Took the words right out of my mouth. The guy doesn’t say a word and then BAM! He’s a bomb just waiting to go off on anyone near by. I wonder why he gets so worked up?
Yuck. As already noted, the “Police State” ad was better than these messes.
What I learned from the task: Sell the freaking product!!!
What I learned from the firing: Keep the team as a cohesive unit, and stand up for each other.
Bonus lesson: When Erin bugs her eyes out, it makes her look so unsexy.
I’m still standing by my assertion that in order to not be fired, just don’t be the manager on the losing team. The theme this year seems to be, “Trump hates a bad leader.”
I’m not sure I liked Dove’s commercial any better, but do they really need Carolyn and The Donald to shill for them?
Certainly the most words per minute. Anyone got one of those clicky counting things? She easily said twice as many words as any other contestant during the exit speech. Not that she actually said anything.
“So Chris what’s up dude?”
“I. AM. NOT. A. HOMOSEXUAL. MISTER. TRUMP.”
I’m waiting for him to really get going and turn over the conference table.
Jon? Still the man. Audrey is still ranking high for me too.
Bren? Lost a few points with possibly the worst idea of the history of the universe. But he showed his ability to shamelessly kiss someone’s ass when necessary. Always room for someone like that in the Trump org.
Erin? Hating more and more. Why won’t she shut up and go away? At least no muppets were harmed while making this episode, for she was sans pancho this time.
Announcer: “Want to see the commercials again?!?”
Me: “Nooooooooo.”
I wonder if Bren was seriously proposing the idea, or just threw it out there as a “wouldn’t it be funny if” kind of thing. Of course, if he didn’t actually think it was a good idea, he could have put the brakes on it.
I’m just glad I don’t have to see Kristen’s ugly mug on my teevee anymore.
You tell 'em, sister.
I don’t know how Deutsch could not declare a winner. Yes, the ads were pretty bad, but Magna had clearly taken the instructions to heart while Net Worth did not. Donnie told them to get as far outside the box as possible, to go way out there and grab some eyeballs. Say what you will about Bren and his cucumbers, he was way the hell outside the box, and to say it was eyecatching was the understatement of the year. I’d be watching that one just to see how far they were going to take jerking off the cuke, and you can be damn sure I’d remember that ad. Net Worth’s “it gets the sweat off you” ad, OTOH, was booooo-rinnnnnggg. Like whatsherface said, it was the very definition of the box.
Also, what’s with the surprise that neither team turned out usable ads? None of the ads in previous seasons have been particularly usable, with the possible exception of the “When was the last time” ads last season. It’s just ridiculous to expect ad-exec quality ads from people with no advertising training or experience whatsoever, and I don’t recall the previous teams being held to such a standard.
Erin got some points for sticking up for her teammates, even (ugh!) Michael, but she loses points for not having a better defense of Bren than “I’d rather keep my teammate than their teammate.” There were far more valid defenses to be made, like the calculated risk angle Bren himself was playing (someone was clearly paying attention to my man Kwame), or the giving Donnie what he asked for angle outlined above. The fact that she ignored these for the “well, they’re my friends” thing just doesn’t speak well for her critical thinking skills.
Good grief, it appears that the person that rises to the top of the Raj Ratings will be doing so through a series of Pyrrhic victories. I am more than a little impressed at the level of incompetence that people rose to this week. This could have been 8th grade media class Apprentice and we would have had similarly “skilled” commercials. Well, hopefully with less overt vegisexuality. And, you just know that NBC had to give Dove that real commercial for free at the end just to make up for the disaster that this episode gave us. You’ll see the person’s name, current team (BS or SS), and prior week’s ranking.
Nursery School - Full of crying, childish people that could use either a potty break or a nap. These folks deserve to be watched by the crooked daycares profiled on “60 Minutes”.
Todd, Brian, Danny – Frankly, I do feel pity for those stuck in the loser hotel listening to Danny sing like an injured teenage girl.
Kristen (SS) (Elem. School) - Wow, week 4 and correct firing #4. Either Trump is much better at ignoring poor arguments, or Mark Burnett is tailoring the material to match the firing. Either way, things seem much more aligned and I can’t complain about that. Your commercial sucked. Your leadership sucked. And, I think you had the least self-aware post boot interview that ever existed. I’d rather be led by Alfred Packer than the likes of you. At least we can keep your doughy head off of the TV screens.
