Mama Tiger, if you Google News search Nick's name all that comes up is the Raiders story. It's everywhere. The first time I saw it was yesterday afternoon around lunchtime when it was posted on the San Francisco Chronicle website. Within a very short time it was all over the place. Funny though, the Fox 411 story isn't coming up on Google thus far.

This week's People has an article about the "secrets" of reality television. Most of it was stuff we all pretty much already knew, including the fake boardroom in the Apprentice and the fact that those scenes sometimes took hours. But there were a few new tidbits. Amy is quoted as saying she and Nick had two other offers for the Trump Penthouse besides the last minute offer for $40,800 but the show was edited to make it look like they had nothing else. It was also confirmed that all the "walks of shame" to a waiting taxi were filmed at the very beginning, so there is film out there somewhere with Bill taking that walk. And yes, the fired apprentices were allowed back into the suite the day after their firing to collect the rest of their belongings and were helped in the task by P.A.s. Katrina says they just threw all the stuff into garbage bags and that she is missing a lot of stuff - including a bra, a pair of slippers and a pair of jeans that somehow wound up being sent to Troy. Bet his wife LOVED that. The article also claims that the apprentices had help on all of their tasks and specifically mentions that Bill had help on the golf tournament because, in the end, it was Carolyn's ass on the line and she was going to make sure that everything got done. Heidi is also quoted as saying she thinks some things were manipulated, including the whole "losing a rock star" bit. She said that just doesn't happen.

The AP article on Nick is lifted straight out of the SF Chronicle, which is what the AP always does to nationalize local stories.

I have no idea if the Fox 411 report is true -- he says Nick talked to him -- but I should caution that that writer has been known to make mistakes. (Last May he wrote that Jimmy Fallon was leaving "SNL.")

Today's Oakland Tribune (my local paper) pretty much has the same story as everybody else, without talking to Nick.

On a related note, I'm getting kind of annoyed, for some reason, that EVERY news account gets Nick's age wrong (the media just feeds off each other without checking the facts!).

They list Nick as 27, when it was in the media last month that Nick celebrated his 28th birthday at the Playboy mansion with Hugh Hefner.

Dilooni said:


That doesn't surprise me. Having it the way it did made it look more dramatic, which is the idea.

So we didn't see the other offers. It didn't take away from the drama, especially since we don't know if the offers would have been enough to beat the other team anyway.


I knew about that for some time. Had they filmed them as the contestants were being "fired", some reporters would have caught on, and probably spoiled the outcome (other than the finale) for everyone.


I'm sure Troy's wife understood, especially since I'm sure some of his stuff was probably mistakenly sent to another contestant who had been "fired" earlier for instance.

When you're in a hurry like that, unless you're a total neat freak and keep everything in order in case you did get "fired" on the show, everybody probably lost one item or another during the time they were on the show.


That doesn't surprise me either. I'm sure George, Carolyn and the others who helped were instructed to do so. Even so, it was up to the players to make sure in the end who won or lost.

I'm sure we will learn of other "secrets" about The Apprentice and other shows over time as well. It didn't take away at all from the entertainment value of the show in my opinion, as it still was by far the most realistic of all the various "reality" shows out there.

`Apprentice' Favorite to Host $250,000 Job Search at Trump Marina. PR Newswire. I don't know how I missed this the other day, but if you're able to get to Atlantic City on the 30th of May you can see Troy and try to win $250K.

Reality shows redefine fame. Cleveland Plain Dealer. Not the best reporting I've seen. Leaves the impression that Omarosa still has a gig with Herbal Essences.

If you're "famous" we want you. OurSports Central (press release). If you're in the Lakewood, NJ area tomorrow evening you can see Ereka tossing out balls at the Blueclaws game with Heidi from Survivor.

'The Apprentice' goes to Greater Lowell Tech: Marketing teacher incorporates show into curriculum. Lowell Sun, MA

I agree. In fact, the whole article was pretty lame. Are we supposed to be shocked that they ply the participants on these shows with alcohol because they want them to lose their inhibitions and say stupid stuff? No! Really??

But it's always interesting to get a few more details about what went on. And I don't think any of this stuff changes the outcome - it's just makes it better entertainment.

