The Apprentice -- 12/01/05

Cafe Society
21

Now for a more lengthy post. Haven’t done this in awhile.

I think Felisha would have been fired whether she cried or not. She just wasn’t as good as Alla.

During the dinner, I thought she was melodramatic and while I did understand her crying there, I did find the general thing rather pathetic because I somehow got a “manipulation” vibe going on. Almost like she would say or do anything in hopes Alla would go easy on her. I don’t mind crying, but I sometimes do find myself wondering if the person is trying to manipulate and I certainly prefer not to see it in a setting where professionalism is of the utmost importance. I don’t know if Felisha was deliberately trying to manipulate anyone, but it’s how she came across to me. Maybe that’s why Alla reacted the way he did.

However, Alla was just as pathetic and found her statements awful. I liken it to kicking someone while their down and that’s not something I admire. Unless, of course, the depresssed person is a real jerk, which Felisha never really was.

In the boardroom, I didn’t think much of it beyond “oh no” and then I thought, “Wait a minute, isn’t she a pilot?” I asked myself that because I was always under the impression that maintaining control of one’s emotions was of the utmost importance when being a pilot. Then again, these are two different situations and one can be very strong in one thing and not so much in other. I like Felisha just fine, but she was never on my radar much.

At any rate, Felisha’s firing was inevitable, so I wasn’t surprised to see her go. I was surprised to see Alla go. I don’t agree that she can’t be led. She was never as disruptive as Maria and she knew when to back off. She took charge when bad leaders were involved. Otherwise, she did what was delegated to the best of her ability.

Alla most certainly is arrogant, lacks tact, too rough, and didn’t know when to be quiet in the last boardroom, but she was a good competitor. I didn’t like Alla at first, but I grew to like her. Just that she’s a little too exasperating for me to like her beyond Rebecca and Randal(I adore these two). I personally couldn’t see myself working closely with her or being too close to someone like her. I’d be driven crazy.
God I love Randall. I don’t care if he’s pink with purple polka dots, he’s the best there. As for Rebecca, I don’t mind her being in the final two(course I didn’t care who is was so long as Randall was the other). Who knows? Maybe she’ll be great there.

22

Yes. There are two more seasons for certain. The sixth one will be shot in Southern California.

I don’t know about anymore seasons than that.

23

It just occurred to me that (if this season follows previous form) they’ll be bringing back some of the more difficult losers to help with the final task. The key to victory could very well be avoiding getting saddled with Markus. Markus is the one thing that might cripple Randal enough that he could lose the final task. If they bring back Toral as well, that could even things out because I doubt they would be cruel enough to sabotage one finalist with both Markus and Toral.

If anyone can find some way to wring any kind of utility out of Markus, it’s Randal, but he still might be better off just immediately benching the guy before he can do any damage.

24

Both sucked.

But Felisha’s “Don’t tell me what to do - but direct. You’re not the boss of me!!!” thing was horrid.

Firing Alla made no sense at this stage (despite her horrible edits all episode long) … but, maybe the season was cut short.

25

I loved that they fired both women – because I think Alla did need to be fired. She’s a freakin’ bulldozer, which is fine – except if you’re not the head honcho, you need to be able to work a little better with other people. Her “I can be lead … by the right person” comment in the taxi had me commenting to rysler, “Like who, Genghis freakin’ Khan?”

The other reason I like that they’ve been doing multiple firings is that it makes for good TV. Last season we were all wondering if Mark Burnett had lost his touch – this season, he has made it crystal clear he has not. It is never a good idea in a Burnett competition to assume you know where the game is going – because he’ll pull the rug totally out from under you.

So, yeah, apparently there may not be interviews this season. Which is fine – because of R & R, I really don’t see either of them shooting themselves in the foot in an interview situation.

This has been a good season – infinitely better than either of the last two.

(And was I the only one who thought Rebecca’s bf had been rented for the occasion? But heavy awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww on Randall and his wife holding hands and mooning at each other.)

26

In fairness to Rebecca, she vouched for Toral at a time that she was being attacked by The Bitches of Eastwick, led by Christy (Miss Step Up To The Plate). I was defending Toral at that point too. Of course, it wasn’t long until Toral’s uselessness was proven, at which point Rebecca capitulated, and Toral was canned.

I was so glad to see Alla go home tonight. She had an air of superiority around her that reminded me of that pimple Kelly from season 2.

