Once again Trump kicks butt, in more ways the one! Not only has he steadily raised the sensational elimination bar in the Boardroom with a Trump double dump, but he clearly showed other wanna-be entrepreneurial reality competitions who’s boss. Rebel Billionaire, The Benefactor, and My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss just cannot compete with the energy produced by this red hot ratings phenomenon. Trump raised the bar concerning interesting Boardroom terminations early on. The first surprising Boardroom termination occurred when Trump fired Bradford Cohen who unintentionally surrendered his exemption status after Trump misunderstood his intent. The next Boardroom shocker occurred when he fired Elizabeth Jarosz on the spot without permitting her to bring anyone else into the Boardroom. Now, resulting in a surefire office water cooler gabfest explosion, he slams Maria Boren then seconds later doubles up with Wes Moss! I know I leapt out of my seat while my jaw hit the floor!
Richard Branson of Rebel Billionaire is too nice to pull this off, but I’m certain his creatively challenged production team will try to mimic it anyway. “Mr. Todd”, CEO of fictional company IOCOR, as the “acting” billionaire employer of My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss, is obviously a spoof on Trump. Actually the entire show is a parody of The Apprentice, and the character of Mr. Todd is more reminiscent of Andy Dick from the MTV reality show spoof, The Assistant. The originality factor is therefore limited and it is written intending to draw laughs not suspense. Although it will be interesting to see who the real employer will be when revealed in the season finale. Mark Cuban, the billionaire of The Benefactor, (which is really a combination of The Apprentice and Big Brother) has already sent two people home at once but he informed them ahead of time, rather than surprise them and the viewers as Trump, under Mark Burnett’s direction, has masterfully done.
Even though we weren’t warned that two would be eliminated at one time, we as the dedicated viewing audience should have realized it would happen. After all, there are 18 contestants this season as opposed to 16 from season one, while the number of episodes, 13, remained the same. Mathematically, double eliminations must occur in some fashion, and I believe we are still due for another. Mark Burnett introduced the double elimination concept earlier this season on his other hit reality show, Survivor. Again, the cast was increased from 16 to 18 but maintained the same number of episodes. The difference once again, was that the host, Jeff Probst, informed the cast and audience that a double Tribal Council will be held. The Boardroom was spiced up in other ways as well. Additional Boardroom footage has been aired on Saturday night recaps as well as on yahoo.com. So for creating imaginative ways to spice up the fan favorite Boardroom I would have to give Donald Trump and Mark Burnett each an A for their midterm review.
How about the contestants that have made it to the top 9 at the midpoint mark? How well have they faired and who is likely to win the apprenticeship? I will provide a brief summation in the descending placement order I believe they will end up in the finals. Finalists 9 thru 7 have already been determined as this is a post midpoint review and analysis. Interestingly, the top four contenders are reminiscent of the top four finalists from season 1. So it seems to me, the character, intellect and business acumen that Trump idealizes fall under a clear pattern. In addition, I find it also interesting that my top three choices all have some type of legal background. In my introductory article this season I noted that legal experience will probably be an important element in Donald Trump's criteria.
Kelly Perdew I liken Kelly to be the next Bill Rancic, winner of season 1. They are actually very similar. He has the same direct, no nonsense business approach, sets his goals and accomplishes them. He doesn’t get caught up in unnecessary drama or showmanship, rather focuses on the project at hand for a victory. He has proven himself to be a victorious Project Manager (PM). Even a calculating opponent who keenly saw that volunteering for the PM slot opposite Chris would most likely secure another victory, since Chris was in the hot seat for upsetting Donald Trump. Others saw it too, like Andy, but Kelly fought harder for it and landed the shot for another win. For clean victories combined with insightful business savvy and etiquette, his performance thus far scores the coveted A.
Jennifer Massey Jennifer M. is reminiscent of Amy Henry, the highest ranked female from season 1 at 3rd place. Beautiful but tough, she is untouchable in the boardroom. Yet for a high powered attorney employed at a top tier law firm, she is ethically challenged for taking credit of another colleague’s idea. Ivana was the creative force behind the spin wheel advertising campaign for Levis jeans but during the presentation, Jennifer jumped in at the precise moment the Levis CEO wanted an explanation behind the concept. This gave him the false impression that Jennifer, not Ivana, created the concept, which she in fact had difficulty understanding until it was completed and demonstrated to her. She hasn’t left a lasting impression regarding her business sense but her corporate politics and demeanor are strong. Unfortunately her morality is weak, if not non-existent and so her performance garners only a C+.
