TWoP Forums > 4-2: "There's No 'I' In Team" 2005.9.29

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TWoP Forums > Current TWoP Shows > The Apprentice > The Apprentice General Gabbery

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TheLady2

Sep 30, 2005 @ 2:19 pm

When the woman filed into the room for the presentation, I thought they were going to whip out guns and start shooting. Personally, I liked the men's video and thought the women's video was choppy and umimpressive.
I felt it was disrepectful taping Randall's grandmother's funeral. Also, it crossed the lines of decency and good taste in showing her casket. What was, at first, a nice gesture in providing the helicopter, turned into something exploitive to capitalize on.

oosil

Sep 30, 2005 @ 2:30 pm

they got the little horsie in their insignia[/quote]

actually, if you're still speaking of Lamborghini, they use a bull for their insignia. Ferrari uses a 'horsie'.

Rowsdower

Sep 30, 2005 @ 2:35 pm

I don't understand next week's task. Is the X-Box going after the previously untapped geezer market or what?[/quote]

They are going to try and sell a console on which you can play World War II video games to people who were actually in World War II.

Dumbpants

Sep 30, 2005 @ 2:39 pm

I felt it was disrepectful taping Randall's grandmother's funeral. Also, it crossed the lines of decency and good taste in showing her casket. What was, at first, a nice gesture in providing the helicopter, turned into something exploitive to capitalize on.[/quote]

ITA!!!! I was HORRIFIED when they showed footage of the people filing into the church, and then at the freaking graveyard! Okay, Donald. You won us over by giving him the chopper to use... we got it. I fully believed that Randal was going to a funeral. You didn't have to show me the footage to prove it. At this rate, I'm surprised that there wasn't a 'Trump' sticker on the casket.

tiggeril

Sep 30, 2005 @ 2:55 pm

actually, if you're still speaking of Lamborghini, they use a bull for their insignia.[/quote]
Oh, man. Now THAT would have made for some quality entertainment!

polka dots

Sep 30, 2005 @ 2:59 pm

actually, if you're still speaking of Lamborghini, they use a bull for their insignia.[/quote]
Oh, man. Now THAT would have made for some quality entertainment! [/quote]

Heh. Could you imagine Markus trying to direct the bull with traffic? And, somehow, this is now reminding me of the scene in Dodgeball where Ben Stiller explains the weird painting of him grabbing the bull by the horns by saying that "It's a metaphor. But I actually did that."

skeevo666

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:02 pm

They are going to try and sell a console on which you can play World War II video games to people who were actually in World War II. [/quote]

What they wouldn't have given for a "Reset" button back then . . .

RichK

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:06 pm

actually, if you're still speaking of Lamborghini, they use a bull for their insignia. Ferrari uses a 'horsie'. [/quote]

Oops. The insignia actually looks like a bull inspecting his own droppings.

I don't know if it's really a good idea to rent a bull for some video shots, although it could make some seriously funny TV if he gets pissed off and takes out half the team.

Incidentally, if you go to the Lamborghini site, you can see the real Gallardo commercial. It sucks. "These are some abusive words about Lamborghini you didn't know...Cute...Decent...Cozy..." et cetera interspersed with still shots of the car. The slogan is "Definitely Different". They need all the help they can get, I think.

BassetHound

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:08 pm

That's great if you only want to sell Lamborghinis to men. Ugh. [/quote]Honestly, I bet the Lamborghini market is 90% plus men. Very rich men. A Lamborghini is a toy for very wealthy men. It's not a car you buy for everyday driving, or whatever. Honestly, most women are too smart to spend $150-250,000 on a car that they will only occasionally drive.

shopgirl406

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:15 pm

Chris never, never should have brought in just Markus. All the viewing world sees this. I thought both teams could have done tons better with all the smart, successful professionals they have on their teams. How about - Forget the Smiths and Jonses.

tiffgriff16

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:18 pm

RichK, in response to this:

Also, I don't think the "permission" thing quite worked. Your target market is either young mega-rich spoiled trust fund kiddies or established seriously successful showoffs, neither of which would think they needed permission to do anything, much less spend money. The more mysterious and exclusive you make it, the better. [/quote]

This is exactly why I think the "permission" line worked and saved their entire presentation. They asked the question "do you need permission?" and of course the obvious answer from the target audience as you stated is "NO". Then they ended with "Prove It." I thought that it really worked as a message and provoked an emotional response, although YMMV. Someone stated in an earlier post that this type of ad should challenge the consumer to buy it and I think that's exactly what the women did. As Linda Kaplan said at the presentation, men say it, women feel it.

