The Apprentice, 10/7/04

Cafe Society
61

[QUOTE=Mullinator]
Time to dig deep once again as I present the Raj Ratings. Based on Raj’s love of battleships (and all too revealing underwear) we rank each Apprentice into a type of sea-faring vessel. Some suck, some blow, most do both (and I’m not just talking about Sandy). Onward ho!

Edmund Fitzgerald - or, Gone with no hope of returning
Bradford, Stacie J., Rob
Jenn C - You? Still suck.
Pamela - last week, HMS Pinafore. Ah, where did you go wrong. It’s kind of odd. You were the 2nd best female on this show but at this point that’s like saying you were the second best disease developed in a chem lab. When it comes down to it, you still aren’t that great. You were tough and straightforward, which the women needed. But, you weren’t cute, giggly, and underhanded which they excel at. In the end, your abilities are fine, but not that great, so this gets a great big “Eh, oh well.” Also, your jump shot is awful. Donald should have fired you based solely on that.

Titanic - or, Dead in the water, just waiting for the cargo class to drown
Elizabeth (no change) - Women and children would be abandoning you right now if you were a ship. A constant female theme this week is the women complaining about Pamela treating them like adolescent simpletons. But, lose 4 weeks in a row and behave the way the women did, then the shoe fits. You have zero chance of winning this.
Ivana (no change) - Once again, you just do nothing that seems valuable. OK, you can fetch water and yell “Clear the set”. Thank goodness, because otherwise they might have to use an unpaid intern for that. You need a successful PM week to even think of making an impact.
Sandy (last week - No change) - Unfortunately Trump is looking to hire someone to lead a company, not put simple, stark paintings on a wall or figure out how to arrange toile on a table. You have shown nothing other than the ability to look as if you have inflatable bags under your skin, much like a shapeshifting werewolf with 1970’s sci-fi technology.
Maria - last week, Bismarck. I vascillated on this one. The positives. We could hook tiny turbines to your eyelids and power your office lighting which saves Trump money. The negatives. Your herky jerky motions would probably lead people to believe you have escaped from Disney’s animatroni “Hall of Cleavage Bearing Middle Managers”. But, I find you oddly attractive so I hope you win as PM should you get the chance.
Bismarck - or, probably sinking, but it will take a couple more blows
Andy - No change. You’ve had some big but ultimately empty ideas, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, but you need to do something to make a positive impact or your inexorable slide into irrelevance will continue. I think you need to be a winning PM more than anyone.
Stacy R. - No change. You are doing well for a middle schooler. Seriously though, while their are other much more pathetic women on the show, you will probably stay a while due to their sheer weakness. Don’t look at that as validation though. You talk too much, you argue too much, and you haven’t shown any great ability beyond organizing witch hunts. You (and the other chicks) fail to realize this isn’t Survivor. That will be your ultimate downfall.

Stuck in dry dock - or, Who are you? Are you on this show?**
Wes, John. This is probably due to the time needed to show the female Hindenburg footage, but neither of you have contributed much that leaves an impact.

HMS Pinafore - or, Some singing, some dancing, some tragedy. Overall, not too bad.
Kevin - No change. Other than your week as PM and your spot on assessment of how the women railroaded Stacie J, you have been quiet. This is probably a good thing.
Chris - Last week, stuck in dry dock. You did a solid job last week and won this week so you are safe for a while. But, I think in the end, your abrasive and frank personality will probably be beaten out by others who are as skilled but a bit more likeable.
Jennifer M. - Last week, stuck in dry dock. You have major guilt by association, but part of that is probably knowing how the wind is blowing and not wanting to stand up and be knocked down by the gusts. I think you can survive a round as a losing PM since you seem the most level headed woman remaining. You win as PM? Your ticket is punched to the final 4.

