I think that next season Donald is just going to start pulling stuff out of his pockets or cleaning out his desk drawers to find the rewards.
“Great job you guys! Olivia, you can have whatever you find under the back seat of the limo…Darrin, you get to go through my bathroom and keep all the expired products…”
Carolyn shushed George! :eek:
Carolyn looks soooo pretty this week.
Alex really is an airhead. What’s weird is that that inbox cart he invented would be great of a totally tidy person like him. He’s anal retentive, so the extra hassle of preserving your 3 o’clock work under plexiglass would thrill him. He’d probably also enjoy windexing it and straightening the doilies he would probably arrange on top.
And I didn’t mean to imply that NotWithoutRage didn’t really think that was a cool reward. I love George and Carolyn and I actually think they should do that every season.
But some of the rewards make me go :dubious:
Agreed, it looked like Trump was running out of ideas. But breakfast with George and Carolyn beats the crap out of playing basketball.
Given Bren’s lackadaisacal arguments in the boardroom, I have a hard time buying that he’s a prosecutor. He really lacks the junkyard dog “Grrrr” to be one.
Now basketball with George and Carolyn…GOLD.
gobear, I believe that’s called “throwing yourself under the bus”.
Did it seem like Bren was trying to get fired?
His defense consisted of, “I’m not a risk taker,” and “I’d rather be home with my family doing the job I liked.”
OK, in the cab speech he more or less admitted that he just wanted to go home and didn’t give a crap about the job anymore.
Clearly, Bren has seen The Wizard of Oz a few too many times. The only thing missing from that speech was the clicking together of the ruby slippers and him chanting “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.”
What I learned from the task: See what the customers want, and give it to them. Find out their problem, and solve it. Yeah, “focus group” is a buzzword, but it’s also how to determine what the end users want.
What I learned from the firing: You’ve got to have that fire, that drive if you’re going to succeed in high-stakes business.
I think I want one of those Desk Apprentice units for my desk at home. How cool is that? Staples is actually selling the gizmo!
Bren just laid down and died. He was so fired up before too. I was hoping he’d really push the “just because they’re judges doesn’t mean they’re right thing.” he almost did, he woulda been roasted if he had.
And breakfast with the two people that have been hounding you for the last 3 months was pretty lame, but the view must have been out of this world. …and I thought he was doing so well…
Craig is just a jerk. What did he say, I’ve seen peoples lives saved because of brainstorming??
I had one of those things on my desk years ago – it was a bit smaller, but it rotated and it had several compartments. They’re fun for awhile, but eventually you’ll need the desk space, and it’ll end up in a storeroom. Wall storage is the only way to go.
I hate seeing Alex make the final four.
It was cool though, how Trump borrowed Mullinator’s rating system. 
What a blah lead-in to the Raj Ratings. Woohoo, filing systems. Be still my organizationally driven heart. What did we learn this week? Trump actually had a lesson that didn’t really foreshadow a firing. Kendra can make the “I just sucked on a rotten lemon” face for a full hour. And Craig is pretty much Abe Simpson when it comes to project manager related extemperaneous speaking. The rankings beckon!
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, Kristen, Michael, Tara, Audrey, John, Erin, Stephanie, Angie, Chris - The question was asked earlier in the thread. Of these, which 3 would you want back to help you on a final task? Ugh, you might as well ask me which Teletubbie I want delivering the keynote speech for my next birthday party. If I had to, I’d take Angie (works hard, casual cusser, would likely get things done, wouldn’t have to talk), Tara (seemed fine as long as she wasn’t in charge and trying to offend no one), and Todd (because he’s not any of these other people). Wow, what a team. We might as well be the 1972-1973 Philadelphia 76ers.
Bren (BS) (High School) - Cool, I called another firing. I think the potential of his group’s product is good. I think their execution was lacking. At least you went out on a good note. I will tend to not speak ill of those who, in their taxicab confessional, show self-awareness of failings and understand what is truly important. That said, there were about 5 times I thought you were going to kiss Alex. Tongue included.
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.
Alex (BS) (Middle School) - If Alex were still a skier, he would be Homer Simpson going down the slope taking repeated moguls to the groin, all while picturing Bren in skin tight racing gear. Stupid, sexy Bren.
Craig (SS) (High School) - I just realized that makes 2 Simpson references so far. Sadly, that realization is more interesting than anything that could be said of Craig. Same blahness, same shortcomings, same issues. Same future bowing out in the next round.
Middle School - A group that might be growing up but still prone to wild swings based on playground fights, name calling, and puberty.
High School - Not quite a child, not quite an adult. Frankly, I still don’t know what to make of these folks.
Kendra (BS) (College) - We are not stupid. It’s clear that they want us to love Kendra as a final selection. She has had to overcome bad teammates! She does focus groups! She made a neat car handout that will populate landfills for years to come! But she just doesn’t come across as likable or great which leaves all of us feeling cold and alone like the Little Matchgirl. At least she got to die though. We don’t even get the embrace of sweet death to end this thing. Nope, we are stuck with the pouting face of Kendra forever.
Tana (SS) (College) - Considering there were only 5 people left, I remember nothing of Tana’s efforts tonight. That’s a little weird. I wouldn’t exactly entrust her with difficult instructions first thing in the morning. Half the time when Rhona gives her information, I expect Tana to turn around, bump into a wall, then fall asleep on the floor.
