I liked the ladies' presentation. I thought that it was very creative. Wonder who came up with the black suit performance? [/quote]
Save that kind of showmanship for your San Dimas High School history project. [/quote]
Yeah, but the football team RULES!!!!
Like what was the first iteration of Italian intimidation, the Borgias? Mussolini?[/quote]
Well, anyone watching HBO on Sundays knows it goes back much farther than that :)
Sheap
Sep 30, 2005 @ 1:47 am
A pretty by-the-numbers episode I thought. Both teams understand the task, no huge drama or bizarreness, but one of them is just better than the other. It comes down to who has the better ideas and execution. Oddly, this actually makes for the best kind of episode. Being used to drama-oriented Apprentice, Chris points to Markus for spoiling "team chemistry" when in reality it was just about whose bad ideas got used. But in the cab ride, he still was talking about Markus. I think he might have gotten distracted by a personal vendetta - is he still carrying a grudge from episode 1?
I actually think the improved, Trump-approved casting is making an impact. There are only a handful of genuine losers. Other than babbling, ditzy Markus, there aren't really any obvious losers left. The next worst is... Kristi? She'd be final 4 in seasons 2 or 3 (and I think she's better than we have been giving her credit for). Some candidates clearly won't win but there arent many who are really, really bad.
Toral is looking pretty good. She's had almost zero airtime, which is always a good thing early in the season. I like Rebecca too, but not sure how much of that is competence and how much of it is cuteness. Alla doesn't seem to really be "apprentice" material. She's already been there. I think sooner or later, she'll have some sort of clash that wipes her out. In a way, she's sort of like Tana. None of the men have really impressed so far. Josh seems OK.
That may have been the worst reward ever. Apprentice has always had the worst rewards of any reality show (except maybe the early seasons of Amazing Race) but this one really stunk. The women looked almost confused. "We're going to do... what? With who?" And what's worse, it broke my girl Rebecca! Future winners will be looking at their stupid rewards with a whole new outlook. "That was stupid and boring, but at least everyone is still OK!"
Well, anyone watching HBO on Sundays knows it goes back much farther than that :)[/quote]
Heh. Where's Raj when you need him? Caesar, Machiavelli, Capone, and Mussolini all get out of black helicopters and drive off in Lamborghinis!
Rainmaker
Sep 30, 2005 @ 2:21 am
Anyone notice that when they met Trump outside on top of Trump Whatever that all the women were wearing shades of pink, red, or orange? I think Kristi was in all black, but it looked like even she had a pink scarf tied to her waist. Is this supposed to show unity? Was it Breast Cancer awareness day? The all dressing in black for the presentation I can understand, because it looked sharp, but the first time was just odd.
I don't really think they should have showed any of Randal's funeral either. Just show him getting into the Trump helicopter, focus on the TRUMP name, and leave it at that. Trump, we know you are a nice guy and have the heart to help Randal out in his hour of need. It doesn't have to be beaten into us.
Agree with whoever said that not being a team player in the past has meant an immediate eviction. When Tammy got fired, Trump said something about how there was no place for someone who wasn't a team player. So why the difference now? Maybe it's MB saying to keep Markus around for the entertainment value.
KerleyQ
Sep 30, 2005 @ 2:31 am
First, before I say anything else--Mark? Is a tool. His little interview about how the men were going to win this because it's a car? And clearly the wimmen folk don't know nothing 'bout selling no cars. Asshole. I wish Chris would have listened to Trump so your ass could have gotten sent home.
And Chris, what the hell is wrong with you? Could you have botched that any more? Even Baldford was probably watching tonight and calling you out on your lack of judgment and inability to read a room. The man told you it would be a mistake to bring Markus into the boardroom, as he would probably not fire him. He made it a point of getting out into the open who it was (Mark) who was responsible for the more egregious mistakes in their performance. But, yeah, go ahead and ignore all of those gigantic, flashing neon clues and bring in one guy to the boardroom--the one guy he told you not to. He might have stood a shot at getting rid of Markus if he would have brought Mark in. The two of them could have defended themselves and brought up all the Markus issues, like pitching a slogan to the client when he was specifically asked not to (and a sucky slogan at that), or not being able to handle communicating with and coordinating the drivers. Trump is not a Markus fan, and probably could have been persuaded by a tag team of Chris and Mark presenting some real issues. But not listening to him? Chris had already pissed him off too much to save his own hide by that point. If Trump likes you, he telegraphs what you should be doing in the boardroom. Time and time again, we see people incapable of reading those clues. Chris is the latest victim.
