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cggb
I don't think we even know for certain that she's taking over during the final boardroom. She may be sitting in for Trump at the beginning of an episode when the contestants are being handed another task.
Keupi
Great point cggb, Carolyn was in control at the outset of the final task last season, 'Rhona send them in,' so she may do the layout of the task but not the final decision.

BTW, if this is moving towards Carolyn getting her own show - would love to see that series. Trump has signed on through A5, but would love to see A6-Apprentice: Carolyn. Almost wondering whether her taking Kendra for a few months has anything to do with this possibility....
crazydreamer
hey all!
Im a big fan of carolyn i absolutely luvvvv that chick im glad there's a whole thread started for her :D hey i was wondering if anyone can tell me a site where i can find an image of carolyn's kids? thanks


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whip1
I'm so glad she called Jennifer W. out on the misspelled cake. A lot of times she sits back and doesn't say anything, just observes. This was a time that definitely called for action.
Erratic
The best Carolyn moment of "Something Old, Something New"?
Donald was going way offtrack in the boardroom to the point of almost being ready to fire Rebecca, Carolyn immediately stepped in and repeated that the (lack of) decorations, food and a sign was the main reason for the teams loss.
She did it so respectfully that the Trump immediately got back on the track of bitching out Jennifer W., and all was right with the world.

Carolyn quietly smiled to herself and I fell a little deeper in love!
AnnieBananie
I love Carolyn, truly I do, and I think she looks beautiful, but in the past few episodes, she's looked a little too thin. Scarecrow-like. Am I the only one seeing this?
smokes7
Carolyn is good at what she does. What does she do?

Trump brought her under his wing at the age of 25, but she is the anti-Apprentice. She is not entrepreneurial. She is not dynamic or charismatic. I think she prefers to be a closed book which to me reads like a lack of self-confidence. She knows one thing and one thing only, how to run a golf course. She is now necessarily indebted to Trump, must be so damn agreeable, has very limited experience and will never have her own financial organization or be a real mover/shaker of the business world. Many of the apprenti have had more extensive and impressive experience/education than Carolyn.

What also irritated me is that she discounted the celebrity factor. She claimed that she had real work to do when the Apprentice first started. Getting into media/marketing is the biggest break this woman's received.
welcomematt
smokes7, I so agree with you. She is good at what she does, which is running a golf course (I'm just going by general impression, obviously) but I don't think she's worthy of all the adulation. She's a big step up from the candidates, or most of them, but she's not someone I wish to emulate. She's somewhere between the apprentices and someone like Martha Stewart, who say what you will, has accomplished an enormous amount with her life.
BibiBella
smokes7, I disagree. While Carolyn may not be entreprenurial, she had done some impressive (or at somewhat impressive) work before Trump took her on. I recall reading that he hired her after seeing how quickly and impressively she turned around a failing golf course/club in Florida. She works in an industry - golf clubs - that is likely dominated by men and seems to hold her own just fine.

I don't read anything into her being a closed book as being insecure. I've met plenty of very successful women execs who operate this same way...and they (the ones I've known) don't suffer at all from insecurity.
mmnl

I recall reading that he hired her after seeing how quickly and impressively she turned around a failing golf course/club in Florida.[/quote]

Perhaps I'm incorrect, but I was under the impression that she had not turned the golf club financially around. Trump was there because he was interested in buying the place. Carolyn was blond and reminded him of Princess Diana. This is what impressed him.

Maybe I'm not giving Carolyn her due, though. Does anyone have a link to the actual facts?
goobaletta
The facts have been posted in this thread long ago. Also, I recommend reading Carolyn's book.

But, as I understand it, Carolyn DID turn around a failing golf club, I think it was in NJ not FL, however, and when TD came to look at the property he was so impressed with what she'd done he hired her to continue running things at that property. The Princess Diana comparison is silliness and TD knows it. I've been left with the impression that his use of that term is more in line of an affectionate ribbing of Carolyn more than anything else.

I do highly recommend Carolyn's book. My (autographed!) copy stays by my desk with all my other reference books for my writing.

I, frankly, don't get the antipathy and outright hostility toward Carolyn. Nor do I think I want to. I admire her accomplishments and as I've only ever worked for one woman who was like her I know I could work for her. Most of the other women I've worked for have been too involved in their own or others' personal dramas and when I'm working I don't have time for that crap. Work is work.