Elementary School - Some growth, but in the end it’s a place rife with playground fights, name calling, and a trip to the Principal’s office.
Chris (SS) (Elem. School) – OK, I get that you are apparently uncomfortable about homosexuality. Nothing wrong with that. But you have the worst ratio of odd boardroom outbursts to normal boardroom moments in the history of mankind. You’re gonna be a real peach when you lead a task.
Erin (BS) (Elem. School) – You won’t be moving from this spot for a long while. You could take a bullet for Trump (nah, you should take a bullet for Trump) and I’ll let my personal dislike keep you buried in elementary school. Here’s what concerns me though. You have the same ability as Sandy and Jenn from TA2 to say nothing at all in your arguments, but you say it in just the right way to impress the Donald.
Audrey (SS) (Middle School) – Continuing your long, slow descent. We have seen two sides of you so far. An ineffective and minimzed role on this project. And, confessional interviews tearing others down. Until something positive comes to light, you can’t be considered a contender due to the Rancic/Perdew corollary (explained below).
That actress throwing the hissy fit - Any bets on how angry she had been if this was a normal commercial job. She’d probably be happy to lick the crud off the floor if it meant a decent paying job and a good meal. But, turn on the Trump cameras and she’s little Miss Demanding. Thankfully, there aren’t 1,000 other yous in New York ready to work without the attitude. Oh wait, there are.
Middle School - A group that might be growing up but still prone to wild swings based on playground fights, name calling, and puberty.
Michael (BS) (Elem. School) – Still a dead man walking, but at least you had some funny comments about veggie porn. Do you think the Parents Television Council will complain about this episode?
Tana (SS) (High School) – Not that you did much bad, but you did go to the boardroom and you have been somewhat irritating. This is probaby temporary. I’m actually thinking there may be more than I initially gave you credit for.
Bren (BS) (College) – A big fall this week, but not unsalvageable. I actually thought the overall idea wasn’t bad. Risky, not likely to get much play. But think about it. Isn’t a slightly controversial, risque commercial exactly what 30 companies try to put out each Super Bowl. The execution sucked, but the idea had promise. You do need a strong follow-up week, but long term damage is minimal. I am somewhat concerned that I now believe you have www.cucumbermonkeylovin.com saved as a favorite on your home computer.
High School - Not quite a child, not quite an adult. Frankly, I still don’t know what to make of these folks.
Alex (BS) (High School) – Ummmm…nice job in the opening credits.
Craig (SS) (High School) – Again, you give me nothing to work with. I hate to harp on this with so many contestants each week, but there are just so many of them this time around that once we get past the 3-5 that dominate the story telling each week, there is just no time left for the under the radar folk. Nice fro though.
Tara (SS) (High School) – Quiet as a mute librarian. Actually, you make a mute librarian look angrier than a Hell’s Angel in a bar fight.
Angie (SS) (High School) – Good grief, you are growing on me. How? I don’t know. I like your spunkiness, which usually makes me want to beat people with a toaster oven.
Kendra (BS) (College) – You have to move down only because a nice first week boardroom move loses it’s luster after 3 weeks spent playing hide the Apprentice candidate.
College - Older and wiser, things are looking up. Maybe not ready to enter the real world yet, but getting close.
Stephanie (BS) (College) – A big blah week. I guess I won’t penalize you.
Grad School - These people have a clue, have some seasoning, and have a chance to make an impact.
PhD - Ready for tweed jackets, big paydays, and the right to operate a wrecking ball at the next Trump driven demolition.
John (SS) (PhD) – You? Clearly the leader so far. Good idea, they screwed the execution over.
The Rancic/Perdew corollary, you ask? Simple, both previous winners had a couple of hiccups, but at no point were they shown as incompetent boobs, airheaded, evil, mean, etc. Trump has an image to uphold (at least in his eyes) and hiring a winning stud is part of that. As such, you can tell who has no chance of winning. He won’t hire a joke. As such, Chris, Erin, Audrey, and Michael are clearly out of it. No matter what they do, they are too tainted. Bren, Tana, and Angie are on the edge. Everyone else is still very much alive. Still, I’ll stick with last week’s final 4 :Bren, Tara, John, and Kendra.
