All the shows except for the final show down (which will be broadcast live on April 15) are already in the can. So as it stands now, the final two contestants have been determined but not the ultimate winner. I really hope that the last task will be playing poker with The Donald, George and Carolyn.
Troy will make it to the final, as will Amy, but for different reasons. Most of Troy’s defects were on display this week. First of all, he’d make a great manager but a lousy executive. He lacks that streak of ruthlessness that a high-level executive must have. He is also good at coming up with ideas but not always so great at evaluating his ideas objectively. He runs on instinct, not analysis. Remember when he kept trying to figure out how to sell dirt at the flea market? Finally, his “let’s just have fun” thing was, effectively, a concession. There’s a saying among pilots that a good pilot “flies the plane all the way down.” In other words, when your plane is crashing, you never just give up. The same thing should have been true here. Troy didn’t stick with his plan and he didn’t try to come up with a new one — he just gave up. BTW, Troy’s “punch card” idea was basically just an extension of the “regular order” idea he used in the water challenge.
I thought it was interesting that George basically handed Troy the keys. I’m curious to see if he picks them up. George told Troy that he hadn’t seen that he had what it takes to be an executive because he never answered the tough questions straight on but gave lengthy explanations which weakened his position. I wonder if we’ll now see “meaner, nastier” Troy.
Nick is terrible. IMO, he’s actually the worst remaining player. He’s pompous, a lousy team player, not a particularly good salesperson and worse, a lousy negotiator. What was that little speech about how it would have been easy to dicker for only a partial refund but that he did the tough thing by giving it all back? Yeah, that would have been a lot easier than just forking over a full refund.
Bill made his own mistake. It’s obvious that he’s got a problem controlling Nick. Bill should have said, “Nick, deal with it but you’re only authorized to give a refund of $125 and not a penny more.” Nick would have probably blown up about it but making unpopular decisions stick is part a leadership.
Overall, though, Bill did a commendable job. He took a solid idea and solidly executed it. He also efficiently managed the core business. IIRC, his team would have won based on pedicab ride revenues alone. As I posted before, Bill has actual business experience and it shows.
Katrina is, BTW, appallingly awful. The only reason she’s not worse than Nick is that she does less overt public damage. I thought the “how dare you use me as eye candy” thing was just hilarious. Yes, Katrina, people ignore your ideas because they’re stupid ideas. Remember, WWDD? If I’m going to be hauled into the boardroom, I’d much rather be there because I decided to sell advertising than because I decided to dress up like Mickey Mouse.
As for who Troy and Kwame will pick, Survivor-style tactics will now kick in. I doubt if it’ll be Amy especially because Trump criticized that decision before. (Parenthetically, have you seen this quote of hers?[sup]1[/sup] Ouch!) If you’re going for the most useful player, it’d be Bill. If you’re going for the person you’d most like to take into the boardroom with you, it’d be Katrina. But if you think long-term, it doesn’t matter whether you win any particular task, only that you survive to the end. Therefore, you want Katrina on your team. If the other team wins, Katrina takes the hit for you. If the other team loses, one of the stronger players goes and you still have Katrina to take into the boardroom later. Thinking like this, you definitely don’t want Amy on your team since she has, effectively, a free pass for her first board-room trip. (“Why shouldn’t I be fired? Mr. Trump, I’ve never been on a losing team, much less in the boardroom. There’s a reason for that.”) I certainly hope, by the way, that we’ll see Amy and Nick in the boardroom slagging each other off before this is over!
BTW, it would be just like Trump to make Kwame justify choosing Katrina!
[sup]1[/sup]Who do you admire most (personally and/or professionally)?
Donald Trump, of course. And right behind him is my role model, Martha Stewart…You gotta love a woman who knows when to buy, when to sell and when to bake.
But, while he’s certainly a solid person, I don’t know if he’s what Donald is looking for. Top three though. Oh yes. (Or I hope).