However, I thought their little cheer squad approach in the beginning was ridiculous!

Sallins

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:29 pm

I am so happy the women won this task, mostly since the guys were all confident that they were going to win as soon as the task was announced. The men had a great idea for the commerical, but the rest of their ads were just plain boring. I could tell that the Lamborguini people tuned out of the men's presentation pretty fast. The man just looked plain bored.

Markus is really staring to bother me, he just needs to learn to shut up.

PittsburghDiva

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:37 pm

Honestly, I bet the Lamborghini market is 90% plus men. Very rich men. [/quote]

...with little tiny penises.

Hoola

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:40 pm

Melissa showed demonstrable negative effects on the results, and was stupid in the boardroom. Chris showed demonstrable negative effects on the results, and was stupid in the boardroom. Seems consistent to me. Markus wasn't stupid in the boardroom and his dragging the team down was not demonstrated by Chris or Mark. Also, Kristi really had no one else to blame besides herself and Melissa. Chris had Mark.

I think Trump takes it into consideration when it's a blow-out, this week, or a fairly close match, last week. He doesn't like it when people whine that it was this close, but I do think he weighs it in his mind.

Rowsdower

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:41 pm

Why do all Apprenti suck at presentations? [/quote]

It seems weird to me that there are people who can give a good enough impression to get cast on this show, yet they blow goats at giving any kind of spiel in front of an audience of more than one. Then again, maybe they cast people BECAUSE they are bumbling fools (a more believable theory).

The only Apprenti I can think of who could speak smoothly in front of a crowd were Amy (S1) and Bren (S3). Because neither were total spaz-jobs.

beezer

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:41 pm

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. [/quote]
That was Bruno Gervais, who plays for the Isles' farm team in the AHL and as such wasn't involved in the labour dispute. The presence of Gillies does imply they had legends as well... or anyone they could drag in who had anything to do with the Isles, which is just so sad. And also says even Rangers rookies and Rod Gilbert had better things to do, because you know Trump would hear about a hockey reward and assume it was NYR, given that he's in NYC and all.

I forgot to mention earlier how much Alla rules. Picking up on that slogan and knowing the difference between the idea of deserving it and what she went with, not to mention everything else she does, er, on this show? She rocks.

Forsquills - You don't really want to skate with Brodeur, right? There's skeevy and then there's Marty. :)

PittsburghDiva

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:44 pm

Honestly I am suprised the men's team didn't come up with something like a picture of a Lamborghini filled with a bunch of cats with the slogan, "Buy a Lamborghini, get more pussy."

clafount

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:47 pm

Honestly, I bet the Lamborghini market is 90% plus men. Very rich men. A Lamborghini is a toy for very wealthy men. It's not a car you buy for everyday driving, or whatever. Honestly, most women are too smart to spend $150-250,000 on a car that they will only occasionally drive. [/quote]

HEHEHE

Well, maybe, but still. Even if your demographic is 99% men, your advertising could be a little more subtle than what was being talked about. The women's ad was a good example of appealing to perhaps "masculine" ideals but in a nonsexist way. If I were an egotistical uber rich gal who wanted to blow some cash on a sports car, that commercial could still speak to me. I just don't like it when advertising deliberately alienates half of the people viewing it (as I believe the original minivan commercial would.)

I think Trump takes it into consideration when it's a blow-out, this week, or a fairly close match, last week. He doesn't like it when people whine that it was this close, but I do think he weighs it in his mind. [/quote]

He also seems to hate it when people defend a really bad idea in the boardroom. Apprentii do this every season, and it always baffles me. They *know* their idea was crap, (because they lost, and the why of it was pointed out quite blatantly again and again) but instead of owning up to the lack of creativity and the bad decisions on their part, Chris and Mark stood by their work and blamed everything on Marcus. That bugs me too. You know you suck because you lost! Quit defending the crap.

