TWoP Forums > 4-5: "Lost In Space" 2005.10.20

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

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IAmGladys

Oct 21, 2005 @ 1:00 pm

The minute they said "Wyclef Jean", "reward" and "Excel" in the same paragraph, I leapt a coffeetable, three cats, and an electric fan in my haste to reach the MUTE button. Because...holy mother, people. There is no earthly way that combining rap and Chipsters is a good idea. It just isn't, and thus shall it ever remain. Ear-bleedage is nearly a certainty, unless this law is observed.

And judging from what I couldn't avoid hearing of "Rubbleman", played over Jen's walk back to the suite, my worst fears about this reward were soundly confirmed.

I felt a thousand of my own brain-cells dying every time Jen said "Zenthura".

auntiemame

Oct 21, 2005 @ 1:00 pm

I agree with the sentiment that this has become The Marketing Apprentice. We've now had selling a Bally's workout, making a Lambourghini brochure, a Best Buy fair, a Dairy Queen character, and now a Zanthura float. What happened to the meat and potatoes of the Apprentice and the business world?[/quote]

I would agree with this if there were anything more to the Trumpanies than marketing. To paraphrase Jacob, Trump will market all up in your grill until you cry for mercy, but there is no mercy in him. Only bankruptcy and marketing. Substantial bankruptcy and marketing experience. This is a man whose whole personal and professional life has been a steady and consistent victory of appearance over substance, and the fact that he has persisted this long on a fairy-tale mythology built around bad hair and an opaque and unsuccessful shell company is a testament to the Devil's work on this earth.

Still doing a little happy dance that Kristi was fired and her thuggish ways clearly revealed. BWAH to the poster who pointed out that she had to spend the rest of her time in the losers' suite with Toral and Melissa.

fposte

Oct 21, 2005 @ 1:22 pm

For the record, Chris Van Allsburg is actually no hack but an accomplished author of quite a few picturebooks. Even as a book, Zathura was one of his lamer efforts, but I imagine that the distinct possibility of a second movie-rights sale had something to do with it. I always figured the title is a deliberate echo of Zarathustra and thus an evocation of 2001: A Space Odyssey, though, ultimately, I doubt that eight-year-olds really care.

I thought Favreau was actually quite kind and funny with the teams, and I was impressed with his gracious response, explaining he'd had trouble with the name himself, to Brian's initial mispronunciation. And I think Brian is the long-lost son of Mike from "The Young Ones."

I don't think either Kristi or Jen were long for this world, so I didn't get too worked up about who left this time. I wonder who Jen has been managing--fuzzy puppies? Shy old ladies? She's got the manner of a first-grade teacher, whose students like her because she's so pretty, and that comes out even when she's praising people (her "helpers"--surprised she didn't call them "float monitors") or rebuking them ("bossy" is what you call the seven-year-old who's telling everybody how to play with their dolls, not what you call the employee whose refusal to let the task continue without her constant negative input is destructive). I think it's clear she took Rebecca, Randal, and Marshawn with her on the red-carpet-or-whatever task because those are the people she gets along with, which is a huge management mistake when it means leaving unsupervised people you don't trust.

I think classism has hurt Kristi, but I think Kristi has hurt Kristi a lot more. It was interesting to see that Randall was able to talk to her in a way that she seemed to hear, so it can be done.

On the other hand, when Markus beckoned Brian to come over to some private space to talk, why the hell did Brian even go? That was a deliberate dominance move on Markus' part, and it worked really well.

Listen Lady

Oct 21, 2005 @ 1:27 pm

I LOVED Marshawn's response to Kristi's empty pep talk: "I think this team has suffered from a false sense of unity." Smack down.

I also think Jen is used to getting her way with a wink and a smile and a hair flip, and again, when that doesn't work, her world crumbles.[/quote]
I do think it's possible Jen is used to getting things handed to her, and therefore her neogotiating skills and listening skills are underdeveloped. There's something stubborn about her, like she has trouble absorbing information and making adjustments. She came off as very rigid in her confrontation of Kristi on the task. And she decided Kristi was a "whiner". Not the word I would use, but Jen was wed to that word. Then she managed to spend an entire day seeing and hearing the word "Zathura", but not really SEEING or HEARING it. And she spent most of the boardroom interrupting people.