I have to stick up for Bren on this one and I’m glad he didn’t get fired. Yes, his idea was horrible - but the rest of the team (with the exception of Michael) loved the idea, took it and ran with it. How do you blame somebody for coming up with a crappy idea that everyone else loves too? It’s not like he FUBARed on the budget or interfered with the team dynamics or something like that. Also, props to him for totally owning the idea and not trying to point fingers at anyone else. High marks on that, bud.
So next week no one has immunity, correct?
Agree 100%. The risque ad was far far far far faaaaar better than the mess that Kristin created with Pete Sampras applying body wash on his face and grinning like a monkey… god, Kristin’s a vacuous loud-mouthed idiot.
Erin is just alike Ashlee Simpson - a well-rounded dumbass who babbles meaningless tripe. She couldn’t articulate one good reason why Bren should not be fired? “We’re like family, we may get mad but we will not fire them” - this is some of the stupidest shit I’ve heard in the boardroom (next to the IAM NOT A HOMOSEXUAL, MR. TRUMP - I think the whole “intense” thing is an act)
The cream of the crop, fellas - a bunch of morons.
“I AM NOT A HOMOSEXUAL, MR . TRUMP” (and it should always be written in all caps) is an instant classic. All the more so because it came out of nowhere. We should make it the new, “My dog’s breath smells like catfood.”
Bah. That sucked. All around just sucked. I’m close to giving up on this show entirely. These people are all IDIOTS!
“Is this because I’m a lesbian?”
You seem to be assuming Erin has some critical thinking skills.
“I am not a homosexual, Mr. Trump” – was anyone else expecting the ghost of Roy Cohn to be hovering over Trump’s shoulder in the reaction shot?
It’s right up there with “My ox is broken” for best reality-show line ever.
I was thinking the exact same thing – I’ll bet Trump was not happy about having to cover for the apprentice wanna-bes, and shill for Dove himself. Ha-ha!
John’s growing on me. I still don’t think his week one win was all that impressive, but he’s been pretty steadily a driving force behind his team, a consistant straight-shooter, and doesn’t seem to have any screw-ups to his name.
Let me riff off this for a bit. See, if I’m Trump, I wouldn’t necessarily be looking at the ad itself – the production quality, or the direction, or even the basic idea of the ad. I’d be looking at the background research that went into it: Who is the ad targeted to? How did the team decide on that? Why did they think their ad would reach to the targeted demographic? What aspects of the product did they choose to emphasize, and why? Things like that: higher level marketing decisions, in other words, instead of the nitty-gritty make-up of the ad. THings I’d want my apprentice to be skilled at.
Only… we never see the teams address any of these questions. Are they just stupid? Or is that less compelling TV than cleansing a buffed actor’s abs, and so ends up on the cutting room floor?
I missed the last 10 minutes. Can anybody give a quick recap?
Someone got fired.
Final Boardroom.
Trump.
Both teams.
Net Worth: Kristin, Audrey, Tana; Magna: Erin, Bren, Michael.
Magna: stick-together, support each other.
Net Worth: Kristin = suck.
Carolyn: Everyone = suck.
Trump: Magna = stick together = better-led. Net Worth = gang up on Kristin = worse led.
Trump: Magna = harder to lead. And Michael = suck.
Trump: So Erin = better job. And Kristin = “You’re fired”.
Kristin, in cab: Me = don’t suck (list reasons). Net Worth = suck.
I developed a theory watching the bizarre spectacle in the boardroom last night. You know how everyone always says the editors can make people look like complete tools if they want to? I wonder if the editors got tired of being falsely accused of chicanery and decided to just go ahead and do it this year. If they’re going to get blamed for something, they might as well have the fun of doing it.
Enter Chris. Here we have a guy with a seemingly short fuse. So the editors tell Trump, ok each week we want you to start off really nice with this guy, then hammer on him till he cracks so loud people around him can audibly hear it. At that point they just cut together the footage of Trump saying something completely innocuous and Chris screaming something completely off the wall. Wa la! Good television.
Of course, the guy could just be an asshole.