem to have good credentials, but their personalities leave a lot to be desired. Allie, for one, seemed promising at first, but I lost a lot of respect for her when she mocked Brent in front of her team. Sure, he's an oddball. But, as project manager, Allie should have kept the eye rolling to herself. Brent isn't as polished as the rest of the crew, and he has some bad ideas. That said, he did suggest that the team offer beauty treatments to the Sam's Club customers. He should have received more credit.
Tarek bothered me from the get-go. I'll admit that he's rather handsome. But my crush ended as soon as he opened his pompous mouth. I just read on his bio that he grew up in the "public housing projects and tenements of New Bedford, MA." Apparently he's forgotten his humble roots. He seems to think his MENSA membership will earn him instant respect. I beg to differ.
So far, Lee is my favorite contestant. He was right on when he criticized Tarek for not having a big, creative idea that would bring people into the store. The "gift bag" giveaway was embarrassing. Who wants some crummy duffle bag covered in store logos? I loved how Lee spoke up when everyone was trashing Summer on the patio. I also loved the fact that he criticized Tarek's leadership in the boardroom, even though Tarek threatened to retaliate against him. Good for you, Lee!
The boardroom scene was pretty exciting all around. Summer really blew it by interrupting the Donald while he was berating Tarek. I kind of agreed with her decision not to call restaurants during the dinner rush. Also, it was Tarek's fault that there was no real hook for enticing people to come in. But she should have called the restaurants in the morning to make up for it. Instead of pointing out a problem and devising a solution, she simply gave up. That's never a good sign. Obviously, Lee shouldn't have been in the boardroom at all. And what about poor Lenny? It made sense that he would be directing the blimp since he lived in that area. So who can blame him for not selling memberships? Tarek's arguments against Lenny and Lee were limp. Instead of offering specifics, he just said they didn't "step up." That phrase should be banned from this show! I also thought that the Donald was disrespectful towards Lenny. Hopefully he'll learn the poor guy's name and stop calling him "the Russian" and making jokes about Siberia.
In the end, I knew Tarek wasn't going to be fired...he's far too attractive. I'm pretty sure I caught Carolyn making goo-goo eyes at him in the boardroom. Then she attacked Summer to ensure that she'd be the one to go. Summer seemed to give up at that point...besides "product knowledge," she couldn't name one contribution she made to the task. How hard is it to figure out how a Sam's Club membership works?
Hopefully evil Tarek and Allie will take a backseat in next week's episode so we can get to know some of the other contestants. It seems like NBC is setting up Brent and Lenny as this season's wacky weirdos. I feel bad for poor Brent. I love the fact that he designed his own diet. I sense a book deal! He's definitely strange, but I think most offices can benefit from at least one person like that. I'm not sure if he's polished enough to run one of the Donald's companies, though. I guess we'll find out.
December 22, 2005
Martha Stewart's Apprentice - Finale
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:48 AM
I was pretty disappointed in last night's finale. It was rather anticlimactic, especially after the Donald's exciting conclusion last week. A big part of the problem was that neither of the final two contestants was all that great. I liked Dawna, but she's no Randal. I've never even heard of her magazine. And Bethenny doesn't know the first thing about leading. Judging from her bio and website, it seems like she's accustomed to working along...and it shows.
I chuckled every time Bethenny talked about her management "style." What style? She was thoughtless and rude to her employees, and just about everyone else, throughout the entire task. You can't just leave your workers hanging, wondering if there's a gameplan. By the end of the event, even Jim was exasperated with his former pal. Sure, the circus wound up being a success, and far more put together than the fashion show, but Bethenny still looked like a loser due to her bad attitude.
Dawna, for her part, performed poorly as well. She shouldn't have given Amanda so much responsibility. Putting together the clothes and dealing with that mean Claiborne executive should have been Dawna's responsibility. My guess is that Dawna doubted her own ability to choose the right outfits, so she dumped the job on Amanda. That was a big mistake. Amanda tried her best, but she's no fashionista, and she doesn't have much tact. I still can't believe she insulted the Claiborne execs last week by calling one of the outfits dowdy. Then she mispronounced the company's name! I guess I can't blame Linda for being so nasty.
In the end, the fashion show was fine, but it wasn't amazing. First of all, the brochures were awful! Too bad Dawna didn't have Jim on her team...he did a great job on the circus brochure. And, the Claiborne execs pointed out, Dawna didn't have a vision for the event. She's just not that creative. I can't believe she's had so many marketing jobs. That said, Dawna's task was way more challenging than Bethenny's. All Bethenny had to do was make the room look nice, which it did. She didn't have to decide what the performers would wear or do. In the end, I agree with Martha's decision to hire Dawna. She is a pretty good leader, and she'll probably do well in a corporate position that doesn't involve too much creativity.
Clearly, NBC didn't put much into the finale. The audience was so tiny, compared to the one in Lincoln Center for the Donald's last show. And the whole mood was just blah. (I bet the Donald was pretty pleased with himself.) I was expecting more of a showdown, since Bethenny's teammates clearly despised her. I did love when Jim kept reminding Martha that Bethenny had very good taste in employees. But I expected Carrie to lash out more. Too bad she didn't. That would have spiced things up a bit. At any rate, I couldn't even go to the finale due to the transit strike. Hopefully I can make it to the Donald's party in Los Angeles next season!
December 16, 2005
Donald Trump's Apprentice - Finale!
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 12:31 PM
I have to admit that I wasn't really looking forward to the whole live finale thing last night. What's so great about live television, anyway? At any rate, I was pleasantly surprised. That was definitely one of the most shocking finales I've seen. But more on that later.
I was totally underwhelmed by both events. First of all, Randal blew it by not having a back-up plan. I went to a concert at Keyspan Park a couple of months ago, and the field was covered in black playground-type material, so that's obviously something they do on a regular basis. Randal should have planned to cover the field and put up a big tent with side flaps. Even if it was raining, that would have been better than that nasty locker room. That said, Randal did rise to the occasion. His opening remarks were heartfelt and eloquent, and everyone did seem to be having a good time. Even that dour lady from the non-profit seemed happy in the end. And, of course, the event raised $11,000.
Rebecca's event was just as bad, and she didn't raise a dime! George clearly liked the Yahooification of just about everything at the venue, but I thought the place looked tacky. Blinking ice cubes? Those cheap banners? Ugh. Worst of all, you could barely tell that the event was an aids fundraiser. Shame on Rebecca. As George pointed out, she should have come up with some kind of compromise with the Yahoo execs. They balked when she suggested that she ask people for checks as they walked out. I can't blame them. But that doesn't mean she couldn't encourage people to donate by mentioning the cause throughout the event, as Randal did. Then, she could have placed envelopes and brochures on each chair downstairs, so people could make out checks during the comedy show. She really blew it.
In the end, Randal deserved to win, even though his last performance was less than stellar. I really enjoyed the comments from the fired candidates. I think Toral did Rebecca more harm than good. She looked like she was about to attack someone...she scares me. I loved how the Donald just made fun of her the whole time. That was great. I also loved it when Toral said Rebecca was a diamond in a haystack. What's that supposed to mean? Alla was equally amusing. I admire her candor, even though it gets her into trouble. It was pretty clear that most people wanted Randal to win. I also thought it was hysterical when the Donald asked Rebecca if she thought Randal could handle life in New York City. Hello? He's from Newark. Of course he can handle it. And what about when Rebecca said she would choose the New Jersey job, over the Atlantic City job? Atlantic City is in New Jersey, dear. I think a geography lesson is in order.
Of course, the best part of the night was when the Donald asked Randal if he should hire Rebecca as well. I was sure Randal would say yes. After all, he's developed a reputation as Mr. Nice Guy. But I'm glad he said no. Something about Rebecca rubs me the wrong way, aside from the crazy hairdo she was sporting last night. She seems pretty full of herself. Randal, on the other hand, is confident, without being cocky. At any rate, the look on Rebecca's face was priceless. Good for Randal!
I heard that the next season is going to be taped in Los Angeles. I'm not quite sure how the Donald will pull that off, since he lives in NYC, but a change of location might be nice. Oh, by the way, I skipped out on the finale party last night. I'm saving my energy for Martha's big bash next week...after all, the food is likely to be a lot better!
December 15, 2005
Martha Stewart's Apprentice - Week 12
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 12:19 PM
Well, I guess Jim did turn out to be insane in the end. He did such an awful job during the interview process. It was embarrassing...all that nonsense about truth and beauty and the sapling needing to be nurtured. Give me a break, Jim. The Martha execs saw right through his act. And, of course, that crazy dinner conversation came back to haunt him. He's lucky he made it this far.
Not like Bethenny, or anyone else on this show, is that great. That was made abundantly clear last night. At first, it seemed like Dawna had chosen a far superior team. Then Amanda blew it. I can't believe she insulted Liz Claiborne's creative director by calling one of the outfits frumpy. What an idiot! To make matters worse, neither Amanda nor Howie seemed to know the first thing about what looks good on a runway. Dawna seemed totally out of her league as well, with her nose buried in her clipboard. As Martha aptly pointed out, she's not all that creative, so it should be interesting to see how the fashion show turns out.
Bethenny seems equally clueless, and she has the added disadvantage of having two employees who are less than loyal. I can't believe she chose Carrie after lambasting her in the conference room. What a mistake! Carrie really needs to get over it, though. She's only making herself look bad by holding a grudge and not giving her all. But Bethenny's not doing anything to win the team over. So far, her leadership skills have been nonexistent. She pretty much sealed her fate when she jumped right into her Maybach instead of saying hello to her team and filling them in on the task. Jim might actually be Bethenny's saving grace. Sure, he's a loose cannon, but he does care about winning, and he seems to care about Bethenny in his own bizarre way. Jim could wind up smelling like a rose if he helps pull the event together.
I don't have much hope that either event will come off well. Bethenny is way too focused on raising money. That's nice, but pulling off a fabulous event should be her first priority. If the event is a success, the money will come later. She really needs to refocus and take the reins. Dawna, for her part, needs to do some major damage control with the Liz Claiborne execs. She should get more input from the creative director to make sure the right clothes are worn on the runway. She also needs to get her nose out of her clipboard and come up with some creative ideas for the show...a theme would be nice, for starters. In the end, I don't think Martha wants either of these people working at her company. She's probably relieved that the show isn't being picked up for another season!
December 9, 2005
Donald Trump's Apprentice - Week 12
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:01 AM
Randal was really disappointing last night! He seemed almost paralyzed by the task...and it seems like the worst is yet to come. If it rains on Randal's event, he's sunk. I can't believe he didn't come up with some kind of plan B. I guess the only option would be a rain date. That wouldn't be ideal, but it's something Randal should have discussed with the Outback Steakhouse guys. Now he just seems unprepared.
Rebecca seems much calmer, but that may be sheer exhaustion. Maybe she should have laid off the white wine at Megu! Luckily, her team has a lot more energy. Chris and James have been great. That scene with Chris getting excited about the shimmery fabric was priceless. I'm not quite sure how useful Toral has been, though. I think it was a big mistake for Rebecca to choose her. She gave her one chance early on in the season, and Toral blew it. Why take another risk on her? I guess we'll find out if it was a good call. So far, I'm still not convinced. I liked the fact that Randal and Rebecca were allowed to pick their teams. It's silly to dump them with the biggest losers at the end of the season. Now, if the "employees" don't peform, Rebecca and Randal will have nobody to blame but themselves.
I'm not too worried about Rebecca's problem with Joe Piscopo. I have a feeling the union will let him MC the benefit. However, I am concerned that those tough Yahoo execs won't like the event. They didn't seem very keen on the cutesy purple theme. Or maybe they just have something against purple food. They seem to want something subtle, and the things Rebecca has planned seem anything but: The keypad steps and the giant computer screen stage, for example. I also thought it was ridiculous to think you should ask people for donations as they're walking out. So tacky. People know why they're there...no need to bully them. Also, why did Rebecca hire a marketing team to plan and organzie the event? Isn't she supposed to be doing that? And isn't that part of the reason why Martha fired Leslie?
At any rate, I don't blame the Yahoo execs for being nervous. I don't blame the Outback exec for threatening Randal, either. It was ridiculous for Josh, Marshawn, and Randal to spend all day in the suite as Mark attempted to set up the entire field. Why didn't they hire temps to do that? Mark was justifiably annoyed when Randal forced the entire team to go to the party store. Once again, he seemed too paralyzed to delegate tasks and make quick decisions. I really think Randal is crumbling under the pressure. In a way, the deck is stacked against him, since his event is outdoors and Rebecca's is not. She can scramble to get a new MC, but Randal can't make the rain stop...
December 8, 2005
Martha Stewart's Apprentice - Week 11
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 12:58 PM
What was Ryan thinking? I can't believe how drunk he got during the latest task. That was crazily unprofessional. But his problems didn't start there. The whole baseball player idea was totally off base...too bad Marcela didn't insist on changing it after she talked to the Song execs. That was further proof of her spinelessness. The video was a complete embarrassment and didn't reflect the "high class, low fare" concept at all. Marcela seemed to think that Ryan was sabotaging the task because he felt comfortable. I disagree. I think he's a bafoon. First the dumb dinner table idea, now this. He really does need to go back to school, as Martha suggested. And Marcela deserved to be fired, too. Good for you, Martha.
The other team did a good job. Their concept wasn't wildly original, but that doesn't seem to be what Martha (or most execs on this show) are looking for. Basically, they want something that appeals to the target audience and looks good. That dovetails very well with Bethenny's skills...she's not all that innovative, but she has a lot of class and style. In that way, she's a great fit for Martha. Something about her still rubs me the wrong way, though. I just can't put my finger on it.
Jim handled himself surprisingly well. Sure, he was kooky and might have wasted some time, but he did a good job as the video's artistic director, and he wasn't so wacky that it distracted Bethenny and Dawna. As Bethenny pointed out, Dawna did a fine job on this task, but her performance didn't really stand out. I'm convinced that she completely blew her chances during the reward at Martha's house. If she didn't know how to play scrabble, she should have done a little research beforehand! Martha gave her plenty of warning...she specifically said they were going horseback riding and then playing scrabble. Dawna came off as a real dunce. First, she didn't know how to play; second, instead of bluffing, she spazzed out. It's too bad, really...I like her a lot. To be fair, if I had to ride a horse during a job interview I'd never get the job...I'd be desperately clinging to the horse's neck the entire time. At any rate, that scrabble scene was pretty shocking and I'm convinced there's no way Dawna will win now.
It will be pretty interesting if the final showdown is between Bethenny and Jim, given their weird relationship. I'm beginning to think that Bethenny is a lot more sly than she seems. It was surprised when she turned to Dawna and whispered that she was going to act like Jim wasn't even on the team. Hmmm. I can't wait to see which sneak wins in the end. I bet that Martha's CEO will kill Jim's chances by telling her about that crazy dinner conversation with Jim. I guess we'll find out in a couple of weeks.
December 2, 2005
Donald Trump's Apprentice - Week 11
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:03 AM
Felisha's lucky she wasn't in Martha's conference room last night...Martha would have skewered her for crying. The Donald, however, was very sympathetic. His decision to fire her was also fair. Felisha doesn't act like she's tough enough for the corporate world. This isn't the first time she's cried...I recall her having a breakdown after at least one other boardroom showdown. The whole thing is pretty confusing considering she's a licensed pilot and a successful businessperson. I guess she's not into being cutthroat, which is totally fine.
But weepiness isn't Felisha's only failing. She simply crumbled under the pressure of having to prove herself last night. I was appalled by her behavior during the task...all she cared about was looking better than Alla. If she had focused all of her efforts on winning, it wouldn't have mattered who took the leadership role. She did a terrible job as PM. She obviously wanted Alla to take charge, but then fought her every step of the way. What was all that nonsense about Felisha being a better actress? Unless she's actually taken acting lessons, I can't see how that would make a big difference.
Of course, Alla is just as much to blame for the lame concept. The video didn't give a feel for how the software works, and the words were flying around way too fast. I think Alla just threw something slapdash together figuring that Felisha would get fired. And was it me, or were there pink and white outfits totally inappropriate for a presentation to Microsoft executives? That seemed really unprofessional, especially compared to Randal and Rebecca's spiffy suits.
Still, I think Alla could have made it to the final three if she had toned down her bulldog attitude in the boardroom. She really misjudged that situation. Normally, a take no prisoners approach wins points with the Donald. In this case, as the Donald pointed out, it would have been wiser for Alla to sit back and let Felicia hang herself. Instead, she continued berating Felicia even after she broke into tears. That was a terrible move.
Rebecca and Randal were a great team. I liked how they told a story, and Randal's acting was pretty hilarious. I'm still not quite sure how the software works, though. Once again, Randal was nice and supportive. Unlike Alla, he's comfortable being led even though he's a strong, assertive person. I'm really rooting for him to win the apprenticeship. Rebecca is okay, but she's definitely not on the same level as Randal. At age 23, she's not as seasoned as Randal, despite the insane amount of activities on her NBC bio. She would be a great lower-level employee, but I just can't see the Donald choosing her over Randal for a top job. I guess a lot of it comes down to how they perform on the final task. That should be really interesting...this is the strongest final two in a long time.