Markus was...odd. He was annoying, but he wasn't "typical annoying hail fellow well met let me talk to you for three hours" Markus. He was kind of creepy, although I probably would have been mad too if I was told I was "really good at ordering food." It was like whenever comedians play creepy killer roles; there's an odd sort of disconnect feel to the proceedings.[/quote]
*shiver* You're creeping me out. And totally correct. The smile is fading from Markus's face. He does suck, but the guys are borderline abusive with him. And it's cowardly. None of them would speak to him that way outside of the frat house atmosphere. "You're good at ordering food." Yikes.

Jon Favreau was a breath of fresh air. It was nice to have a "corporate guest" who was relaxed in front of the cameras.

And didn't Bill use the "put her on the bench" comment last year as well?[/quote]
Good lord, Bill. You won. Stop trying to stick it to Kwame. (Mmm, Kwame)

Carolyn? What's the matter?[/quote]Hee hee. This is exactly how I feel about Carolyn. Why ya buggin', Carolyn?

deejoy

Oct 21, 2005 @ 1:35 pm

I'm so on the Randall and Marshawn trains.[/quote]

Me too and I love how Marshawn demands respect. Go Marshawn! Go Randall! Go! Go! Go!

holdfast

Oct 21, 2005 @ 1:35 pm

WTF is up with Jon Favreau? Is he trying out to replace James Gandolfini on the Sopranos? Where the hell did Mikey from Swingers go? This is making me feel old.

You know, I tend to think that southern accents are cute - fortunately Kristi taught me that not all southern accents are cute - talk about nails on a chalk board! Trump made the right move - sure Jen was more directly responsible for this loss (amputating manequins?!?!?), but the selection of dumpee ultimately has to come down to (1) ability to make the team work together, and (2) whether the Herr Trump wants you as a minion / potential viceroy. Is his judgment screwy and biased towards tall women? Sure it is, but it's ultimately his company until the bankruptcy trustee gets it, so he can get what he wants. Can you imagine wanting to hear Kristi's voice every time you have to have a pretend Trump-
Phone confab in the course of a future season.

Turbonancee

Oct 21, 2005 @ 1:40 pm

Did anyone else catch Trump's "little" remark to Brian after the Excel win? "Brian, I'm a little impressed!" says the Trumpster. Poor Brian.

Hoola

Oct 21, 2005 @ 1:41 pm

I do think it's possible Jen is used to getting things handed to her, and therefore her neogotiating skills and listening skills are underdeveloped. There's something stubborn about her, like she has trouble absorbing information and making adjustments. She came off as very rigid in her confrontation of Kristi on the task.[/quote]

I wonder about this too. She says that she gets tons of compliments for her managing abilities. I always wonder about people who phrase things like "I'm always complimented on X," rather than just saying, "I'm an excellent manager and my team performs above these standards ...."

That's why I tended to take Kristi's comments about her career at face value over Jenn's. I wonder if Jen is sort of the "golden girl" at her company who everyone likes but she isn't really obligated to get results.

auntiemame

Oct 21, 2005 @ 1:42 pm

I wonder who Jen has been managing--fuzzy puppies? Shy old ladies? She's got the manner of a first-grade teacher, whose students like her because she's so pretty [/quote]

It's so true. I kept wanting to give her my crayons and started fingerpainting every time she was on screen. She treated the task (and the team) as if it were about gluing glitter to construction paper or making hand-turkeys. And did you see that look she gave Donald in the boardroom when she was pleading to stay (the whole, "people like to follow me" thing)? Instead of Blue Steel, it was Big Blue Eyes. She reminded me of that scene in Shrek 2 where Puss-in-Boots opens his eyes real wide and looks adorable and pleading and everyone's like "aaaaaawwwww."

Speaking of cats, Carolyn's slit-eyed, sulking look is exactly the kind of look our cat used to give us when we showed any affection for his (now gone) brother.

Jen -- or as I shall call her, Wife No. 4 -- was not really confiding in James, I think. The whole scene kind of seemed like a setup. I think the producers just really wanted two gorgeous people in the same shot. Not that I blame them, after a season of Kristi and her ilk.

I love Marshawn's highly intelligent-yet-eminently-"bitch, please" attitude about everything.

PinkyTuscadero

Oct 21, 2005 @ 1:45 pm

has had a particularly personal disdain of Markus since the start, even more than the rest of the team. So when Markus is acting toolish, Josh may be one to pop off more severely than the others.
[/quote]

Josh has a disdain for anyone who isn't him. He's bitched about every single PM. I so hope, when he PM's, he fails miserably and needs Markus to save him

That "you're good at ordering food" comment from James/The PM was just dickish. The little midget thought he was being funny and trying to get approval and impress all the other guys by piling on Markus. Ughhh...I swear, what do they do...scan the country for people who got the snot beat out of them in PE?