Whether its the Apprentice or The Amazing Race, I've always been one of those who felt that the more we do know about the "actual" competition beyond what the editors chose to use to tell their story, the better it is for the viewer to understand and appreciate the nature of the actual competition itself. In many cases, this added knowledge and understanding tends to reinforce a perception that the editors actually do a pretty good job in capsulizing the competitors and the competition.

Turns out they were asking Flo to complain and whine. Chip and Reiken were just pretending to be gay. Chuck and Millie were throwing swing parties during the down time, and I don't mean dancing.

Big Tom on Survivor is really Scottish, but with the accent, you wouldn't know. The entire time he speaks, he's been giving out the secret to the Haggis Defense Network.

But, on Big Brother, Danielle was pure evil.

Is it me, or does this whole "appearance" sound more like an inside joke? Sort of like, "If these two bimbos can be considered famous...then so can you!" or "Hey...if these twits can desperately try to extend their 15 minutes, so can you!"

Ereka must be taking any offers she gets. And if this is an indication to what she's being offered....yeesh. What happened to the talent agent she said she met with? Ereka had all the makings of a follow up career after her stint on this show--looks, body, feisty---too bad she blew it by being such an annoying, shrill Heather. Had she taken the advise of a professional, or even sought advice from a PR rep...she'd be getting the same level of offers Katrina is getting.

Tashanir said:



We don't know that with Ereka. Maybe this is a bit of a setup, but for all we know she may want to do that if for no other reason that to see some parts of the country she (and some of the others) might not get to see otherwise. And for some of the people there, it probably is a very big deal these people are coming down.

As for Ereka, the funny thing is, if she is serious about getting into acting, I'd love to see her guest on Law & Order sometime next season as a young, hotshot defense attorney whom Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) thinks he's going to have an easy time with because it's her first major murder trial, only to discover its anything but. She showed on The Apprentice a range of personality that if she's serious about acting probably would make her a good one, and given I think at least one of the "Apprentices" is going to pop up somewhere in the "L & O franchise" for real next season anyway, this might be the ideal scenario if it does actually happen.

I think there's a big difference between being a drama queen and a dramatic actress. Ereka (as well as Amy, Kristi, Omarosa) don't seem to have an ounce of acting/reporting talent that goes beyond their looks. I think Heidi and Katrina could be the women to "break-out" and actually find consistent quality work. I would LOVE to see Heidi on Law and Order, but I doubt that would happen.

I LOVE each installment of the L & O franchise, but I don't see ANY of the Apprentices being remotely talented enough to act on such a quality show--although the woman who currently plays the female ADA is as expressive as a robot with just as much charm and personality-bring back Angie Harmon!!.

The post show TV sitcom/drama appearances will be limited to Whoopi, Almost Perfect and shows of that ilk. High quality TV shows like L & O would never go for the "ratings/sweeps" move of casting a reality TV show contestant. (Although Sean from Survivor: Marquesas did get an under 3 line part on CBS' Without A Trace last season.)

Is it me, or do the male contestants of reality shows fare better post-show job wise than the women? I don't really hear of any of the women from any reality show managing any sort of cross over, except for Elisabeth Hassleback (from S2: The Outback) and maybe Trista Rehn (who has pretty much famewhored herself out of any chance of more appearances.) Whereas Colby Donaldson, Richard Hatch, Charlie Maher, Bob Guiney, Ethan Zohn etc. have managed to snag decent jobs or been able to consistently get work/appearances due to their reality TV experience.

Wallyhorse, the ballgame Ereka is going to be at is in New Jersey - just across the river from NYC (where Ereka lives), so I don't think she's doing it for the chance "to see some parts of the country she (and some of the others) might not get to see otherwise" as you posted. I think she's doing it to keep her 15 minutes of fame from going off.

I think she's also probably doing it because she needs the cash. I can't imagine why else she'd do it. They must pay these people to attend, right? She's been unemployed for about 8 months, and I don't think she's found a steady gig yet.


Are any of the Apprentices working full-time? We've heard about job offers for Nick and Kwaame....and we know David, Jason, Tammy, Katrina, Kristi, Troy and Sam had their regular gigs to go back to. But has anyone heard if Amy, Heidi or Ereka have received any viable job offers? Amy admitted a few weeks ago that she quit her job to move to NYC...but what's going on with Heidi?