And can I talk about their video? Those still shots of different angles of the car? Looked like pictures you'd find in the cars for sale papers you find out by the door in your local grocery store. Totally amateurish and no way in hell a luxury car company would want to use those shots to sell a car of that caliber. I'm just a silly little no-car-knowing woman, and even I know that. Their print ads were even worse--amateurish, boring, low-concept, just not what you present to a high end company. You're not selling Hyundai's here, guys.
catnip
Sep 30, 2005 @ 2:31 am
I think the problem with the men's campaign is that it didn't have a clear message. The women's campaign was all about communicating one simple message: "most people aren't good enough to deserve this car; prove that you're the exception". The men's campaign tried to say too many different things: "this car is the rebirth of the classic Lamborghini", "it's intimidating", "it's Italian", "it either experiences or inspires envy", and "it's eco-friendly -- no, wait, we just mean it comes in green". I think if they'd stuck with the rebirth theme and shown lots of classic Lamborghini images, then the tunnel transformation, and then some cool-looking images of the new car, it would have been much better.
I agree with everyone about the tackiness of showing the actual funeral. Beyond that, it bothered me that Randal was back in time for the presentation. They must have just let him attend the funeral itself and not spend time with family afterwards.
Sheap
Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:13 am
They must have just let [Randal] attend the funeral itself and not spend time with family afterwards. [/quote]
TPTB probably didn't want to let him out of their sight for too long, lest he spill some sort of beans. At least they let him attend, even if the whole thing did end up on display.
ShantasticBus
Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:17 am
The dramatic irony here is this:
Markus: Chris! I have the absolute bestest idea EVAH for a slogan: Smooth as silk. Eh?
Chris: Markus... let's hold off on slogans and go in with an open mind
five minutes later...
Markus: So Lamborghini People... How does smooth as silk grab you? Best ever? Eh?
Chris: Goddamnit! I told him not to do that!
Fifty minutes later
The Donald: Chris... Markus is an inane blabbermouth who I can't stand either but... can't.... fire... Markus... not... his... fault... don't... bring... him... in. (There were other words where the ellipses were but everyone except for Chris picked out the important ones).
Chris: Can you please fire Markus if I bring only him into the boardroom?
The Donald: Goddammit! I told you not to do that! Now I'm firing you.
Napoleon: Idiot!
polka dots
Sep 30, 2005 @ 4:19 am
ShantasticBus - Simply awesome. The only way it would've been better is if they had played the "Markus is dumb" theme music over Chris's boardroom idiocy.
cristobal
Sep 30, 2005 @ 4:57 am
Chris, you stupid, stupid man. They were freakin' begging you to call in the creative guy. Begging. And what do you do? Ugh. He deserved to get fired. I mean, they pretty much spoon fed what he should do and he completely ignored them. Great way to try and bitch slap the board.
And yeah, George was right. Team Penis lost the second they started high-fiving each other. Have these people ever watched this show? Don't they know that by virtually guaranteeing a win, they're gonna lose. Sad.
Markus is an idiot. (you do not, five minutes after being told not to by your PM, exposit ideas in a meeting). In my company a guy did just that. He was fired on his way back to the office after the meeting. On the other hand, he's not the guy who lost the challenge for them. He is an awfully sad case though and to trumpet Trump (sorry, couldn't help it), he's not long for this show.
I love Alla (though her choice of wardrobe is somewhat questionable). The "Ask Permission" line is what saved the ad, and actually made it good. I don't care what she did in her past, and I'm certainly not blaming her for some psycho stalker robbing and killing people over her. The ladies Robert Palmer exercise was cringe-inducing. I felt a brief moment of shame for even having ovaries. The leader chick should have stopped by to check on the commercial. I don't think enough time has passed for her to believe she could fully trust her team to get it right. Though ultimately they did. Kristi was a bit snarky, which considering her blow out as PM last week seemed somewhat ill-timed and childish.
Do George and Carolyn seem a little freer with the smack-down than in earlier seasons? Seems that way to me. And I love them for it.
The Randal funeral. Nice of Trump to give the helicopter and all, but it was kind of ruined by the fact that it was just one more way for him to appear all caring and fabulous. If he'd any respect for the actual loss of his grandmother, the camera's wouldn't have been there. Tacky, tacky, tacky.
stillnadine
Sep 30, 2005 @ 5:37 am
Rainmaker, I noticed the same thing about the coordinated clothes. Last week for the opening, the women were all in shades of tan/khaki with black, this week black with red/oranges/pinks. They looked like coordinated mannikins in a clothing store. Even my beloved Caroline matched the ladies team! Are the women talking amungst themselves before they dress or have they brought in a stylist? I'd sure miss some of the those fashion DON"Ts from seasons part.
CryMeASea
Sep 30, 2005 @ 6:19 am
Was it just me, or did anyone notice that on one of the men's stupid posters they forgot to tear off all the wrapping on the upper left hand corner?[/quote]
I missed the entire boardroom, but I seemed to be caught up. I saw the poster but I thought that the poster was torn, as in the whole ad was on the grey stuff and could be torn away, leading to a better ad underneath? But it looked pretty crappy, like it got mangled somewhere. I liked the expensive car dude judge, he had that "Why am I helping out Trump? These apprentices cannot afford Lamborghinis- I am losing valuable Lamborghini time watching these terrible ad campaigns!" look.