Not to say that I feel Carolyn is dispassionate or cold, because I don't think she is. I believe she's highly competent and a grown-up and knows how to separate business from that which is personal. I could work for someone like Carolyn very happily, and I generally hate having a boss, so that's saying something.

For some reason many women who watch TA, or who were on the show (I'm looking at YOU, Amy) seem to be threatened by Carolyn which I really don't get. If she weren't competent she'd not be where she is. Regardless of her TV persona, and I'm sure there are aspects of it that have been scripted because that's the way things work in TV, if she wasn't able to handle hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property she'd not have kept her gig for so long and gotten promotions. Of course, it remains to be seen how her kids turn out and if her marriage lasts, but honestly, I don't care about that. I'd hire her in a hot second if I needed someone w/her skills.
BibiBella
mmnl, I don't have a link, but I specifically recall Carolyn's financial turnaround (and in a short timeframe too) of the golf club being the reason Trump was so impressed with and why he hired her.

The Princess Di thing, as goobaletta wrote, is a joke between them, IMO. Trump would never, IMO, hire someone just for their looks - the man is too interested in making money.

goobaletta, I'm with you, I don't get why so many women seem to hate Carolyn. I'm guessing that she threatens folks and that she's all business. She's not a "gushing" type, but then again, we really don't know, do we? We only see what we get on camera and perhaps back in her office, she is much more personable.
Dumbpants

She knows one thing and one thing only, how to run a golf course. She is now necessarily indebted to Trump, must be so damn agreeable, has very limited experience and will never have her own financial organization or be a real mover/shaker of the business world.[/quote]

While I completely agree, I don't think that it's necessarily a bad thing (which I got the impression that you were also saying). Not everyone in the business world wants to be an entrepreneur. My philisophy on life is that as long as you love what you're doing, nothing else matters. I gave up a $40K job (oooo, I know :) that I LOATHED to work for peanuts. But you know what, I love, love, love what I'm doing now. I'll never be a CEO, CFO, LMNOP, but it's okay because I don't want to be those things. If Carolyn is happy where she is, then rock on! And I really do hope that she is happy doing what she's doing.
lauriecake
On the golf course, it was located in Briarcliff Manor, New York, and Carolyn did manage to turn it around with a profit around $500,000. That’s truly impressive, since the course had been failing miserably, and Carolyn was hired having little knowledge on how to run a golf course.
smokes7
My name is Carolyn Kepcher
I am really not my own person
I've been molded by one person
I am the product of Donald Trump
That's a very narrow existence
I was a former waitress and restaurant manager
I'm actually scrappy
What college did I go to?
My best advice is, when given an opportunity, don't be scared!
I lack natural confidence
But if Mr T has faith in me
I have faith in myself
Because He says so
Even if it was to run a failing golf course
I'm an ass-kisser extraordinaire
Please find yourselves bigger role models
Excuse me, I have real work to do
Thank you


[You'll have plenty of time for "real work" now. Thanks for stopping by.]
blocked writer

Not to say that I feel Carolyn is dispassionate or cold, because I don't think she is. I believe she's highly competent and a grown-up and knows how to separate business from that which is personal. I could work for someone like Carolyn very happily, and I generally hate having a boss, so that's saying something.[/quote]

I'd work for her, too. After some of the crappy bosses I'v had and observed, I think Carolyn would be a welcome change. I imagine that if you were able to speak to her employees, you'd get some good reports.

I agree that she's able to separate business from personal, and that's a plus in my mind. Given the choice between a no-nonsense boss, and an emotional one prone to rages or tantrums, or even one of those too-nice people who can never make a decision or get things done, I'd take the no-nonsense one everytime.

Also, I do think there's a warmer side to Carolyn. When she cracked up watching the guys in TA2 buying fabric, and when she comforted Verna during her walkabout in TA3, she showed that warmer side. I also saw her on one of the TV newsmagazines, and when they showed her with her husband and children, she was seemed so loving towards them.

In TA2 or TA3, I started to feel that she was becoming a bit of a yes woman, and it disappointed me. But after thinking it over, I realize that Trump often put both Carolyn and George in a difficult position by saying things like, "I had no choice." They couldn't very well contradict him on national TV, even though I'm sure they sometimes disagreed with him. When Stacie J. was fired, I got the impression that Carolyn didn't really approve.