December 1, 2005
Martha Stewart's Apprentice - Week 10
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:11 AM
Wow. I'll be really shocked if Jim wins a job at Martha's company after that crazy rant last night. It's one thing to scheme behind closed doors. But to brag about it to the chairman and president of the company? That was suicide. I'm still trying to figure out if Jim has a screw loose, or if his hubris prompts him to make bad decisions. He certainly seems to think he's invincible.
Speaking of delusions of grandeur, what is up with Leslie? I can't believe she thought she did a "slam dunk" job on the task. Her presentation was awful and the showroom looked absolutely ridiculous. Ryan's idea to have the car sitting at a dinner table was bizarre...has he been watching reruns of Knight Rider? Still, it may have seemed less absurd if the execution was better. Having a video tie-in and a table that didn't look like a bed would have been a good start. If the showroom looked nice and the concept was presented clearly, the team may have won simply because their idea was more original.
Primarius was anything but. The showroom looked beautiful, but the whole "Driven by Elegance" theme was too safe. Luckily, Bethenny did a good job on the presentation. Comparing the display to an art gallery was a wise idea. I just wasn't impressed. I was also appalled by Bethenny and Jim's behavior in front of the display builders. Dawna handled the situation pretty well, although she should have nipped the problem in the bud right away. Bethenny and Jim have such a weird relationship: one minute they're fighting, then they're best friends. When it comes down to it, Bethenny knows that Jim's encouraging her because he thinks she's weak. The whole situation is very twisted. I'd never want to work with someone like Jim...he's way too manipulative. I wonder if he's always like that, or if he's just playing the villain for the show?
Martha really got tough in the conference room last night, and I agreed with everything she said. Leslie is definitely full of hot air, Marcela doesn't have a spine, and Ryan isn't assertive enough. He obviously wasn't confident in his idea or he would have been more insistent. Instead of presenting a convincing argument about why his idea would work, he acted like a petulant child. No wonder nobody listened to him. Marcela's too whiny for my taste as well. I'm tired of her slouching in her chair...she didn't even sit up straight after Martha told her to!
So it seems like Jim's going to overimbibe and go "crazy" again in the next episode. I'm really curious to see how far he can make it...I guess we'll find out soon enough.
November 28, 2005
Donald Trump's Apprentice - Week 10
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:52 AM
I had high hopes for Adam, but he really blew it in the last episode. He and Alla both seemed way too sure of themselves in the beginning. Instead of thinking things through, they simply plowed half of their budget into those lame carriage ads. That idea is so three seasons ago! I'm not sure who designed the ads, but the background was so dark that you couldn't even read the entire phone number. Even if you could read the numbers, people are so used to seeing signs all over the place that they were bound to be ineffective.
Randal, on the other hand, made the right move by focusing on salespeople. The people from the temp agency were great. And I loved how Randal and Rebecca swiped the other team's bullhorns. I'm not sure I would have done the same, though. It seemed a bit too slimey. Not surprisingly, the Donald loved it. I think Bill hit the nail on the head when he said that Randal thought big. Instead of hiring 30 temps and giving them double-sided sandwich boards, he switched gears and hired 60 temps, giving them single-sided boards. He's really quick on his feet and isn't afraid to readjust his plans when necessary.
I don't know what Alla and Adam were thinking with those ridiculous carriages. I loved that scene when Adam was saying how great the carriages looked, while the camera focused on an ad with Shania's head ripped off. I felt bad for Felisha...she really had her hands tied. I can't figure out why she didn't point that out right away in the boardroom. Instead, when the Donald asked her why she didn't hire more temps, she just shrugged and said, "It's not something we considered." That was bizarre. I do, however, fault Felisha for landing just 15 workers. I find it hard to believe that, with all the temp agencies in Manhattan, she couldn't round up five more people. And that whole situation in the stable seemed out of control. Felisha seemed more confused than the people she hired, many of whom weren't cut out for this specific task, since they didn't speak English. Alla really lost control of the team at that point. It was chaos.
Still, I really think Adam was to blame for the loss. I couldn't believe how indignant he was in the boardroom when Felisha criticized his carriage idea. Is he living in fantasy land? I do think that Alla and Felisha will make a stronger team, but I doubt they'll be able to beat Randal and Rebecca next week. Everyone seems to think that those two are at a disadvantage because they're not "creative." What does that even mean? Randal and Rebecca may not wear furry sweaters, but they think creatively, as they proved during the latest challenge.If they don't make it to the final showdown, I'll be very surprised.
November 18, 2005
Donald Trump's Apprentice - Week 9
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:15 AM
Thank goodness Clay is gone. I couldn't take another minute of his whiny, immature behavior. I have no idea why Rebecca and Randall seemed so excited to have him on their team. I guess they were desperate.
I'm not sure why everyone thinks Clay is so creative. I can't recall him having any particularly good ideas. On his bio, it says that he's a real estate agent who specializes in new construction. Apparently he has a knack for helping people envision and design homes. But, judging from the show, he doesn't have a collaborative bone in his body. I can imagine him arguing with clients about whether they should have three bedrooms or four. He's such a pain, as Rebecca and Randal quickly discovered. "What About Me?" was Clay's theme song, not Jide's. That was obvious. I'm glad Rebecca vetoed that idea. What I can't figure out is why Rebecca decided to "challenge" the radio station's listeners with a different type of music. That made no sense. I'm starting to wonder whether Rebecca and Randal are so smart after all. Maybe they were just in over their heads with this task. Just because you like listening to music doesn't mean you know how to produce it.
Felisha, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly what she was doing. The song she, Alla, and David came up with wasn't my cup of tea, but it definitely appealed to the radio execs and the listeners. Plus, the team seemed to be having a great time, which says a lot about Felisha's leadership skills. I also liked the fact that she stepped in when she realized the song was too jazzy. Weaker PMs would have just panicked and gone into a downward spiral. Alla and Adam were great as well. They definitely deserved to win. I have to admit that I teared up when Adam told that story about his immigrant Dad while the team flew by the Statue of Liberty. Adam has really come into his own since the start of the season.
As for Clay, his behavior worsened every week. He has no problem being rude and nasty to other people, but he can't take any criticism. I can't believe he messed up the presentation by opening the door for Jide before Rebecca was ready. Is he a saboteur, or an idiot? Either way, he had to go.
Hopefully Randal and Rebecca will bounce back next week. It should be interesting to see how Randal treats Rebecca after her frankness in the boardroom. I was surprised that she was so critical of his marketing screw-up. He totally deserved it, but, in the past, alliances have trumped the truth. I think that was a great strategic move for Rebecca. If she had stood up for Randal, the Donald would have accused her of playing favorites. By criticizing both Randal and Clay, she came across as fair, and also gave herself a leg up if it comes down to her and Randal in the final showdown. I'll definitely have to Tivo next week's "double serving of the Donald," since I'll probably be stuck in Thanksgiving traffic. I'm curious to see how Shania Twain's involved in the next task...
November 17, 2005
Martha Stewart's Apprentice - Week 9
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 2:19 PM
Wow. Amanda certainly had me fooled. She showed real promise in the beginning of the season, especially during the hotel room task. But she seemed like a totally different person in last night's episode. I must admit that Marcela's mousy demeanor is a bit annoying, but Amanda had no right to act the way she did. Even before Marcela was chosen as PM, Amanda seemed determined to sit on the sidelines during this task. I was really surprised at the start of the episode when she openly questioned Martha's decision to fire Howie. Then she made it clear that she wasn't going to put much effort into the task. Very strange strategy.
That's what made the end of the show so delicious. But more on that later. As I said before, I've never been a huge Marcela fan. Last night, she wasn't much of a leader. I think she's too shy and unassuming to really take command of a team. That said, she did come up with the idea of hiring a celebrity pastry chef and caterer to drive traffic into the shop. She also showed flexibility when she lowered the prices of the coffee machines. I admire the fact that she kept it together even though Amanda and Ryan were so unsupportive, and even undermining. I couldn't believe that Ryan was so negative right in front of Charles and Alexis. That was outrageous! Then he made a big stink later on when Marcela said he wasn't loyal. She was right on the money, Ryan. Basically, I think Ryan and Amanda lost this task for the team because they didn't sell and they were emitting a lot of negative energy. Case closed.
As for Primarius, I had little hope for them in the beginning. Is anyone else weirded out by the blooming alliance between Bethenny and Jim? I guess it makes sense, but it still seems odd. I like Dawna, but it was inappropriate for her to unilaterally decide to hire that pricey promotions company. I guess, in the end, it wound up to be a good move. They did have a ton of traffic in the store. Unlike Matchstick, Bethenny, Dawna, and Jim were determined to sell as many coffee makers as possible despite their differences. I'm really impressed that they sold so many, especially considering the high price point. That was no easy task. My guess is that the next time they lose, Jim and Bethenny will gang up on Dawna and try to get her fired.
Speaking of ganging up, Jim's attempt to thwart Amanda and Ryan's evil plot to drive Marcela over the brink in the conference room was pure genius. It's rare that there's a "twist" on reality TV that isn't manufactured by the producers. Very exciting. I was convinced that Marcela was going to cave in and quit, but Jim's pep talk gave her the confidence she needed to keep it together. I was very impressed with Marcela's performance in the conference room. She made her case against Amanda without being nasty. I loved when she said, "If you want someone cutthroat, it's not me." She didn't say it, but everyone knew that Amanda was the cutthroat contestant. Amanda's reasons for wanting the job with Martha Stewart were so lame. So she's a lawyer, but she'd rather be gardening. Is it me, or is that a tad condescending? Marcela made a much better case for herself. Good for her.
Gee, whiz. I can't wait to find out what kooky stunt Jim pulls next week. Without him, NBC will have to come up with a new star for their previews. Frankly, I'm surprised that Jim and Bethenny have made it this far. None of the remaining contestants seem that great: Ryan's a turncoat, Jim and Bethenny are just off, Leslie's pretty much a non-entity, and Marcela lacks confidence. Maybe Jim's speech will spur her on to victory?
November 11, 2005
Donald Trump's Apprentice - Week 8
Posted by Bobbie Gossage at 12:37 PM
That crosstown traffic is a killer. It was really silly of Brian to only leave himself 15 minutes to get from midtown Manhattan to Chelsea, but I would never dream that it would take 45 minutes! It’s not that far away. They probably could have walked it in less time. Those 30 minutes cost his team the game. At least the executives could have told them that Star Wars: Episode III is all about Anakin Skywalker’s transformation into Darth Vader. Which was apparently necessary since everyone lives under a rock except for Randall, the only one who’d ever seen Star Wars (or even any part of the huge advertising campaign for Revenge of the Sith). I don’t know why he wasn’t project manager or at least the one leading the presentation, exemption or not. I laughed when Marshawn asked that they highlight some weird character on the display that I don’t ever remember seeing. And even with Randall’s help, they didn’t get that they needed to make their display all about Darth Vader. My 11-year-old cousin could have lead the Excel team better on this task.
As for Capital Edge, I wish I had counted how many times the word vindictive was used in reference to Clay. I think the decision to make Clay project manager was a good idea. The project manager has to take more responsibility when a team loses, and at least it would give him some incentive to try to win and not sabotage the rest of the team. For all Clay’s talk about trying to get Alla fired (and not out of revenge, but because she’s the strongest player on the team) all that he did was give her more responsibility. But that wasn’t effective, because Alla’s good and she did a nice job. In fact, giving her more responsibility is a good strategy for winning a task. She nearly got herself in trouble, though, when she got her ire up over the idea that Clay might be taking credit for her creation. Talking over him and making comments from the background just came off as unprofessional and chaotic.
About Marshawn’s presentation, I wasn’t totally sure why she was asked to do it. We haven’t really seen much of her on camera, but maybe she was a good speaker in scenes that I didn’t see. Obviously, Marshawn didn’t think she was the best one to do the presentation, since she believed that Brian was setting her up to take the blame if they failed. And she was probably right. It made the most sense to have Randall presenting the display, but he was exempt from firing. As Alla proved, the only way to deal with that kind of situation is to take what you’re given and do a good job.
Rebecca was so smart to volunteer to do the presentation at the last minute. She knew that even if she blew it, she would could say, "I only had a few minutes to prepare," and if she did a great job, well, then she’s a hero. She keeps impressing the Donald with moves like that. Firing Brian and Marshawn was a no-brainer. I enjoyed their awkward moment together in the cab, as Marshawn complained about Brian as if he wasn’t there, practically sitting in her lap.
I’m really turned off about this song-writing task next week. What does that have to do with anything? And remember that Dairy Queen task? I don’t want to hear any of these people sing, especially Adam.
November 10, 2005
Martha Stewart's Apprentice-Week 8
Posted by Bobbie Gossage at 1:38 PM
Last night’s episode was great, and I thought it was a good task. Selling products on QVC is how a lot of entrepreneurs get their start, so it was interesting to get a peek at how it all works. And how cool were those real-time sales charts?
Ryan did a wonderful job as the project manager. He’s one of the strongest players at this point. Right away, he understood the tone they needed to take. And I think it helped that he chose a product to sell that he was enthusiastic about. That said, I was a little worried for him during the ride over when Amanda kept talking over everyone, and he said he was going to pick his battles. But he did, and he picked them well. I was impressed that he told Amanda to get off camera in the middle of the presentation when somehow her mere presence caused sales to plummet. (Good thing he gave the bulk of that job to Leslie.) To Amanda’s credit, she took it very well and didn’t storm off in a huff or burn the little house down.
I’m glad they got to visit Martha’s East Hampton house, and that we got to see it too. How great that the interior design was based on a tarpon fish and an old scrap of linen! (Oddly enough, my apartment looks like it was inspired by an old scrap of something too, but with less impressive results.) It was a gorgeous house. One thing I’ll never understand, though, is how being into taxidermy means that you love animals. Oh, well. Moving on…
Primarius was at a severe disadvantage, even though they had Dawna. With Bethenny’s high-strung personality, Jim’s inappropriate antics, and Howie’s lack of effort, it’s amazing they sold as many air pumps as they did. Howie was the big disappointment of the night. He really blew it. And we all knew Jim was nuts, but who knew he would be such the Iago? He nearly got Bethenny fired by persuading her to criticize Dawna after she had already made the decision to save her from the chopping block. That just made Bethenny look stupid.
Lucky for Bethenny, Howie really bombed. He couldn’t demonstrate the tiniest bit of enthusiasm or even remember the name of the product. Plus, how much is there to learn about an air pump? You pump up beach balls with it. Why did he think he needed hours of research? And I think he was honestly surprised when Bethenny pointed out how he had cost them valuable prep time "Wait, now you’re blaming this on me?!" Yes!
Even though Martha made the right choice in sending Howie home, I think Jim should have gotten more flack for turning his back to the camera and actually blocking the shot of the product he was demonstrating. That’s just asinine. I think he has set the bar so low for himself, he got credit for not acting like a total lunatic for a change. But I’m glad he’s still around to entertain us for another week.
Speaking of which, I’m excited to see what happens next week that causes so many people to openly weep. It looks like it could be a good one.
November 4, 2005
Donald Trump's Apprentice - Week 7
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 4:59 PM
Sorry for the late posting. I was actually at a meeting in the boardroom all day. I didn't get fired, though...haha. Anyway, last night's boardroom scene was totally bizarre. The Donald really went off the rails. From the perspective of a TV viewer, it was great. From an employee's perspective, it was completely creepy! First of all, I don't get everyone's fascination with Adam's sex life. I felt bad for him, especially when the Donald asked him if he had ever slept with anyone. How is that relevant? Then, he started asking Clay if he was attracted to Felisha and Alla. So strange! I don't think a real CEO would ever go there, but I guess the Donald follows a different set of rules.
I must admit that I was wrong to question Randal's ability after the Zathura challenge. He was right on the money last night. Sure, the Stand Out idea seemed a little corny at first, but Randal did a great job leading the class, and the whole thing wound up to be fun and entertaining. I loved when that one guy yelled out, "I want a blank check." It was smart to ask everyone to fill out a survey and break into working groups. Randal really connected with the audience, and you could tell that people got something out of it. Marshawn was also an excellent speaker. I'm not exactly sure what Rebecca and Brian contributed, though, besides snarky comments and eye rolls. Rebecca must have been kicking herself for that "We're so screwd comment" in the beginning.
As for Capital Edge, what a bust! The idea was promising, but they did a terrible job developing a curriculum and leading the class. It seemed slapdash. And I cringed every time Clay opened his mouth. His comments were inappropriate for that setting. When you're talking to a crowd, it's very easy to offend someone with foul language. I know the subject matter was inherently spicy, but Clay could have handled it with more class. And, of course, that Jewish comment was out of line. Sure, Adam made fun of his background to break the ice, but it wasn't cool for Clay to join in. Alla, for her part, was fine as a presenter, but I blame her for coming up with a good idea and not following up with good execution. She could have done better.