Pity Free

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:48 pm

RE the reward: As a woman who has not been on ice skates since I was 12 (and I wasn't good, even then), it would have been so much better if they had been able to watch a game from really good box seats. Hockey is such a blast to watch and there are always really handsome guys in the seats -- and the average income of hockey season ticket holders is pretty high so there's lots of datable men there too! The they could have met the players after the game. Phooey on having to skate. Let the winners relax after a challenge.

Even if your demographic is 99% men, your advertising could be a little more subtle than what was being talked about. The women's ad was a good example of appealing to perhaps "masculine" ideals but in a nonsexist way.[/quote]So I should nix the whole, "My god, your gigantic penis will barley fit into this car but you should buy it anyway because everyone knows that only someone with an extremely large penis deserves to own such a magnificent car." campaign that I was going to suggest??

txsunshine33

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:49 pm

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. [/quote]

Hee! I have been distracted by his nose from jumpstart. However, the man has an impressive wardrobe. Goodness, all throughout the episode I felt like he was spot on with one suit after another. Okay, he probably only wore two, but it just looked so good on his tall frame.

It's almost like he got his nose broken or something and that's how it healed. It's rough for sure.

Anyway, I was sick when they had the cameras at the funeral. Totally inappropriate.

I'm holding my breath that Randal actually does something worthy of the positive early edit. Although, I'm sure he'll go down in flames if he survives to the end stages because he's too educated. 'Course in Trump world, a brother can't be too educated because that'll mean he's too unfocused. But, he better bring it as PM because I want to see some of the strong management and business skills represented on this dang show that I know friggin exist in the African American community.

As long as Mershawn doesn't pull a crazy black woman thing later, I don't care how far she goes. I just want a season where my black folks are just stable. I'm okay if they don't win. Just be friggin sane.

And Kristi? Gawd. I'm from the South. But the baby voice with the twangy high pitch accent and the obsessive need to keep running her friggin mouth makes me want to jump through the screen and sock her. You would think that a person who bombed last week and sucked as PM would just bring her own game rather than try to talk about the PM style of another PM. It's not like she was all that.

Chris? Dang fool. Man, he brought the pretty to me. That thick broad shoulders and pumped chest. I like his voice. The chest. Ooops, I said that right. Sigh. I was friggin waiting for a scene with his shirt off. Sigh. But nooooo, he had to be a friggin idiot. Bummer. Idiot.

LegallyRed2

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:51 pm

Markus was smart to keep his mouth shut in the boardroom when things were going his way.

It cracks me up that 95% of all these other "brilliant" business-minded people can't figure this simple manuever out under the same circumstances.

tiggeril

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:59 pm

Time for Brenny-boy to check in!

It was déjà vu in the worst possible way. Watching the men tie their own knot left me helpless and weak…yelling at my television like some crazed loon. It might as well have been Alex, Chris and I from third season doing this task - same mistakes, same outcome.
<snip>

Chris, I remember you stating that it was imperative that your team doesn't think in clichés. I hate to tell you buddy…but you failed to heed your own advice. As George said, y'all lost this task on the terrace of Trump Park Place. You were arrogant in thinking that victory belonged to the men on this task. After all, what could a lady know about a Lamborghini? Apparently, enough to guarantee you front row seats in the boardroom.[/quote]
Did...did one of the former Apprentii actually LEARN something?

That cracking sound? Hell freezing over.

clafount

Sep 30, 2005 @ 3:59 pm

And Kristi? Gawd. I'm from the South. But the baby voice with the twangy high pitch accent and the obsessive need to keep running her friggin mouth makes me want to jump through the screen and sock her. You would think that a person who bombed last week and sucked as PM would just bring her own game rather than try to talk about the PM style of another PM. It's not like she was all that. [/quote]

I must admit, I thought Marshawn (sp?) really sucked as a project manager as well. If the women had lost, she would have been crucified for not being present at the video editing task...those women were left unsupervised for 10 hours? And she never even approved anything? That is sucky sucky project management. That woman got lucky that her team was as competent as it was. It could have easily turned out otherwise.