College - Older and wiser, things are looking up. Maybe not ready to enter the real world yet, but getting close.
Remember when people used to deserve to be in this spot?
Grad School - These people have a clue, have some seasoning, and have a chance to make an impact.
Even worse, remember when people deserved this spot? It seems so fleeting and hopeless now.
PhD - Ready for tweed jackets, big paydays, and the chance to tidy up Donald’s yooge desk.
And, worst of all, remember when John was here. Ah, the innocent, halcyon days of our youth before The Apprentice 3 called out the gimp and treated us all like Marcellus Wallace.
The Rancic/Perdew corollary update. It’s here the corollary is etched in stone. Everyone has been shown as an idiot, tool, loser, weirdo except Kendra. She only comes across as mean and average. But, the corollary says it so I believe it. She will win. “WWTRPCD” bracelets will be for sale in the Raj Ratings gift shop at the end of your tour.
I could not agree more!
That thing was yooooge! Between that and my monitor, I would have no room to work on my desk.
At all the companies I’ve worked at, there was mucho competition to grab the wall-mounted storage doohickies whenever someone left or rearranged their office. But those stupid spinning supply holders sat unclaimed in the closet, gathering dust.
Innovative, my lily-white ass.
(Of course, Alex’s idea was ridiculous, so whatcha gonna do?)
WTH is with Kendra and her “he stole my idea” horseshit? No, he didn’t steal your idea, which seemed to consist solely of “let’s make something that stacks up.” That’s a brilliant, innovative idea and all, and I can totally see how it would be worth fighting tooth and nail to take credit for coming up with that, but he did not steal your idea. The final product was nothing at all like a “stackable,” except that it was sort of tiered.
And that’s what really just bugs the everlovin’ shit out of me about Kendra. She wants to take credit for everything. It’s not enough to say that she did all the layout and writing for the brochure last week. No, she did the entire by-God project all by herself. The focus group, the pictures, whole damn thing on her own while Craig and Tana stood around with their thumbs up their asses and then abandoned her. It’s not enough to say that Craig used her suggestion for taking advantage of vertical space while he was also taking advantage of the horizontal. No, that thieving glory-hog bastard stole her idea.
It also really bugs me that she couldn’t see what Craig was saying about the fiile folders not really working all that well for what they were doing. A traditional file folder is folded on the long side, and in their caddy the (open) short side would have been on the bottom, putting you at increased risk for things falling out. Not everything in a file is going to be 8.5x11, after all. If somebody can’t see that after repeated explanations, then I can’t blame anyone for saying they’ll try to explain it once more and use little words this time. I’d have said the same damn thing.
Much as I’m unimpressed with Craig’s business savvy and communication skills, I still think I’d rather work with Cosby than any of the rest of them. Tana’s unrelenting cheeriness would drive me to violence (or at least violent nausea), Alex is a living Dilbert character, and Kendra’s constant self-centered carping about how people aren’t being deferential enough to her ideas would just suck my will to live. Craig’s inarticulate and frankly inexplicable at times, and he cops the Daddy attitude, but he seems to willingly do any concrete task you set him to, and (this is the biggie) he thinks around the corners of stuff. He’s the man I want on my problem-solving team, hands down.
He could even call me “young lady” if he wanted. I’m not so insecure about my youth that it would get under my skin. Besides, I got no problem popping back with something that involves, “Look, old man…”
“Mmmm. yum, yummy!”
the sound of Bren with his foot in his mouth
“gurgle, gurgle, gurgle”
the sound of Bren shoving his foot further down his throat
Yes. Among the many idiotic things, that was one of them (and could someone explain to me why file folders wouldn’t work in that thing? It seems perfect for file folders. It seemed like a rotating hanging folder system)
Still, I’m hoping they show his interviews, and the looks of sheer confusion on the faces of the interviewers when someone tries to understand a damn thing he says.
Potential spoiler from the preview
was it me or did they show who the final two would be? Because it seems like they gave that away in the preview
Amazing, Craig’s capacity for boorish behavior is unlimited. I hope the Four Horsemen chew him up and spit him out next week.
Kendra/Tana in the final two–Trump’s opinion of Alex couldn’t get any lower (“I used to think you were a star. You’re not a star”) and Craig is a potential serial killer.
Kendra will win.
That just about nails Craig. I can’t even imagine how terrible he’s gonna be in the interviews.
Really? I thought their product was completely stupid, and I was just astounded that Alex and Bren were so enthusiastic about it even after the Staples people shit all over it. The only thing it had going for it was that it was visually appealing, if you like postmodern wood and chrome furniture. As for negatives, who’s got space in their office for a second desk? Without drawers? And curvy sides that don’t fit up against anything? That you’ve got to scrunch down to retrieve anything out of? With baskets (baskets!) that you can’t get anything out of without lifting the top? And dumping your papers on the ground? Alex and Bren essentially made sonething that could do what Magna’s twirly thing could do, only less well, for greater cost, and in about a thousand times the space.
The real lesson of this week: Keep It Simple, Stupid. No one’s going to pay more money for a product that’s less well designed. As soon as I saw Alex’s sketch of his big old cart contraption, I knew they’d lost.
Next week: I’ve heard the following as semi-informed speculation, not fact, but I’ll put it in a spoiler anyway:Speculation is there’s another task next week, rather than interviews.