I’ve long hinted at doing this and the time seems right. I initiated the Raj Ratings (soon to be revamped for season 3) and I need my own personal closure to the season. A2 is done and A3 is starting soon. Why such a long post on a reality show? Partially due to an availability of free time while a baby sleeps, partially due to a chance to flex my creative muscle, and partially due to the hopes that my efforts will lead to being called on as a consistent writer and critic of all things I find interesting, much like Homer being plucked to quarterback in the Super Bowl when the real player gets injured. I’m still not sure how the heck this will flow. Week by week? Maybe. Highs and lows? Perhaps. Poorly? Most definitely.
A2 – What went wrong?
I think we can all agree that A2 wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as A1, but it’s tougher to say why. I think it boils down to a couple of reasons.
- The contestants were cut-throat, but in a bad way. In season 1, you knew each person wanted to win, but at the same time there were instances where people developed friendships (Troy/Kwame, Bill/Nick) and it helped you learn more about the person and develop a rooting interest. In season 2, it was almost as if each person viewed the show as a grim Bataan Death March like struggle to go on. “As long as I don’t drop, Donald won’t pull me to the side of the road and shoot me. Just plod along.” This strategy worked for Jenn. Be competent, don’t make waves until forced to do so. But, she was ultimately not someone you could root for. No one else really jumped out as someone you could love. Kelly won, but was more wooden than a national forest. Kevin made you hopeful, but was overtaken by sweat and the blahs. Andy was the likeable underdog, but so much so that you knew rooting for him was pointless. At least with Troy, you could see him pulling through.
- The tasks sucked. Was it week 2 or week 7 where the task involved quickly developing a product than marketing it? Oh wait, it was pretty much every week. Feel free to spend more time on logistics, logic, true office situations. It’s not too much to ask to have a project involve an outcome other than selling to the general public as quickly as possible. Give the teams some factors and have them come up with creative shipping solutions from a warehouse to a distribution center. Have the teams design the actual layout of public attraction for best flow. Just be different
- The firings, more about this below.
Breaking down the candidates Some were obviously cast for TV/conflict. Some were really good. Others, I would seriously question. In the end, I think there were too many people with an edge and not enough people you’d like to randomly chat with while choosing produce at the grocery store. In order of firing and with a grade attached (and don’t go looking for many A’s) reflecting their stay on the show, they are:
Rob – Too short of a stay to evaluate. Incomplete.
Bradford – He provided 2 episodes of interesting moments, culminating in one of the best moments from the show. But, if he had stuck around, I think he would have been even better. He had an edge, but the kind that held your interest. C
Stacie – She was odd. Her firing was a complete travesty for a bad reason. But, I do think it probably saved us from someone that just didn’t seem that interesting. No clue about her competence. C
Jennifer C. – She really sucked. She clearly came on the show looking to stir up trouble and be tough. I think she had delusions of resurrecting Amy’s ability with a dash of Omarosa’s attitude. She failed on all counts. She truly epitomized addition by subtraction. F
Pam – As Hubie Brown would say during an NBA Draft, she had tremendous upside. But, Trump’s oddness plus her ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory doomed her. And based on what the other’s said, she wasn’t even as competent as the barely came off as. C
John – He really comes off as supremely forgettable. He added nothing, good or bad. Or noteworthy. F
Stacy – Not to give her short shrift, but she was a little in over her head on this show. She tried to dwarf the competition by talking a wee bit too much. Her inability to abbreviate her speaking and add a tiny bit of value showed she didn’t have the wherewithal to stand out on this show. Her stay wasn’t brief enough. D
Elizabeth – I actually have to give her a decent grade. She fulfilled the role of a middle of the pack player very well by being somewhat competent, not overly evil or great, and flaming out in a watchable way. B
Raj – He earns an A as the impetus for the Raj Ratings, but here’s the odd thing. I think he filled the role of quirky guy you enjoy watching, but by staying around for so many episodes, we learned that he was more talk than action which tarnishes him. If he went out in week 3, he gets an A. As it is, he gets a C.