Queen Mary II - or, Leader of the Pack, vroom vroom
Kelly - No change. You won the pricing battle. Your team won the challenge. All of this should reflect well on you. You haven’t had any missteps, although it really only takes one to get fired, so who knows what will happen.
Raj - No change. As a bonus, Anna Kournikova saw you almost naked. Unfortunately, there were 11 other guys in the room. But nice try. You seem well-liked. Who knows what Trump thinks though. I like your odds of the final 4 based on intelligence, quirkiness, and personality.

Next week? The teams have to switch up, because the women are awful.

62

I totally cannot believe that Trump gave Pamela shit over choosing team tasks based on the skills of the individuals. I mean, first of all, I thought that was a pretty reasonable strategy for exactly the reason amarinth states. I’m not sure how team performance would have been improved by switching tasks around.

But more importantly, if Pamela’s personnel decisions were wrong, and her team performed poorly because of that, and that makes her a poor leader… then what about the person that appointed Pamela? Yeah, I’m looking at you, Trump. If poor personnel decisions, Trump, and not reading people right, Trump, caused the women’s team to lose, Trump, then who do you think should ultimately take the blame, Trump? Sheesh. Hypocrite.

63

It was a gamble. Trump put it all on Pamela’s shoulders. She lost. He was through with her.

Hm…I interpreted that scene as she was warning Maria that Pamela was coming, so Maria wouldn’t be caught blindslided by Pamela’s bitch-fest about the poor acting.

I’ll miss Pamela doing free weights most of all.

64

Lesson from the task: As Trump made clear, setting the right price for a product is important. Do your research and see what the market will bear. Then go forth and sell!

Lesson from the firing: Know your people well, and work with them. Even if they’ve been acting like unruly 3rd graders.

I was so sure Pamela wouldn’t be fired. All I can say is, I was wrong. I think Stacey-with-a-Y sucks as a team player – which isn’t saying too much, as Team Apex never figured out that “team player” concept. Stacey and Maria both are too acerbic, too snooty, too irritating to last much longer. Trump is probably waiting to fire them when a project fails despite the PM.

And that whole schtick about “either it’s her or it’s one of us” – Apex is still playing Survivor.

I give Pamela credit for trying hard to manage Apex. As previously noted, she brought them to within one sale of victory. As George noted, second-best still loses the deal. Such a pity that she got the axe, though. Apex needs strong leadership, despite what Stacey and Maria think.

I’ve noticed that Raj has long since stopped wearing bow ties, though he’s still being quirky enough for good TV. I applaud him for trying to get a data with Anna Kournikova – and for being a good sport about losing her challenge, and doing her dare. But I agree with StarvingButStrong, Raj probably is too eccentric to win.

65

How tall is Stacy??

66

The only cite I could find said “under five feet.”

67

I thought everyone was saying that the sponge thingie was overpriced at $27 whatever and were criticizing Pamela for not only pricing it high, but for claiming that it needed to be priced even higher.

The $71.25 was a stupid Econ 101 textbook kind of price that didn’t take into account the psychological impact of pricing. I agree that the men got lucky - one less sale and they would have been in the Boardroom.

Has anyone noticed that Raj has toned down the manner of his dress considerably since the early episodes? In the last two, he dressed normally- conservative shirt, casual but not flashy slacks. I think his strategy may have been to be as visually audacious as possible at first so that Trump would remember his name, and now he’s going to shift to being remembered for his skills. As strategies go, it’s not a bad one - other than Kevin (who is visually distinguishable), the other guys are basically the same white guy with different hair as far as the audience can see. Well, except for the recent college grad, who, let’s face it, will either fail miserably as a PM and get canned or will be fired for Troy-like reasons of lacking the credentials required to head up a Trump business.

Pamela got fired because there was really no one else to blame for the loss. Everyone performed their tasks, and while they might have resented being treated like children, they’ve been acting like children, so the “sit down and SHUT UP” style of leadership was probably what they needed. Too bad no one left on the girl’s team has the personality to use that style of leadership. Apex’s failure wasn’t a failure of leadership. It was a failure to understand the market and her customers, a failing that was Pamela’s and Pamela’s alone, and which was also evident in her other stint as PM, when she mocked the children. She’s a good tactical manager, but a poor strategic one.