Can anyone answer this question for me--what was on the judges table (like in front of them) during the two ad campaigns? It looked like a bowl of sushi, although I have no clue why they are eating sushi at a time like that. But, in my pregnant woman mind I thought it was sushi and continued to stare at the colorful blur getting more and more hungry. Then I thought that the hockey team prize sucked and thought they should have won a cone at Baskin Robbins or something. Mmmm...ice cream.
Anyone notice that when they met Trump outside on top of Trump Whatever that all the women were wearing shades of pink, red, or orange? [/quote]
I forgot what they wore last time ( thanks stillnadine) For some reason I thought Trump was going to yell out "Soccer is yoooouge in other countries so for this competition you will all be playing soccer in your business clothes for my enjoyment. The ladies are the pink team, the guys are the black team. Whoever wins gets to play Brazil in the World Cup."
edited to add all my other thoughts
comfortablynumb
Sep 30, 2005 @ 6:21 am
That had to be the worst reward ever given. Put a bunch of skinny little girls on ice skates with professional hockey players?????? WTF??
I would have been pissed if I were the women. Now one of them is hurt. Stupid, stupid reward.
LolaLilaLilly
Sep 30, 2005 @ 6:38 am
The first season of The Apprentice began in January of 2004, and was probably filmed the previous Fall.
So, splitting hairs, considering THIS season was filmed in Summer of 2005, Omarossa's encounter with the plaster/brick/cinderblock occured a year AND A HALF ago.
lucelu
Sep 30, 2005 @ 7:03 am
The men's campaign stunk because it was too rough (not "smooth as silk")--the quality of the video looked like something my 12 year old could throw together, and unfocused, and too ungrammatical--unprofessional. Any high school marketing team could do better.
The women's campaign had that high school marketing team flavor. Very dramatic in the beginning which is the effect they were looking for. However tacky that seemed, it only accentuated the men's general suckitude and confusion. I mean, really, who talks about water more than the actual product?
Marshawn's style really did command more of a familiarity with the team members talent and reliability than she actually had. I think if she had left the print ladies to go and check in on the video, she would have shored up more confidence in her team. It is clear where the alliances are being drawn. I think Alla and (beauty queen girl) both voted for immunity/exemption out of political reasons. They were all badmouthing Marshawn along with Kristi, there is really no love there. She seemed to rely too much on Alla, who later, will end up cutting her off at the knees.
On the other hand, I just don't get the level of love present with the guys-- after all didn't they just meet? It is a little disturbing. Marcus has turned himself into "opposite guy". Every time he has an idea, they do the opposite because he has lost all credibility by screwing the team. Unfortunately, sometimes they need to just step back and consider his comments in a vacum. The green envy poster was really bad. But these guys were so interested in pumping each other up so much that they overlooked the fact that the poster is the game not the pep rally.
Poor Maniac Marginalized Marcus-- I couldn't understand why they (Trump and Vice Roys) didn't actually praise Chris for taking him out of the decision process early on when he proved to totally disregard the team's leadership. I also couldn't understand why Chris didn't percieve the issue was the reasons for the task being lost, not the team being irritated and slowed. They kept reminding him "poor creativity, poor decisions on graphics and grammer, etc. He should have taken Mark in to the boardroom with Marcus. I love how no one applauded when Marcus entered the suite at the end. Chris will feel better knowing Mark will never forget what they had....
Last thoughts: I didn't think that the rewards could get worse than last week. I was wrong. Kristi didn't bother me, I love Southern accents.
JTMacc99
Sep 30, 2005 @ 7:05 am
I call total sexism on the reward. I'm sorry, but playing hockey with the Islanders? There are professional hockey players who would be bored shitless by the prospect. [/quote]
Hee! Although with the strike and everything, I'm surprised they could even find any hockey players.
Isn't every reward "the worst reward ever"? Either way, we both had a comment about the reward this week, which is unusual since we usually take a moment to discuss the potential firing during the reward segment.
I pointed out that despite the fact that it would give me a chance to skate around and have a good time, I would probably be the first person ever to refuse to go on an award trip. I would have cracked myself up saying, The Islanders? Pfft! Potvin sucks!
Mrs. Macc, on the other hand, chimed in when the one Islander was helping the injured girl, "Heyyyy now, are you married?"
quaintirene
Sep 30, 2005 @ 7:18 am
Well the reward told me that it wasn't only the guys' team that thought they were going to win. As soon as I heard that 'play hockey with the New York Islanders' I knew that Burnett and whoever devised this one just kind of assumed the men would win. Because they are men and women just don't know cars. Guess what? Lots of women drive sports cars, even big honking (i)talian sports cars. I was really pissed off about this reward and will only stop being pissed off if the guys win some kind of girly challenge and have to spend their time trying out beauty products at an opened-at-midnight-just-for-them Bobbi Brown store or something.
auntiemame
Sep 30, 2005 @ 7:18 am
Mrs. Macc, on the other hand, chimed in when the one Islander was helping the injured girl, "Heyyyy now, are you married?"[/quote]
Heh. I hadn't thought of the sexual tension prospects. Maybe that was Trump's reason for the reward? Trump was thinking, "the men can play with the Islanders...and the girls can marry them and cook for them and make them babies and keep house."