Chris – I disliked him on the show, but in hindsight, he provided a valuable service by being one of the few people that seemed to connect with anyone all while being able to completely speak his mind. He clearly wasn’t a master thinker on this show, but he is what he is. And for that, he gets a B.
Maria – Much like Raj, she provided a quirky aspect that would have been great for 3 or 4 episodes. But, by lasting this long she was a texbook demostration of this show getting off on the wrong foot firing-wise and never recovering. D.
Wes – Completely forgettable. If they ever did an All-Star edition, he should feel priveleged to get an invite to the wrap party. D.
Andy – He did as well as he could and I actually feel like I enjoyed watching him. My question. Why bother casting someone that Trump clearly won’t ever hire (lack of experience)?
Ivana – She leaves me cold. She had a couple of decent moments, outweighed by completely bizarre behavior (skirt dropping, odd ice cream, clueless boardroom behavior). C-
Kevin – Could have been great. He seemed genuine and someone you wanted to root for, but he was ultimately a blah guy that didn’t inspire much devotion. Kudos for the final 4. I would really like to give you an A, but your descent from the highs in the middle of the show to end result leave me a little off. B
Sandy – You could have been great to watch, and I blame editing for this as much as anything. People like to root for someone similar and you didn’t really fall into the uber-educated, shrill harpie crowd that characterizes the rest of the cast. But, it took about 7 weeks to start learning anything about you, and by that point we didn’t care. So, for sticking it out in the game but being a misused character, B-.
Jenn – Up until week 5 or 6, you were the golden child. Clearly the only woman with a shot and no guys had stepped up either. But then, you continually shirked leadership, inspired teammates to vast amounts of dislike, and then seemed to shrink before our eyes. On the other hand, you were pretty hot. But really, you couldn’t have cracked the final 4 in A1. C+
Kelly – Well you won. But it’s kind of like the Anaheim Angels winning the World Series on 2002. It officially happened, a small subset of fans enjoyed it, but it ultimately left the rest of the crowd waiting for next year in the hopes that a team they can actually root for would win.
Finally, breaking down Trump and his underlings
George – He’s the enjoyable grandfather figure, but it doesn’t really seem like Trump listens to anything he says.
Carolyn – The producers knew she was well-liked from A1, so they gave us more of her in A2. This is a good thing. She had some good moments (uncontrolled laughter at the fabric shop, completely eviscerating half of the women there.)
Trump – Ultimately the failure of A2 rests with him and his firings. He had a series of early firings that made no sense, stalled momentum, and left us with subpar people. Just because he can shake things up and fire people in new ways, doesn’t mean he should. The most egregious missteps that kept an OK show from being great?
Week 2 with Bradford. Yes, giving up immunity is dumb but Bradford was still a world better than Ivana at that point. Dumping Ivana rather than Bradford was the smart move.
Week 3 with Stacie. This really pointed out the dislike of the candidates for each other. Trump got suckered into a witch hunt more reminiscent of Survivor. Stacie was no great shakes, but Maria was the obvious firing choice for going over budget.
Week 5 with Pam. Trump forced her to switch to a dysfunctional team and forced her to lead. That means, if they lose, he has forced her to the boardroom, which is what happened. She was one sale short and, while not technically a tie like she stupidly claimed, was probably about as good as this batch of 3rd graders could manage. Either Maria or Stacy were the clear choice here.
Take 3 early and incorrect firings and they snowball into a remining group populated by people that deserved to be gone long ago. That starts a vicious circle of bad performance that hampers every following week. Add on Andy’s ridiculous firing (non-stop yelling is not a good argument. It’s an episode of Jerry Springer) when Sandy should have gone and you have a cast sorely lacking in appeal, buzz, and ability. Add in a dose of people not getting along with each other and boring and repetitive tasks, and you can pretty clearly see why A2 failed to follow in the footsteps of A1.
If you are still reading this, kudos. I barely am and I typed the darn thing.