Needless to say, Markus had to go. What a fool. I can't tell if he was just nervous on camera or what. I can't wait to talk to him at the finale party and see if that's his true personality. If so, he's ridiculous! He never made sense and never got to the point. Even worse, he was smug and full of himself. Good riddance!
Overall, last night's episode was pretty boring and didn't have much to do with business. In the end, though, the Donald's crazy boardroom antics more than made up for that. Apparently the kids are doing a Star Wars promotion next week. That should be more interesting. My money's on Randal. In my opinion, he's the best candidate since Bill Rancic...
November 3, 2005
Martha Stewart's Apprentice-Week 7
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 2:49 PM
Sarah and Carrie really got their comeuppance last night. I enjoyed every minute of it. Sarah seemed to think that optimism is the only requirement of a good leader. Boy was she wrong. First of all, that "silent" brainstorming session was ridiculous. I can see the wisdom behind asking people to think quietly on their own for a little while before coming to a brainstorming session, but there just isn't time for that on this show.
Sarah's second mistake was hubris. Jim is totally full of himself, but at least he backs it up with good ideas. Sarah, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have a creative bone in her body. She just sat there waiting for other people to come up with a concept for the Tide stick. The best was when she said she wasn't even thinking about the product. Hello? Have you learned nothing from this show? When Jim pointed out that the product should be the central focus of their efforts, Sarah treated him like an idiot. That really made me mad.
Carrie was just as bad. Bethenny hit the nail on the head when she said that Carrie always volunteers for the accounting task so that she doesn't have to contribute in a meaningful way. I thought they had unlimited budgets for these tasks anyway? Ridiculous! I almost screamed when she shooed Howie out of the minivan and made it seem like coming up with the concept was his responsibility. She deserved to get the boot.
That said, I can't let the rest of the team off the hook completely. They knew Sarah was a bad manager, so they should have just come up with an idea and run with it. When Sarah rejected Howie's boxing suggestion, he should have pressed her instead of just giving up right away. As for Bethenny, she didn't seem to have any good ideas. And I blame her for those terrible street performers. Those contortionist guys were disturbing! They may have been suitable for a circus promotion, but it didn't fit with the Tide image at all. Isn't the target demographic for the stain stick pretty conservative? What the heck? Jim, for his part, did a good job on the sign, tried to keep the team on task, and didn't act crazy. I'm glad Martha sent him back to the suite. In a way, though, it's kind of cruel...does anyone really think Jim's going to make it to the finals? He's just too unpredictable.
As for Matchstick, I was impressed with everyone. There was a chance that things could get ugly after the team ripped on Marcela in the conference room last week, but she got over it, which wasn't easy to do. Good for her. Dawna was a good leader. When Ryan was throwing out some hairbrained ideas during the brainstorming session, she bit her tongue, and he eventually came up with the Tide to Go Joe character. I must admit that I was a little nervous about that idea at first, but it wound up being great, especially compared to the lame rap concert that Primarius staged. I also liked the fact that Matchstick added other elements to the promotion, like the product demo table. That was very smart.
Apparently, Jim's going to go off the rails again next week. That should be entertaining, though I hope he doesn't get fired. This show would be a lot duller without him! Right now, my money's on Dawna or Amanda. Martha seems to like Bethenny, but she loses an awful lot, and that's bound to catch up with her. Howie, maybe, but I'll be surprised if Martha doesn't choose a woman. I guess we'll find out soon enough...
October 21, 2005
Donald Trump's Apprentice - Week 5
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:09 AM
Once again, the women's team totally missed the point of their assignment. They're too busy bickering to take a step back and think about what's really important. Last week, they blew it by creating a cartoonish character that wouldn't appeal to teens. This week, they failed to emphasize the name Zathura, even though John Favreau made it perfectly clear that making people familiar with the name was one of the float's main goals!
Even though Kristi has a toxic personality, I think Jennifer should have been fired last night. It was her fault that Zip was so childish, and she blew the float task by mispronouncing Zathura five times during her presentation! If she was physically unable to say the name correctly, she should have let someone else make the presentation. She seems to think her flowing hair and peppy personality can substitute for actual substance. That may work at the Miss Universe contest, but not in the business world! During her presentation, she was acting like a total ditz, talking about "her little helpers." Give me a break!
That said, Kristi isn't much better. She's honest and outspoken, which I like, but being the loudest person on the team isn't necessarily a good thing. Most of the time, it seemed like she was making a stink about inconsequential details. If she was loudly insisting that they plaster the name Zathura all over the float, that would have been a good thing. But it seems like she was just being difficult and stubborn. If she had actually suggested a good idea, everyone probably would have tuned her out anyway.
I've always liked Randal, but I'm beginning to wonder if he was just riding on his team's coattails. I was hoping he'd help get Capital Edge on track, but he didn't seem to do much at all. When Jen decided to take three team members with her to buy a red carpet, he simply went along, rather than staying behind to help Kristi, Alla, and Felisha complete the float. I'm not impressed. I do think Randal was correct to point out that the women didn't seem to respect each other. The guys, on the other hand, gel very well (except for Markus, but I'll get to him later). The recording session with Wyclef was a great example of how they work together. That was, by far, the best reward ever on this show.
I was disappointed in Markus' performance last night. He rebounded a bit during the past two weeks, but he really blew it during the float task. He seems almost delusional. He thinks he's made of teflon? Why, exactly? I don't blame Brian and the rest of the guys for being annoyed that Markus simply sulked while they worked on the float. I don't think Brian handled the situation too well, though. He should have taken Markus to the side before things got so out of hand. Besides that, I thought Brian was a decent leader (except, of course, for his terrible presentation skills). The float was very impressive, especially compared to Capital Edge's design. I loved the idea of using an audio loop to drive home the name Zahtura.
I guess the Donald plans to mix up the teams last week. Finally! I hope Alla gets some wins under her belt. I predict that either Markus or Jennifer will get the boot next week. One can only hope!
October 20, 2005
Martha Stewart Apprentice - Week 5
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 12:26 PM
I can't believe Jim dodged the bullet again last night. His behavior was completely bizarre and inappropriate. I think the Donald would have fired him in a heart beat, but since Martha's company has room for more "creative" types, I can see why she would keep him around for a little longer. He's pretty entertaining. That said, I don't see him winning the grand prize. He definitely seems to have a dark side. That argument with Howie about "slaying the dragon" was completely ridiculous. They're both hot heads and, for that reason, I wouldn't want either of them working at my company.
Besides, Jennifer's performance was terrible. She was hiding like a scared mouse behind the "counter" the entire time. When Jim started acting crazy, she was afraid to pull him off the floor. If she was worried that he would make a scene, she should have asked him to step outside to talk. When it comes down to it, the task was about selling, and she bombed out in that department.
I was really relieved that Martha reorganized the teams. I don't blame Ryan for choosing Marcela last. Up until last night, she's been pretty blah. But, like Bethenny, she really shone when she was in her element. Good for her. I'm also glad that David finally won a challenge, although I'm not quite sure if he's Martha material. He seems to be good for team spirit, but I haven't noticed him make any other big contributions.
I felt bad for Bethenny. She came up with a great salad dressing and, for the first time, she seemed confident and energized. I think she would be a good fit at Martha's company, but if she doesn't win a few challenges, she'll never have a shot. One person who didn't deserve a reward last night was Leslie. Her pushy sales tactics were totally unacceptable. I can't believe she was actually putting salad dressing in people's carts and yelling at them. I liked her tactic of selling multiple bottles to each customer, but she could have been a lot more subtle about it. She's a real boob. I predict that either she or Jim will get the boot next week.
On a different note, I read that Donald Trump is publicly blaming Martha Stewart for diluting his ratings. The nerve! As Martha pointed out last week, she's not the kind of person you'd want to annoy.
October 14, 2005
Donald Trump Apprentice - Week 4
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:17 AM
Toral was so worried about looking foolish last night that she wound up looking like, well, a complete fool. Her credentials are nothing to sneeze at: She's worked at Goldman Sachs and American Express, she's currently a vp at a big investment bank, and, at age 29, she's a multi-millionaire, according to her NBC profile. Still, I'd take someone like Lana over Toral any day. Even though Lana owns a chain of spas and is also a multi-millionaire, she's not afraid to roll up her sleeves and dive into every task. She's a team player and never seems to look down on the other candidates.
Toral, on the other hand, was afraid to be project manager, her contributions during the brainstorming session stunk, and her lame excuses for not wearing the Zip costume were embarassing. Even Rebecca seemed appalled at Toral's little rooftop rant about how much better she is than the other candidates. I'm sure her bosses and coworkers were watching. I wonder what they think of her now?
Though I don't think Rebecca did a great job on last week's retirement home task, I think she has potential. At 23, she's younger than a lot of the other women, so it's understandable why she was a bit naive about Toral. She more or less redeemed herself in the boardroom last night when she told Trump to fire her former pal. Hopefully she's learned her lesson about confusing friendship with business.
I have to agree with Toral on one point: Zip was pathetic. The women totally ignored the teen demographic. And why didn't they listen to Rebecca when she suggested that Zip wear a Dairy Queen t-shirt? I blame Rebecca for not being more insistent. Is it me, or do people on this show have a bad habit of suggesting ideas, then backing down immediately? That way, they can't be blamed for a loss if the idea is a bust (since it's never put to the test), but they can take credit for it later on if, in hindsight, it winds up to have been a good suggestion. If you know something's essential to winning the task, and don't fight to push it through, you're just as bad as everyone else. Plus, if Rebecca wants to be taken more seriously, perhaps she should spend less time looking in the mirror and teasing her hair.
At first, when the the guys were talking about the genie's big boobs, I was a little nervous. But the character turned out pretty great. The genie would definitely appeal to both kids and teens. I liked her ice-cream hair and, more importantly, her DQ belt buckle. The guys worked together really well and I'm glad that Markus behaved himself again. That said, I don't think they should have given Clay an exemption. His behavior was ridiculous from the get-go. He'd never make it as a manager with that kind of dictatorial attitude.
I hope the teams get mixed up soon. I can't stand another week of the women fighting. Toral was terrible, but the four blonds were almost just as bad. They were petty and shrewish last night. If their behavior doesn't improve soon, the rest of the season will be painful to watch.
October 13, 2005
Martha Stewart Apprentice - Week 4
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:15 AM
It's about time Dawn got the boot. I couldn't stand another second of her whining and complaining. Has she not watched previous episodes of the Apprentice? If she couldn't handle pulling an all-nighter, she shouldn't have wasted everyone's time by applying for the show. Thank goodness she's gone.
If it wasn't for Dawn's outrageous behavior, I think Leslie would have gotten fired last night. She had gumption for volunteering to lead Team Loser, but she was crazy to waste six hours coming up with a theme.I liked the idea of a zen-type suite where business travelers can recharge, but, in the end, it just looked like a nicely designed space. There didn't seem to be any accessories related to the idea of flow and water. They could have easily picked up a little water fountain and one of those desk-top sandbox things to drive the theme home. For that reason, even if the couches had arrived, I still don't think they would have won, even though the FLOW concept was much classier and Martha-like than Primarius's entertainment theme. (Martha and Alexis clearly thought the popcorn maker was a bit low-brow.)
I'm not a huge Amanda fan, and that inspirational pencil thing was pretty cheesy, but I have to give her credit for being a good leader. When the decor turned out to be a disaster (that moldy-looking wallpaper in the bathroom was disgusting), she kept the team focused on the big-picture. She was right...once the furniture and accessories were in place, the gray walls weren't as dreary. I also loved when Ryan pointed out that no matter how badly Primarius screwed up, Matchstick would always be worse. That was particularly true last night.
Speaking of screw-ups, I'm not quite sure how much blame to place on Bethenny for last night's loss. As Martha pointed out, she did a great job picking out the furniture, especially since she had only eight minutes to make up her mind. Yes, she was responsible for making sure the furniture was delivered on time, but Leslie made that nearly impossible to pull off by wasting so much time in the beginning.
Matchstick did show some potential last night. When the contractor asked them to start painting at midnight, they pulled together (except for Dawn, of course). For once, Jim shut his mouth and focused on getting the job done. I was also impressed by Leslie's brave presentation to the Westin execs. Talk about faking it!
I was hoping Matchstick would rally now that Dawn is gone, but it looks like Jim's going to go off the rails during next week's challenge. Maybe the team is just destined to fail. I guess we'll find out soon enough.
October 7, 2005
Donald Trump Apprentice - Week 3
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:41 AM
I don't agree with the Donald's decision to fire Jennifer W. last night. Yes, she did a terrible job with the event. The food seemed lame and the room was totally bland. I had to laugh when she started blubbering about how much her grandmother likes cookies and cake, and how she even bought sugar-free cookies for the diabetics. She was really pathetic. That said, I think she was dumped with too much responsibility. Rebecca should have taken a more active role in decorating the room.
Either Rebecca or Toral should have gotten the boot. Toral was inexcusably clueless. Why didn't she read the directions for the HDTV? If she knew she couldn't handle that task, she should have given it to someone else. Jennifer M.'s flirty behavior was embarrassing, too. I almost died when she started doing push-ups in front of one of the male senior citizens. Has she no shame?
The guys, on the other hand, did a great job. I like how they emphasized technology as a way to stay in touch with your family and reconnect with old friends. The posters and balloons were festive, and the guys all knew how to use the gadgets. Even Markus was great. I think Randal's experience with his grandmother really helped him set the right tone for the event. He was a great leader, which was made apparent by the fact that everyone on his time voted to grant him an exemption. The one dud on the men's team last night was Clay. Obviously, he shouldn't have made a big stink about the Tivo. First of all, Tivo isn't that complicated once you set it up. Second of all, it was inappropriate to cause such a scene in front of George. He's not long for this show.
So far, the men seem a lot stronger than the women. Rebecca really rubs me the wrong way. I'm surprised that the Donald let her get away with that lame excuse for not bringing Torval back into the room. He usually fires people that let their friendships cloud their judgement. Rebecca talks a good game, but I doubt that will get her very far. I guess we'll find out.
October 6, 2005
Martha Stewart Apprentice - Week 3
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:21 AM
Shawn really blew it last night. Didn't she learn anything from Bradley's big screw up with the Donald last season? I couldn't believe she actually told Charlie she would take the fall if her team lost the wedding cake task. Her "fake it til you make it" strategy made absolutely no sense, considering the winner of the task would be determined by sales numbers, which can't be faked. I agreed with Martha when she said that stupid statements like that can really ruin a business person.
Besides, Shawn was the one who called Sylvia Weinstock for cake advice. I'm a big fan of Sylvia Weinstock. In fact, we ran a story about her in Inc. But she clearly serves a niche audience of high-end customers who are looking for unconventonal cakes. Primarius made the right (and obvious) move by simply checking out Martha's site and putting a slightly different spin on a traditional style. Even though Marcela made the decision to go with an oval, off-center design, the thing that really sunk Matchstick was the pink bow, and that was Shawn's idea. And it seemed like Bethenny was trying to do most of the selling at the expo, even though she was on the design team. I thought Shawn's TV-personality charm would help her land at least one sale.
Even though Howie's team won, he was a poor leader. The way he blew up at Sarah about the presentation platter was totally unacceptable. He was scary! I wouldn't want someone with such a short fuse working for me. Sorry, Howie! Ryan, on the other hand, seems very calm under pressure. That definitely helped him make sales. Nobody wants to buy a product from a stressed-out, desperate salesperson like Bethenny, who seemed like she was about to have a nervous breakdown.
Did anyone else think that Jim is a weirdo for not going home to be with his wife as she gave birth to their child? I thought that was pretty odd. To Jim's credit, he did seem to be less out of control last night, although he didn't add much to the task. The same goes for Dawn. I still don't think she has what it takes to win, but at least she wasn't a distraction last night. Martha made it pretty clear that she's interested in firing people who contributed directly to the loss. I thought it was great that she called the sales team back down to the conference room after David let them off the hook.
So far, I like this show better than the Donald's Apprentice. The tasks are refreshingly different, and I like Martha's attitude. That said, I can't stand her sidekicks. Charlie's cigar really annoys me. And what's the deal with Alexis? She seems really spacey and she acts like a spoiled teenager, complaining about how Martha yelled at her for making a mess when she tried to bake a cake. This isn't the appropriate forum for those issues, although it is interesting. I wonder if Martha will reign her in at some point? I hope not...
September 30, 2005
Donald Trump Apprentice - Week 2
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:07 AM
I was pretty surprised that the Donald fired Chris last night. And I think it bodes well for this show. One big problem with last season was that it was too much of a Survivor-esque popularity contest. Markus is a complete fool, but he wasn't the main reason why Excel lost last night. I couldn't agree more with the Donald's decision. Still, it was a hard one to make. Chris is a good leader and, unlike Markus, he's sane.