I wouldn't have voted for an exemption for her either, though I can understand the strategy behind it: basically I think each woman is thinking, "if I don't rock the boat, and don't piss people off and everyone votes a PM an exemption, then when I'm a PM I'll get an exemption too..." The editing was weird in that section though...didn't it seem like only three women had spoken up when Donald said, "Ok, everybody but Kristi wants to give Marshawn an exemption?" I've gotta assume that more women spoke up.

The men's team have taken a different tactic: nobody gets exemption unless they do something incredibly phenomenal to deserve it. I think both strategies are perfectly valid.

canuck31003

Sep 30, 2005 @ 4:13 pm

This episode reminded me of season 3's Pontiac episode--where the men also assumed they would easily beat the women. I would have hoped that candidates from season 4 would have at least familiarized themselves with past episodes and try to learn something.

Black Knight

Sep 30, 2005 @ 4:39 pm

I would have hoped that candidates from season 4 would have at least familiarized themselves with past episodes and try to learn something.[/quote]
I sort of wondered if any of the women had watched last season's Pontiac episode, actually - Kendra's idea of a different word on every page of the brochure was kinda similar to the women's reeling off that list of words in their presentation.

In real life, you can be fired for a variety of reasons, so it really doesn't bother me that Trump has different reasons for firing people on this show. Plus, I agree with the other posters upthread who have already nicely delineated the differences between Melissa's performance and Markus's. Plus, while we've seen enough of Markus to know that he isn't going to win this thing, I'm just not impressed with what I saw of Chris either. Frankly, he reminds me rather of Alex last season, a guy whom Trump kept around far too long because he jumped to an early conclusion that Alex was this "all-star" and stuck stubbornly to that impression task after task. If Chris's firing means that Trump has learned a lesson from the Alex debacle, I'm thrilled.

I was hoping that maybe, just maybe, Trump would respect that Chris stuck to his guns. Doesn't Trump ever get sick of people who forgot how to think for themselves?[/quote]
I'm all for people sticking to their guns and thinking for themselves, but I'd like them to choose appropriate - and by appropriate, I mean smart and justifiable - times for this. Mark screwed up the task and was one of the two reasons the team lost, Chris's crummy presentation being the other reason. At a time like that, I don't consider it smart or justifiable or appropriate to stick to his guns. It clearly showed that Chris refused to see why his team lost, and someone who refuses to see mistakes and learn from them is someone who makes a lousy businessman. We saw from Chris's cab confessional that he still hasn't learned a thing. Meanwhile, I've learned that I would never hire Chris to do an ad campaign for me.

Chris's behavior reminds me of an editorial cartoon I saw with a certain politico in a boat proudly standing up and yelling, "I'm holding the course!" while two other people in the boat nervously noted that they were heading straight for a waterfall and that perhaps it'd be a good idea to turn around. Chris is very locked into groupthink and "it's not a mistake if you don't admit it" ideas.

Fluffy Malone

Sep 30, 2005 @ 4:40 pm

Jennifer M. scored a mighty impressive goal. Doesn't surprise me that she can skate. Pageant girls always seem to have many talents.[/quote]

Is this a foreshadowing?[/quote]

Yes, a foreshadowing that The Islanders will suck this year.

On the differences between last week and this week, it basically boils down to Melissa self-destructing in the boardroom and saving Kristi last week, and then this week Markus, for once, figuring out when to shut up and therefore not self-destructing leaving Chris to be fired.

Really, once Chris picked Markus, and only Markus, his only chance was for Markus to dig himself into a giant hole.

Teague

Sep 30, 2005 @ 4:52 pm

I have to say, my least favorite person on this week's episode? The dick from Lamborghini. What an utter tool.

AlmondEyes

Sep 30, 2005 @ 4:52 pm

If you noticed, there was no cheering at the end when he entered the suite[/quote]
The silence was rather deafening, no? Heh.