Do George and Carolyn seem a little freer with the smack-down than in earlier seasons? Seems that way to me. And I love them for it.[/quote]
Hell yeeeaaah. I would nominate George and Carolyn as co-presidents of Take-No-Shit this season. And see, that's the evil of this show. By making the Apprenti look like total tools, we sympathize with the power structure and consider it wise, measured and even heroic, while despising (most of the) workers. It's like capitalist Stockholm Syndrome.
LadyKenobi
Sep 30, 2005 @ 7:28 am
See, I wouldn't have minded the reward so much. I didn't think it was sexist-- in fact, just the opposite. What, only boys are supposed to enjoy hockey? If it's a Day With Hef At the Mansion, then yeah, you've got a point. But no matter who you are, it's pretty cool to see your group name up on the big screen with a pro team. Even if you don't know anything about it, it's still fun to learn under those circumstances. How many people can say they got a hockey lesson with an NHL team?
(And some of those Islanders were
foine. I loved the part where they showed one of the women holding on to a hockey stick that one of the players was carrying parallel to the ice to help her skate. Siiiiiigggggggghhhhhh!)
And... word to the poster who mentioned that whoever got hurt hadn't laced her skates correctly. I busted out laughing when she interviewed that she was "skating around" when she fell right after the clip that indicated she was standing perfectly still when she hit the ice. Still, that would suck and I hope she's okay.
Also:
The Omarosa story was funny, but somewhat politically incorrect.[/quote]
Why? You're not supposed to rip on a lying famewhore just because she happens to be a minority? IMHO, this is the fulfillment of the civil rights movement: Judging people on the content of their character, not the color of their skin.
Cheynem
Sep 30, 2005 @ 7:30 am
Markus reminds me of Sam from S1. If you'll recall, the guys eliminated Sam by giving him rope to hang himself--they let him lead with his wackety-wack and he crashed and burned. To a lesser extent, the women in the first episode did the same thing with Melissa--they let her talk and hang herself. If the girls really don't care for Markus, they have to give less of the impression that they're just targeting him and he's their patsy.
Masem
Sep 30, 2005 @ 7:34 am
I agree with the firing of Chris as everyone else pointed out - once Trumpy pointed out Mark as being a source of major errors in the print campaign and said that Markus wasn't a good choice, Chris could have saved himself by at least bringing Mark along. Markus was a doofus, but did nothing to really harm the task and as people pointed out, if you marginalize someone as early as you did in the task, you can't blame them for the loss. (On the other hand, if Markus was left on a key part and found out in the 11th hour that there was a problem, marginalized out to fix it in a rush, then there's a fair firing - I'm thinking along the lines of the first season Sam here)
And while snide, I think George is absolutely correct that the guys lost the task at the terrace as soon as they heard the task. I'm not saying any of the woman would have had interest in cars, but in such an elite product like this, having no knowledge and thus going in with few assumptions can work much better than going in with too many assumptions.
And while the woman's ad parts had weird shots (sorry, I'm not really into engines, what does the hood shot tell me?), the overall combination of the shots and slogans was an awesome job. It may not be the end Pontiac thing from last season, but a bit more spit and polish and I can see that as a starting point.
On the other hand, maybe last season wasn't that long ago, as the Green with Envy ad made me think of cucumbers and Dove Body Soap.
Also, I think they need to rethink the definition of "reward". I'd certainly not like going out and playing hockey as just skating itself can be a tiring event - add in trying to learn something new and a potential for ankle spraining, and this "reward" is definitely not one I'd want. Front row or skybox seats to a hockey game, on the other hand, would have been much much better. Heck, I'd think I'd rather have the rewards from Survivor than some of the rewards from TA at this point.
BibiBella
Sep 30, 2005 @ 7:38 am
Kristi didn't bother me, I love Southern accents. [/quote]
It's not her Southern accent that bugs (I'm from the South originally so I'm used to it), it's the fact that she sounds about five years old and has a higher-pitched voice (like a child). Put that together with a real twangy voice and her "I'm-a serious-person-damnit!" attitude and you have major, major irritation.
ellisbell
Sep 30, 2005 @ 7:47 am
I thought it was a perfectly sensible reward. In the USA, it's quite possible that more women have experience with skating than men, since not all that many men or women play ice hockey but at least some women have had figure skating lessons.
The Islanders (and probably all the other hockey teams) are no doubt trying to do as many public relations things as they can, to make up for the missing season.