As George pointed out, Excel lost the challenge on the terrace, as they high fived each other, assuming they'd win because they're men. Disgusting! I found it very interesting that they were actually led down the wrong path by the Lamborghini executive, who emphasized the "rebirth" concept. From what I could gleen, it didn't seem like the women met with Lamborghini...did I miss something? If they had lost, the Donald would have pointed out that they commited the cardinal sin of not meeting with the client. In this case, that wound up being a good thing, but I was still pretty surprised that the ladies missed that part.
Alla was the clear standout on the ladies' team last night. I was a little dubious as I watched her directing the video, her feathers fluttering madly as she made grand swooping gestures over the car engine. The ladies' presentation was a tad dramatic, if not laughable. And, in the end, the promo seemed like more of a rough draft than a finished product. But it was much more dynamic than the guys' video.
I'm not a huge Kristi fan, especially after her poor performance as PM last week, but she had a right to complain that Marshawn wasn't pulling her weight. The print boards were such a minor component of the task. Marshawn should have simply checked in on the print group to make sure things were going in the right direction, then switched gears to help Kristi and Alla work on the video.
So far, I'm rooting for Alla. She seems determined, mature, and driven. I can see a clear difference between Alla, an entrepreneur, and the other contestants who don't own their own companies. Markus will probably get the boot next week. Sure, he was the only one who didn't like the Green with Envy poster, but he shouldn't have blurted that out at the presentation. We all know that the Donald hates traitors. Also, his Smooth as Silk idea was so cheesy! Sometimes, "counterintuitive" is just a code word for silly.
That said, I think there's a real danger to voting off anyone who doesn't "fit in" with the team. As Excel proved last night, having a bunch of yes men agreeing with your every word is the last thing a manager needs. There has to be a balance between total agreement and constant bickering.
Although the tasks are pretty lame, and the same old stuff as last season, I feel like this show is coming into its own. The right people are being fired, which will hopefully put an end to the popularity contests. The Donald has been spot on. I loved his tux and the way he slapped the table before making his famous firing gesture. George and Carolyn have been great, too, especially compared to Martha's lame sidekicks. I'm looking forward to next week.
September 29, 2005
Martha Stewart - Week 2
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 12:28 PM
I must say Martha redeemed herself quite a bit this week. She really came out of her shell in the conference room. And I agreed with her decision.
Yes, Jim and Dawn deserve to be fired as well (more on them later). But Martha had no choice but to fire Chuck. I was really disappointed in his behavior. His team was out of control, and he simply folded. It was shocking. At least he realized that he's not cut out to be a leader. I'm sure he'd be able to handle a more mature team, like Primarius, but when you're a manager, you don't always have the luxury of working exclusively with top performers....especially if you don't own the company and can't make hiring and firing decisions.
Speaking of management challenges, Jim is totally insane. He's so off the wall that it seems like he may be a plant intended to make the show more dramatic. So far, it's working. I love watching Jim's crazy faces in the boardroom. And his lame, obvious attempt to sweet talk Chuck into ganging up on Dawn was embarrassing and cheesy. Did he really expect Chuck to buy those phony compliments? I don't think he's long for this world.
Dawn, meanwhile, isn't much better. She has a terrible attitude and terrible ideas. She thought that hiring the trampy Dutch maids was a great idea, but I knew right away that Martha would hate that idea. Maybe the Donald would have gotten a kick out of it, but not Martha. Matchstick should have realized that. At any rate, Dawn has a toxic personality and, so far, she seems talentless. I'm not impressed.
At first, I thought Primarius' idea was too complicated to work. And it almost didn't. Thank goodness Howie convinced the team to lower their prices. I'm glad he didn't let that "celebrity" florist push him around. I've never even heard of that guy, so why was Primarius giving him so much power? I'm glad Howie stepped in. I really like him so far. Nobody else on that team really stands out, but, as a whole, they seem destined to come out on top every week. They work exceptionally well together.
As I mentioned earlier, I found Martha's conference room speech to be rather inspirational. She seems like a great leader. I loved when she told Bethenny that business women never cry. Yes, Martha! That was great. Maybe her speech was just what Matchstick needed to get it together. I guess we'll find out next week...
September 23, 2005
Donald Trump Apprentice - Week 1
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:08 AM
After Martha's tepid premiere on Wednesday (which, by the way, attracted an abysmal 7.7 million viewers), the Donald was a breath of fresh air. In typical fashion, he kicked off the season by taking a totally unnecessary helicopter ride from New York to his golf course in New Jersey, which, of course, is the best golf course ever, at least according to him.
The contestants seem much more talented this year, with a few blaringly obvious and thoroughly entertaining exceptions. First off, Markus is such a bag of wind that I can't believe he made it through the application process. I almost died as he went on and on to Donald over the phone, telling him about how he had rallied the team together so valiantly. The Donald's facial expressions were priceless. I like the new twist regarding the exemptions...there was no way Markus deserved credit for his team's victory.
The guys definitely had a better strategy for attracting people to the workout classes. The gym can be intimidating, so it was wise to focus on getting current members to sign up. The guys also seemed more organized, with sign-up sheets, a good system for collecting money upfront, and regular announcements on the gym's PA system. The women, on the other hand, blew it with the offensive XXX flyers and the lame on-the-streets marketing campaign. Haven't they learned from past episodes that simply handing out flyers to passers by rarely works?
Kristi was no great shakes as a project manager. Her team was completely disorganized. They were smart to do market research at the gym, but then all they did was bicker about the results. Kristi had a hard time taking control of the chaos. Apparently, she's a top sales exec at some fancy golf course, so maybe she's not accustomed to leading a team. That said, Melissa was clearly the reason why her team lost. She was totally disruptive, self-centered, and abrasive. Oh, and stupid. Why the heck did she tell Carolyn that she can't work with women? Thank goodness she's gone.
Everyone complains about what a jerk the Donald is, but I thought it was really sweet when he told Randal that he would understand if he wanted to quit the show since his grandmother died. Then he offered to loan the Trump helicopter to Randal so he could fly to Philadelplhia for the funeral. That was nice. Randal seems like a good guy. He also has more degrees than a thermometer. He could be a contender.
I'll be surprised if Markus lasts another week. He's unbearable. I also hope the challenges get more interesting, as the Donald promised in the teaser at the end of last night's episode. I can't stand three more months of lame Planet Hollywood-type tasks. I guess we'll find out soon enough.
September 22, 2005
Martha Stewart Apprentice
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:09 AM
I wasn't blown away by last night's premiere. Martha was too stiff, and she didn't add enough of her own flair to the show. Her daughter was a mute, and the other helper needs to put down that cigar. I did like the corny "Dear Jeff" letter at the end. That was a nice touch, especially considering that most rejected job applicants don't even get a phone call, never mind a hand-written note. The other "new stuff" was lame. I never realized there was such a huge difference between a board room and a conference room. Who cares? And Martha's signature saying, "You just don't fit in," is weak.
That said, there is some potential for some entertaining story lines. First of all, Dawn is a disaster. She obviously can't handle pressure. I can't believe she gave up on writing the book just because it was too noisy in the room. Get some headphones! Besides, she seems like a nasty person. And what's the story with Jim? I was shocked in the beginning when he said something like, "She's not going to control me, I'm going to control her. Get it straight!" I wouldn't want to be left alone in the conference room with him.
As for Jeff, he was a terrible project manager. I can't believe he told his team to shut up. That's inexcusable behavior for a leader. When his team members expressed doubt about the direction the story was going in, he became defensive and shut them out. But they were right. Matchstick's new take on Hansel and Gretl was disturbing. Few parents would want their kids reading a book about changing their names and running away.
At first, I had low expectations for the "corporate" team. The name they chose is terrible. Primarius? It sounds like the name of a Star Wars character. But they did a great job with their task. I like the fact that they chose a story about magic, given the whole Harry Potter craze, and that they put their own spin on it. I just hope the creative team doesn't go the way of the streets smart team on the last season of the Apprentice.
Hopefully Martha will loosen up a bit as the season progresses. If she does, her show could be interesting. So far, though, my money's still on the Donald.
May 20, 2005
The Apprentice - Finale Party
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:21 AM
I wasn't shocked that Kendra was hired last night. But I was surprised at how bad Tana wound up looking. I was talking to Nick (season one) at the finale party at Planet Hollywood last night, and he had an interesting idea: Since it was obvious that Kendra was going to be hired, Tana should have quit during the finale to save face, saying she wanted to get back to her family. She could have made a big splash that way. Instead, she seemed desperate, especially when she started pumping her fist and yelling about the shape of the Pontiac brochure. What the heck?
Kendra, on the other hand, seemed composed and dignified. Of course, that wasn't too hard, considering she knew she had it nailed. I felt kind of bad for Tana at the party. At one point, she was sitting with her back to the room as a big overhead TV replayed Kendra's shining moment. Tana seemed pretty rattled. I asked her what she plans to do next, and she said she's working on two new children's books and will continue selling for Mary Kay.
Last night it became clear that there was no love lost between Tana and her former castmates, with the exception of Craig. For instance, Angie, who's now doing a cabaret act and hopes to score a role in the Apprentice musical, says that she had always known about Tana's egotistical side. Up until the last couple of weeks, she says, the show only portrayed Tana as the good girl, but the truth eventually came out. Audrey, who signed with the William Morris Agency and claims to be taking acting lessons with Nicole Kidman's coach, says that Tana was phony. Audrey doesn't have any acting gigs lined up, but she says her agents are going to serve her up "on a silver platter." Huh?
Bren's wife Holly seemed relieved that he didn't become the next Apprentice. She says he wanted to leave the show when he did, but that he thought he did a great job. I noticed that Raj's bowtie was undone last night...maybe he felt goofy next to Bren? Craig's about to franchise his shoe shine business. Last night, he implied that the Donald wanted a woman to win all along. I asked him why he thought he got fired, and he said he had no idea. Hmmm...I do!
Some other sightings in the fourth floor lounge: Kelly (season two winner) yelling across the bar and throwing a wadded up napkin at Chris (season two). Sandy dirty dancing with her date. John (season three) trying to find his girlfriend. And the Donald showing up briefly (sans WTC towers) before shuffling back on the elevator. Bobbie and I also ran into Danny. He and Angie seemed like the most down-to-earth candidates this season. He's still running his marketing agency, and he told me to invite everyone on the blog to his Apprentice cast party tonight at Webster Hall (125 East 11 Street). It starts at 11:30 PM.
Downstairs, Omarosa stole the show when she grabbed the microphone and started dancing on the DJ booth. She held court all night, leading everyone in the electric slide and posing for photos. Near the Apprentice ice sculpture, a woman's sweater caught fire. And Bill lingered near the doorway, looking rather sheepish. Maybe winning the Apprentice isn't all it's cracked up to be?
Around 1 AM, partygoers started to leave. Bobbie and I waited for our cars on Broadway as the candidates took off one last time in yellow cabs. I wonder what the Donald will come up with next? Will the Martha help revive the Apprentice franchise? I guess we'll find out this fall.
May 13, 2005
The Apprentice - Week 15
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 12:28 PM
Tana used to be my favorite. I don't know what I was thinking! Her biggest problem is her ego. I can't believe she let Governor Pataki wait for her out in the hall. Doesn't she knows that Pataki's kind of busy? She treated her team with even less respect. She was so condescending and nasty. Sure, she didn't have the best team ever, but they seemed to be trying their best. The one big mistake--and it was huge--was Kristen's program, which was filled with information on how to "handle" the athletes. She's either a complete idiot or she was trying to sabotage Tana.
I wouldn't really blame Kristen if she was trying to ruin Tana's chances. Tana inspired zero loyalty. I was pretty shocked when she made a fist and told one of the event staffers that she wanted to punch someone. Then she went around telling people she was the next apprentice. She was out of control!
Kendra, on the other hand, did a great job. She wasn't perfect--that initial meeting with the sponsors was a potential disaster, and she did snipe at Brian a couple of times. But, as some people predicted last week, she figured out a way to make Sony happy, and the whole event was great. For the most part, she was a great leader. This is the first time she's shown that she can rally a group around her. It was really inspiring. I admit that I got a little misty-eyed during the group hug at the end!
The Tana v. Kendra match-up emphasized the importance of being a firm, yet benevolent leader. Last night's episode reminded me of a nature show I watched on PBS last week. The show was about a group of gorillas that chose a different leader every couple of weeks. At first, they had a nice leader who treated them well, but then a nasty dictator came along. After two weeks, the gorillas got rid of him and elected the nice guy again. Last night, Tana was the mean gorilla, and it's going to cost her the apprenticeship. The look on her face when her team walked into the boardroom at the end said it all. I guess we'll find out next week!
May 6, 2005
The Apprentice - Week 15
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:50 AM
I really wasn't sure how the interviews would pan out last night. But I'm pretty pleased with the results. I was worried about Kendra when I saw the way she was dressed. I'm all for stylish interview attire, but Kendra's short skirt and glittery eye shadow made her look cheap. Tana and Craig looked fine, but boy did Craig blow it! What a fool. The interviewers were right on when they said that Craig talked a lot, but didn't really say anything meaningful. I thought it was weird when that one guy said that he kept wanting to hire Craig. Why? Because he was the only man? That was bizarre.
I agreed with some of the assessments made by the interviewers. Kendra is a bit immature, but she's malleable, which could be a good thing for Trump. Craig is too flighty, and can't seem to settle down (not to mention that he's full of it). But I still don't get why people don't think Tana can't hack it in a big city. That seems pretty biased. Not everyone mogul is born in New York, LA, or Chicago. In fact, Kendra seems a little too hardened for my liking. Her personality can be pretty caustic, which could turn people off during negotiations. I guess she could tone that down, though.
I'm glad the ax fell early in the episode. Craig had to go! And I was pretty amused when the former candidates walked into the boardroom. What a motley crew! I wonder if they realized they were chosen because they're the most difficult people to handle. I guess they had no choice but to go along with it. The challenge itself is boring...it's the same type of thing every season finale. Let's come up with a new idea, Donald!
Still, last night's episode was pretty entertaining. Danny really spazzed out during the presentation to the clients. Why didn't someone just grab Kendra right away? That was a big mistake. Erin should have stepped in to stop that train wreck. I really have no idea how Danny makes it in the real world. Maybe he chokes when he's on camera. Luckily, Kendra stepped in and saved the day. Although she really blew it with Sony. I couldn't figure out who promised Electronic Arts exclusivity in the ballroom, but that was a really bad idea. I have a feeling Kendra had no control over that...she was just handed the contract after it was already negotiated. It should be interesting to see how she handles that. I don't blame the Sony sponsor for being livid.
Tana didn't seem to know what the heck she was doing. When she met with the people from NYC 2012, she didn't have any firm ideas. She just kept saying that the event should be "olympic." Maybe it was just the editing, but Kendra seems to have a much better grasp on her event.
I'm happy with the final two this season. I really think Kendra and Tana are the best of this bunch, flaws and all. And the finale should be much better this season. I heard that it's only going to be one hour...I guess the Donald learns from his mistakes, too!
April 29, 2005
The Apprentice - Week 14
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:29 AM
Tana really blew it. She's usually great at marketing, but, last night, all she cared about was the BeDazzler. Of course, the BeDazzler is pretty fabulous, but having rhinestones on the T-shirts wasn't going to make or break the task. The marketing was going to be the deciding factor, as it is with most of the Apprentice challenges. Is Tana downward spiraling?
I've never been an Alex fan, but he was pretty entertaining last night. I liked his whole "I have nothing to lose" attitude in the beginning. It was also devilish of him to steal Tana from the other team, leaving Kendra and Craig to duke it out. But he didn't take any risks during the actual task. In fact, he was pretty useless. He should have just come up with a good marketing plan, instead of waiting for Tana to talk to him about. I think he was just hoping she would crash and burn so the Donald would fire her, but that was highly unlikely. Alex has lost so many challenges, he's just lucky he lasted this long.
Now I'm really torn about who's going to win. I have a really bad feeling that it might be Craig, even though I think he would be an absolutely horrible boss, especially if he's managing women, for whom he seems to have no respect. I have a thing or two to tell him if I go to the finale party again this year! Kendra has good ideas and she's an okay leader, but the whole war with Craig has really dragged her down. As someone mentioned last week, she doesn't really respond to him the right way. She just gets all pouty and makes that dumb face. I don't think she's mature enough to run one of the Donald's companies.
Tana really made herself look dinky last night. The Donald doesn't want some artsy-craftsy rhinestone fanatic running a major construction project. But I still think Tana's the best candidate. She just has to tone down the BeDazzler stuff a bit. And I don't think she's as nice as Carolyn and the Donald seem to think. She seems like a good person, but she's a strong leader and doesn't have a problem putting people in their place.
I'm starting to think this is a pretty sexist show. I could tell last night that the Donald was laying the groundwork for Tana to be fired. Maybe I was in denial before. Am I being overly sensitive? Next week's interviews should be really interesting. I think Tana can prevail if she acts a bit more serious--but not too serious. After all, part of her charm is her fun personality. I'd love to see Craig get a female interviewer. Let's see if he talks down to her! I guess we'll find out next week.
