# The Donald presents: The Apprentice **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2004, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568 "2004-01-09T03:16:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568/21 "2004-01-09T18:27:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Interrobang!? \* > \*\* > And Sam missed out on one excellent sales point in his $1000 lemonade spiel: pay $1000 and you’ll end up on TV. NBC primetime… > Question: what, exactly, did the other guys mean when they said Sam went “over the line”? Trump said he was glad to hear Sam hadn’t broken the rules – what rule did they think he broke? That wasn’t clear to me. \*\* My guess is that one of the rules was that they weren’t allowed to make any references to the camera. It makes sense because on Survivor they specifically edit out any reference to the cameras or the show itself. Like someone else said, I too wish they had made the rules more explicit to the viewers. Otherwise we’re sitting at home thinking their idiots for not saying “$5 for lemonade and you’ll get on the new Survivor-style program!” ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568/22 "2004-01-09T18:46:28Z")
Also, they must have some other rules about what they can and can’t do. I think if they would have selected the most attractive female and offered “LEMONADE @ 15 $ a glass–and you can lick it out of her bellybutton” they would have killed. ---
**Author:** ![Truth\_Seeker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Truth\_Seeker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truth_Seeker)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568/23 "2004-01-09T18:53:10Z")
I am seldom able to catch much TV. However, I did see this and found it oddly compelling. First, I agree with whoever it was that said they should have been more forthcoming with the rules. When they started discussing whether Sam “went over the line,” I didn’t, at first, get that they were discussing whether he broke the rules. After all, they had never actually mentioned any rules, had they? I suppose they must be things like, “No mentioning Donald Trump.” In fact, I thought that one of the women _did_ break the rules since she effectively promised to go out on a date with some guy if he spent five bucks on lemonade. That may be “selling” but it’s not selling lemonade. This, by the way, is why the women won. It wasn’t that they sold more lemonade, it’s that they charged more for it. Another reason I wish they had revealed the rules is that it would make Monday morning quarterbacking so much more entertaining. For example, were they limited to a certain geographic area? Forget the “lunch rush,” why didn’t they head for some hot tourist spot like Battery Park or Times Square? > [@](#): > > \*\*Did anybody else think that the resumes of some of the contestants have been “tarted up” a bit? For example, one of the women is a self-described “top stockbroker” on Wall Street. If that was really true, what the hell would she be doing on this reality program? Why not just stay on The Street? Don’t the holiday bonuses for the top brokers top the $250,000 annual compensation that is the payoff for winning this contest? \*\* Yes, of course. The “six-figure salary” Trump is offering is likely going to be peanuts, especially for Manhattan. 100,000 USD is. for example, much less than first-year attorneys get paid at any decent-sized firm. People with high-powered careers would be unlikely to drop them for a year and a half just for the privilege of managing one of The Donald’s apartment buildings. I must say, I was particularly amused by whoever it was that “had stock options worth millions” but lost it in the dotcom crash. Who didn’t? Anyway, with respect to the “top stock broker,” there’s a big difference between an investment banker and a retail stock broker. The former is doing 100,000 million USD corporate finance deals while the latter is opening up IRAs. Nonetheless, if someone really were a top retail broker, they’d still be making quite a pile of money so I doubt if they’d leave. More likely, the “top stock broker” was one of the many casualties of the Wall Street blood letting over the last few years. BTW, don’t count Sam out. Trump’s GC clearly likes him a lot. I’d also keep my eye on Bill. He really did sell his cigarsaroundtheworld business for 975,000 USD, albeit the pay out is spread over three years. I find the women much harder to handicap, except that Tammy is clearly toast at the first opportunity. I have to say that I’m a bit disappointed in NBC’s selection of the women’s team. It seems that one of the major criteria was that they had to look good in short skirts. Would it have killed NBC to have one female contestant with normal body proportions? ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568/24 "2004-01-09T19:39:30Z")
[http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The\_Apprentice/contestants/about\_omarosa.shtml](http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Apprentice/contestants/about_omarosa.shtml) > [@](#): > > The cartoon character that I most relate to is Optimus Prime from the ‘The Transformers’ Awesome! ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568/25 "2004-01-09T20:10:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Truth Seeker \* > \*\*100,000 USD is. for example, much less than first-year attorneys get paid at any decent-sized firm. \*\* Hah! In this economy? Only people from top law schools break a hundred. My sister made under $60k her first year at a firm employing close to a 100 lawyers in NYC. ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568/26 "2004-01-09T22:08:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Interrobang!? \* > \*\*VersaCorp got started right away, but they should’ve invested a little more (time, at least) in research – where _is_ a good location to sell? \*\* Central Park! Joggers, mothers/fathers walking their babies, couples just strolling… ah f\*ck. Get me on that show. