NBC is milking it for all it’s worth – “Dateline” tonight will feature the audition tapes and all kinds of other behind-the-scenes teasers. (BTW – check out Trump’s pic on the NBC homepage – does he remind anyone else of Derek Zoolander doing the Blue Steel?)
Time to start putting money down on the final winner: I’m saying Bill. Whether Assaroma was a mole/hired assassin/whatever or not, she’s effing up mightily and Kwame has failed to manage her properly – that’s gonna be a dealbreaker, regardless of whatever else happens.
Bill has to win. He has to. If Kwame wins, I may have to turn socialist. Shades of Alec Baldwin’s oft-mocked promise to move to Canada if George W. were elected president… :eek:
Although, as much as I believe Bill’s the guy, the debate will be more interesting in the wake of a Kwame win, i.e., Do Mediocre Guys Invariably Rise to the Top?
But I’m predicting Kwame only b/c the editing is soooo against him now what with “Losing Jessica Simpson” and no-one loves a comes-back-from-the-death/underdog winning/didn’t think he was gonna win did ya?! storyline more than reality TV. Otherwise, where would the trepidation be???
Unless Kwame grows some cojones and confront Omarosa, whom I don’t beleive to be a mole. She is deluded. I hope she never gets a job anywhere ever again.
The way they have done the editing for all the tasks at hand seems to point in the direction of showing the filming of the team who is doing the worst job. Right now, that is most definatley Kwame.
As much as I think Bill should win, I think Kwame will get the job. He seems a nice enough guy but I can’t believe he got this far in the competition, he seems like a total pushover. In his audition tape there is a shot of him getting out of bed in his skivvies - maybe he has some assets I am unaware of.
No matter who wins, all I hope is that Trump confronts Omarosa about the big fat lie she told, and shows her the video to back it up. I would like to see how she gets out of that one with Trump and the rest of the contestants.
Kwame has shown himself to be a complete wuss. Yes, he’s a nice guy and probably a great friend and co-worker, but as a boss? If last week’s performance is any indicator, he’s not very good at managing difficult employees or crisis situations. Unless he does a major 180, Bill almost has to win, and I have to say, if Kwame continues as he’s been going and he wins, then I won’t be able to watch The Apprentice II.
I’m guessing Bill will win. Of course given my track record so far, Kwame will probably win in a landslide.
The preview clip with an unhappy rock star doesn’t bode well for Kwame, so I don’t think he’ll pull off Omorosa’s bungled transporation arrangements. That was a pretty obvious teaser but the key will be how Bill handles himself in comparison–and what Trump is actually looking for. The task theme was, “It’s not dog eat dog” so offhand I’m guessing he’ll look for input from the frontline staff. Kwame was very polite to the woman Omorosa blew off; apologized to her for the problem. That might count.
I don’t think Omorosa is a plant. I think she’s actually that lazy, arrogant and deluded. And I think Trump’s already paid her back, quite effectively, by spotlighting exactly how bad she really is. It cracks me up when the ominous, Jaws-like music plays as “her” theme. Scathing commmentary, anyone?
Bill’s obviously doing much better. But I wouldn’t be surprised to be surprised, if you know what I mean.
I also don’t think Omarosa’s a mole. But whether she is or not is irrelevant, isn’t it? Kwame is showing that he can’t handle a difficult employee and that he doesn’t have the “something’s fishy and I’m gonna find out what it is” instinct.
Kwame has a lot of great qualities, but I don’t think he’s CEO material. I thought he was a good team leader in many of the tasks, largely because he didn’t insist on micromanaging. But sitting back and letting the team do their thing only works when the team members aren’t total fuckups.
I’m none to fond of Bill, though. I find him whiny and negative. But I think he’s make a satisfactory apprentice.
If it were my choice, I’d hire Troy, send him to B-school, and team him with some really experienced colleagues. Troy has great instincts and really incredible people skills. It would be worth putting in the effort to smooth out those rough edges–but not too much. I’d want to keep that essential Troy–the one who can blow off a low-rent model while telling her “You’re pretty as a peach darlin’!”
I’d skip the B-school and take your other advice: team him with Trump’s best colleagues for two years of hardcore immersion. Troy doesn’t need the rarified world of B-school; he needs to unlearn the Boise Chamber of Commerce shtick and adopt the habits of the Big Leaguers.
I just saw an NBC profile of the candidates and Troy comes across as having a heart of gold, going to work as he did straight out of high school to help raise his family. He has that million-dollar charisma and people skills you simply can’t learn, buy, or copy.