I’m quite pleased with the final 2. I’m rooting for Rebecca, but I think Randal will take it in a close one.

27

Actually, I saw that coming from a mile away. Alla had like three or four confessional speeches about how tough she was, and how Felisha should just pack it in and go home, and how Alla was going to walk all over her, etc etc. That’s the kind of edit they give to the person who’s gonna be fired, so all of us at home can sit on our duffs and laugh at the poor overconfident schlub.

But Felisha was so crappy, I had a hard time believing she wouldn’t be fired, too, so I was guessing a double firing. It was still awesome, though. I love multiple firings.

I hope next season Trump just goes apeshit during, like, episode three, and fires everyone. That would be even more awesome. “All you cand-i-dates suck monkey balls! You’ll never work for a yooge company like Trump! Therefore you’re all fired! Now get out! Out! Oooout!” (beat) “Ah, crap, Caroline, let’s just hire Troy and be done with it.”

Sure, but I don’t think that’s a disadvantage, necessarily. It’s more important to score high on the “not-suck” metric than on the “unconventional” metric, and the higher the “unconventional” score, the easier it is to tumble into the “suck” category. Two words: veggie porn. I think my point is made.
(Wild guess on the final surprise: they bring back Kelly and Kendra to work on Randall’s and Rebecca’s teams.)

28

It was no surprise to me either that both were fired.

In the scheme of Donald’s family of companies, this position, even though the title might be President, is a middle level executive position. It is not a corporate officer. I think Alla just didn’t grasp the fact that Donald isn’t looking for a head-bitch-in-charge. The position is one of learning, and that means following the lead of someone else as well as providing leadership to subordinates.

29

And it’s to Rebecca’s credit that she capitulated. After all, even a good leader can back the wrong horse now and then.

Of course, the language with which she defended Toral left something to be desired.

30

When Alla and Felicia were jabbering at each other I said to myself, maybe he will fire them both. I didn’t think it would happen, but glad it did. Alla is a tough cookie, but who’d want to work with or for her? Not me. She can go watch her kid walk now.

It reminded me of a cbt/computer based training exercise, or like someone said a powerpoint demo. Yawn…

I like Randall better than Rebecca. But with the way it’s set up, anything can happen. Plus, there’s something real creepy about Rebecca’s eyebrows. Evil.

When they showe Trump walking into the suite at the end, Randall and Rebecca were both standing there, like they were waiting for him…weird.

31

Rebecca’s smile is kind of smarmy and fake-looking. And there’s something awkward about the way she hobbles around on those crutches. It’s like the crutches aren’t tall enough to fit comfortably in her armpits or something. But she has confidence and I like that.

I didn’t like Felicia during the beginning of the season, when she was just another mean blonde in the sorority girls clique. But she showed her human side and I could sympathize with her inner struggles and crying at the dinner table. I don’t know how these people can withstand all the stress associated with this show. I’d be crying all the time if I were one of the candidates!

However, Alla was telling the truth when she said Felicia was overly concerned with not being outshined. I don’t think you could blame that on their failure, but it certainly was something that needed to be pointed out.

The commercial they produced looked like something you’d find on a public access channel at 3:00 in the morning. It didn’t really make sense. The four bars of crammed-together text was reminiscent of something you’d find on a fifth-grader’s science project poster. Not only was it on the screen for a total of five nanoseconds, but the font was super small. I put the blame on Felicia. Any leader worth their salt would be able to see how ineffective that was in relying information.

And their presentation was just awful. Rebecca and Randall did great by fluffing up the product (they called it by its brandname, rather than just saying “the product”) before going into the commercial. Felicia did not do this at all. And Alla just stood there, not saying a damn thing. You could just look at her and tell that she did not like what they had made. That’s why I’m not shedding any tears for her (because of that and the fact that she had no compassion for Felicia’s tears at dinner). I almost believe she intentionally sabotaged the project just so Felicia would go home.

But I do think Alla was kind of screwed. She was a much stronger candidate than Felicia and I think she deserved another challenge to show her worth. The dramatic “Sit down, Alla” moment and her hurt puppy dog look afterwards makes the injustice delightful, but an injustice it was.

32

The others always wait at the door to see who survived the boardroom. They were waiting to see Alla or Felicia. Trump walking in should make for an interesting moment next week.