What I don't think they get is that nobody but the little guy and Josh found it amusing. I'll be most of the men don't care for Josh but they tolerate them because they have to.

Hamhock96

Oct 21, 2005 @ 2:09 pm

I think the producers just really wanted two gorgeous people in the same shot. [/quote]

Fact is, only Randal and James would seem to be tall enough to look well with Jen.

Scherzo

Oct 21, 2005 @ 2:16 pm

About Gainesville, Georgia, Kristi's hometown:

Gainesville prides itself on being the poultry capital of the United States. There are chicken houses here, there, and everywhere. It is also the city on the shores of Lake (Sidney) Lanier, Atlanta's main water reservoir. So Gainesville is where you'd go to get some expertly-fried chicken or vacation at the lake.

Kristi is probably not a good example of a typical North Georgian. Most of us are a lot friendlier than that, and speak with a more pleasant lilt than her nasal screech.

And a quick word about the popularity of Confederate flags: We were lied to as children, y'all. We were taught to revere that flag, little realizing the fullness of everything it stood for. Those of us who came to realize just how seriously we were misled by the older generation now have some very serious trust issues with the old Southern Statesmen (it's probably good to learn to distrust politicians at an early age). So it is perfectly possible to encounter a good ol' boy who hasn't made that psychological realization, and who loves that flag and will proudly display it and also hasn't a racist bone in their body. They are often profoundly shocked to learn that not everyone feels just as they do. Some are far, far, into denial.

I changed my stance on the Confederate flag when presented with new evidence, i.e., many people equate the C. flag with the battle standard of racists. The value assigned to the symbol is very different viewed by American society as a whole as opposed to what we were taught in school here in Georgia (circa 1964). And the picture is muddied by the fact that some real, honest-to-God racists were involved in placing the C. flag in the schools and ramming in down the children's throats. It became clear to me that it was best to stop displaying the Confederate battle flag. Not everyone here has come to the same conclusion.

I was very peased when Georgia finally changed our state flag so that it doesn't have a large Confederate flag as part of the design.

BassetHound

Oct 21, 2005 @ 2:17 pm

WTF is up with Jon Favreau? Is he trying out to replace James Gandolfini on the Sopranos? Where the hell did Mikey from Swingers go?[/quote]I think someone who looks like Jon Favreau ate the real John Favreau, leaving us with that bloated creature we saw last night.

Honestly, I like Kristi's steely, no-nonsense style. She was the one who seemed to be working her ASS off on the float, moreso than most of the Bloven. I thought Jen M. was a disaster and should have been fired. Getting rid of Kristi to improve the toxic dynamics of that team is like bailing out one bucket of water on the sinking Titanic. They are all so back-biting and ridiculous and Kristi is only part of the problem.

That song was Hy-sterical. I am waiting for the novelty release of that song to download on my i-pod, whenever I need a good laugh.

TraceyBee

Oct 21, 2005 @ 2:19 pm

And did you see that look she gave Donald in the boardroom when she was pleading to stay (the whole, "people like to follow me" thing)? Instead of Blue Steel, it was Big Blue Eyes.[/quote]
She looked like she was about to cry. It was pathetic. As Martha says, "Women in business don't cry, my dear."

The Donald, of course, fell for it.

Clueless

Oct 21, 2005 @ 2:19 pm

Kristi was team posion. Jen M. isn't going ot last...fact is she appeared near tears in the boardroom. That isn't going to fly.

Where The Apprentice is starting to fail though is that their memorable characters and personalities are now usually their more incompetent ones. Seems like they spend alot more time dwelling on the losers because they create tension and drama (albeit articifical) rather than the more accomplished candidates who don't choose to take part.

Cockapoo2

Oct 21, 2005 @ 2:23 pm

Is Carolyn taking Trump's place next week? Jen better pray she's not brought into the boardroom, Carolyn looked pissed off at the decision this week.

mookster

Oct 21, 2005 @ 2:25 pm

The main thing that stuck with me was the use of the word "bossy" by people over 11 years of age. Everyone was saying it! Even Marshawn, whom I've grown to admire. Why not dictatorial, absolute, autocratic, dogmatic, domineering, high-handed, imperious, magisterial, monocratic, overbearing, tyrannical, arrogant, egotistic, cheeky, cocky, contemptuous, disdainful, haughty, high-handed, lordly, self-important, smug, controlling, lofty, authoritarian, clamorous, doctrinaire, totalitarian, tyrannical, iron-handed, supercilious, intransigent?