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Truth\_Seeker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Truth\_Seeker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truth_Seeker)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568/27 "2004-01-09T22:24:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cainxinth \* > \*\*Hah! In this economy? Only people from top law schools break a hundred. My sister made under $60k her first year at a firm employing close to a 100 lawyers in NYC. \*\* Well, AFAIK, people from top law schools are pushing 140,000 USD/yr if you include the bonus. Per Monster, the median base salary for all “beginning” attorneys in NYNY is 86,500 USD, not including bonus. This includes small firms so the median for large firms is significantly higher. Maybe your sister ought to consider moving as a lateral! 😉 Anyway, the point remains that you aren’t going to live like The Donald on 100,000 USD/yr, especially in Manhattan. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to afford to rent a decent one-bedroom apartment, let alone buy one. Switching topics, on reflection, one of the things I like about this show is that it highlights a uniquely American approach to business. We’ll have to see how the show develops, but, in a way, it shows aggressive, straight-talking, get-the-job-done american capitalism at its best. It’s not so much the contestants who are doing this as Trump who is setting the tone. Frankly, I hadn’t thought too highly of The Donald so this is a pleasant surprise. Let’s hope he keeps it up. ---
**Author:** ![Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@Sat\_on\_Cookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sat_on_Cookie)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568/28 "2004-01-09T22:46:10Z")
I was shockingly impressed, I tell ya. At best, I was hoping for a shred of a fragment of another shred of a reason to respect the Donald because, quite frankly, I mostly know of him for his cad-like ways with women. Now, feel free to slap me upside the head, but I thought his “business” dealings with them were brilliant and insightful. I doubt he’s changing much for the cameras. It especially rang true when he went in to meet with them and said “this is going to have to be quick because I have a busy day.” When he was meeting with the guys, I thought he did a truly impressive job of putting them on the hot seat without turning into a egotistical maniac or turning it into a dog-fight. I liked the “nothing personal” approach when he told that dude that you don’t interrupt someone you’re trying to win over. I hope the show stays the way it is, because it definitely got off to a great start. ---
**Author:** ![\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/7cd45c/32.png) [@\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Deep_F_ied)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568/29 "2004-01-09T23:23:01Z")
Whats with Natasha Von Lipinjectionvic saying to one girl who said something to the effect of “Aren’t you lucky.” at Trumps apartment by replying indignantly, “He’s pretty lucky himself.”? Like you bring alot to the table except silicone and bad skin…blech. But, overall, I enjoyed the show. ---
**Author:** ![Baby\_Fish\_Mouth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a8b319/32.png) [@Baby\_Fish\_Mouth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baby_Fish_Mouth)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568/30 "2004-01-10T01:12:50Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Moody Bastard \* > \*\*Central Park! Joggers, mothers/fathers walking their babies, couples just strolling… ah f_ck. Get me on that show.\*\* A friend and I watching the show couldn’t fathom how Central Park did not enter the mind of at least one person. The only explanation we could come up with is that maybe the park was off-limits in the unspoken “rules.” Or maybe they’re all just dumb. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568/31 "2004-01-10T02:03:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by «Ðëëp¤F®ïêd»™ \* > \*\* Natasha Von Lipinjectionvic \*\* 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568/32 "2004-01-10T06:46:31Z")
In the last episode, Donald Trump should tell the winner he isn’t really a millionare and is in fact a $19,000 a year construction worker. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568/33 "2004-01-10T07:36:30Z")
I hope this piece of crap gets canceled quickly. ---
**Author:** ![pilot141](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e0b2c6/32.png) [@pilot141](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pilot141)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568/34 "2004-01-10T07:54:10Z")
Nice addition to the conversation, **Khadaji**. Care to elaborate? FYI, I believe NBC contracted for the entire series - i.e. until Trump picks a winner. The shows are already filmed, the production costs have already been spent: I see no reason for NBC to cancel it unless it is actively driving people away from the network. Now on to some more **David** bashing! I saw him in an interview with Sue Herera on CNBC today. If there was any doubt about his arrogance, it ended there. Asked “What was it like to be fired?” he answered: “Well, technically, in order to be fired you have to be hired first, and since this show was just a game to me and I have a job to go back to I was never hired, so therefore I could not be fired.” Sue: blink: blink: “Nice spin”. Yes, that’s what I look for in a killer businessman: denial about his own weaknesses! Deny that you were fired! Deny that the deal went sour! Deny that anyone in the entire WORLD has a higher IQ than you! And along with **Moody Bastard** I said during the show: why aren’t any of these idiots in Central Park? The rules must have specified some area, so here’s one more vote for full disclosure of the rules that each team is forced to work under. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568/35 "2004-01-10T19:48:22Z")
It must’ve been a pretty large specified area, though, if the women were up at 53rd and 9th and the men were at the Fish Market and Greenwich Village. It seems like Protege, for all the squabbling, spent some time selecting a better location and consistently asked for more money per lemonade, both of which ended up helping them stomp all over VersaCorps. I prefer to chalk this all up to idiocy, though, because as I said I don’t actually like any of these people anyway. (Well, the 21-year-old from WI seems nice, but she was pretty quiet.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-donald-presents-the-apprentice/223568.md?page=1)