She certainly speaks her mind in the boardroom, and I do think Trump takes her opinion into consideration.

Also, she has a career that many would love to have. She's found a niche where she has a well-paying job, and has time for her family. One of the things that impressed Trump was that she pitched in and flipped hamburgers on a day when a cook called in sick. They had a golf tournament, and the food had to be cooked. Trump said he was first surprised to see her, then impressed. She was obviously willing to do what was necessary in a pinch, and if her experience as a waitress helped her, good for her.

Toral probably wouldn't cook if the President and some foreign dignitaries were coming, no matter how short-handed they were, because she'd consider it beneath her. Toral would have benefited from being a waitress for a summer between college semesters, and she could have learned a thing or two from Carolyn.
smokes7
There are seven female CEOs out of all of the Fortune 500 companies.

The world needs more publicity on extraordinary business women so women can hope for more than to work for someone who runs two golf courses.
blocked writer

The world needs more publicity on extraordinary business women so women can hope for more than to work for someone who runs two golf courses. [/quote]

Many women do hope for more, and do more. But not everyone strives to be a mover and shaker in big business. Some people want more than success in business.

For others who want to become tycoons, that's great. Carolyn is succesful, but certainly not a CEO, and IMO she doesn't need to be. There are many female entrepreneurs who have started their own businesses, and although those business are small, they are happy with what they have achieved. Others work in lower-level jobs that they like, and are happy. Some want to stay home and raise families. Still others won't be satified until they become multi-millionaires, and if they have the drive and talent to do that, good for them. But that life wouldn't make every woman happy, nor should it.

Carolyn has achieved a level of success that allows her a lot of choices in life, and some autonomy. I admire her for that. Despite not being a CEO, I still think she sets a good example for how to conduct oneself in a businesslike manner. YMMV.
goobaletta
[Snip.]
Lisetta

Also, I do think there's a warmer side to Carolyn. When she cracked up watching the guys in TA2 buying fabric, and when she comforted Verna during her walkabout in TA3, she showed that warmer side. I also saw her on one of the TV newsmagazines, and when they showed her with her husband and children, she was seemed so loving towards them.[/quote]
For a long time I wasn't too thrilled with Carolyn because I thought she was much harder on the female candidates than the men.

But I changed my mind when she offered to mentor Kendra over the summer. I think she just hadn't seen any female candidates that had impressed her before Kendra--which, come to think of it, is quite understandable.

She didn't have to give time and effort to do it (I'm sure, given his sniping at Kendra, Trump couldn't have cared less about it), so the fact that she did, makes me think she's probably a pretty nice person, as well as being an organized and fair boss, albeit one with high expectations.
BuonGiorno

There are seven female CEOs out of all of the Fortune 500 companies. [/quote]

Who are they?
Rabrab

greeneyed fem:
Sep 18, 2005 :
I just wondered if people who watch the show regularly had ever observed Carolyn wearing casual clothes when "on the job." I've only ever seen her in professional attire.[/quote]

Nobody really answered this one, so I'll take a stab at it, even though it was asked a while back.

Most of the time, she was in business suits with a skirt. During season 1 she did wear a tailored pantsuit a couple of times (the Atlantic City task comes to mind, and I believe that she was wearing a pantsuit while observing Bill's final project. But if you mean khakis and a polo shirt, or an unmatched pants and jacket? No, she never went that casual. Everything she wore was tailored and sleek. Some were verging on severe, and a couple teetered on the edge of dowdy.

I do remember that during Season 1, some posters opined that she was a walking ad for Talbots --country-clubby, nothing even approaching edgy, everything very quiet and classic. Which, considering that she deals with the country-club type a lot in managing the golf clubs, was quite appropriate. But really casual? No.
smokes7

There are seven female CEOs out of all of the Fortune 500 companies.


Who are they?[/quote]

CEOs of Lucent, Xerox, Avon, Rite Aid, Mirant, Pathmark, Golden West Financial

Carly Fiorina of HP until earlier this year of course

Ebay CEO is also a woman (Ebay is not a Fortune 500)

Martha Stewart Omnimedia is interesting, because they say that men have a warrior leadership style and women have a nurturing one, I think she's both

For some misc. stats, see Catalyst, a nonprofit organization
Jacob
Topic please.
lawm
The November issue of Working Mother magazine has Carolyn as their cover story. The article is pretty good, and there are two cute pictures of her with her kids.