Maybe girls with big vocabularies are icky. And I do say "girls," becuase I doubt any of the guys would have said "bossy."

Dumbpants

Oct 21, 2005 @ 2:27 pm

Jen -- or as I shall call her, Wife No. 4 -- [/quote]

Bwah! Yes!!!! Especially since his beautiful Melania is preggers and quite possibly becoming less beautiful by the minute ( a la Britney Spears), because lord only knows what happens when you combine water weight with Botox and plastic.

Playing the Rubble song as Wife No. 4 was walking back was priceless... she truly is just another girl in a club. Nothing special.

AdrienneP

Oct 21, 2005 @ 2:42 pm

Though to be fair I have heard the "seek first to understand; then to be understood" at just about every business seminar I had to attend in my last years at college. I'll bet he got it at Oxford because it was a huge favorite there if he took debate.[/quote]
Oh, I was sure he didn't originate it, but I'd never heard it before. It's still some deep shit.

I miss the more "simple" marketing and selling tasks as well. But I guess in reality the work they would be doing for Trump would be more on the scale of what they're doing now, and no one is a bigger marketing whore than The Donald.

Jen's croc tears while she was talking to James??? Please tell me he saw through that.

Kristi did work her but off on the task, I agree with you, bassethound. She couldn't stop flapping her yap, though, and don't we ALL know by now that those are the ones who get themselves fired? STFU already. However, I must say I'm probably one of the few who LIKED that she told Jen to shut up on the way out. They were CovenLite buddies and while it was obvious that Jen would bring her into the boardroom, Jen just went off on Kristi. Yooge slap in the face. Jen hung her out to dry to save herself, and it worked, and then tried to be all, "I'm so sorry" weepy on the way out? The hell? A, "step off, bitch" mighta come outta me, too.

Nah... couldn't do it. I would have THOUGHT about it, though....

immutabilis

Oct 21, 2005 @ 2:47 pm

Everyone was saying it! Even Marshawn, whom I've grown to admire. Why not dictatorial, absolute, [/quote]

Exactly!! It sounded like a playground fight - Moooommy, Jimmi's bossy and he stole my toy, too!

But the worst use of a word award must go to Marshawn who referred to Kristi as "disobedient". Because team members must OBEY! their Project Managers, and also bow down to them 3 times a day. Yikes, I don't know if I would want to work for Marshawn.

indigotea

Oct 21, 2005 @ 2:53 pm

If there's ever a need in my company for Guy Who Wanders Around Looking Self-Involved to the Point of Having a Social Disorder? Markus is the man I'm going to look up.

I think the upthread questions regarding Oprah and Gainesville, GA were really meant to be about Dawsonville, GA. Gainesville's an OK place, it's practically an Atlanta suburb these days.

pacestick

Oct 21, 2005 @ 2:56 pm

Some quick random notes.

Favorite parts of the show were non-verbal

1) Kristi's look when they lost (wow)(deathrays i tell ya)

2) Kristi getting the door closed in her face by Jen (or was that me)

3) The viceroys giggling to themselves when the presentaion was going on (badly)

4) When Trump pointed out Trumpie Tower Randal actually turned and looked.

Those posters up thread who had notice Rebecca hopping into the br may remeber last week when she had to open the doors by herself. No matter what you think of someone you should still try to help them out if they are hurt

I liked at the beginning of the ep when two guys were sitting discussing who was being fired. I think one of them said "it's the blondes against the brunettes" Which was true but I think showed that there was a definite split, maybe even more so then what was shown to us.

In regards to Jen taking who she picked shopping (randal, rebecca, and marshawn). I think she saw that these people are actually the smart workers and wanted their advice. Felisha did the exact same thing last week but with her "friends"

if I had been sweeping when another guy was doing nothing. I would have been upset also. But would have found a less assholy way to express it

I recall that Kristi said "jen don't even bother" when she got fired.

I did like the little guy saying it was his entire group effort that made it successful. Not to trump but to the judges.