33

Yea, but they were staring at the door when he opened it, in perfect
stacked-shot camera angle. They don’t know how long it’s gonna take, might take an hour, 2,3 might not show up at all. I’d go about my business, watch tv, sleep off the champagne, and perk up when I heard the door open, not stand there staring at the door. Little point, but weird.

34

No, I absolutely agree. I think that one of two things happened:

  1. Somebody called ahead and let them know that he was on his way OR
  2. They do some stock filming ahead of time a la the taxicab Walk of Shame.

Personally, I’d want to know if Trump was on his way to the suite. What if I was in my pajamas with a blue facial mask or some other get-up that I wouldn’t want my employer to see?

35

For what it’s worth, there have been several times this season where we could see people through the door waiting in the penthouse when the survivors opened it.

36

Have I mentioned how much my working life sucks right now? Look at a fired person below, and I think I’d rather have them as my boss right now. Truly, this is a dark time for the Raj Ratings. Needless to say, with my severe over-workedness, I finally got a chance to watch this on Sunday. Whee, leftover, luke-warm analysis of a show in which all of the interesting comments have probably been hashed over three or four times. But hey, a kind of surprise firing, tears in the boardroom, and plenty of freaking out. Good times all around.

** Looking for Love: Bachelorettes in Alaska** - Or, these people are in a cold, lonely place with no hope for love or revival
Melissa, Chris, Jennifer W, Toral, Kristi, Josh, Jennifer M, James, Mark, Markus, ** Brian **, Marshawn, Clay (BC), Adam (BC)- Will all of these people be at the finale? Which will get to speak? Who will you know by name on sight?
Felisha (BC)- Yeah, once you cry in the boardroom, you are pretty much toast. This show did portray you pretty well though, which is a lot more than a lot previously fired people can say. But, you did come across as weak. When you desperately need a win and to show strength, it is probably a good idea to at least go in with guns blazing. You went in with a plastic fork, a permission slip, and wince. That was pretty weak. Even if your team had miraculously won, you had no shot to win the title.
Alla (S)- Initially, I really disagreed with your firing. But, the more I think about it, the more OK with it I am. First, the ad was horrible. One hint I have to offer: Make the quick cuts on your stupid slides, not the slides with full paragraphs of text about the product. Second, while Trump rides people pretty hard, being a complete and lying jerk in the boardroom is a pretty poor plan. If you had limited your vocabulary in there to “Yes sir”, “No sir”, and “Felisha’s results speak for themselves”, you would still be alive. Still, your fall from grace was quick and justified.

Boot Camp - Or, in major need of a butt-kicking, but actual physical contact isn’t allowed

Big Brother - Or, beginning the downward spiral into ultimately being canceled

Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica - Or, ultimately harmless and forgettable fluff in need of a shot in the arm

American Idol - Or, mostly positive so far but still in major danger of falling apart when a tough theme night comes around

Survivor - Or, when they’re good, they are really good. But, there are enough rough spots to keep them from the top spot
Rebecca (AI)- With Alla’s meltdown, you do emerge as the clear 2nd choice in this show. And, getting to the final 2 and having a shot is all you can ask. Randal messes up, you’re in good shape. It does seem odd that the two people with the biggest hardships during the show (broken ankle and dead grandmother) ended up in the final 2.

The Amazing Race - Or, the king of the hill. A well oiled machine that shows no signs of slowing down unless a taxi gets in the way
Randal (TAR)- Has to be the clear favorite going into the finals. Upsets can certainly happen. And, assuming they use past fired people really odd stuff can happen that he can’t control. But, ultimately, Randal has basically had no flaws shown, continually gets the hero edit, and is just really nice and normal. Seems a little too good to be true but he would seem to be in the driver’s seat.

The Rancic-Perdew Corollary – No point in these anymore. Both can clearly still win, both are shown as qualified. This is most reminiscent of season 1’s finale. Season 2 became obvious during the finale that Jennifer couldn’t win but the hints existed beforehand. Season 3 was obvious because Tana was clearly a dork and not that great going into the last round. Granted, it’s easier to see that looking back, but I’d say that both Randal and Rebecca have managed to continually shine while avoiding most pitfalls.

37

Hee! This is why the Raj Ratings are always worth reading.

38

I think it is interesting that both finalist had valid reasons to leave and both were told by Trump, that I understand if you want to quit, and that is OK no one will think any less of you. And both stuck it out.

No one would have thought less of them for leaving, but by staying More is thought of them.