While I love the Blueclaws and what they've done to make baseball a family sport, I don't think the money would be all that great. This is a minor league team in a very middle class area of N.J. They offer a playground for your children, moderately priced (for baseball) snacks, and entertainment. Tickets are not terribly cheap, but they are as compared to any of the major leagues.

My son-in-law is the holder of four season passes so I get to see them fairly often. I'd be willing to bet more that Ereka and Heidi come cheaply than that they are making much money out of this.

Tashanir You are so right, Tashanir. Heidi'd be great. The main reason being that she is self-aware, unlike the rest of the fembots on TA. To be a decent actor you must be aware of your own humanity and imperfections as well as your strengths. Heidi's got that and lots of oomph besides. The thing is, I doubt she'd ever see herself as an actor. Why? Because she is self-aware.

MaddieG, are you going to try and go to the game tomorrow night? It sounds like fun.

Bibi:

Thanks for the correction on the Lakeclaws. I forget how many Independant teams there are in New Jersey, and I should know, as I live in Philly and we have one right across the Delaware River in Camden, the Riversharks, and of course you have the Newark Bears across from NYC (where Rickey Henderson just signed to play again hoping to make it back to the majors this summer). We also in this area have the Wilmington Blue Rocks who play Class A-Ball and the Trenton Thunder, the AA affiliate of the Yankees.

I think Heidi is the least self-aware contestant on the entire show. She thinks she's hot, brilliant, clever, strategically tricky, and only didn't win because her mom got sick. Her waves of self-importance are almost visible to the naked eye.

She's extraordinarily double-dip not-self-aware, as far as I'm concerned.

I think Heidi is a particular type of in-your-face character that you find "out East." Not everyone behaves as she does, but there are enough around that you have to get used to dealing with them if you want to function in the business world! This personality type has poor impulse control, to varying degrees, and uses brashness to quell an opponent. They're not going to lie down and die just because someone winces at them. If you step on their toes they'll squawk and holler until you move your foot.

Her aggressiveness is just the way that some people interface in the area she's from, it's not a sign of lack of character, just lack of polish. Her tantrums and swearing might be annoying at times -- and certainly would disqualify her from an executive position in a large corporation -- but she also seems to be quick to forgive (even with Omarosa). She might try to play up an advantage, but I don't think she's particularly manipulative or malicious in intent; she clearly wants to climb as high as she can, but I don't think she'd want to eat her competition for breakfast. She's not a zero sum person: she wants to win, but I don't think she wants you or anyone else to lose!

Furthermore, I think she conducted herself well and appropriately about her mother's cancer, given that her family wanted her to remain in the game. I have cancer myself and can tell you that Heidi must have felt like she was hit with a ton of bricks -- I do not think she cried crocodile tears.

However, I don't think that her mother's illness had any real bearing on her firing--Heidi had plenty of chances to perform before her mother's diagnosis. I think Heidi got fired because her time was up and that DT tried to soften the blow by linking it to the family situation.

Nor do I think she's any more self-preoccupied or self-important than anyone else on the show -- in fact, she's probably a lot less vain than the others, based on the fact that she doesn't bother to take the time or trouble to wear clothes that flatter her!

I spent four years in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region and know that the up-front abrasiveness of some New Yorkers and Philadelphians drives many Midwesterners nuts. In the Midwest, where people are alway soft-spoken (even when they say terrible things), Heidi's behavior would be viewed a sign of bad character, unteachability, mental instability, etc., etc. etc. But it is important to realize that back East, Heidi's behavior may be seen as rowdy and lacking polish, but wouldn't indicate a character flaw in and of itself.

In fact, I think some of the posts against Heidi have been far more cruel to Heidi than Heidi would ever dream of being to any of you. Just my opinion, of course ....

Fired, and burning out. NY Daily News. Heidi's featured in the second item in Lloyd Grove's column. Not the most classiest display, but pure Heidi.

The ABCs on ABWs. Philadelphia Daily News. Omarosa - ABW or nuts?

Tina Brown's column. Washington Post. I didn't get around to reading this before because it's about the end of Friends, but TA gets a couple of paragraphs in the middle. Attempts snarkiness but only achieves mild snarkitude when referencing The Hair.