Finally, and most importantly, a reward like that, especially this early in the season, is meant to develop team loyalty. It gives the winners a shared experience (and apparently a broken ankle). A couple of seasons ago, when the men kept winning at the beginning, I felt the women suffered because they lacked the shared good time bonding experiences the rewards provide.
And yes, I'd still prefer to have diamonds. Oh Andy....
beezer
Sep 30, 2005 @ 7:51 am
Girls do like hockey too, though no one likes the Islanders. Best marketing campaign of the show - making the Nassau Masoleum look ... well, like the seats aren't duct-taped together and the locker rooms don't actually have plastic buckets around to catch the leaks. Good job editing team!
And was that Clark Gillies? I know it was summer, and it's the Isles but ... the dude's been retired like 20 years. That was hilariously sad.
Markus is a loon, but I agree with the firing. Chris flat-out said he took responsibility for all Mark's mistakes, and wouldn't bring him in when basically told to so... buh bye. I too knew they lost the second they were all, 'oh, we won, we're male! ... I guarantee..."
Love Carolyn and George - he was hilarious and right-on, she was right-on, cutting and the straight hair looks cool.
quaintirene
Sep 30, 2005 @ 7:52 am
And... word to the poster who mentioned that whoever got hurt hadn't laced her skates correctly.[/quote]
But not everyone knows how to lace on skates. I certainly don't. Wasn't there someone back in the dressing room that could help them? Tickets to some sports event would have been better. Steinbrunner's box at Yankee Stadium would have been a great reward. (And watching the Yankees lose would have been an even better one!) This reward was an accident waiting to happen IMO.
Baby Fish Mouth
Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:03 am
Skating around with a bunch of hockey players is not my idea of a good time, but some of those players were hella good-looking. So I probably wouldn't have minded falling on my ass a few times if they were helping me up.
Markus is a dope. Has Trump ever been that direct about putting someone on his shit list? You could tell Trump hated firing Chris because Chris is exactly his type of personality. He couldn't even stand to look at him as he left the boardroom because he was so disgusted with Chris' stupidity.
The women's ad campaign was pretty mediocre. What was up with them facing each other and then saying those stupid words as they turned towards the front? Not good. But the men were so overconfident and pompous about it that it was nice to see them lose.
Carolyn looked gorgeous last night. Love her.
Clairwil
Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:18 am
Markus is just awful, but he can stay because he sure can bring the funny. "Smooth as Silk"?! I didn't know Lamborghini was into the cognac and cigars business. And the one-word slapdown was priceless. The dude is a Pomeranian on 'ludes.
Chris is box o' rocks dumb. First of all, he went into the boardroom convinced he could pull a Kristi. What he didn't realize is that last week the women lost the task by ONE SALE, and Melissa's freakshow could well have cost them that sale, as Alla, I think, pointed out. Plus, Kristi was directly responsible for the one issue that was brought up in the boardroom - the ads - so there wasn't anyone else obviously responsible, like Mark was.
This week, the men's team got smoked. It wasn't even close, and the weird, deliberate grammatical errors and bad ideas cost them. Chris was so sure Trump was going to fire Markus that he didn't even bother to bring up the two times Markus broke ranks, so to speak (the Silky Moment and the Presentation Moment). If Chris had been smart enough to bring in Mark and then play the loyalty card to dump on Markus, he might have been able to twist things around, but his assumption that Trump wanted to get rid of Markus was on par with his assumption that Girls Don't Know Cars.
Boy is dumb.
ChiaSatan
Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:26 am
Did anyone else think that the women's team looked like the world's oldest pom squad when they walked in with those big placards and started shouting their parts? I was so embarrassed for them.
MrsBart
Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:31 am
Thank you Atlantis (Page 10) for pointing out what drove me crazy about the men's advertising campaign. Project manager Chris said he didn't use cliche's. Every one of the print ads was cliche! Did he even look at the print ads? He deserved to go simply for that!
lttldebr
Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:31 am
WinkydinkAlso, if these guys have been "dreaming of Lamborghinis" for so long, they NEVER would have shown one in that bilious green, whatever the slogan! And "italian intimidation"? Well, yeah, if you're driving a FERRARI and your name is Michael Schumacher! (Oh, okay, that was last year! Still!)[/quote]
Michael Schumacher Rules!! Being the conspiracy theorist I am, the stupid one set of tires per race rule was totaly established to stop Ferrari from being unbeatable. (unfortunately is seems to have worked.)
On topic: Can someone please whop Kristi up side the head and tell her to shut up! Has she already forgotten that Trump thought she did poorly as PM for the last task? Loved that she was the only one who didn't think Marshawn deserved to be exempt next week.
I kind of like Marcus in that I'm a complete misfit and in over my head kind of a way.
And James? Yummy!
tres francaise
Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:34 am
Are the women talking amongst themselves before they dress or have they brought in a stylist? I'd sure miss some of the those fashion DON"Ts from seasons part. [/quote]
Word! Where is Tana when you need her?
