The Apprentice -- 12/9/04

Cafe Society
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Welcome to the penultimate issue of the Raj Ratings, my loving paean to the 2nd best reality show on TV. As a side note, you owe it to yourself to check out The Amazing Race thread. Zut has started what promises to be a very well done Taxi Ratings system. Be sure to check that out each week. It should be worth it.

A couple more items to clear up before we get on with the show. Clearly, I’m here to watch this. But keep an eye open in MPSIMs. I may be delayed on the finale next week. You’ll know why, when you see it. But rest assured, it will be done. And, I have grand plans for a full wrap-up of the season.
I liked the use of outside CEOs. These are people more likely to give Donald a straight assessment and to be more intimidating to the contestants.
Also, since the beginning, I thought it would be Kelly and Jenn. I’m glad I got it right, but I am disappointed at the appalling efforts of most of this cast. They pretty much rolled over and died at every opportunity.

Release the hounds.
Edmund Fitzgerald - or, Gone with no hope of returning
Bradford, Stacie J., Rob, Pamela, John, Jenn C, Stacy R, Elizabeth, Raj, Chris, Maria, Wes, Andy, Ivana
I find it quite interesting that they brought back a grab bag of players, rather then the last eliminated people. Stacy was there, so it clearly wasn’t based on popularity, not to give her the short end of the stick. Eh, those jokes are a little too easy. Heh.
Kevin (Bismarck) – I figured you’d be gone, but that was a pretty darn quick firing. While you seem extremely normal and capable, your interviews seemed to contain the type of burning intensity that makes Superman cringe. Perhaps you should remove the Red Bull IV drips. I think you came off well in this series. A good guy, good worker, good leader. Frankly, you don’t give me much to work with since my schtick is wanton destruction of idiocy.
Sandy (Titanic) - I am least surprised you went home. I will say, you did the most with the least expectations this season. Granted, there were a couple of early times where you probably should have gone home, but you avoided those and stepped up to the plate. The interviews pretty much settled your hash. I think Donald went in planning to fire you but wanted to test Jenn in a tense setting. I still don’t see you as a good debater in the boardroom. Loud and non-stop doesn’t make you right. If it did, Rush Limbaugh and Jesse Jackson would both be perfect and at that point, the universe would explode as God just decided to start over with Legos.

Titanic - or, Dead in the water, just waiting for the cargo class to drown

Bismarck - or, probably sinking, but it will take a couple more blows
Jenn M. – (QMII) I think you have a bum rap from a lot of people. You were the most capable female from the beginning, but I think people have looked for ways to tear you down. You aren’t great, but you are pretty good. That said, I think you start the final task about 3 steps behind Kelly and from what we have seen so far, you haven’t gained ground. I think you have a clearly weaker support structure for a team. The telling moment was the phone call regarding Chris Webber. If you have TIVO or a tape handy, look at the faces of Jenn and Stacy. They both look completely spent. Part of that is hard work, but I think another part comes from stress and difficulty that is happening. I think you take second partially due to some of your shortcomings (aloofness, lawyerness) and due to editing. You just don’t seem like you should be there based on what we are shown. And Trump’s en exec. producer. Not good.

Stuck in dry dock - or, Who are you? Are you on this show? This level now represents those in transition from weak to strong.

HMS Pinafore - or, Some singing, some dancing, some tragedy. Overall, not too bad.

Queen Mary II - or, Leader of the Pack, vroom vroom
Kelly (HMS Pinafore) – I think you win. Frankly, I don’t think you can lose unless you start molesting polo ponies. On to a couple of things. You seem very Bill-like. Tense, hands-on, and always feeling slightly on the verge of red-faced blathering. But, you also seem to get things done. I think picking Elizabeth first was inpsired. She’s a good worker, but needs to be confident to do so. Picking her first makes that happen. However, you and Raj highlighted well the ultimate failing of this season. Last year, Bill had Nick and Amy. Kwame had Troy. These were people that seemed like pretty good to great friends. So, the managers knew they would get good effort and could give more freedom. This year, everyone seems to be quarded and uneasy with everyone else. Hence, you get managers having to spend more time on little things and having to watch over shoulders a lot more. That takes time and energy from doing things to make the task great as opposed to holding the team together. Raj said it best. He didn’t give a rip if you win, he’s there for himself. I bet the rest are also. Accept that and fix it Mark Burnett.

So, next week, the long trek ends. Ulitmately, one OK person wins, one OK person loses. The 2nd season will be viewed more like Ghostbusters 2, rather then Godfather 2. And I’ll be ready to excoriate every poor decision and every idiotic move. Huzzah.