Heh. I promise you, that is not the case.

Okay, I read Tina Brown's column that goobaletta just linked to, and I have to admit, I am confused: What on earth is "the thrill of traction"?

Miss Alli, have I told you lately that I love you?

Totally. But even in a comparatively rude n' abrasive East coast environment, this:


is still called "burning one's bridges."

To be fair, Heidi's hardly the first Apprentice to make a backhanded compliment/slur about Trump to the press. Even if these people weren't ultimately hired by The Donald, they still need to treat him as a former employer...and dissing him, making fun of his hair or apartment, isn't exactly good business etiquette.

Hee. That almost makes it sound as if Miss A. received a profanity-filled "fan letter" from Heidi.

From today's TV Guide Online:



It looks like the rumor (?) that Nick has a job with Oakland is still out there. As for Osamarosa: bwah!

One of the gossip rags, Star I think, has pics from Kristi's recent wedding. Several of the Apprenti were there, including Ereka. It was a pretty boring article. " Kristi has two words of her own: I do!" Bleh. Not so amazing.

If you live in Trenton, NJ, you can catch Ereka signing autographs at the Waterfront Park (with "I'll strip for peanut butter" Heidi Strobel). May 12th!

Catch her now before she vanishes into obscurity!

Ugh. Two despicable reality show contestants. Is Heidi Ereka's new BFF?

You know, in regards to these post show appearances for Survivor, The Apprentice, Etc. ...there has to be a cut off point where the appearances go from being a true media/career opportunity to get face time and a desperate, my-next-step-is stripping-or-posing-for-Playboy-'cause- I'm-broke opportunity. And when you're included on a roster of another C or D list reality star...there's gotta be some level of embarrassment.

Kristi is making an appearance at a promotional event for Phone4Fun in Los Angeles. Business Wire. Apparently Heidi from Survivor is leaving the New Jersey minor leagues to be there too.

Yeah, she runs the gamut from patronizing bitchy to angry bitchy.

Warnock disputes claim he was hired, indicates no contract.. Tri-Valley Herald NOTE: The Nick article's been acting wonky, so I'm not 100% sure it's gonna work or not. Essentially it says what the Fox 411 article said but with comments from the Raider camp as well.

Rancic making all the rounds before starting on Trump Tower. Chicago Sun-Times

There was a photo and blurb in the NY Post today about a bridal shower given to Melania yesterday at chi-chi restaurant Le Cirque - with a caption that said "Surely she needs no toasters". It said she received loads of lingerie at the shower.

Looks like someone is wasting no time in getting the bridal goodies coming in!

So is Nick or isn't Nick joining Raider Nation??? People Magazine online today says he is.

Apprentice Reject Nick Joins the Raiders

Heh. Only if a toaster were (1) able to toast a whole loaf of bread at once, (2) entirely gold-plated, and (3) the type of toaster you might find in use in Versailles. Of course, that would assume that Louis XIV had electricity in the 17th century...and wanted to toast a lot of bread.

Omarosa is on the cover of Black Hair magazine. It's a closeup and the picture is airbrushed to the point that it almost looks like a cartoon. She's about a shade or 2 lighter, wearing hazel contacts and black lipliner. How they plan to sell magazines with that on the cover is beyond me.

Fuzzylogic, thanks for the heads up - I just saw her on the cover and boy, she is so air-brushed that it looks cartoonish indeed - practically robotic looking. I flipped to the inside story and she's even lighter-toned than on the cover! Scary indeed....

Well, she did have that freak out about some makeup person supposedly doing her makeup wrong (I forget what show it was, but they had a clip of her pointing to her cheekbone and her temple, bitching about how it was *noticeably* darker *here* than *here*). Obviously she's got a paranoid thing about looking too dark; maybe she's got that Michael Jackson disease?

Raiders say they haven’t hired ‘Apprentice’ Nick: They do not rule out hiring him in the future. AP via MSNBC. Apparently it's officially official now. Gad.

Now Bill's tossing balls. chicago.whitesox.mlb.com The relevant Bill mention is at the end of the article.