Am still trying to decide whether the Ovaries voted for the PM exemption this week because they thought Marshawn deserved it, or for strategic reasons. Kristi might have felt justified in not supporting the decision, but you gotta figure that going against the team will come back to bite you sooner or later. With all the screen time she's getting these first two weeks, I figure she's not-long-for-this-show, for sure....but won't it be dull when both she & Markus the Mouth are gone?
BassetHound
Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:36 am
Rebirth of Italian intimidation? (Ooops, I’m sorry—italian Intimidation. What was I thinking?) What, is the Lamborghini supposed to be a Fascist? [/quote]I was thinking more of a Mobster/DeNiro type. The slogan could be "You lookin' at me? You lookin' at me? Who the fuck do you think you're lookin' at?" or "Lamborghini: Making you an offer you can't refuse."
nubbs
Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:39 am
Lamborghini Guy looked like a major asshole, like the living corporate embodiment of Dieter from Shprockets....the whole time I was looking at him, I was picturing Mike Myers doing a skit of his mannerisms, especially the pinched Germanic bitchface.[/quote]
Interesting to see if he still has his job. They are going through another round of reorganization and many heads will roll. It would be kind of funny if he ended up out on his ass, skidding.
Mussolini?[/quote]
That cracked me up. They should have photoshopped a picture of him into the drivers seat.
Omarosa got conked on the head only a year ago? [/quote]
It was more than a year ago, but Heidi caught up to her sometime later in a diner and gave her another one for good measure.
Back to the show. The boardroom made me laugh. First, Trumps handslap on the table somehow struck me as very funny. And I don't know how sincere Trump was being with his closing comments. I mean it sort of came out 'I think you are going to be a great success now get out.' A pause in between would have made it sound more convincing. Reminded me of the infamous 'We wish him great success in his future endeavours'.
the world's oldest pom squad[/quote]
B-A-N-A-N-A-S
And that rowing analogy in the car? Dude, you just aren't that funny, and it's not hard to see how you would tank on a creative task.
SmedIndy
Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:39 am
I know plenty of women who would have done ANYTHING to skate with some professional hockey players - so the reward was just fine.
pastoralia
Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:56 am
Randall please- if my brother who works in a meat-packing plant can afford a nose job you can too. That thing is just distracting.
oosil
Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:58 am
The men's video ad was almost as bad as the 'face-wash foot race' last year. And even though I didn't like the women standing with placards & shouting out adjectives, Chris dum-de-dumming in front of the execs was painfully wrong.
I agree with Trumpie with his firing, and that has happened twice now! How odd. He even cracked me up with the table-slap before firing Chris, and telling Markus (doofus robustus)that he's a 'disaster' and 'won't last long'.
Hockey? Not so much a reward to me. I think the women just took what they could get, since that was the only offer. If it were me, I'd be all 'what? no dining on diamonds at Hermes?'
RhondaGC
Sep 30, 2005 @ 9:08 am
As soon as…well, one of the non-descript meatheads blathered that the men would totally win because their penises granted them the special power to understand the intricacies of marketing a luxury vehicle, I knew they’d lose. After the second All Praise the Penis dumbfessional, I was like, “Dude. I’ve watched TV before—what, do y’all think I’m new??” [/quote]
Well, exactly, CaptainSnarky. Burnett obviously doesn't know the word "subtle." Seriously. I keep thinking that some week he's gonna pull the switcheroo on us and make us think a team is going to win that doesn't. But apparently that would take too much work or something.
It's obvious that Trump and the Viceroys are going out of their way to make sure they finger the actual person responsible for the team loss, and avoid any potential witch hunts this season. Maybe the Stacie J incident taught them something.
And I love how Trump is letting the Viceroys do more of the attacking this season. They've always been better at pinpointing exactly what the problem was than Trump anyway. And it's hilarious to see Trump sit back and watch his attack dogs work and then just look at the candidate like, "Yeah, what she said!" Heh.
blackwing
Sep 30, 2005 @ 9:10 am
See, I wouldn't have minded the reward so much. I didn't think it was sexist-- in fact, just the opposite. What, only boys are supposed to enjoy hockey? If it's a Day With Hef At the Mansion, then yeah, you've got a point. But no matter who you are, it's pretty cool to see your group name up on the big screen with a pro team. Even if you don't know anything about it, it's still fun to learn under those circumstances. How many people can say they got a hockey lesson with an NHL team?[/quote]I agree. I don't think it's sexist. It's no more sexist than sending the winning team to a jewelry store. I remember Sandy and Fembot Jen trying on million dollar necklaces and bracelets and whatnot. They had a great time. What are the guys supposed to do? Especially someone who was single like Andy. Sure, he ends up with a nice piece of bling for his mama, but I don't think it was an especially enjoyable experience for him. The women on that team definitely got a lot more out of that reward than the men did.