Having said that, Troy has the makings of a major entrepreneur–if he can just get the right opportunity. Forget trying to become just another suit in Trump’s massive organization. He should celebrate who and what he is. He will be a much happier man if he does.
I’m reserving judgment until I see how Bill’s team does with the golf tournament. Last week’s episode concentrated so much on Kwame’s team that the game seems slanted in Bill’s favor right now, but I think there might be surprises in store when we spend some more time at the golf tournament.
I thought the end of DATELINE was interesting when the “experts” split 3/2 in Bill’s favor, yet they thought that Trump would not be after an entrepreneur to head one of his companies.
READY FOR A CONTRARIAN THEORY?
What if Omarosa is deliberately torpedoing Kwame because she knows doing so will sharpen her Uber-Bitch credentials. She knows she’s going nowhere Big by playing the good little soldier and realizes that she can capitalize on her signature bitchiness and Darth Vader persona. America loves a villain.
(Or, am I putting waaaay too much stock in her tactical shrewdness and discounting the probability that she’s both massively incompetent and destructive? )
For what it’s worth, I couldn’t agree more. My estimation of Troy, which was high to begin with, shot up even more when he instantly picked up that *some * problem was going on regarding the phone call. It wasn’t his place to push it further, but he wasn’t fooled for a second.
Also, I wouldn’t be surprised to see several of the candidates working for Trump in the future. I can see Troy, Sam and maybe even Nick working for him at some point. And of course I could be wrong, but of all the women I think I’d go for Katrina as a Trump employee…provided he would pay her enough. If she’s really in the top 3% of real estate sales, she’s making a lot of money…and she might not be interested if she weren’t running a company…but I think she’d be quite an asset for Trump in an employee capacity.
Okay, you can all start telling me what an idiot I am now.
Trouble is, though, that without that B-school credential he’s not likely to be accepted and given his due among the highly educated and degreed bankers, accountants, and Trump executives he would be working with. Unfortunately, that’s just the way things are. I believe that to make it big with Trump, he needs the degree; on his own, the sky’s the limit…maybe in a Jerry Jones kind of way but without the off-putting personality.
You’re an idiot! No, wait a minute, you’re a cab…
Ahem…back to discussing this stuff…
I backed off a bit and have been considering that the really savvy contestants never approached this gig for more than acceptable-risk fun, with the vaunted prize as The Apprentice as a possible side benefit. How many of 'em would actually fit in, or want to, as a functionary to The Donald?
(Be kind; it’s my first-ever reality TV show.)
While they show’s used them, they’ve used the show as a vehicle–not for a job as Trump’s apprentice–but as a unique vehicle for getting their potential out there for far wider, freer scrutiny? It puts a subversive spin on reality TV, especially one geared toward entrepreneurial nerve and skill.
It was interesting that the Dateline talking heads split on Kwame and Bill, but made the distinction of what Trump wanted: a person who could fit seamlessly into his organization. Their unanimous choice for MVP? Amy.
Seems to me there are two very different prizes. 1. Trump’s Apprentice and 2. spring board for a new Trump.
Either way, Omorosa’s toast.
You’ve put your finger on the central dynamic of “reality” TV – it’s often not so much about the competition itself, as about what might happen as a result of having participated in the competition, in terms of visibility, etc. It is often the freely admitted hope of contestants that their participation will lead to their being “seen,” usually in hopes that this will lead to a show-biz career. (I’m thinking here specifically of Evil Will and Boogie Mike from “Big Brother” and the winning GQ boy from the first “Average Joe,” thought there are oodles of other examples.)
Troy, for instance, just had his future open all the way up. He’s going to get hundreds of offers – and probably at least five or ten that are worth serious consideration. Ditto for a lot of the others – Amy, especially – who came off well in the competition but didn’t make the cut.
Thought that placing Carson Daly on a consulting panel with Donnie Deutch (sp?) was a nice slice of comedy. And Mizrahi did everything but hold up an “I want to bang Kwame!” placard. Funny stuff.
I think you’re wrong, Veb. If Omarosa plays her cards smart, she can use her villainy to springboard her way to commercial fortune and fame. Remember: in America, heroism and villainy are often opposite sides of the same coin. We may profess to hating Omarosa, but Americans are also programmed to want to forgive. Moreover, we’re fascinated by those who have power, good or bad. Even if you’re a proven liar, that’s really no roadblock to success, especially if she plays it shrewdly and avoids the corporate scene. With the right handlers and a PT Barnum flair, Omarosa could go far, especially playing the Maligned Strong Black Female card.
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