April 22, 2005
The Apprentice - Week 13
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 2:18 PM
I can't stand Craig. And it really annoys me that Tana keeps her mouth shut during his arguments with Kendra. He was totally out of line last night. I realize she and Craig have some kind of "street smarts" alliance, but come on.
Craig had nothing to do with his team's victory last night. Anyone could have played the disorganized desk jockey during the presentation. During the important part, the market research, he wandered off to play with office furniture. Then he had the nerve to treat Kendra like an idiot, when she and Tana came up with the winning idea in the first place!
Obviously, Alex and Bren blew it by not meeting with the Staples team. Alex said they were just the judges, not the customers, which doesn't make any sense. Weren't the products being designed for Staples, after all? Duh. And it amazes me that they didn't think to do market research with customers at a Staples store. Geez. They really blew it. If they had met with the Staples execs, they would have figured out that the store was interested in a simple idea, like the padlock with a combination based on numbers rather than words.
Instead, they went crazy designing a big piece of furniture to supposedly cut down on clutter. I don't know what kind of offices they've been working in, but my cubicle would be pretty crowded if I wheeled that thing in. And the fact that the drawers didn't slide out was totally absurd. What a disaster.
So it's all come down to Tana and Craig (street smarts) versus Kendra and Alex (book smarts). I'm guessing that Alex will be the next to go. The only reason he didn't get the boot last night is that he argued more skillfully than Bren. The Donald seemed particularly impressed by the fact that Alex had studied in Israel. I felt kind of bad for Bren. But it seemed like he had enough of the Apprentice. He said as much in the cab ride confession.
I'm looking forward to the final showdown. I still think Tana has the best chance to win. Kendra has potential, but she needs to grow up. Enough with the pouty face! If it comes down to Craig and Tana on the final task, he'll never be able to hack it. He's been riding on her coattails for a while now. If he wins, I'll be really disappointed. I guess we'll find out soon enough!
April 15, 2005
The Apprentice - Week 12
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:00 AM
Now I'm really convinced that Chris needs professional help. Last week, he was arrested for freaking out at a casino after being asked to pay a $20 cover charge. Then, last night, he cried in the boardroom. He's on emotional overload all the time. But being "angry man" wasn't his problem in this week's episode. He just stunk.
Up until this point, everyone, including the Donald, seemed to think that if Chris could control his temper, he'd be great. But he wasn't. Net Worth's brochure was totally amateurish. It looked more like an instruction manual than a promotional brochure. The pictures were terrible. There was no concept. And Chris's presentation was even worse than Angie's flop last week! I almost fell off the couch when he called the Solstice the "Solster Roadster." The car executives looked disgusted.
Of course, all the blame can't be laid on Chris. Alex blew the interior photos when he neglected to get close-ups of the logo and the tires. I couldn't really get a feel for Bren's writing, but I'm not that surprised that it was dull. No offense to lawyers, but I've read some legal briefs and they're not exactly scintillating!
As for Net Worth, I'm pretty disgusted with all three team members. Sure, Kendra produced a great brochure. After all her bravado, she's lucky she came through with a great product. Part of me empathized with her plight. She wanted to pull an all-nighter, and Craig and Tana were whining like tired babies. That may be partly Kendra's fault. If she was a more charismatic leader, maybe she could have inspired them to press on. But something tells me that Craig and Tana were up to something. They might have figured that Chris was no match for Kendra in this challenge. So why not leave all the work to her, and ride her coattails to victory? I thought Tana was a better person than that, but this show doesn't tend to attract the purest souls.
Nevertheless, Kendra's behavior was babyish. When Craig said there was no concept for the brochure, Kendra didn't explain it again. She just got exasperated. That's not a good sign. Despite the great job she did on the brochure, I doubt she has what it take's to head one of the Donald's companies.
I felt bad for Bren in the boardroom. He seems like a nice person, but his performance has been mediocre, especially compared to Tana's. Still, the deck was stacked against him last night. He tried his best, and stayed up all night. He just didn't have the right writing style. Alex is more of a slacker. He peaked during the grafitti mural episode. It's been downhill since then. There's no way he'll make it to the final two.
One thing I still don't get is why the Donald has so much sympathy for Chris. I'll admit that it was sweet when he told Chris to come over for a goodbye handshake after firing him. But I don't think Chris is a very nice person, especially after the whole casino incident. Let's just say I'm glad I don't work with him.
Well, my money's still on Tana, despite her slacker behavior last night. It'll be nice to see a woman win for once. If any of the lame guys win, I'll be really annoyed with Mr. T.
April 8, 2005
The Apprentice - Week 11
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 2:43 PM
Wow! Angie really blew it last night. What a choker. I've always liked her on a personal level, but there's no disputing that she was a six-time loser. Tana, on the other hand, did a great job once again. She put the kabash on Craig and Kendra's bickering before it got out of hand, and she even kept her cool when the guys came back from the silk screener with shoddy merchandise. As a leader, she's both likeable and authorotative, which is a tough combination to pull off.
Even though the challenge was yet another shill for corporate America, it was pretty interesting. Obviously, it was wise of Tana and Kendra to survey teens before coming up with design ideas. That helped them figure out that cell phones are the number one gadget for teens, which seemed to really matter to the store execs. That was huge.
Angie's team, on the other hand, totally missed the mark by focusing on iPods and laptops. Sure, iPods are popular, but I don't know one teen who doesn't have a cell phone. And what was up with that laptop sweatshirt? It reminded me of this crazy coat/backpack that I wore in the third grade. I thought it was pretty cool at the time, but now I wouldn't be caught dead with a big hump on my back. That idea was ridiculous, especially compared to Tana's cute little cell phone holsters. Net Worth's branding was way off, too. Why would they call their line Beach Tech? Who the heck brings a laptop to the beach? There was a big disconnect there. The Wearable Tech name was much better, with a broader appeal.
Angie's biggest mistake was taking on too much. When she got a gander at that whiteboard, she should have delegated some of her tasks to Alex and Chris. Maybe she's a micromanager and figured she could do a better job. Instead, she wound up having a breakdown and completely blowing the presentation. That was totally unbelievable. I felt bad for her, but she deserved to be fired after that. Yes, Chris screwed up big time by losing the credit card, but it was definitely Angie's fault that her team lost.
Angie seemed pretty shocked that she was fired instead of Chris. Something tells me he'll be the next to go. He's terrible, even when he's not chewing tobacco and swearing. After last night, I'm reevaluating my forecast. I used to think Kendra had a chance against Tana, but now I'm not so sure. I think it's going to be Tana all the way. I guess we'll find out soon enough!
April 1, 2005
The Apprentice - Week 10
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 2:05 PM
Last night's decision was really tough. On one hand, I can't stand Stephanie. She's a rookie when it comes to leadership, with a condescending attitude to boot. On the other hand, Chris is a total lunatic. He needs an anger management class stat. That face he makes in the boardroom is ridiculous. And his pointing habit is so rude! I did think that Alex exaggerated the "physical threat," but there's no denying that Chris is a timebomb waiting to explode.
Still, if Stephanie was smart, she would have stopped emphasizing Chris's penchant for foul language and rough behavior. Last week, the Donald admitted to cursing, even during business meetings. So why the heck would Stephanie continue to use that as a reason for firing Chris? She doesn't know how to play the Donald's game. It was also foolish of her to say that she's not used to working in a volatile environment. Her bio says she's a supply chain consultant...I'm sure there are plenty of opportunities for conflict in that line of work! Or, for that matter, in any business. What a wimp. My favorite moment in the boardroom was when Alex said he'd rather work with a crazy person than with Stephanie. That was great!
Last night's boardroom battle was pretty entertaining, but the task was lame. First of all, the Donald blew it by mentioning he loves meatballs at the beginning of the task. Obviously, the teams would be morons if they chose anything but meatball pizza. Even so, Bren seemed pretty deadset on the gross-sounding barbecue chicken pizza. Luckily, Tana chimed in with her idea. What a coincidence that her grandmother and the Donald both love meatballs!
Besides picking the pizza topping, which was a giveaway, the only busines decisions the teams made involvoed picking the pizza name and developing a marketing strategy. I couldn't figure out if they picked the locations as well. If so, Stephanie's team made a mistake by targeting the Union Square area, specifically the NYU dorms. As George pointed out, students are at class during the day, not sitting in their bedrooms. Besides, most college kids are broke. And Union Square has plenty of pizza places that are way better than Domino's...and probably less expensive.
Midtown, however, was a great location. It was smart of Tana and Kendra to market the pizza to companies. Kendra's shaping up to be a real marketing powerhouse. Overall, the team worked well under Bren's leadership, although I don't know how much he actually did to foster teamwork. The group seems to work well together pretty effortlessly, except for Craig's occasional naughty behavior.
The death knell rang for Stephanie when she went all the way to Brooklyn to deliver the pizzas. She should have had someone else do that so she could keep an eye on the mobile unit, not to mention Chris and Alex. That was a huge error. And it seemed insincere...did she really care about the construction workers, or was she trying to win bonus points in the boardroom? It also annoyed me that she acted so clueless about taking the subway. I couldn't believe that she's already spent at least a couple of months in NYC, and still hasn't set foot underground. She probably thinks it's beneath her.
Any doubt about the Donald's decision to fire Miss Priss vanished after Stephanie's obnoxious comments in the farewell cab ride. It was so typical of her to say that the high school grads were vulgar and disloyal. Enough with the "clutch the pearls" routine already!
Next week's fashion challenge should be more interesting. One can only hope. I can't wait to see which candidate unravels. Let's see...who could it be? Chris, perhaps? As of now, my money's still on Kendra and Tana for the final two. I was a little surprised when Alex, Kendra, and Bren formed an alliance against Craig and Tana in the beginning of the show. I guess that's blown now that Alex is on the other team. So it's anyone's game!
March 25, 2005
The Apprentice - Episode 9
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 2:56 PM
I've never been a huge Craig fan, but he did a great job last night. Not only did he come up with a brilliant idea for the workshop, but he also had the guts to stick to the plan despite his team's complaints. Kudos to Kendra for admitting that Craig was the only team member who deserved the reward. By the way, that was, by far, the coolest prize ever on the Apprentice. I was especially excited about it because Burt Rutan, Inc.'s Entrepreneur of the Year, just gave a speech about his space project at the Inc. 500 conference in Tucson last week. It was amazing. I was so jealous last night. I want to fly, too!
Back to the challenge. Craig was really impressive. I liked the way he eventually managed to get his teammates on board despite their lack of enthusiasm about "the box." His first performance as PM was reminiscent of Andy's marketing coup during last season's Apprentice. My only problem with Craig was that corny bit in the beginning of the show...I can't imagine having a group prayer session at work. That was completely inappropriate.
Speaking of inappropriate, Erin really bombed out last night. I'm so glad she got fired. During the first episode or two, I liked her spunk. But then I realized that's all there was to Erin. I don't know how the heck she made it through law school, but I wouldn't be surprised if she was the inspiration for Reese Witherspoon's ditzy character in Legally Blond. At least that woman was a lot more likable. Erin, on the other hand, acted like a nasty brat last night. I don't blame Angie for being totally disgusted by her "I don't know how to use a tool" routine. I was particularly appalled when Erin made that crack about how, as a former beauty queen, she knew about crowns, not crown molding. That was pathetic. But even worse was her behavior in the boardroom. I'm glad Caroline reprimanded her for attacking Chris for his coarse language and tobacco chewing. I agree that Chris needs to quit chewing, but I really despised Erin for thinking she could rely on fancy legal tactics to save herself. I knew she was doomed when the Donald admitted to cursing sometimes. Erin should have realized that the Donald isn't the most polished millionaire in town. And what was up with her incessant winking? Did she really think the Donald would fall for that? The whole scene was embarrassing.
It should be interesting to see how the team's handle next week's pizza challenge. Right now, my money's still on Kendra as the next Apprentice. Let's hope the next challenge isn't another shill for some big corporation! By the way, did anyone catch the premiere of the American version of "The Office" last night? I'm a big fan of the original British series, and I was hoping this one would be as good. But it's totally unoriginal. They just recycled the same characters and plot lines. Lame!
March 11, 2005
The Donald - Week 8
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:25 AM
Last night's episode was definitely entertaining. Tana was great. Sure, she was kind of goofy, especially when she said stuff like, "Yeah, people will really diggity that!." But she really owned the whole rap star persona and won over the artists. She and Craig had a great rapport during the negotiations. They worked as a team, kep the mood light, and started small, then worked up to big ideas. Plus, they seemed to be having a great time. It's easy to see why Tana is a top salesperson for Mary Kay.
John, Erin, and Stephanie, on the other hand, were terrible. John is so sexist. I'm glad he's gone. Plus, he's an idiot. I loved when Gene Simmons responded to his lame story by saying, "Is that supposed to butter me up?" That was fabulous. John did everything wrong: he talked about himself too much, interrupted Erin and Stephanie constantly, and kept pitching that lame idea about playing a gig at somebody's house party. That was so bad!
But Erin and Stephanie are also to blame. Why didn't they put John in his place after he blew the first negotiation? Erin said she didn't want to start a fight, but she basically gave up on the task by keeping her mouth shut. On that point, I agree with John. If Erin and Stephanie hated his ideas so much, why didn't they come up with something better and then insist on pitching it?
Chris also blew it big time. I'm surprised he got off so easily in the boardroom, especially after he started screaming at George and Caroline. I wouldn't want someone that volatile running one of my companies. Besides, he showed poor judgement by appointing John his right hand man. John seemed promising at first, but it became clear in the last couple of episodes that he's mediocre at best. Chris made the mistake of trusting John because he was his buddy, not because he was the most capable person on the team.
Getting back to the beginning of the episode, I was surprised that Chris gave up Tana in the switch. Craig, I'll admit, never seemed that great until last night. But Tana has always shown spunk. She also has a great attitude, which goes a long way. As for Kendra, I agreed with her decision to get rid of Erin and Stephanie. Erin performed well on the TV spot, but she seems rather vacant overall. Stephanie, for her part, has a bad attitude.
I'm really glad Kendra stepped up to the plate last night. She did a great job. As I've mentioned in previous weeks, she seemed to be flying under the radar, although, as someone pointed out, it was she, not Erin, who came up with the smart marketing strategy for the mini-golf course. Kendra made a lot of smart moves: she attended one negotiating session with Craig and Tana, and then realized that she could entrust them with that task. But she still required that they get approval for all of their auction ideas. That shows that Kendra wasn't trying to shirk responsibility to cover herself in case her team lost. For the first time, Kendra seems like a contender. After last night's episode, my money's on Tana and Kendra for the final two. It would be nice to see a woman win the Apprentice job for once.
I'm excited about next week's episode. Apparently, it's going to involve Burt Rutan, who was featured in Inc.'s January issue as our entrepreneur of the year. That should be interesting!
February 4, 2005
The Apprentice - Week 3
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 12:28 PM
Needless to say, I was DISGUSTED by Michael's behavior last night. I totally wanted the Donald to give him the boot. His whole speech about the importance of rules was such as joke...did the Donald care about "the rules" when he fired TWO people last season? No! And the fact that he compared the show's rules to the SEC's rules was laughable. Does he really think the show is that important? It's reality TV, for heaven's sake! The Donald needs to get a hold of himself. His holier than thou routine is really starting to irk me.
Not to rattle on about Michael, but I really couldn't believe the way he acted last night. He was beyond immature. I don't even know why he's on the show. And I thought Danny handled him pretty well, considering. Sure, as George pointed out, he could have told Michael to take a hike, but I thought it was an OK strategy to give Michael menial tasks to keep him out of the way.
Like the Donald, I have a bit of a soft spot for Danny. I wouldn't mind having him as an employee, even though I'd ask him to leave the guitar at home. But, as a leader, he's weak at best. I still felt bad for him when he got fired, though. Michael should have been walking to the taxi last night. I hope he gets destroyed next week.
As for the task itself, I thought it was pretty lame. Same old tired Apprentice challenges aimed at selling commercials to some big corporation. I'm no marketing expert, but the "vote American" idea seemed almost as low rent as Danny's cardboard box in front of Burger King. At least the iPod giveway was a bit classier. But I guess it all came down to creating some corny idea to tie the promotion together. I wasn't impressed.
And I thought it was pretty lame that Magna shelled out almost $50,000 to hire an event planner, and lost anyway. I thought the whole point was that the actual team did the work, rather than farming it out. That doesn't make for interesting challenges. I think the Donald should put more emphasis on the profitability of each challenge, rather than "who makes the biggest splash." That's too subjective.
As for the individual players, I thought Stephanie was fine. There was no way the Donald was going to fire her. I like Erin and Bren, too, although Erin wasn't forceful enough to convince the Donald to fire Michael. I hope she's not going up against the SEC any time soon! Even though Angie, Net Worth's leader, came up with a lame idea, I like her spunk and enthusiasm. She really held it together, and wasn't afraid to take charge when her team started to lose focus.