I think the gril who sprained her ankle made the standard fatal mistake - didn't lace the skates up tightly. Ice skates are made to be very well secured to your feet - if they aren't, you sprain your ankle very easily. Balancing on that thin blade, you need it to be welded to the bottom of your foot, not wobbling from side to side.
[/quote]
Same concept applies to rollerblading, which I've been doing for years, and I just learned this very simple lesson. My feet would always hurt like hell when I undid my skates, until someone told me that the skates needed to be laced as tightly as possible. After that, there was no stopping me!

Topic: just who was that girl who sprained her ankle? Because I'd never seen her before in my life.

Trump did everything but put up a sign saying 'don't bring Markus into the BR, bring Mark.' Chris? Was way too stupid to realize this situation was different from Kristi's move last week. And obviously too stupid to realize Markus, trainwreck extraordinare though he is, was not the reason the team lost the task. I guess Chris figured since he has a dick and likes Lamborghinis, he couldn't lose. Except . . . he kind of did.

I think they should cross-pollenate the most batshit-crazy Apprenti from each version of the show, switching Jim and Markus for at least one show. Oh, the crazy that would ensue. Sweet, sweet schadenfreude.

Because it can't be said enough: shut. up. Kristi.

peterredtail

Sep 30, 2005 @ 5:00 pm

First building a garden as a reward for the winning team on Martha, then playing ice hockey for a group of very feminine women on the Apprentice??? Is Burnett trying to cut costs? What horrid rewards.

Hmmm sounds like the men were expected to win and there is no reward budget for Martha!

altorose

Sep 30, 2005 @ 5:23 pm

Chris was clearly fired because he failed to bring the right person with him to the final boardroom. I'm speaking of course of Randal. I mean, has ANY Apprentice ever checked out of a task more? I mean, he LEFT before the task was completed! I think it was a real failure on Chris's part to not pin the blame on Randal's shoulders where it belonged. Any candidate who really wanted to win would have sucked it up and stuck out the task, and Randal didn't. He left, and Chris gave up a prime chance to bring that up in the Boardroom, because I think Trump might have been mighty displeased with Randal's actions, had he been made aware of them.

Black Knight

Sep 30, 2005 @ 5:31 pm

altorose, on the off chance you weren't being sarcastic, Trump knew Randal would be missing some of the task. Trump provided the limo and helicopter that took Randal to his grandmother's funeral and back. Trump discussed this with Randal in last week's episode.

goobaletta

Sep 30, 2005 @ 5:36 pm

altorose, yew shore look funny with yer tongue stuck in yer cheek that-a-way.

clafount

Sep 30, 2005 @ 5:36 pm

Even if altorose wasn't being completely sarcastic (which I totally thought)...the argument doesn't hold up. Randall did actually participate in most of the important parts of the task...he only missed the morning preparations for the presentation. His absence didn't cause their loss.

tiggeril

Sep 30, 2005 @ 5:45 pm

[makes a note to self to get sarcasm detector recalibrated]

mbridgii

Sep 30, 2005 @ 5:46 pm

I get it. Hee.

Why do all Apprenti suck at presentations?[/quote]

I think that some of these candidates actually make presentations to clients. Are sparkly presentations with matching outfits and such standard in such a setting? The only two thoughts I have on the Community Theater presentations are that either the candidates' sole exposure to ad campaigns in from TV and movies, or that TPTB make them be more "creative", so that we, the ignorant viewers, don't get bored.

My only exposure to marketing campaigns is episodes of "Bewitched" or "Ned and Stacey" or whatever show about someone who has a "creative" job. There is always wackiness, including costumes, actors, and props. That cheesy intro by Capital Edge could have been found on during any sitcom character pitch. I would think, though, that some of these candidates have actually made presentations in their actual jobs.

Then again, real presentations can be a bit dry. I don't have a "creative" job, but I have to present status and results information. I think I do pretty well, but I don't go beyond the standard PowerPoint slides and, maybe, a handout. No "razzle dazzle". Watching something like that might be considered dull on a reality show. I mean, who wants to see a real small claims courtroom when you can watch Judy act a fool? Perhaps they think those theatrics are impressing us at home.