The online version seems to be behind the print edition, but Carolyn's article will probably be up in a few weeks.
LurkerNoMore
One thing that makes Caroline relatable to me is her hair. Presumably she can get it done professionally; however, she seems to have bad hair days on some of the Apprentice episodes.
Tegan Jovanka
Kristi really likes Carolyn. After she got fired she was in the taxi, and she had nothing but good things to say about Carolyn. I wonder if that's one of the reasons Carolyn wanted her to stay instead of Jen.
Thena
With Jacob's new recap of the Kristi firing episode, I wonder about what he and Sars questioned about Carolyn's venement dislike of Jenthura. It's true that in a lot of times, the editing does us no favours about who said what and which of the Apprenti gets along with the Vice Roys. I wonder about Carolyn's relationship with them. I can see how Kristi would like Carolyn. Kristi calls herself a straight shooter and tough business woman, and Carolyn seems to be the same type. I'm still wondering about what Jenthura did to piss Carolyn off like that. Maybe Carolyn does like Kristi more. Who knows?

I will say that Carolyn has been hard on a lot of these female Apprenti, and I'm somewhat glad of it. A lot of them are nowhere near her professionalism. In many cases, her disgusted faces and expressions reflect my own when I watch the show's more ridiculous contestants. I have also seen her on a talk show wherein I saw clips of her hugging her kids when they visited her at work. It was incredibly sweet.
Dispatcherbert

I'm still wondering about what Jenthura did to piss Carolyn off like that.[/quote]

This is just my take (and I may be way off base but here goes).

I think deep down that Carolyn is disgusted with Trump in situations like this. Unfortunately, she's not going to bite the hand that feeds her so Jenthura is the next logical target. Girlfriend is toast. It seems to me that Trump kept Jenthura around to see another week so that he could have eye candy. Also, when my boss asks my opinion (which, yes, it's just an opinion and not hard and fast) about something and then proceeds to completely blow it off, it pisses me off. And this isn't the first time Trump's done this to Carolyn, either.

I don't know. Just my $.02.


Edited for clarity of a point.
canuck31003
When Carolyn went after Jenthura in the board room, I didn't think it was that unusual or personal in nature. My take was that Carolyn just thought Jenthura had done a terrible job. Perhaps Carolyn thought Jenthura's weepiness (it looked to me as if she was close to crying at points) and poor presentation showed she was eminently unsuited for the job.

Kendra's tears were okay, IMO, because they were tears of joy/happiness after a successful task, while Jenthura's near-tears were more of "[sob]woe is me, I might get fired and everyone is criticizing me, too much pressure[/sob]".

I also admired Carolyn when she didn't respond to Trump's decision to fire Kristi--she didn't kiss Trump's posterior like Bill did.
tiggeril
I wish we'd seen more of Carolyn In Charge tonight. Maybe next season.
Mobius
Nah...Carolyn in Charge is a gimmick, just like Don't!Annoy!Carolyn! (or whatever it was) was a gimmick. I can't see TD giving up the limelight that much.

(Clarification: "Nah" means "nah---I doubt they will" not "nah---they shouldn't." I'm with you tiggeril : I want more Carolyn. And how sweet if she would have been the one to fire all four and inform TD afterwards)
Cherry Wire
As always, this may be editing, but Carolyn seems kind of like a heat-seeking guided missile that instantly finds any mistakes made by a team. Right away, she was all over Capital Edge for their first error, choosing "golf" as their showcase sport.

I could see her as one of those consultants they bring into companies to reduce headcount.
growsonwalls
My favorite Carolyn line tonight was when Josh was blaming his entire team for failing. "Josh? You failed too." Hee, priceless.
canuck31003
As much as I like Carolyn and was glad she had more screen time, when she was reorganizing teams and assigning the task it felt a little odd to me hearing Carolyn speak for longer than a sentence or two.
ghettofabman
As much as I like Carolyn, I thought that she came off kinda snotty and condescending when she was talking to(/about) Markus(/Capital Edge) about picking golf as Capital Edge's sports focus.
tiggeril

Nah...Carolyn in Charge is a gimmick, just like Don't!Annoy!Carolyn! (or whatever it was) was a gimmick. I can't see TD giving up the limelight that much.