I'm so sorry I missed the Verna breakdown last week! I heard that Carolyn was dispatched to console her and convince her to come back. I guess that didn't pan out too well! I can't imagine Carolyn the ice princess consoling anyone...except maybe her pal Bill Rancic. Still, that was pretty lame of Verna to quit. It's only a TV show, after all.
Well, apparently both teams are being brought into the boardroom next week. What about the rules, Donald? I doubt the SEC would have done that! Sorry, I know I'm beating a dead horse with that joke, but it's just too hard to resist. By the way, I'm looking forward to Martha Stewart's Apprentice, especially since she'll be under house arrest during the taping. How does everyone feel about that?
January 28, 2005
The Apprentice - Week 2
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 12:38 PM
I missed the Apprentice last night because the ferry I take home had mechanical problems, and I still haven't figured out how to work my Tivo. I apologize for my lameness. I'll be sure to catch the rerun this weekend, and post a blog on Monday. Meanwhile, I'm curious to hear your thoughts about what went down in the latest episode. Did Danny redeem himself? Did Net Worth reign supreme again? Blog away!
December 17, 2004
The Apprentice - Finale Party
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 3:59 PM
Though I was disappointed in last night's season finale, I loved the wrap party at Roseland. But more on that later. Did anyone else think that the three hour episode was a tad much? I love Regis Philbin, but come on. As for the final showdown, it was pretty clear from the beginning that Jen was no match for Kelly. Frankly, I wasn't rooting for either of them. But I was hoping for more of a competition.
Jen really screwed up by delegating all of the important tasks, like dealing with the event sponsors, to other team members. Meanwhile, she stayed up all night printing out lousy signs. That was a total waste of time and energy. And what was with her outfit? I wouldn't dress like that to go to the grocery store. Jen and her entire team looked like bums. I understand they wanted to be sporty, but there must have been a classier way of pulling off the look. Kelly, on the other hand, always looks polished and projects a calm demeanor. I like the way he handled the dispute between Raj and Elizabeth. He nipped it in the bud before it got out of control. Still, I don't think he's so great as everyone was making him out to be. He's not a superhero. But I guess the best person doesn't always win in the business world, or, for that matter, on reality television. I would have loved to see Sandy and Kelly duke it out instead. Sandy lacks education, but she's learned from real life business experience, which no degree can buy.
While this season wasn't as exciting as the last one, the finale party was just as fabulous. Bobbie and I arrived on the red carpet just after 11. Roseland was transformed into a scene from New York City, complete with astro turf, park benches, street vendors, and even fake snow falling from the ceiling. It looked amazing. Not surprisingly, Omarosa held court on the dance floor for much of the night. She arrived in a fiery red ball gown, flanked on all sides by an entourage. I guess she forgave me for confronting her at last year's party, because she sauntered over to Bobbie and me on the dance floor. She was behaving rather well, actually. A few other favorites from last year were there, including Bill (looking kind of lost), Kwame (and his beautiful date), and Troy (charming as always). We talked to Nick's sister, who's sweet. Unfortunately, Moose was unable to attend this year. And, while Bobbie spotted Sugar Ray Leonard, Tony Danza never showed up. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed about that.
Of course, Carolyn and George were there. Carolyn looked beautiful in a gold gown as she floated on the dance floor with Kwame. Raj wore his signature red pants and held court with the press and admirers all night. Bobbie and I talked to Sandy, and told her we thought she should have won. She was there with another bridal shop owner, who was rather fabulous. The Donald and Melania were there very briefly...so briefly I didn't even see them. But I must say he threw one heck of a party. Unfortunately, at 2 AM, the music stopped and it was time to go home. I must say I'm looking forward to next season. I heard some talk at the party that it's going to be Ivy Leaguers versus high school grads. That could add some life back to the show. I guess we'll find out soon enough!
December 10, 2004
The Apprentice - Week 14
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 1:39 PM
Wow. Last night's showdown between Sandy and Jen was unbelievably intense. One minute, they're downloading chicken cutlet recipes, and the next, they're ripping each other apart in the boardroom. It was pretty shocking. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it was downright unprofessional. Jen, in particular, took it too far. I know that the Donald likes to see people defend themselves, but Jen's behavior was really distasteful. And her argument was lame. So what if she moved all the way to San Francisco by herself? Big deal! And I have a hard time believing that San Fransisco's legal community is tougher than New York's.
As for Sandy, she didn't hold up well in the boardroom. She looked like a deer in the headlights, and she couldn't get a word in edgewise. That said, I'm disappointed that the Donald chose Jen over Sandy, based on Jen's ability to handle "complex" issues. I'm sure that Sandy, as a business owner has to deal with complicated legal and financial matters. I think it came down to her lack of education, which is pretty sad. Also, she pretty much folded during the interview process. She just couldn't hack it.
I have to admit that I almost cried when Kevin was fired. I really liked that guy. And if the Donald is so big on education, why did he bash Kevin for having too many degrees? I think Kevin's biggest mistake was telling one of the interviewers that he didn't really want to be a lawyer. That made him seem indecisive. But still, he's just as smart as Jen, and he's a way better leader. I'll miss him.
Overall, I'm pretty blown away by Jen's performance last night. It's almost like she planned to fly under the radar for the first 13 episodes, only to swoop in at the last minute and secure a victory. I don't know if that was a strategy, or just dumb luck. Does anyone else have a theory on that?
Next week should be pretty exciting. I'm betting on Kelly. Jen has already alienated the client, so unless she pulls off an amazing event, I doubt she'll get a good review. Plus, I wouldn't be surprised if the speaker tells her to shove it after the way she screamed at his assistant. I guess we'll find out soon enough!
December 3, 2004
The Apprentice - Week 13
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:04 AM
First of all, I'm really sorry about missing last week's episode. I assumed there wasn't going to be one on Thanksgiving, so I didn't tune in on Thursday or Saturday. I read NBC's recap, though, and saw the picture of Mosaic's crazy twisty bottle. Pretty lame! I also heard from a fellow Incer that Andy blew it by trying to form an alliance with Jen. Bad move, Andy! If anyone has anything to say about last week's episode, please do. I'd like to hear your thoughts.
As for last night's episode, I thought it was one of the most exciting ones in a long time. I loved how Jen and Sandy set their differences aside and transformed into the wonder twins. That was pure brilliance. Ever since the Donald flipped for the guys' matching bow ties during the ice cream challenge, it's been obvious that clever costumes are a big plus. And I really don't think Sandy and Jen went overboard. Last season, some ladies actually offered to kiss their customers. The wonder twins never crossed that line. Sure, they looked kind of cheesy, but they managed to sell the candy bars for $5 a pop while maintaining their dignity.
Granted, Ivana and her team didn't have much of a chance to beat those two at the sales game. But they could have, and should have, gained an advantage by producing more bars than the dynamic duo. They should have made at least 33 percent more, not just a few more. That was their first mistake. The second mistake was not coming up with a better sales gimmick. At the very least, they could have worn more colorful shirts and taken advantage of the Mars promotional van. They really didn't put much effort into it. The death knell rang when Kevin started to give up and decided to sell the bars for $1. I was really disappointed in him for doing that. Why would anyone buy a bar from Ivana for $2 when Kevin's selling them for half the price a few feet away?
One of the funniest parts of last night's episode is when that random passerby told Ivana that Sandy and Jen were selling their candy bars for $5 each. That was pretty hysterical when he said they weren't that great looking, but they seemed to be doing well with the candy. Haha. But the most bizarre moment of the entire season (and maybe last season, too) came when Ivana took her skirt off. That was really sad. Especially because she had to beg the guy to make her do it. He seemed kind of disturbed by the whole thing. And they said Stacie J was crazy?
The boardroom was rather interesting. I have to give credit to Ivana for staying loyal to Kevin, even if it was a bad business move. But I can't figure out why she would sacrifice herself for him. Maybe she just genuinely believed Kevin deserved the apprenticeship more than she did. Or perhaps there's a little romance between the two? That could explain it. Kevin, on the other hand, didn't waste much time before stabbing Ivana in the back. I know I said a couple of weeks ago that Kevin was one of my favorites because he seemed like a decent guy, but now I'm not so sure. And why did Ivana keep saying "look" even after Carolyn reprimanded her? She seemed really flustered.
Despite all the embarrassment and a bad performance in the boardroom, Ivana had a really graceful exit. I thought she seemed really upbeat in the taxi and had very gracious things to say about being on the show. Maria could learn a lesson or two from her. Now that it's getting down to the wire, the next couple of weeks are sure to be exciting. To be honest, I have no idea who's going to win. My guess is that it'll come down to Sandy and Kelly. I guess we'll find out on Dec. 16. Hopefully I can get an invite to the finale party again!
November 19, 2004
The Apprentice - Week 11
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 2:32 PM
Every week, the contestants on this show get more and more detestable. At this point, I'm rooting for Kevin. He's not the greatest contributor, but at least he seems like a nice guy. That sweat outbreak definitely scored him a few symphathy points from me. Jennifer M. shouldn't have said he was "disgusting." Doesn't she know that's a medical condition?
Jennifer's the one who should be sweating. I almost died when she couldn't figure out the fit wheel concept. What is her problem? Although I'm no fan of Ivana, I must admit that was a great idea. I don't blame Ivana for being peeved that Jen M. wound up getting a lot of credit for the team's victory, even though she did nothing except look good in the photos. But Ivana's dealing with the situation the wrong way. Every time she makes "dumb blonde" comments, she loses credibility. Instead, she should keep her cool and then lay out her argument against Jen in the next boardroom meeting.
Needless to say, Maria was a complete disaster last night. I couldn't believe the way she acted. It was really over the top. I'm glad she got the boot. I thought the double firing was pretty lame, though. It was obvious that NBC had planned that out in advance. Wes was wrong to let Maria and Sandy battle for so long, and he shouldn't have let Maria wrest control of the task, but he wasn't the worst PM so far. Plus, I can't stand the canned banter between the Donald and Bill Rancic. Why the heck would anyone call Bill "Mr. Rancic" if they call Carolyn and George by their first names. Lame!
I thought Kevin was a pretty good leader last night. Not great, but not offensive or incompetent, unlike many other PMs this season. Andy had a good point about wearing Levis to the meeting, but small contributions like that aren't enough to proved his worthiness. Kelly and Sandy were underwhelming last night. I used to like Kelly, but now I think he's a cocky jerk. At this point, I can't imagine who the Donald would choose to run one of his companies. Only time will tell!
November 12, 2004
The Apprentice - Week 10
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 3:45 PM
Where do I even begin? Apex is a complete disaster. Even though I've never thought much of Chris, I was shocked by how bad he was as PM. First of all, his language is terrible. His crass behavior makes Heidi look like Mary Poppins. I'm not totally against cursing, but he's out of control. Of course, his biggest mistake last night was giving up as soon as he heard that the challenge was to set up a bridal salon. I couldn't believe that, especially considering his comments last week and his vow to rally the team. The whole point of the show is to prove that you can successfully complete a business challenge, whether that means massaging dogs or creating a new toy.
While Chris should take most of the blame for last night's disaster, the rest of the team was awful as well. Once again, they just gave up when their PM started having a breakdown. If they wanted to win, they should have taken control of the situation. That said, I have to give Jennifer some credit. I wasn't surprised that Chris sent her back up to the penthouse last night. At least she convinced some vendors to sign on. But, even though they wound up enticing some vendors and stocking up their sale with some dresses, their marketing idea was ridiculous. Handing out flyers and painting a sign on the front window. That was so amateurish.
I can't say that the Mosaic team members did much better. If it wasn't for Sandy, they probably wouldn't have known about the Knot.com, or that many bridal shops have discontinued dresses that they're eager to get rid of at cost. Even with Sandy's help, Maria and Wes blew the marketing task by forgetting to include a phone number on the email. It wound up working out in the end, but Maria was caught lying. This isn't the first time her disregard for detail has led to a major blunder. The only time she didn't act like a total ditz was during the fashion show episode...maybe because her head was on the chopping block that time? Hmmm. Maybe there's a little sabotage going on.
As time goes by, Kelly seems like a bigger and bigger jerk. His cocky attitude is really bothering me. And Wes was right on. I was hoping the Donald would take away Kelly's exemption and give it to Sandy last night. Wes was so right when he pointed out that Kelly chose to shadow Sandy instead of helping out with the marketing efforts. He was in full CYA mode. That's no way to lead a team.
Andy was a real goofball last night. That was pretty funny when Caroline asked him if it was his first time "doing this." That Ferrari comment was pretty cheesy. Andy has a lot to learn about the nuances of doing business. I just can't imagine him being a president of a Trump company. Maybe an intern?
Needless to say, Ivana is in real jeopardy. The Donald doesn't like her at all. Neither do I. As the Donald mentioned, that whole team seems totally apathetic. They're a stark contrast to last season's contestants. But maybe the Donald's comments in the boardroom last night will light a fire under them. I guess we'll find out next week...
November 5, 2004
The Apprentice - Week 9
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 12:23 PM
What the heck happened to Raj last night? He used to be my favorite, but he's gone downhill steadily ever since the fashion challenge. Considering Raj's obsession with primping, I was shocked to see the state of the house when he gave the grand tour. I thought Caroline was going to faint when she saw the mud on the carpets. And that upstairs bathroom looked like a bomb hit it.
In Raj's defense, he seemed to be the victim of bad luck. There was really no way to know that contractor would be so bad. Taco man should be ashamed of himself. That said, Raj had a bad feeling about him right from the beginning. He should have trusted that instinct. But, when it came down to it, Raj didn't really seem to put his all into the challenge. It was almost like he didnt' care. I'm really disappointed in him.
Sandy, on the other hand, performed quite well last night. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by her gusto. OK, so she did go on that crying jag on the front lawn, but that's known to happen. At least she didn't do it in front of the team and recovered quickly. Elizabeth probably would have given up at that point! I thought Sandy did a great job overall. She had the advantage of being the last project manager to be chosen, and she used everything she learned from past PM's mistakes. She remained calm and authoritative without being egomaniacal or bossy. She really gave it her alll, and I thought the house looked great as a result. I was surprised, in fact, that Sandy's team only one by a three percent margin...I expected it to be a landslide victory.
One problem with last night's episode was that it was tough to judge anyone's performance based on the task, since most of the work was being done by contractors. And Andy just happened upon that crew that pulled up in front of the house and saved the day. That was dumb luck. I don't know why Kevin was so gung-ho about that other contractor. Did he know something we didn't know? It was pretty unwise of him to stick his neck out like that.
Ivana's really starting to bother me. She's a poisonous presence on her team. She'll probably get the boot next week. The Donald clearly doesn't like her. And what was Chris's problem. He made a big mistake by betraying his team in front of the Donald and Carolyn, who can't tolerate disloyalty. We all learned that lesson last season. Get a clue, Chris!
I hope next week features more task time and less boardroom time...a half hour is way too much!
October 29, 2004
The Apprentice - Week 8
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:41 AM
The Donald certainly redeemed himself last night. I really enjoyed the marketing challenge. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but I liked Andy's idea from the get-go. He really redeemed himself, even if he did have to act like a bit of a dictator to improve his image. I think he made the right move by passing on Maria's idea. I didn't quite get her obsession with sex appeal. A Hummer? How would that fit into an ad campaign about joining the NYPD? When Maria called Andy on his cell phone to insist he add sex appeal, I thought he handled it well. Since George was sitting right next to him, that was key. Even though I've never been a huge Andy fan, I was really glad that he stepped up to the plate and won last night's challenge. Yay, Andy!
As for Elizabeth, what can I say? I was totally shocked by her performance last night. I knew she was an overanalyzer and a whiner, but I didn't expect her to have a complete meltdown and give up. When she and Kevin stayed up late working on a better presentation, I was pretty impressed. Then, she totally blew it by letting the team push her around. I'm all for collaborative leadership, but she let them walk all over her.
Last night really made me think about leadership. I was surprised that Apex simply folded after Elizabeth flip-flopped. They mentioned electing a new leader, but they never did. I guess they figured that Elizabeth would be voted off if they lost, so they didn't put much effort into winning the challenge. It seemed like they threw the challenge on purpose just to get her off the team. Elizabeth seemed to think she was being a good leader just because she stuck to her guns. That seems to be the trend this season...project managers assume that if they stick to their guns, no matter how wrong they are, they're doing the right thing. Gee. That sounds kind of like a president I know.
At any rate, I'm excited for next week. Raj blew it again last night with that ridiculous military idea...will he get the boot next? I can't wait to find out.
October 22, 2004
The Apprentice - Week 7
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:44 AM
Last night's task was pretty lame compared to the restaurant opening and even the doughnut challenge. I don't have a dog, but I used to when I was a kid, and I never would have let a bunch of people with no experience clip my collie's nails. And if anyone offered to massage him, I would be tempted to call the police, not cough up $20 for the service.