Same with the hockey reward. Women can be hockey fans too. And at least one of them skated extremely well and scored a goal on a professional hockey player. It was a great shot to the upper corner of the net. I was impressed. Now she gets to tell everyone for the rest of her life that she got to skate with a professional hockey team and scored a goal against them. For some of them, like sprained ankle girl, it sucked, but at least one of them has an everlasting memory.
Rewards are what you make of them. Every reward has been something that the ordinary joe wouldn't be able to do. Personally, I think the worst rewards have been of the "you get to talk with Michael Bloomberg" variety. Some might dig it, but I'd rather do something fun and unusual.
Culturemaven
Sep 30, 2005 @ 9:15 am
And see, that's the evil of this show. By making the Apprenti look like total tools, we sympathize with the power structure and consider it wise, measured and even heroic, while despising (most of the) workers. It's like capitalist Stockholm Syndrome.[/quote]
auntiemame, you are SO right. I keep having to repeat to myself, "Short fingered vulgarian, short fingered vulgarian," every time I see Trump because...he's evil. What is up with figures from the 80s rehabilitating their images?
Sorry, that was a little OT, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
So, on topic, I have to say that I find the tasks really rushed, and I can't get a sense of anyone's personality. And all the men look the same. I can't differentiate any of them. Maybe just not enough time in the loft? Have we even seen the loft yet? I don't even remember them walking into it and being overwhelmed by the "classy" decor in a Trump property (i.e. like a gold mine threw up all over it.)
Clairwil
Sep 30, 2005 @ 9:19 am
Michael Schumacher Rules!! Being the conspiracy theorist I am, the stupid one set of tires per race rule was totaly established to stop Ferrari from being unbeatable. (unfortunately is seems to have worked.)
[/quote]
Heh. Being a McLaren/Montoya fan, I'm laughing at the fact that FIA/Bernie changed the rules to help Ferrari to a championship, and now they're having to reverse it, the plan having worked a little too well! (Nice to see another F1 fan around - rare in the U.S.)
Ahem. On topic:
The previews of next episode promise much hilarity. I'm already laughing at the thought of Markus trying to teach someone how to use gadgets. See! Senior citizens' heads explode! And why is one of the women doing pushups for strange old guys?
Was expecting Mirna from AR to glide out onto that hockey rink.
Wallyhorse
Sep 30, 2005 @ 9:36 am
Same with the hockey reward. Women can be hockey fans too. And at least one of them skated extremely well and scored a goal on a professional hockey player. It was a great shot to the upper corner of the net. I was impressed. Now she gets to tell everyone for the rest of her life that she got to skate with a professional hockey team and scored a goal against them. For some of them, like sprained ankle girl, it sucked, but at least one of them has an everlasting memory[/quote]
Actually, those were not the current Islanders.
I was surprised that was a reward, given when that was filmed in April, the NHL was still in a lockout situation that wound up cancelling all of last season. Those were the legends of years past I believe.
Paradise
Sep 30, 2005 @ 9:47 am
Chris got fired because of his arrogence. I agree with Trump that he had a lot of potential, but in the end, his arrogence of thinking he wouldn't be fired over Markus AND the need to be right, did him in. Good call Donald! As much as I wouldn't want Markus working for me, I wouldn't want an arrogent SOB like Chris working for me either.
clairedawn
Sep 30, 2005 @ 9:50 am
I liked Chris and didn't want him to be gone. But he brought it on himself by not seeing that Donald clearly didn't want to fire him and wanted Chris to give him someone else he could fire. And since Marcus wasn't the one responsible for the creation of such a dumb campaign, it wasn't going to be him. Dumb Chris.
He really didn't give Trump much of a choice. The only thing that bugged me a little is that Trump once again was not consistent. When Tammy in season one went against her teammates and said "we were duped" after Katrina insisted she wasn't duped by Troy in the apartment renovation task, Trump fired Tammy for her lack of loyalty. Even though Katrina didn't negotiate the apartment price when that was her area of expertise and left it to Bill who didn't get enough, etc, etc, Trump jumped on Tammy for her lack of loyalty and fired her.
And that was just in the boardroom. Marcus did it in front of the client. before the teams even knew who won he started screaming about how he disagreed with it. Yes, Donald acknowledged that and said it was okay though b/c Marcus was right. Well doesn't that miss the point? It was totally unprofessional and he might have been right, but it should have been saved for the board room.
If Chris didn't piss off Donald by ignoring his prompts to bring in Mark, Donald may have just gone after Marcus. But Chris ignoring his cues was the bigger issue and that sealed his fate. Too bad....I think Chris was the best eye candy on the team. Just like Todd in season 2...what's with losing the cute boys early!! not the most competent, but nice to look at! :=)
kimron
Sep 30, 2005 @ 9:58 am
As you all have noted Chris deserved to go due to his stupidity and lack of creativity. The "green with envy" thing was not a good idea to begin with and the mens teams' execution of a bad idea made it unintelligible.