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Ack, a couple more things.

Regarding Jenn and her meeting with the 2 women and Kelly and the groundskeeper maligning the rain. I think both situations fall pretty clearly under manufactured drama. That is, the people delivering bad news or bad critiques did so at the behest of the show, to give us something dramatic to consider. Jenn asked prefectly normal questions that the lady tried to turn into some great failing.

The rain was perfectly average and the grounds owner made it sound like animals were walking by two by two.

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Gawd, do I hate Sandy and Jenn’s hair.

Anyway, seems to me the flaw with having the losers come back is that they have no incentive beyond being contractually obligated (right?). True, in the real world you work with people who may be difficult or rub you the wrong way, but those people usually have some reason for trying to succeed (like keeping their job which pays for food and rent).

I dunno. Jenn and her unbelievably annoying hair may have the chops to pull out a win, but I just don’t see her having staying power once inside the Trump organization. I can see her pissing off the wrong person and being fired within a few months.

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i was waiting for Trump to pick up the phone and get Kevin back in the room when those women were going at it again. One thing i was taught when i was little was to be quiet when someone else is talking, niether of them obviously was.

I love that look Trump gives when they are fighting. He keeps looking at them, but turns his head a little away and makes this face.

So the seating is not set up 1 day before-big deal. It’s just seating, shouldn’t take long to throw up some chairs-not sure why that woman got her undies in a bundle.

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Well, even if he does, I don’t – so spill!

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Feared. If you’re liked, people can decide they dislike you, and therefore will turn against you. If you’re feared, they’re likely to continue fearing you and therefore will continue following what you dictate.
Of course, that’s the Reader’s Digest version.

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Put me in the Jenn column. I think she’s getting a bad hand dealt to her with the editing. Like someone mentioned above, there’s no real way to shirk the PM job when it’s coming out of a hat every time. Heck, I remember her popping up and saying she wanted the job at least once – wasn’t that when Ivana demanded the PM job, then Jenn said she wanted it, then Kelly said he did too?

OK, Elizabeth is the first pick? Kelly said in the extended Yahoo footage that he wanted to keep E away from Jenn, who would have chosen her first for her marketing experience. If you say so, Cowboy.

Ditto for Chris as the first pick on the other side. Just don’t let him talk to the frickin venduhs. Loved Chris “schlepping” stuff around the building though. Looked like he was having a bit of a hard time there. Someone on TWoP said it looked like he had a case of “schleprocy.”

And for those who watch the Yahoo footage. The stuff with Stacy was great. I’m sure it was some crafty editing, but it was funny when the catering woman was explaining something fairly simple, then we cut to Stacy making a face that looked like someone was explaining quantam physics to her.

Was Pamazon in line for a club opening when the producers grabbed her to come back on the show? That outfit didn’t exactly scream, “I want to succeed in business!” More like “I want to host ‘Celebrity Grocery Lists’ on E!”

Raj? I know he provided a few laughs, but the guy is just an ass in general. In the Yahoo footage, someone mentioned something about the Alzheimer’s people who would be there. Raj responded something to the effect of, “People who actually have Alzheimer’s? Maybe we’ll need extra security so they don’t wander off.” Nice, asshole. Alzheimer’s killed my Grandmother mentally five years before she died physically, so maybe I’m a tad oversensitive about that.

And the Genworth people were a bunch of biatches. Again, editing. I’m sure. But man, kick back and have an M-azing bar, and chill for a few.

Overall, some pretty good stuff though. I’ll be tuned in to the THREE HOUR finale next week. Will it actually have three hours of watchable content? We shall see.

Oh, and as I close the Yahoo window in the background while the boardroom clips start (I don’t need to hear that shrieking again), I’ll say something in Jenn’s defense regarding the shouting match with Sandy. The last person who tried to politely rebut things that were being said about him was Andy, and it didn’t work at all. Jenn and Sandy both know full well that Trump, for whatever bizarre reason, admires the candidates who can screech out their points at full volume. Trump created the atmosphere in the boardroom, so you can hardly hold Jenn or Sandy responsible for playing the game.

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:smack:

I was overthinking it. “Okay, the obvious answer is ‘feared,’ but a trueMachiavellian would realize that…” etc. etc. etc.

As I said – :smack:

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Kelly is such a tool!

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I had the same thought about Machiavelli, twickster. I think Kelly answered liked, due to his behavior in the car, and because of his secret need to be loved. I would work under him. He doesn’t micromanage, which was Bill’s failing, and he isn’t terrified of what’s going on, like Jennifer and Kwame.