That's why I didn't totally agree with the Donald's decision to fire little Stacy. Yes, she was annoying, yes she was a distraction. But she was the only team member who thought of an alternative to the lame dog grooming idea. I actually liked her idea to dress up the dogs in outfits and take pictures. Sure, the costumes in the pet store were too expensive at $30 a pop, but they could have just bought a couple of items...like a studded collar and a pretty bow...to dress up the dogs for pictures and offer that service in addtion to the washing. I guess it's true that nobody listens to Stacy's ideas because she's annoying. That's her fault. But still, I didn't think she deserved to be fired last night.
As far as I'm concerned, Wes was the real loser. His ideas were boring and he took way too long to execute them. As a leader, he was uninspired. Jennifer was a bit better...at least she thought to expand the range of "spa" services and branch out into two locations. Overall, it was kind of hard to judge people's performances on this challenge. That said, Andy clearly screwed up big time by losing the cell phone. But I'm not quite sure why George's fill-in kept bringing up what would have happened if he had done that on the battlefield. That's a tad dramatic, no?
When is George coming back, anyway? I hate when he goes away on business. The boardroom isn't the same without him. But Carolyn definitely pulled her weight. She's acting a lot tougher this season, maybe because Bill Rancic isn't around? I loved it when she busted Kelly for lying about the number of dogs he had washed. He made a huge mistake by saying he washed eight dogs in a certain time span when Carolyn knew it was only four. The Donald let Kelly off the hook by saying he "exaggerated." To me, it seemed more like an outright lie. I was kind of surprised that Kelly would stoop to that sort of behavior.
Overall, I was pretty disappointed in the latest episode. The Donald seems to be firing people based on personality flaws, not on actual performances. But the team swap was rather revealing. I'm not surprised that Jennifer dumped Stacy and Sandy, but why Maria? She irks me, but she did perform well on the last task. I would have kept her and gotten rid of Elizabeth the whiner instead. As for Wes, I'm surprised he got rid of Kevin. Maybe he's still bitter about last week's pricing debacle, which they were both partially responsible for. I would have kept Kevin and ditched Andy. I bet Wes regretted the decision to keep Andy after the cell phone incident. As for Raj, I guess that was a reasonable decision. I still like Raj because he's dynamic and has good ideas, but he's starting to seem like a loose cannon.
Judging from the previews for next week, it looks like Apex is going to turn on Elizabeth. I can't say I blame them. Hopefully the next challenge will be more exciting than this one!
October 15, 2004
The Apprentice -- Week 6
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 2:22 PM
I'm really glad that the women FINALLY won a challenge last night. I must admit that I was skeptical at first, especially when Maria started bragging about her home ec minor. I'm not desparaging home ec classes in general. But I didn't realize you could minor in that in college! What are the classes like? At any rate, Maria did a great job in last night's episode. Her instinct to hire the lower-priced, industry-savvy designer proved correct. And I liked the way she handled Elizabeth: get her away from the group, but make her feel important.
That proved to be a wise move, considering that Elizabeth started overanalyzing almost immediately when she balked on hiring the more reasonably-priced designer. Boy, was she wrong. Those low prices turned out to be the main reason for the Apex victory. Thankfully, Maria took control, made the decision she felt good about, and sent Elizabeth away for the rest of the day. That ALMOST makes up for her ridiculous behavior in the previous episodes. But the jury's still out on Maria. As for Elizabeth, I predict that she'll be fired within the next two episodes.
Unlike Maria, John was awful last night. Kelly was right when he said he acted more like the PM than John did. First of all, Kelly blew me away when he started sketching outfits. An army guy who also designs clothes? Is there anything he can't do? Raj really disappointed me last night...I was definitely having a Sam flashback when he kept annoying Ilsa. He really lost it. Thank goodness Kelly stepped in and told him to get a grip, as John looked on sheepishly from afar. I hope Raj goes back to his old ways next week.
Well, John was pretty nervy to bring Andy and Kevin into the boardroom with him. Okay, so Kevin did screw up royally by jacking up the prices on the clothes, but Wes was right there with him. And, as the Donald pointed out, John should have helped out with the crucial task of pricing the items rather than hanging out with the models. Come on, John! Plus, I don't understand why people keep using Andy's age as a reason for firing him. John is only a year older, after all! That said, Andy didn't do much last night, or any other night. I don't really understand why the Donald seems convinced that Andy is so great. I just don't see it. If anyone else can shed some light on that situation, please do.
Despite bad performances from several of the men, John was the clear choice for last night. He had no control over the team. The one decision he did make (to hire Ilsa) turned out to be wrong. I liked her designs, but they were too couture for the challenge. But I don't blame Ilsa for this one...she told the guys what she would charge, and they doubled everything. It's not your fault, Ilsa!
Next week should be interesting. It looks like the Donald will be pulling the old switcheroo. And just when the women are hitting their stride. Oh well. I guess that's how it goes. Hmmm...I'd sure like to see Kelly put Elizabeth in her place. And maybe the women will help bring Andy out of his shell. A romance between fashionistas Raj and Maria? Only time will tell.
October 8, 2004
The Apprentice- Week 5
Posted by Bobbie Gossage at 12:16 PM
Sorry, guys. Nadine is out this week, so you'll have to settle for me today. But before I get started, I'd just like to say that doing a lap around Arthur Ashe Stadium in your underwear while Anna Kournikova laughs and points and John McEnroe* lobs tennis balls at your head sounds like the stuff of nightmares. More on that later.
In last night's episode, The Donald told the teams they would have to pick a product at QVC, set the price for it, and sell it on air. The team with the highest gross sales would win. Because the losing ladies were short-handed once again, Trump told them they would have a new teammate and project manager, someone he had grown to "respect": Pamela. (Why? Because she knew what creme fraiche was?)
When she was on the men's team, Pamela had a way of making the guys look feminine. From her first moment on the women's team, she treated them like a class of unruly first-graders that needed to be "whipped into shape." Before they'd had a chance to really talk, she started lecturing them about how she doesn't want to hear anyone complain that "that's not how we did it before. Obviously, what you were doing before wasn't f***ing working." Ivana complained that the downtrodden team needed a pep talk, not a lecture.
At QVC, the men chose an Italian panini grill to sell while the women went with a weird white sponge called It Works! that can apparently scrub crayon off of wallpaper and wood. Pricing their product was a big issue for both of the teams. In a cutaway, The Donald gave the viewers at home a lesson in economics. Something along the lines of, "If you price it too high people buy less, and if you price it less they buy more." Wow. Now we all know why he's the millionaire. Then, from the back of a limo, Trump was shown telling someone named Bill (Rancic, perhaps?) over a cell phone that if he failed his "ass is grass." Why anyone is vying to work for this man is beyond me.
Over at QVC, teams were struggling with price. Stacy R. said $19.99 might be good (for 30 sponges), but didn't feel confident about setting the price herself. After barking at her to pick a number and stick to it, Pamela set the number at around $30... way too much for sponges. The men's team had a similar discussion when Kelly insisted on $71 for the grill. He argued that if they pushed up the price a little, they could make a few more dollars on each sale. Raj very astutely argued that shoppers might have trouble crossing the mental threshold of $70, and that $69.99 might be more appealing. He was shot down by team leader, Chris.
When it came to setting up for the on-camera demonstration, the women's team had a few snags. Overall, I think one of the main problems is that the team is so used to losing that the ladies sometimes focus more on covering their backs for the boardroom than winning the task. Stacy went a little overboard with her task of handling the team's legal issues, but Pamela demeaned her entire contribution by gruffly chastising her attention to detail. Maria and Jennifer asked to be the on-air talent, and everyone seemed surprised when they turned on the cameras and Maria started awkwardly blinking and flailing her arms like she was drowning. It was decided that Jennifer should do the talking. (Duh!)
I felt very sorry for Maria when Elizabeth called to Ivana over the walkie-talkie, so loudly that everyone on set could hear, saying, "Tell Jennifer she was absolutely perfect. Pamela's coming down to talk to Maria. Don't let Maria say anything." Maria sat on the couch, clearly wounded. She had said earlier that public speaking was her strong suit. I was very impressed that she didn't pull an Elizabeth and burst into tears. The comment hurt her, but she swallowed her pride a bit and still went on camera and smiled and nodded. And she refrained from throwing a package of It Works! sponges at Pamela's head.
In the end, Jennifer did a good job demonstrating the sponge, but the price was just too high. The men were so-so on camera, but were blessed with a caller who called their product the best grill she'd ever used. Both teams sold more than $15,000 worth of merchandise, but the women lost by $10. Painful. Pamela was in shock.
For their 10-spot victory, the men were awarded a play date with Anna Kournikova and John McEnroe*. Playing doubles against those two, Andy, a tennis buff, was living out his childhood fantasies. Raj, on the other hand, attempted to live out a different kind of fantasy. He asked Anna Kournikova for a date. "What makes you think I would want to go on a date with you?" she said, laughing. She then challenged him to a game: if he could return one of five serves, she would go on a date. If he couldn't, he had to do a dare. As we all know, Kournikova isn't famous for her tennis abilities, so I thought Raj had a shot. But he failed miserably. And she made him run around the stadium in his undies while all of them laughed and hit tennis balls at him. This is what happens when you ask out Anna Kournikova. Consider yourself warned.
Back at Trump Tower, the women were ready for another trip to the boardroom. Sandy said Pamela should go for setting the price too high. (What was Sandy doing on this task, anyway?) In the end, Pamela dug her own grave by calling the outcome "a tie." That set George off, though he still said she was a good leader. Carolyn disagreed, saying Pamela was confident, but wrong. I think she was being nice. Pamela chose Stacy and Maria to go into the boardroom with her for reasons that didn't hold a lot of water. In the end, The Donald fired Pamela for setting the wrong price, and the women lost another teammate.
At this point, I am beginning to doubt if any of them can lead their team to a victory.
*Editor's Note: My apologies to Pete Sampras. Only I would confuse him with John McEnroe!
September 30, 2004
The Apprentice - Week 4
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:29 AM
I was reaching for my aspirin way before the first commercial break last night. Where do I even begin? The women are killing me. They're a total embarrassment. As I said last week, this is going to be one predictable season unless the Apex gals get their act together. They embody every cliche about women in the business world, between Elizabeth (the sensitive cry baby) and Jen (the catty shrew). What gives? They should take a cue from last season's stellar female team, which was the polar opposite.
Jen C. was unbelievably awful last night. I think this is the first time the Donald ever said that a firing decision was "easy." Jen's big mouth has been getting on his nerves for a while. Last night, she proved to be the worst project leader ever. I couldn't believe she thought being a good leader meant glowering at people while they were trying to work. And she was totally annoying the restaurant patrons. I would have been really irked if her motor mouth was running while I tried to eat dinner. I'm not a huge fan of little Stacy, but I started liking her more last night after seeing her stand up to Jen. I'm so glad the Donald criticized her for not taking Sandy into the boardroom. Sandy is so cheesy. I can't imagine her running one of Trump's companies. Go back to the bridal shop, Sandy!
Not all the women are lost causes. Stacy R. is annoying, but she seems hard-working and determined, if somewhat hyper. Ivana is growing on me. I bet she'll be a better project leader if she gets another chance. I think she's the most level-headed person on the Apex team. Maria didn't do anything outrageously dumb last night, but she seems more concerned with her "designer suits" and lip gloss than winning tasks. Plus, I still can't get over her bonehead move that led to last week's budget debacle. Jen M. hasn't done much to impress me, but she hasn't done anything awful, either. Hopefully she can team up with Stacy R. and Invana and try to turn this team around.
Now on to the guys...once again, Raj was a genius. Hiring cleaners for the restaurant was brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the women mopping the floors at 4 AM while Raj got his beauty sleep. To be honest, I wasn't really blown away by either restaurant. The chef at Mosaic's eatery didn't seem great (who likes warm salad?), and the service was pathetic (Andy served up another mediocre performance as a waiter). The decor and food at both places seemed so similar that it all really came down to the vibe. The guys were having fun and buzzing around, while the women gathered in groups and hovered nervously in their too-chic black dresses and chandelier earrings. I loved it when the guys sent John over to serve the table of gay men. It totally worked, and that stroke of genius may have pushed team Mosaic over the top.
Now for some news from the grapevine. I hear that the Donald may have regretted his decision to fire Stacie J. last week, and may bring her back on the show. That should be interesting. I've been wavering about the decision myself. Even though she was a loose cannon, I agree with Kevin that it wasn't fair for the women to use her "craziness" to save their own hides. I applaud Kevin for sticking up for Stacie J. and pointing out that none of the women were qualified to diagnose her with a mental illness. Nice job, Kevin.
Hopefully next week will bring some surprises, because I'm sick and tired of listening to the Apex women complain. Last season, after the women's team proved so dominant, the Donald mixed and matched to make it more interesting. On the preview for next week's episode, it seemed like he was considering sending Pamela back to her old team. I'm not so sure that will help, considering she's got plenty of her own issues. I'd really like to see Raj or Kevin take the Apex reigns and really lay down the law!
September 24, 2004
The Apprentice - Week 3
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:42 AM
I suppose it's best that Stacie J. got fired last night. The Donald was right...she was a major disruption to the other players. And the fact that she hardly even defended her behavior during the first task makes me think she really might have a problem. Or, maybe she's just an eccentric entrepreneur who does better running her own business solo. She kept saying she was the strongest person on the team, but she didn't do anything to prove it.
Stacie was right about one thing: now that she's gone, the other women are going to tear each other apart. If I was on the women's team, I'd be gunning for Maria. She spinned out in the second episode, when she couldn't locate the second ice cream cart, and then she blew last night's challenge by failing to get a written agreement with the flyer vendor. Big mistake. Then, to make matters worse, she tried to blame everyone else but her. That seems to be the modus operandi for the women's team. As soon as something goes wrong, the blame game begins. The fact that Elizabeth didn't even know about the budget problem until they walked into the final meeting with the Procter & Gamble execs speaks volumes. She was totally out of the loop.
Overall, I thought the Mike Piazza stunt was pretty lame. I’m not sure when that actually took place, but Piazza's not exactly the superstar he used to be. The Mets are doing terribly this season, and Piazza hasn't helped. Besides, Mike looked like he had just rolled out of bed, and he didn't seem too enthused to be there. I wasn’t impressed. Plus, he was only around for a half hour...how much buzz could that have created? Granted, it was pretty great that he autographed the toothpaste boxes and the flyers, but, in general, I wasn't impressed.
I'm impressed by the way Mosaic bounced back after their bad news about the insurance policy. The $5,000 sweepstakes was brilliant, and the circus in Washington Square Park seemed to garner a lot more attention that the Piazza appearance. I loved it when one of the Mosaic team members (maybe RJ?) yelled out that the fire breathing lady uses Crest vanilla mint after eating a fire ball. That was priceless. Mosaic really seems to be on a roll, and I’m sure that lavish dinner on the Queen Mary 2 did wonders for morale.
Now that Stacie J. is gone, the women have to reorganize. Kudos to Stacy R. for trying to get the team's hostilities out in the open. That was a step in the right direction, even though it didn't seem to work very well. If they don't start acting like a team, they'll never win. Hopefully next week's restaurant challenge will be a turning point. Otherwise, this is going to be a predictable season!
September 17, 2004
The Apprentice - Week 2
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 9:54 AM
Unlike Carolyn, who seems to be turning into a total yes-man, I didn't agree with the Donald's firing decision last night. Sure, Bradford made a huge mistake by getting overly cocky and offering to waive his immunity. And, yes, he acted like a total jerk last week when he insisted on that ridiculous football toy. But he performed really well during the ice cream task. Ivana, on the other hand, was a total disaster. I can't believe the second ice cream cart was missing for three hours! And it was totally unfair to blame Stacie J., since, as George pointed out, Broadway is only a half block away from 7th Avenue. Maria should have checked out both blocks just to be sure. Or, she could have simply called Stacie J. to figure it out! It's almost like she wanted Stacie J. to be wrong just to establish a scapegoat.
I agree that Stacie J. is something of a loose cannon. Last week, she completely folded under pressure. This week, she further alientated her team members by calling the temp agency without conferring with them first. That said, I don't like the way Ivana tried to turn everyone against Stacie just to save her own hide in the boardroom. That was really despicable, underhanded, and immature. She should have gotten the boot last night, not Bradford, or even Stacie.
Raj really proved himself last night. Part of me thought he might turn out to be just another quirky weirdo with no brains, but, so far, he's proven me wrong. The fact that he had a dozen bowties to hand out to all the guys was fabulous. I think the bowties really made a difference. Raj's idea to dub the donut gelato a "breakfast icecream" to promote morning sales was also genius.
A lot of credit must go to Kelly, who did a great job as project manager. I'm really glad he kicked John to the curb and gave out $5 food allowances to everyone. John was acting like a total maniac when he insisted that Raj couldn't have any food money. I felt so bad for Raj when he pleaded, "But I'm hypoglycemic...I need a bagel!" Thank goodness Kelly put his foot down. That West Point training really came in handy.