(Clarification: "Nah" means "nah---I doubt they will" not "nah---they shouldn't." I'm with you tiggeril : I want more Carolyn. And how sweet if she would have been the one to fire all four and inform TD afterwards)[/quote]
Yeah, I know. Let a girl dream, though. :)

Ahhhh, Carolyn finally losing it in the Boardroom and spin-kicking Donald in the head.... [drifts off]
Cat Whisperer
Carolyn has been around Trump for too long she is copying his cadence of speech. The robotic delivery, odd inflections, and frequent pauses were all there. Do they write the script that way? Do they have an Elaine Benes on staff, inserting commas instead of exclamation points? Disappointed to see her act like a Trumpbot.
Jaundiced Eye
Well, I don't even know what to make of Carolyn any more. I used to like her well enough, and at times I still do. But sometimes, like last week when she was ALL in Jenthura's face, she just seems like a bitch -- or maybe she tries too hard to look like a "killer" in front of Trumpy. Sometimes she seems so boring, I could fall asleep watching her. I don't feel that I know one way or the other who the REAL Caroline is -- and that kinda bugs. She just might be a Trumpbot at that!
anonymiss

As much as I like Carolyn, I thought that she came off kinda snotty and condescending when she was talking to(/about) Markus(/Capital Edge) about picking golf as Capital Edge's sports focus.[/quote]

I totally agree, ghettofabman. That's the reason I don't like Carolyn much personally (or her persona anyway), but I love watching her in spite of that. For that particular exchange with Marcus, there was a part afterwards where they cut out the audio, and we could see she was laughing with him, not at him.

She kicked ass in that chair and didn't seem nervous at all. I would love to watch her really take over for Trump more often.
Blondie
ITA with those who feel that we aren't seeing much of the behaviour that makes Carolyn go after a contestant. I also think that she is more focused on the qualities any person (male or female) needs to really be a viable Trump exec instead of who to keep for ratings on the show.

Trumpy has his own agenda which is a combo of business qualities, cuteness factor, and TV ratings grabber for each candidate. This is why I think Carolyn and George don't argue when he goes against all the logic during the "Fickle Finger of Firing" portion. They have come to be resigned to the fact that it is not just a business decision for him and no matter what they "counsel", he's gonna do his own thing.

I love Carolyn and really admire her for excelling at her full-time job (X 3!)....running the multiple golf clubs/housing developments, TV star, AND loving wife & mom!!
Odyssea
Man, Carolyn spanked Markus but good in the boardroom tonight. I really feel that her role on the show is to say what we're all shouting at the screen.
TheWildBoo

Carolyn spanked Markus but good in the boardroom tonight. I really feel that her role on the show is to say what we're all shouting at the screen.[/quote]

Ditto. She got that look in her eye like she smelled blood and I said, "She's on to him!"
Magsi2
I was glad to see Carolyn call Markus out on covering his ass. That was good!....She looked nice in the gold dress, but it was funny that the one topic was sex in the workplace and then they show her dressed like that!
My Way

Man, Carolyn spanked Markus but good in the boardroom tonight. I really feel that her role on the show is to say what we're all shouting at the screen. [/quote]
She did and I loved it! The only problem was that Adam felt the need to interrupt (bad form, but maybe it showed he could) in the middle of Carolyn's big rant. Which I loved.
Jer2002
Eh, what a BITCH. If she's really as good as she thinks she is she would've called Markus out forever ago. She can shove it.
DashRashi
How come Carolyn is allowed to say "ass" in a business setting and Clay isn't?
RainIsBeautiful
Because Carolyn isn't gay? *sigh* This world we live in...

*waves at Jer* :)
UncleJemima
Not sure how serious DashRashi was being in asking, but it seems to me that "Cover your ass" and "Slap my ass!" have very different meanings and levels of appropriateness in a business setting.

Caroline has really looked good in the last few episodes.
Scherzo
(That gold dress was breathtaking, wasn't it?)


How come Carolyn is allowed to say "ass" in a business setting[/quote]

Wasn't she quoting someone?

Anyway, "cover your(his/her/my) ass" is one of those phrases that, once the concept has sprung to mind, any attempt to use a euphemism for ass will seem childish or prudish --- guess you might as well go ahead and say "ass."
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