I'm not a huge fan of the creative tasks, in general, because it must be difficult for non-creative types to come up with revolutionary campaigns in a couple of days. His bio says that Chris is in advertising sales, which is a different department from the creative people.

It would probably bore me to tears, but I would like to see a full-on boardroom, from start to finish, no edits. I want to have access to the full context within which DT made his decision, to see if the candidate's made good cases and got shot down anyway, or if Trump's decisions were really based on something other than his general mood. I wonder if Chris ever had, or took, opportunity to clearly explain why Markus was so bad and/or Mark was less bad.

Quiddler

Sep 30, 2005 @ 6:33 pm

actually, if you're still speaking of Lamborghini, they use a bull for their insignia.[/quote]
Anyone else notice their logo's resemblance to this? Now, that could have worked in the commercial: a Wall Streeter at 5:00, leaving work, blah blahcakes the Lamborghini appears from behind the bull... or is just shown driving past the bull ... I don't know. Just a thought.

I wasn't too bothered by the coverage of Randall's grandmother's funeral. I mean, they didn't go inside the church, they showed only a brief snippet at the cemetery... and who knows: maybe the family thought it was a great way to "honor" the matriarch of the family? I don't know. I have to think that Randall and the grandfather both gave permission for the footage that aired, and I'll reserve further judgement until I hear otherwise from the family. (the only people who actually have a real "stake" in this footage.)

Edited because.

Bassari99

Sep 30, 2005 @ 7:02 pm

I wasn't offended by the footage of Randal's family and friends gathered outside the church and at his grandmother's gravesite. Sure, under normal circustances, funerals are semi-private affairs, but even here, the cameras did not seem all that intrusive. The camera shots for those scenes were very brief and seemed to keep the participants at a respectful distance from the TV viewer. Nor did I find anything inherently disrespectful or shocking about showing a glimpse of a closed casket. Once Randal agreed to continue on with the game, his grandmother's funeral became a part of the storyline. The producers at least had the good grace not to linger on anyone in the thoes of grief or make any other excessive commentary on the funeral or the graveside services.

juiceman

Sep 30, 2005 @ 7:17 pm

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. [/quote]

Being that this was filmed during the NHL lockout, current NHL players were banned from NHL arenas. They couldn't skate, workout, etc in an NHL building. So, the players that were skating with the women were a mix of former players & minor leaguers.

mbridgii

Sep 30, 2005 @ 7:46 pm

Once Randal agreed to continue on with the game, his grandmother's funeral became a part of the storyline.[/quote]
I was willing to accept that on "Real World", but just barely.

Even if I were to accept that the Burnett contract covers going to the grandmother's funeral, I don't see where filming any part of it beyond Randal taking off in the helicopter and/or coming back in the helicopter was necessary. What does the funeral have to do with whether Randal is a worthy executive for the Trump Corporation? He wasn't interacting with clients, or other candidates; he was with his family. I mean sure, the casket was closed. But I imagine the contract doesn't preclude opening the casket if Mark Burnett were so inclined (you know, just to see if Granny was in there - I mean, he's been snookered before).

And I'm not really offended that the cameras were there - I'm not going to stop watching or write NBC or something. I just think it was tacky, unnecessary, and time that could have been spent showing that Marshawn actually did something as PM, to counter Kristi's accusations.

auntiemame

Sep 30, 2005 @ 7:47 pm

MWAH oosil!

That was just so far beyond embarassing, they haven't invented a word for it yet.

It was embarrasstropic. Demeanaclysmic. Humiligeddon.[/quote]

Add me to the list of "Hee"s.

So the most intense stupidosity of the episode, IMO, was when Randal thanked Trump for lending him the helicopter and Trump said, "It was an honor, Randal, it was an honor."

An honor? What? Can Trump not be a total demonic exaggerator and glory hog for even one second and recognize that "you're welcome" will suffice? It was definitely a Purple Monkey Dishwasher moment IMO.