Whether or not Elizabeth, Raj, and John like Kelly, they all seem to like each other, which will give the edge to Kelly over Stacy, Chris, and Pamela, who seem isolated.

Slacker, I loved Pamazon’s outfit. I didn’t understand it. But I loved it.

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Yeah, that poor, pathetic Ivana avoided a firing by accusing Stacy J. of having schizophrenia. She’s a whiny, petty loser and was so consumed with her envy of Jenn that she dropped her drawers in public. She got what she deserved and I am oh so glad she didn’t come back for this final task.

Also, Jenn didn’t steal credit from her. We’ve been over this.

I think Trump realizes that Kelly is a tool but has no ammo to use against him. I think he may very well fuck up colossally on this task (I think he already has in his choice of employees and structuring of his team), and I will be watching his demise with avid glee.

I have to say a giant WTF to this reasoning. Elizabeth is an indecisive, whiny, clueless moron who couldn’t lead a group out of a paper bag. Why the hell would Kelly think she was good at anything, much less a very specific task? She let Raj bully her into submission on the task that got her fired, yet he put them together on a team and put her in charge. Was Kelly not paying attention during that task?

The previews showed John and Raj in a shouting match with Elizabeth, and it was deja vu all over again-- she’s saying, “You guys aren’t doing what I told you to do!” and they are both screaming, “BECAUSE YOU’RE WRONG!!!” Sound familiar?

Really? It’s exactly what I expected from them. They are both obnoxious to begin with, they don’t like Kelly, and when he says things like, “I love you guys!” it makes them want to barf. They also see Elizabeth for what she is and feel demeaned by his choice of her as his #2. Kelly is mismanaging them, and it’s his own fault.

Maybe they like Jenn more than they like Kelly. Or maybe they just don’t like Kelly enough to break a sweat on his behalf.

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I respectfully disagree. In managing a sponsored event, the manager has to remember that the Sponsor needs to be handled with kid gloves and showcased. The Suit women represented the Sponsor. They cared only about how the Sponsor and the Sponsor’s people were being showcased. And I don’t think Jenn had given it a thought. She was flying by the seat of her rather snug skirt at that point. I would doubt that she had ever handled a charity event before and that lack of knowledge or Sponsor sensitivity may do her in.

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Jenn had her hands on the side of her face, and she looked stunned, sort of an “Oh my God” look. But if that part of the show – the hiring – is live, then it must have been related to something else.

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Maybe the “skivvies” is from seeing Kelly in his skivvies, when he answered the phone. They were kinda clingy.

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And speaking of stealing credit, Kelly accepted a big fat exemption for a task that was won exclusively by Sandy. I didn’t see him giving her any credit or acknowledging to Trump that she won that bridal task for him (and she didn’t just win it, she delivered what was arguably the single worst ass-kicking in the show’s history).

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Rooting for Jen, predicting Kelly.

Yes, the guy is an unabashed tool, but performance-wise he’s made the rest of them look like first graders (imo). And Jen doesn’t look like she’s off to a good start at all with this final task. Even if Jon and Raj mutiny on Kelly, I could see him pulling it through- the guy is a shark. In fact, the only questionable move I’ve seen him make is picking Elizabeth first last night. That girl is death, I don’t care what your strategy is.

Was simulataneously repulsed and impressed with the level of ferocity with which Jen attacked Sandy last night. She perceived from past boardrooms that the loudest player wins with Trump, but to see these two smart women reduced to that screech fest was pitiful. Even more pitiful was Trump’s complete candor about how much he values such obnoxious verbal aggression. Pick Jen because she’s one of the most capable, jackass- not because you got her to bite and pull hair.

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She most certainly did. We’ve been over this. She may not have said “This was my idea, I tell you! Mine! Mine! Mine!” but she responded a question that only Ivana was in any position to answer.

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I think he knows more about Elizabeth than we do. He said she was good at specifically assigned tasks. She’s a lousy leader, but I think he sees her as a great Worker Bee. . . and that’s what he needs from her. And we do need to balance the numbers of long-haired blondes on each team, right. (I don’t count Pamela.)

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And what else was he supposed to do? Turn the exemption down? You saw what happened to Bradford when he did that.
Regarding the screechfest… Yes, it was embarassing. It’s one thing to stand up for yourself. Cleary, the Donald appreciates that. It’s another thing to be reduced to screeching and shrieking. Ugh.

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Well, I guess that’s true. But the clips for next week show her trying to assert some authority over Jon or Raj. (She probably feels empowered by being Kelly’s first pick.) That’s when she needs to be tied up and locked in a closet.