If that was the tag line they were sticking to, why not show the car (in ANY other color BUT green) with the text "Your car." below it. Then, under that have a picture of several people tinted green with the caption, "Your neighbors." "Make 'em green with envy. Lamborghini."
Still stupid and cliche, but at least there's no need to explain in a 10 minute disertation what the hell you're trying to convey to your audience. So much for Chris' advertising experience...didn't he ever hear of Marshall McCluan?? "The medium is the message." Advertising 101, look it up at your local community college, Chris.
Hickory
Sep 30, 2005 @ 10:08 am
CRFTony:
I'm remembering why I dislike The Apprentice so much. It doesn't matter if you're a better candidate and one of your teammates is a total trainwreck, if you're the PM and you lose, you're still going home. This show isn't about finding the best Apprentice, it's about finding the most mediocre.[/quote]
I totally agree. That is why this show pissed me off so much last night. Chris is (whoops, was) a solid candidate and seemed like a nice guy. Markus is a douchebag who's going to get fired soon, by Trump's own admission. It is completely illogical that he would keep said douchebag over a guy whom he claimed to hate to fire. What the hell!?! Markus didn't ADD anything except to voice an opinion - to which he did not offer an alternative suggestion ("smooth as silk" doesn't count. Please.). Although, Chris really should have had someone else do the presentation. WTF was he rambling about? When I think "water," I do not think "car."
This show pisses me off. DT is illogical and Carolyn and George were completely against giving Chris the chance to explain himself. ARGH! Why even bother with the boardroom then? Just can him if you're not going to listen to him. lostcawz said it well: "My problem is George's questioning of Chris about marginilizing Markus. Previously they've bitched that PMs didn't marginilize bad players, now he's raking Chris over the coals about doing just that. The hell?"
Both ads sucked and they all should have lost. Hmph.
Anyway, back to CRFTony's quote above: exactly. It is clearly NOT about finding the best apprentice. There's no way Markus would ever beat Chris at that game/"job interview".
And since when do they harp on one mistake rather than the big overall picture? That is just stupid.
I was glad Chris went against DT and brought in Markus. F Trump. No, he won't win now but at least he's not Trump's robot.
I didn't think Mark deserved to be fired over the wording/punctuation. At least he was doing something!!! Besides whitening his fangs.
I don't like how Markus blames his unpopularity on their frat boy-ness. No, Markus, they don't like you because you're a douche. On the other hand, he's breaking my heart; I feel so sorry for him. So clueless.
Women's ad - using the non-word "ego-driven" to explain a car? WTF? I'm going to spend billions on a car so everyone will think I have a big ego? What? I don't get it. It seemed like an insult, more than a marketing ploy.
[Use the quote tags, please. They're there for a reason.]
Rainmaker
Sep 30, 2005 @ 10:15 am
Actually, those were not the current Islanders.
I was surprised that was a reward, given when that was filmed in April, the NHL was still in a lockout situation that wound up cancelling all of last season. Those were the legends of years past I believe. [/quote]
While I am not a huge hockey fan, one of those guys looked mighty young to be a legend of years past. I think it was the guy that helped Rebecca after she fell. If I still had it on Tivo, I'd rewatch and get his name. I would imagine that he is at least a current hockey player somewhere. Not that anyone cares about hockey anymore!
Jennifer M. scored a mighty impressive goal. Doesn't surprise me that she can skate. Pageant girls always seem to have many talents.
Lisetta
Sep 30, 2005 @ 10:24 am
Although, Chris really should have had someone else do the presentation. WTF was he rambling about? When I think "water," I do not think "car."[/quote]
The ad campaign was not good, and the presentation was horrible. He babbled, and was obviously pitching an idea in a way that wasn't suited to his audience. (Not capitalizing "I" was taken as an insult. And why do Americans want to buy something that is "Italian Intimidation"?..."Intimidation?"....What?...)
I think Chris could have convinced Trump that Markus was disruptive if he'd shared the story of Markus' end run at the first meeting--and the obvious contempt the Lamborghini exec had for his idea.
He should have bluntly shot down Trump's idea that "Markus was right". i.e. He should have pointed out that just because you're always negative about your team--and their project really wasn't great--doesn't mean you've actually brought anything other than your usual negativity to the task. Markus' one "idea" stunk and he didn't take the (good) advice of his manager to keep it to himself.
For his lousy ad, lousy presentation--and, especially, for his ineptness as a manager in not explaining very well why Markus was detrimental to the team, over and over--I felt Chris deserved the firing.
oosil
Sep 30, 2005 @ 10:25 am
shout out to
auntiemame (shout!). And this?
And I didn't really need to see Rebecca's corn-addled, grody feet.[/quote]
cracked my shite up. Totally agree; what is it with women that have really dreadful feet? How hard is it to keep them lotioned & filed, etc.? Check out Teri Hatcher's alien toes sometime. (shiver)
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