GrinAndBearIt

Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:11 pm

I forgot to mention earlier how much Alla rules. Picking up on that slogan and knowing the difference between the idea of deserving it and what she went with, not to mention everything else she does, er, on this show? She rocks. [/quote]

I agree. I think she's shown herself to be very perceptive, and also a good worker...Does that mean that maybe DT will hire a stripper after all?

ETA: Whooo hooo! I just made "loyal viewer".

Bassari99

Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:29 pm

I just think it was tacky, unnecessary, and time that could have been spent showing that Marshawn actually did something as PM, to counter Kristi's accusations.[/quote]
I think the whole show is tacky and unnecessary, but I watch anyway. Shame on me for indulging guilty pleasures, I guess. I suppose the producers could have edited out the whole storyline involving Randal's grandmother, including the initial phone call from Randal's wife and his stunned reaction to the grim news, if they wanted to indulge absolute discretion, respect and good taste, but we're talking about Mark Burnett.

And I suspect they showed us the most interesting footage where Marshawn was concerned. If we saw more of Marshawn not participating in the editing of the commercial and leaving it all in the hands of Kristi, the beauty pageant woman and Alla because she trusted Alla's leadership and creative instincts, that might have been dull footage. I'm guessing they showed us the best of what they had, including the delicious sniping behind Marshawn's back, which was pretty entertaining and still added to the story. Briefly, we did see Marshawn laboring alone over the layout of the print campaign, but that was pretty dull to watch after a while. And I don't think I needed to see Marshawn, or whoever, choreographing their "cheerleaders in basic black" routine; the execution of the finished product was funny enough.

Miss Quail

Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:33 pm

"Ego-driven!" What? They might as well have said "Asshole!" "Narcissist!" "Self-absorbed!" [/quote]
It seemed like both teams used the same words in their presentation; I remember thinking that "ego-driven", "envy", "power" and some other narcissist-friendly words ("rebirth"?) came up in both campaigns, leading me to believe they got those words from Dieter Lamborghini himself.

I checked the Task Dossier on the Yahoo site to see if those words were listed, but alas, they were not. So it's still just a theory.

Both presentations had their moments of hilarity (the dramatic Obsession-commercial-style women's word chanting; Chris's...everything), but my favorite had to be the men's water/rebirth poster. The upper left corner of the poster was crumbling or seriously messed up somehow. It was a perfect fit to Chris's stream of consciousness ramblings.

ITA to the poster many pages ago who mentioned that this is the perfect pro-capitalist show that makes the workers look stupid. I like George and Carolyn, but it's easy to pick out the problems in other people's work. Just once I'd like to see them do a car ad presentation in matching outfits, just to see what they come up with.

LadyKenobi

Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:37 pm

I wonder if Randall's grandma and Nana are hanging out somewhere playing canasta.

Pageant girls always seem to have many talents.[/quote]

Yeah, boob-duct-taping is a real resume booster.

AdrienneP

Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:38 pm

Fell asleep last night, so finally caught it on CNBC. Not bad, and I totally agree, who DIDN'T know they guys were toast when they high-fived each other on the patio?? Smacked down by women, excellent.

and time that could have been spent showing that Marshawn actually did something as PM, to counter Kristi's accusations.[/quote]
Kristi. Please! In the words of the great Gordon Ramsey, "shut it down!" I'm sick of her voice and her whining already. And Marshawn must have done somethings we definitely didn't see. That presentation was thought out, rehearsed, executed. It was juvenile, but it was something other than just the guys standing around, talking. And she must have done enough for the other girls who were hating on her along with Kristi to change their minds and vote to let her keep her exemption.

Whoever said the print ad and the commercial should match was absolutely right. I did actually like the idea of the car morphing into the newer version, but agree that the execution didn't cut it. At. All. The angle from the street looked cheap. I wouldn't have known that the first car was a vintage Lamborghini, though, and think they should have said something to indicate that. Something like... an overhead voice saying, "A Classic" as the car comes down the street, and then as it morphs into the new car, the voice says, "For the next generation," or "Updated" or something like that.

Didn't have a problem with the cameras at the funeral. They kept their distance and it was less than 2 minutes of screen time. No big deal to me.