I was a bit surprised that Stacy was the one who was tagged as the lawyer. Jennifer M. is a lawyer too, and, at least on paper, has a better pedigree than Stacy. (Harvard Law vs. Brooklyn Law School, and Jennifer is 30, as opposed to 26, so she probably has more professional experience.)

Next week, the guys design women’s clothes. And, may I just say, Carolyn laughing is daaaaaamn sexy!

68

I’m not sure I understand your distinction.

69

She has got to be significantly under 5 feet, doesn’t she? She looks like she is 4’ 9".

70

I don’t have much to add that hasn’t already been covered, except to say that Mullinator’s ratings absolutely make my Friday. :smiley: Keep up the good work!

Speaking of Anna Kournikova, isn’t she married? Seems like a good reason to turn down a date from goofball Raj, other than his goofballicity.

71

I can’t believe that Stacie, of all people, is running the show. This was another Stacy J railroading.

Stacie telling Trump that he would have another Enron on his hands if he hired Pamela?? I’m speechless. That was worse than “It was the scariest moment of my life” from the Stacy J episode. I. Hate. Her.

Pamela may have rubbed them the wrong way and been a little overbearing and overconfident, but she was still the smartest one in the bunch. I hated to see her go.

72

Tactics = management of details. Getting things from Point A to Point B. Keeping the cats in line

Strategy= “big picture” management. Is Point B really where we want to be going?

Pamela displayed a good grasp of tactical management. Delegation of tasks, oversight, and execution. She failed to give appropriate due to the ultimate goal of the whole exercise, i.e. to move as much merchandise as possible. Had she done so, she would have settled for a lower unit price to increase volume, not insisted on the higher price.

73

Thanks, jeevmon – that’s very clear.

And I agree.

74

I really enjoy Carolyn, but I wish she would stop telling Trump at the end of every show, “You made the right choice.”

Pamela wasn’t horrible compared to the previous women PMs, but it is kind of ironic, since Pamela was able to control the team and they all did their jobs fairly competently, wehn they lost she ended up getting the boot, unfairyl, IMO. She didn’t work it perfectly, but she certainly got more out of that tema than they have gotten in the past.

I also must admit that I was a bit shocked by how much voume QVC does. 250 Pannini makers in 12 minutes!

75

These women suck so bad at everything they do. It looks like the task next week is to design womens’ clothing. It would seem the producers are afraid of a big yawn if the men continue to win. We’re not seeing any internal competitive edge on that side, which makes them boring. Womens’ clothing? Are any of them gay? If not, they may finally get their asses kicked.

76

I think at this point, it is safe to say that Stacy lives in a world of wild eyed hyperbole.
I imagine her day is normally something like:

“That was the crispiest lettuce ever! It nearly severed my tongue!”
“This filing is harder than any other job anyone else has ever done and will likely kill me soon.”
“This piece of mail has me so full of joy and glee that I may never stop smiling!”

77

Two points real quick:

  1. Pamela got railroaded. She was forced to be PM whether she wanted to or not. She was forced to join a team that had a history of losing and then turning on each other and taking zero responsibility for them selves. The only way she wasn’t going last night would have been if the women won, and thereafter, the first time the women lost, odds are she would have been the first to go, if only for the fact that she was an outsider.

  2. I had a real problem with Carolyn(who, normally I absolutely love) when she made a comment along the lines of “We don’t care about any of that, the important thing is why did you lose the challenge?” My jaw dropped when she said that. Is that why Bradford was fired? Is that why Stacie J was fired Don’t get me wrong, I think these people did bad things in a business sense, and deserved to be fired, sooner or later. But now suddenly, the important thing was who lost the task? As has been stated earlier, Pamela got them as close as they have been to a real victory, and it was largely due to her “drill-sergeant-like demeanor”. With her gone, the rest of them will turn on each other, unless Trump pulls a switch-teams twist of sorts.