NY Post: "Apprentice 2" has begun

I don't know how they're going to be able to keep the new season under wraps. For one thing, if they've still got George and Carolyn observing, they're bound to be recognized during tasks even if the new contestants aren't known. Makes me think the spoiler thread will be busy considering how many NYers we have visiting TWoP.
******************************
The Chicago Sun-Times covers Bill's ball throwing.

nowandlater, thanks for that info. Interesting how many Harvard grads they have this time and several Wharton folks too. And that they've increased the number to 18 from 16...

And since I live in NYC, I am going to keep my eyes open even wider to see if I catch them on the streets filming! Hope to catch them filming with Carolyn or George one of these days....

ETA: I just got my copy of the Post and they've included photos of two of the women on the new show along with the article - both have long blonde hair, kinda have the same look at Kristi from the first season, but even prettier (at least from the photos).

I would expect, from the higher caliber of education respresented, that we should see challenges that have some bearing on the actual business world, and less on activities like selling lemonade...

I saw those pics, too. My first thought was, "Oh great...here we go again...the Bimbo Brigade."

I'm getting a hunch that the women this season are going to be even crazier than the women last season. The two blondes featured looked like potential Playboy Bunnies.

Good grief! We have late in the day items. Let's begin with Oz...

Damned if that pissant Jason isn't getting press down under after being fired. Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia

And three by kungfuiceskater at The Spoof UK:

MSN Appoints Omarosa New Spokesperson; Bill Gates Outraged.

Google IPO Fears: Google To Remove The Term "Omarosa" From Search Results; Yahoo follows...

American Idol News: New Judges Next Season. Simon remains; Omarosa and MJ Replace Paula and Randy.

From an article on TVGuide Online about TA2:



Hee! There's also some good snark about Nick here.

This ain't tossing baseballs. PR WEB. Scroll down near the end to find Ereka's latest project. It sounds like a good fit to me.

Trump is eyeing DVD consumers. TVShowsOnDVD.com. August, anyone? It might happen!

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's Money Smart Conference, per something I heard in passing on CNN Headline News this morning, is apparently going to have Bill in attendance at a video conference session during which the Fed Chairman, Alan Greenspan, is going to be speaking and answering questions from Chicago area students. I can't find any print stories on this so far, but there may be one or two tomorrow in the Chicago papers. I've confirmed that Greenspan is doing the video conference via several sources but I can't find anything confirming Bill's attendance. At any rate, the purpose of the conference is to educate Chicago area residents about how to handle money more effectively and responsibly.

**UPDATE** Here are a couple of news items about the abovementioned conference. Bill's discussed at the end of both articles.

CBS MarketWatch.

AP via the Chicago Sun-Times.

Another Bill appearance for next week: Bill Rancic, Winner of NBC's 'The Apprentice' to Speak at SBA Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, May 19. PR NewsWire This conference is being held in Orlando.

TRENTON THUNDER KICK OFF NEW CONTEST -- THE INTERN. trentonthunder.com. Ereka was there. PHOTO.

NBC's 'The Apprentice 2' begins filming in NYC... and spoilers begin leaking.
Reality TV World

***Friday Update***

Who Will Be 'The Partner'? New York Lawyer. Another TA ripoff. This time with lawyers. I have to admit, I'm intrigued.

Great. The show shoukd now be called The Famewhore.

As for Ereka in the baseball game photo llinked to up above....does that girl own anything besides jeans? And this was the woman hawking her "fashion consulting" services? As my Dad says, "You don't dress for the job you have, you dress for the job you want." Buy a skirt or a new pair of pants.

Well, having Survivor 2 syndrome ain't that bad. You had some pretty good characters on Survivor 2 (Jerri anyone?). As long as the characters are amusing, I'm fine.

Delusional, narcissitic, annoying , "stupid, stupid people" are fine for Survivor. But for The Apprentice I want to see people that actually deserve to be there based on merit, not on their crazy-value. Totally takes away from the basis of competition. I don't want to root for someone just because they backstabbed and bad mouthed the best. I want to root for someone who is qualified for the job.

But, admittedly, the O-factor (as in "Omarosa") as it should now be called was a huge part of why we got so addicted to it. Amusing, okay. But please TA:2 , dear god, stay away from the blatantly disturbed and crazy.