And that hockey reward? Someone must have expected the guys to win, that reward sucks for women. I love sports, too, but sorry, that blows.

fictionista

Sep 30, 2005 @ 8:41 pm

(you know, just to see if Granny was in there - I mean, he's been snookered before).
[/quote]

Hee! I just pictured Edward Rooney..."I need you to produce your grandmother's corpse. Just roll her old bones down here!"

But yeah, I wasn't too bothered by it. The cameras did seem fairly far away, and behind some shrubbery.

One thing we didn't see is the ladies deciding Marshwan would be project manager. For some reason, I like to see this with each team. It gives you a sense of who steps up, who falls into the role, and who tries to stay under the radar (ew, cliche!).

DeepInTheHeart

Sep 30, 2005 @ 9:13 pm

Topic: just who was that girl who sprained her ankle? Because I'd never seen her before in my life.[/quote]Rebecca. You would have seen her give a nice cogent indictment of Melissa in last week's boardroom.

I liked George's read on the word "cocky" when he accosted Team Spreadsheet (their name being about as interesting as their ad) for clebrating the moment they learned of the task. It was pure Barrymore (from "It's a Wonderful Life").

Alla continues to score. Jennifer M. won a few points with the "permission slogan." Sorry to see Rebecca hurt, she appeals. Marshawn - don't know what to think, but she now has a PM win. Few of the others on Capital Edge register (Toral, Felisha, Jennifer2) - well, Kristi, but she's doomed.

Interesting that James refused to join the pile-on Markus party in the Boardroom and chose Chris as the one to be fired. Mark is now doomed. Markus - just a matter of time.

I'm okay with the women's presentation -- they drew a reaction, it was organized around a theme -- and was done in a very short period of time. As to the guys - disjointed, confusing, boring, etc.

biblioexile

Sep 30, 2005 @ 9:46 pm

I just think it was tacky, unnecessary, and time that could have been spent showing that Marshawn actually did something as PM, to counter Kristi's accusations.[/quote]

It was only 'necessary' in TV land. This show isn't about an extended business interview. TA is a barely disguised PR campaign for Trump. Burnett was savvy enough to rope in one egomaniac with a dodgy reputation, then expanded to another one. The Donald and La Diva are in this to buff their images.

Most employers provide bereavement leave so Trump making such a production of it struck me as ludicrous. It was nice of Trump to fly Randal to the funeral but the follow up scenes just pounded home the point of what a swell guy Trump is. Gag. It put Randal in a really lousy position. I doubt his family appreciated camera crews hanging around the church and cemetery.

The really classy move would have been for Trump to say he'd fly Randal home for the funeral and wouldn't permit the show to intrude on the family. But Trump is a TV whore and Burnett is his pimp.

Miss Quail

Sep 30, 2005 @ 11:01 pm

I doubt his family appreciated camera crews hanging around the church and cemetery.[/quote]
I had another take on this. I've been to family funerals that seemed to be forgotten as soon as they were over, as if the person never even existed. I might've actually appreciated this lasting proof that my loved one did exist and did get a nice funeral.

I know that says more about my family than about Randal's, and that it's pretty f'ed up, but it was my first thought on seeing the funeral scenes.

2ys4me

Sep 30, 2005 @ 11:25 pm

Finally caught up...the thing about the spreads is that they totally personified the difference between men and women driving, and needing directions: women will stop and ask, get it done. Men would rather spend hours searching than admit defeat.

One last point, although the women did have the drama school thang going on, they put thought in to their presentation and appearance: all black, very crisp, very clean and not distracting from the product. They believed in what they were doing.

The men came in like they were ready for a frat night, dressed every which way and talking way too familiar in a rambling manner.

Many of them were caught looking apprehensively for positive feedback, showing clearly they were not confident of their own campaign.

The way you present yourself, unfortunately, is a major chunk of any presentation and the men totally flunked.

Marcus, Marcus...I finally remember who he reminds me of: a young version of Rebecca de Mornay's strange, estranged and now deceased father, Wally George (yes, I carry such trivia in my head).

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