FWIW the only woman that has at all impressed me has been Jennifer M. She has responded to direction very well, she has been the closest the team has had to a TEAM PLAYER, and has always been accountable in the boardroom. IMHO, she is the only woman that has a shot at winning this thing at all.

Chris W

78

I couldn’t agree more.

The more I think about it, the more I dislike Pamela, her attitude, and her tactics. She took exactly the wrong attitude with those women. Yes, they were jerks and yes, they needed to be controlled, but she could have done it in a less abusive way.

I think that most of you are justhappy that somebody finally told those bitches off. But just because it was satisfying to see that does not mean that Pamela was a good leader. A good leader can take a group of people and get them in line and make them feel good about it, and thereby strengthen the team.

It was screamingly obvious that she looked down on them in every way. She was extraordinarily disrespectful to them. Although it is obvious to us, the viewers, that they don’t deserve respect, I’m sure that they don’t feel that way about themselves, and I’m really sure that they didn’t realize how badly they were acting at the time that Pamela joined the team. Whether Pamela actually respected them or not, she should never have shown them that she disrespected them. That is certain to make them angry and resentful.

She could have communicated all of the messages that she wanted to, but done it in a more positive and constructive way. Snapping and berating is never a good idea. Why put people down when you can acheive the same effect by building them up (or at least not making them feel like you think they’re stupid.)

If she felt Maria wasn’t good on camera, Pamela shouldn’t have told her that how bad she was. She could have easily switched her with Jen M while salving her feelings a bit by complimenting some aspect of her presentation and saying that Jen M.'s style was simply more suitable for this situation. If she didn’t like what Stacey was doing with the cleaner bottles, she could have re-directed her without making her feel like she was an idiot by giving her credit for her thoroughness and explaining how in this case, exact compliace with the law was neither necessary nor expected. And when Stacy started moving around the bus while Pamela was talking, she should have used one of those I/feelings messages that are so popular with kindergarten teachers, like “When you just get up and walk away, it makes me feel as if you don’t want to participate with the group.” Yes, you shouldn’t have to do that with an adult, but if your objective is to get the team working together and doing it fast, you have to go with what works. It’s not the time to call someone out for being childish. If they’re childish, but you need them to do something, then adapt the techniques that you’d use with a child.

The incident when the Apex team was deciding on the price of the product is a clear example of how Pamela got carried away with “getting them in line” and therefore lost sight of the task. Stacey justifiably wanted to have a discussion about pricing the product. Since that was the most important part of the task, it would make sense to talk it over. Not a 6-hour mish-mosh of brainstorming, but some sort of discussion was in order. There are a lot of pros and cons to the various price points, and those should have been laid out on the table. Instead, Pamela demanded that Stacey just “tell her a price.” Pamela’s ultimate decision to price at $27.99 indicated that she really could have used some more input–any retail person could tell you that if you’re going to price at $27.99, you might as well go to $29.99, as both prices “read” as $30 to the customer. (strangely, that only works with the .99 prices. But that’s a whole other topic.)

Yes, Pamela brought them close to victory, but she did nothing to enhance their performance as a team. She also made them hate her guts and didn’t gain their respect. The Apexiennes may be idiots, but they were justified in their feelings towards Pamela.

I think Trump made right decision in firing her. Her abrasive and accusatory style woudn’t enhance any work group. And her sourpuss attitude and reluctance to do tasks that she considers “beneath” her also make her unattractive as a potential hiree.

Yeah, I noticed that. But he perked up considerably when he got a chance to abuse somebody with tennis balls. :stuck_out_tongue:

79

Well said.

They might have respected her, and if they did, it wouldn’t matter, because there was no way they were they going to show it in the Board Room.

Since no one else’s performance really affected the outcome, the PM was going to be toast, and they should have been smart enough to see that.

Hope Stacy’s Enron comment comes back to haunt her. She should have seen how it was going (Pam’s head was obviously on the block) and kept her trap shut.

80

Chris has a nipple ring. Am I the only one who caught that when he answered the phone at the start of the show?