Kevin Allen Ethnicity aside, Kevin is most reminiscent of Kwame Jackson, who came in a close 2nd place. Both are brilliant and personable with an amazing athletic build. He led well and is respected by his peers. He is ethical and charismatic. Trump’s eyes and ears, Carolyn, George and Bill have good things to say about him, even though he and Wes both miscalculated the pricing for the QVC challenge. He also needs to work on his presentation skills, never letting the client see him sweat. This holds true whether he follows his MBA or JD career track. Overall, he is a favorite to steal the lead should he do well in the next couple of challenges. For an overall good performance Kevin earned a B+.
Sandy Ferreira Gorgeous Sandy reminds me of Katrina Campins, 4th place recipient of season 1.
Both are the femme fatale type with expertise to spare in their specific field, Sandy in wedding planning and Katrina in real estate, but don’t contribute much in other areas. I must admit, during the first half of the season I was wondering how she got past the casting director. But her outstanding back to back performances during the home renovation / rental project and the bridal shop challenge had redeemed her qualifications to participate on the program. Her ability to provide clear direction to the entire team re: marketing (such as on TheKnot.com), sales (such as requesting discontinued wedding gowns the salon owners were more than happy to unload), and correcting Maria’s mistakes regarding the e-mail invitations with the website representative were impressive. Her efforts combined with her team player attitude of helping her PM and team without demanding credit in her specialty garners her A-.
Ivana Ma She is an imaginative idea woman with strong business ethics but lacks the foresight to prevent potential problems. She also lacks good judgment, self-confidence and courage to really contribute as a leader in a corporate setting. Some of her ideas are ludicrous, like the drag outfits for little boys to play with. But others were unique and brilliant. She is textbook smart but perhaps lacks a little practical sense. Much depends on her next opportunity to lead, should she have another try, for if she accomplishes the task and leads effectively, she may redeem herself. However, if she flounders again, seemingly unsure what to do, she will be fired sooner rather than later. I’m on the fence regarding her ability so she gets a C.
Andy Litinsky Andy is also an imaginative idea man with a terrific grasp of business dealings but lacks the communication skills to enact his principals effectively. This is surprising considering he is a nationally recognized debate champion. Perhaps his oratory skills are exemplary in a confrontational arena but not as fine tuned in persuasion, such as in a presentation. He stands up for himself and when given the opportunity excels and leads efficiently. He sometimes makes simple mistakes, like losing the cell phone but then again who doesn’t? Better yet, his mistakes are easily correctible. Basically I was impressed with his PM performance but for some reason Trump, Carolyn and George are still unconvinced so I will give him a B-.
Wes Moss Wes was a wuss. He’s a non-risk taker with no discernable leadership skills. He only asserted himself twice, the first time against Stacy Rotner who wanted to diversify the dog marketing campaign, which was actually a winning idea, and the second time was against Andy, who opined his belief that they should all wear Levis jeans during the jeans campaign presentation. Again, another bright idea Wes opposed. He should have asserted himself against Maria who hijacked the jeans campaign and ran it into the ground. Instead he failed control her and made the sorry excuse in the Boardroom that his project failed because he couldn’t control his marketing director. Um, Wes… the apprentice position is looking for a leader. How can they hire a leader who can’t lead? Your lackluster performance gets a D-.
Maria Boren Maria is a mess. With that said, suitably, she is slightly reminiscent of Omarosa Stallsworth-Manigault, because she too boasted her expertise in various fields while inept in all of them. However, unlike Omarosa, Maria doesn’t show signs of sociopathic disorder. In other words she is not out to intentionally maliciously hurt others for her own benefit. But her mistakes were frequent and huge. I cannot forgive a marketing director with 10 years experience for botching up an overnight copying order and a mass e-mail advertising campaign. Or someone who heralds themselves an experienced public speaker then shock and appall everyone with her non-stop eye-blinking. I hope she can live this pathetic nationally broadcast performance down. I have no other alternative but to give her an F.
Chris Russo Chris is a crab. He is slightly reminiscent of Heidi Bressler because of the swearing and fiery personality. He had the drive but unfortunately conceded defeat when the project involved something he just really didn’t have any interest in. Chris needed to accept the challenge that was presented to him and work twice as hard to see it through rather than surrender before even getting started. I’m sure Chris would have preferred to handle the construction project because of his experience in a landscape business would have probably prepared him for that. Or perhaps he preferred something in finance, because he had experience as a stockbroker. Heck, he would have even enjoyed the toothpaste campaign because the idea involved hiring a sports hero. Anything but a wedding salon! Well Chris, in high stakes corporate business, we don’t always get to choose our clients or the client’s business model. For giving up you get an F.
Given the momentum of excitement The Apprentice is generating, I expect the best is yet to come. Look forward to a thrilling dramatic, perhaps outrageous conclusion with predictable results.