As for Pamela, she's not long for this show. She's too brusque. A good manager has to have the right combination of toughness and charm...she possesses none of the latter. And it really made me ill when she was showing off at Petrossian, asking for creme fraiche and toast points. Wow...that's so impressive. Not really! I'm with Andy...I would have been disappointed with that reward, especially after eating just $5 worth of food all day. Just a couple of weeks ago on the Amazing Race, team members were passing out and crying after being forced to eat that much caviar!
Next week should be interesting. The weak links are Ivana, Stacie, Pamela, and John. One of them is sure to go!
September 10, 2004
The Apprentice - Season 2 Premiere
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:26 AM
First of all, I love Raj and his fabulous cane. Some people have compared him to Sam, but I like Raj much better. Sam didn't wear red pants and a bow tie, after all. And besides having great outfits, Raj was totally right when he railed against the name Mosaic. Not like Apex is so great, either. It conjures images of that bald guy with the moustache from the Apex Tech commercials. At any rate, I thought Pamela made a good first impression with the Donald when she staunchly defended her team's lame choice. Score one for Pamela.
As for the rest of the apprentice wannabes, it was pretty hard to gauge individual people's worthiness based on the Mattel challenge. As a team, I must say that Pamela and the guys blew it big time. Crustacean Nation? When Andy first made that suggestion, I thought he'd be laughed right out of the room. A cheetah with flippers?!? Come on. It wasn't as bad as Bradford's original idea, though. That guy is a total meathead. Plus, considering that, according to Star magazine, he drives a golf cart with monster truck tires, you'd think that he'd come up with something a bit more exciting than a football player on wheels. Thank goodness the Mattel designers shot that idea down. The Meta Morpher turned out to be pretty cool, I must say, and it was obviously a huge hit with the kids. I wish I knew who came up with that name. It was genius.
Part of me was hoping that Pamela would get the boot. It was really unprofessional of her to make fun of that poor kid's hair in front of Carolyn and the Mattel execs. Granted, his hairdo was simply awful, but keep it to yourself, Pamela! Especially considering that the kid looked like a mini Donald Trump. Way to offend the Donald. Luckily, he has a good sense of humor about his complex coif. In the end, though, I think Donald made the right choice when he gave Rob the boot. All that whining about being "underutilized" was pathetic. And his idea about the eel with removable parts was even worse than the underwater cheetah toy. Bye, Rob!
Bradford really got lucky last night. He was an awful team leader. He had no patience and acted like a total jerk. Noboby wants a boss like that. I understand that not all decisions can be made by consensus, but his idea wasn't even good. Later on at the dinner party, when the Donald asked the women how they liked Bradford, they said he was "excellent." Of course. We all learned from Tammi's behavior last season that the Donald doesn't like traitors. I have a feeling that Bradford might be this season's Kwame, riding everyone else's coattails to the final showdown. But I certainly hope not.
I was pretty jealous when the winning team had dinner with the Donald and Melania. The shrimp cocktail looked scrumptious! Jennifer C. was hysterical during the dinner scene. She thought she was being really sly about imitating every move the Donald made, but she wound up looking like she was hitting on him. It was totally weird. If I was Melania, I would have sent her home without dessert.
Last but not least, what is up with Stacie J.? Some may say she's emotionally unstable. I say she's a plant. When I met Omarosa at the finale party last year, she said her contract prevented her from talking about why she lied to Kwame in Atlantic City. That only bolstered my suspicion that NBC is planting actors in the show to spice things up. Hmmm. Star magazine says that Stacie owns a Subway sandwich shop in Harlem. Maybe I should go scope it out.
Overall, I'm pretty excited about season 2. I must admit that I'm a little nervous that nothing will compare to the good old days of Troy, Sam, Omarosa and gang. I guess we'll find out!
April 9, 2004
The Donald - Episode 13
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 8:42 AM
Last night's episode was a great break from the usual routine. Those job interviews were so brutal. Trump's execs were down-to-earth, tough, and honest. I'm glad they didn't like Amy. And the Stepford wife analogy was so true! As one interviewer pointed out, she was almost too perfect, with the pearly teeth and the hair curled just so. Her whole routine would get annoying after a while. But I must say I felt a little bad for the apprentice wanna-bes during the interviews. Especially since I think everybody has used some variation on Bill's line about how his biggest fault is never being satisfied. That's the oldest, and lamest, interview trick in the book! Hooray for team Trump for calling him on it! I won't be using that in the future...
I did not, however, agree with Trump's decision to fire Nick and keep Kwame. How does Kwame do it? He flies under the radar on every episode, demonstrates lukewarm leadership skills, and somehow has managed to make it to the final two. As he pointed out during one of his interviews, he's low energy. At least he was actually honest about his faults. But he's basically admitting that he's better suited for a desk job at Goldman Sachs than a leadership role at Trump! Nick was rough around the edges, but he seemed more simpatico with the Trump execs than Kwame. Go figure. I was glad that Nick was so gracious when he got fired. Unlike Amy, who barely said anything. Not a very good exit.
OK. Nick being fired was my biggest gripe about last night. Otherwise, I loved it. It was nice to break from the usual formula and have two firings in the first half hour. How exciting! And adding Jessica Simpson into the mix is pure genius. I can't wait to see her and Omarosa in the same room together. Speaking of Omarosa, I was totally surprised and happy that she and the other top cast members came back. It would have been boring if it was just Kwame versus Bill in the finale. But, more than ever, I'm thinking that Omarosa is a plant. I can't believe that she would tell a boldface lie on national television like that! That could really ruin her career. Oh, but I forgot she's in politics, so maybe that would actually be a plus. Hmmm. I wonder if we'll ever find out if she's just acting. At any rate, Kwame should have demanded to know who called during dinner. Just another example of his blase leadership style. But it was unfair of Omarosa to screw up all the logistics, then blame Kwame for being too hands off. A big part of leadership is delegating to trusted employees, dear! Get a clue!
Right there, Kwame's team may have blown it. The Taj CEO said his idea of a successful event is that the star is happy. That in itself was bizarre. I thought he would have cited good ticket sales or pleased fans, but I guess I learned something new! If that's the case, this whole transportation debacle could spell disaster for Kwame. That said, I know from watching Newlyweds that Jessica's usually pretty lowkey about hotel accomodations, etc. I think her husband Nick has to bear the brunt of her complaints. But overall, she seems like a pretty low maintenance, good natured person.
As for Bill's event, I'm not exactly sure what it's going to turn out like. I didn't think the storage problem was a big deal...that seemed exaggerated. He seemed kind of tense, but I'm not worried. And he definitely has a stronger team than Kwame. Too bad Heidi and Omarosa couldn't have been split up...they create such a bad vibe when they're together! And one other thing I was wondering about: what is the motivation for the former castmembers to do a good job? They could be bitter about losing and not try very hard, or, even worse, try to sabotage Kwame and Bill. There must be some monetary award in it for them.
Oh...and did anyone see the picture of Kristi, Katrina, Amy and Ereka in the May issue of FHM? There was a shot of it in the New York Post today. I'm no prude, but these girls should be embarrassed! They're all wearing just bras and panties! What would Caroline think?
Next week's two hour finale should be great. I'm supposedly going to some NBC party that night. So you'll get a full report on that next Friday morning!
March 19, 2004
The Donald-Recap Episode
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 12:31 PM
I felt pretty cheated when I found out that last night's episode was a recap. But they added enough new material to make it worthwhile. I enjoyed getting the Donald's take on what's happened so far. I also loved the behind-the-behind-the-scenes footage of Omarosa going to the hospital and hiring a doctor to come in. The best part was when that lady told her to take a couple Advil! She obviously didn't think the bump was a big deal. If it was a concussion, she probably would have been more concerned. That said, my only knowledge of concussions comes from that Eight is Enough episode where Abby fell off a ladder and the kids had to tell her stories all night so she wouldn't fall asleep and go into a coma. So who am I to say whether Omarosa was really hurt? But the Donald didn't seem to think so!
I was also shocked when they recapped that scene where Omarosa tells Amy everyone's been talking about her behind her back. When I first saw that, in the original episode, I didn't realize Omarosa was lying. But after seeing it again last night, my opinion of her sank even further. Another new moment I enjoyed seeing was the dinner Bill and Nick had before they went to the boardroom with Erika. I wasn't sure how much strategizing people were doing in private, so that was interesting. Their plan to gang up on her certainly worked like a charm.
Things are really going to heat up over the next few weeks, judging from last night's previews. The Donald's going to find out about Nick and Amy's budding romance. I can't wait for that! And apparently Katrina and Amy are going to have it out. Didn't see that coming. Hmmm.
So the Donald held tryouts for the Apprentice 2 on Wall Street yesterday. Apparently people had camped out in the freezing cold the night before to get a chance to interview for the show. Unbelievable! Also, I heard that the Donald is trying to trademark the term "You're fired." I knew that was coming. He is the Donald, after all!
March 12, 2004
The Donald-Episode 10
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 1:27 PM
Okay. I just got back from the boardroom. Luckily I wasn't fired. I kind of miss Omarosa. But I guess I'll get over it. I liked Heidi, but I never thought she'd make it to the end. I think she was too brash to be a good leader. Too rough around the edges. And last night, she just seemed to give up. She obviously wanted to spend more time with her mom, which was totally understandable. Here heart just didn't seem to be in the game anymore. I sure hope her mom recovers quickly. Poor Heidi.
Next on my list is Katrina. She must go. She's very annoying. Very petty. That said, she did have a good point last night when she blasted Bill for treating her like a dummy who's only value is her looks. But it would have been more effective if she had brought that up right away in the meeting, not later on. Troy tried last night, but his idea was kind of lame. I don't know any New Yorkers who regularly take pedi-cabs, and tourists probably wouldn't take ten trips on one. But at least Troy tried, unlike Kwame, who was useless as usual. Maybe he would have gotten more customers if HE had worn a tank top on th pedicab! What amazes me is that Kwame has survived this long, even though he's in the boardroom practically every week!
The other team's advertsing idea was brilliant. But there was a bad vibe. First of all, the flirtation between Nick and Amy is weird. I don't like the idea that they're playing games with each other in order to win the apprenticeship. That's creepy. And Bill didn't demonstrate good leadership with Katrina. He alienated her and she responded by shutting down. Not good. Also, why the heck did Nick give the restaurant guy all of his money back even though the guy got a morning's worth of advertising? He should have just given him half. But I guess it didn't matter in the end.
As usual, Caroline was great. She's so direct. I love it. Don't mess with her. I believe the NYC tryouts for the season two are taking place next week, so I'll probably pop in and see what it's like. Stay tuned!
March 5, 2004
The Donald-Episode 9
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:22 AM
Finally, Omarosa got her just desserts! I knew she was unstable, but I was still shocked when she broke with the show's usual format and ran into the boardroom. What drama. She totally unravelled. She said she was going to "eat" Kwame in the boardroom, but instead she had a complete breakdown. I'm starting to wonder if she's not more interested in a job on daytime TV than at one of Trump's companies. At any rate, she had the ax coming. As I've said before, she's managed to stay out of the boardroom, but I had a feeling Trump was dying to fire her. And I was SO happy when Trump finally called her on her histrionics over the mysterious plaster incident.
Omarosa's personality aside, I didn't think she was so great last night. She acted like she was dead set against choosing the weird medieval-inspired artist, but she actually agreed that it would be smart from a numbers standpoint. What a mistake. The team's disgust for the artwork was palpable, especially when Heidi referred to one piece as a toilet tank. Ha! The best part by far was when Omarosa sold the picture of the dead cat for $849. I have to give her props for that one. I also loved Carolyn's "clutch the pearls" moment when she eyed the sloppy table strewn with napkins and dessimated snack trays. If Heidi and Troy are so clueless about art, they should have at least made sure the gallery was tidy and stocked with food.
As for Nick, he kind of redeemed himself last night after his disappointing sales attemptsin the last episode. When he was in charge, he ditched the sourpuss baby routine and really turned on the charisma. I don't know if it's red hair, but he definitely exudes some kind of good energy when he's the leader. I wonder if he may underperform at times when he's not in charge to sabotage the project manager? Hmmm. That could be a savvy strategy as things come down to the wire. Risky, though.
Amy didn't wow me last night. I agreed with the Donald's criticism of Nick's choice of new teammates, especially since I think it might have something to do with his crush on her. I admit Amy has a bubbly personality that people want to be around, but I haven't been blown away by anything she's done on the show. But perhaps my memory fails me. Anyway, I better see some fancy footwork from her next week.
Last week, I was convinced Troy had what it takes to be the apprentice. But he totally spazzed out last night. He was great at selling water, but he needs a variety of skills to head up a Trump company. Kwame, as usual, was useless. But he was smart to bring Omarosa and Heidi into the boardroom. With those two going at each other, he was almost invisible. Very wise. But I don't think Kwame's long for this world. He can't fly under the Donald's radar forever. As for the infamous lunch incident, it was just ridiculous. Both women handled it badly and wasted valuable time. Omarosa was being a princess, but Heidi needs to tone down her foul language. I loved when the Donald asked her what the "f bomb" was, though. I also loved the Donald's little smile when Heidi rolled her eyes during Omarosa's whole concussion rant. I think he likes Heidi's spark and sees her as a diamond in the rough. He's just a guy from Queens, after all!
Next week should be interesting. Maybe things will heat up between Nick and Amy now that they're back on the same team. I can't wait to see everyone's reactions when they find out Omarosa was fired. On the preview, it looked like there was a lot of jumping up and down and clinking of champagne glasses. I don't blame them. And I also can't wait to find out who dares to cross Carolyn in the boardroom!
February 13, 2004
The Donald: Episode 5
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 3:54 PM
Where do I begin? From Jessie's slow-talking to Omarosa's nastiness in the boardroom, last night's episode of the Apprentice was chock full of business drama. I'm glad Jessie got the ax. Ever since she stabbed Kristi in the back last week, I haven't seen her in the same light. That whole innocent routine finally backfired when she wimped out in the boardroom. You tell her, Trump! I thought the Donald was spot on when he said Jessie's wimpiness was worse than Omarosa's rudeness. But I'd like to see O. get canned next week. Heidi had a great point when she said she would never work for someone as nasty and condescending as Omarosa. Unhappy employees aren't good for the bottom line. Plus, the fact that she mispronounced Isaac Mizrahi's name twice...and to his face once...was ridiculous. Maybe it was an honest mistake, but maybe it was her twisted way of showing she was better than Isaac. Hmmm.
I don't know why Omarosa didn't pull Kwame into the boardroom instead of Heidi. Yes, Heidi is a tad rough around the edges, but she was really great during last night's negotiations. Maybe I'm missing something, but Kwame hasn't made any huge contributions during any of the challenges. I guess Omarosa just had an ax to grind with Heidi.
But the most clueless person on the show last night was, by far, Tammi. I couldn't believe her. Sure, she might have tried to shoot for the stars once, but she should have learned her lesson after seeing the celebrity's reactions to her out of control suggestions! Why would Regis Philbin and his wife want to go on vacation with two other couples they don't know? Ridiculous! She said she was just being all business, but when you're negotiating, you have to keep the other people's thoughts and feelings in mind. Speaking of feelings, I felt so bad for Regis when he only brought in $4,000. He looked so sad at the auction. Poor Reege.
Anyway, things are really heating up. And I'm glad the whole sex thing has calmed down since the teams merged. That was really grating on my nerves. Can't wait for next week. By the way: Is it me, or was Donald's hair particularly crazy last night?
January 9, 2004
The Donald
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 1:46 PM
I flipped on NBC's The Apprentice last night expecting to watch it for a few minutes before putting in a video: Holiday, starring Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. Within seconds of watching the latest reality TV offering, I was captivated. I'm not sure whether it was the bickering apprentice wanna-be's or the Donald's mesmerizing hair-do (how does he do that?!) that kept me glued to the set, but my fervor for the reality genre has been renewed. The Apprentice is just like Survivor, except that its contestants compete on the island of Manhattan, not in some exotic Caribbean locale. The reward is being named president of one of Donald Trump's companies for one year, instead of a million bucks. And deciding who stays and who guys isn't left up to some wimpy democratic vote; the only one making decisions on this show is the Donald himself. Trump definitely makes the show. I almost died laughing when he was shown spying on the boys' team, which had been assigned to sell lemonade, from his helicopter, expressing disgust with their decsion to set up shop near the smelly Fulton Fish Market. Ha! And who else but Trump would have the gall to make a brief visit to his own over-golded apartment the prize for the winning team?In the end, the women's team outsold the men's by a huge margin (possibly because they were smooching a lot of their customers), so the guys were forced to face the firing squad. Dave, the hyper VC guy most memorable for crazily chasing a bicyclist who wouldn't buy any lemonade, wound up getting the ax. I was pretty happy with the Donald's choice, but I was gunning for that annoying Sam character, who tried to sell a cup of lemonade to someone for $1,000. Duh! So before I knew it, I had watched the entire episode. When I finally pressed play on Holiday, the film, about a financier who just wants to make enough money to retire and live a meager lifestyle and "find himself," seemed particularly antiquated. I'm normally a huge Cary Grant fan, but this time his nicely coiffed mane just left me longing for the Donald's crazy 'do.
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