Hoola

Oct 21, 2005 @ 2:57 pm

Felicia didn't pull workers when they were down to the wire and in danger of not completing the task.

charleyhorse

Oct 21, 2005 @ 3:02 pm

Trump should've let Randal go with the guys to make their rap video. Poor Randal, stuck at home with the girls, when he's been such a winner and a class act. And still is!

I'd love to see Randal and Marshawn in the Final Four, but I also have my eye on Rebecca. I think she is smart, tough, confident, and pretty together for 23! (And I'm biased because she's from the Twin Cities and so am I.)

immutabilis

Oct 21, 2005 @ 3:02 pm

In regards to Jen taking who she picked shopping (randal, rebecca, and marshawn). I think she saw that these people are actually the smart workers and wanted their advice. [/quote]

Heh, I don't know if Jen is a good judge of people's intelligence. Not to say that there seems to have been no need to take so many people shopping when so much of the work had not been completed yet.

pacestick

Oct 21, 2005 @ 3:06 pm

We were not shown how much work had to be done. We were shown only the name had to added and the deck had to be stained. Did they needed more than three people for that? If time had been an issue I think it would have been shown more. AND more of an issue of why they lost especially by Kriati in the br. She did state time management but that was it I think these girls were just upset because they were left behind.

oldbabe

Oct 21, 2005 @ 3:13 pm

I recall that Kristi said "jen don't even bother" when she got fired.[/quote]

Kristi said that, as well as "shut up" when Jen started to say, "I'm sorry" after they left the board room. Although I think it was too late for Jen to be apologizing to Kristi, if Kristi had any class at all, she could have taken the high road and made an exit with some shred of dignity. Of course, we already knew at that point the words "class" and "dignity" would never be associated with Kristi.

atlantis81

Oct 21, 2005 @ 3:23 pm

I'm not sure I understand all the Josh hate. I completely understand being frustrated with Markus -- no sleep for however long, and you've got that guy just standing there, doing nothing. Brian asks him to help paint, and Markus just walks away. I'd be upset, too. I don't think Josh has been particularly hard on any of the PMs -- I'm pretty positive he had nothing but love for Randal, and he did give Clay his due at the end. Josh seems to get along well with all the guys (except for Markus) and I want him to go far.

Jen M sucks. I mean, Kristi sucks, too, but Jen M -- all of her ideas have been totally off-base and made for 4-year-olds. I mean, she's the one who came up with Zip! She should have been fired then, along with Toral.

I have to wonder about Rebecca's editing -- we really don't see much of her. Apparently, she does come up with some good ideas (Alla mentioned her in the boardroom as having come up with an idea), but we don't have access to those... why not? I want her to go far, too.

Did it seem to everyone else that maybe the girls didn't have quite the opening meeting with Jon Favreau as the guys team did? I mean, why was Jen not corrected on the pronounciation of Zathura during the initial meeting, like Brian was?

Fluffy Malone

Oct 21, 2005 @ 3:28 pm

I think someone who looks like Jon Favreau ate the real John Favreau, leaving us with that bloated creature we saw last night.[/quote]

John Favreau has actually been chunky for a while. He looked the same last night as he did in Elf, which was out two years ago and so would have been filming even before that.

I mean, Swingers was 9 years ago...it's not exactly like he chubbed up overnight. In last night's episode, he definitely looked like the Favreau I had seen lately.

Wacoshade

Oct 21, 2005 @ 3:33 pm

I recall that Kristi said "jen don't even bother" when she got fired.[/quote] Kristi said that, as well as "shut up" when Jen started to say, "I'm sorry" after they left the board room.[/quote]
They also edited part of the conversation. Witness the full convo:
Jen "Sorry"
Kristi "Shut up. Jen don't even bother. I don't want to hear it. I am so not sharing a limo with you to prom!"

EyesWideOpen

Oct 21, 2005 @ 3:34 pm

But the worst use of a word award must go to Marshawn who referred to Kristi as "disobedient". Because team members must OBEY! their Project Managers, and also bow down to them 3 times a day. Yikes, I don't know if I would want to work for Marshawn.[/quote]
I noticed that too, but I don't get the sense that Marshawn thinks that way. It was just a bad choice of words. Insubordinate would have been a better choice and quite accurate.

toasterwaffle

Oct 21, 2005 @ 3:48 pm

In regards to Jen taking who she picked shopping (randal, rebecca, and marshawn). I think she saw that these people are actually the smart workers and wanted their advice.[/quote]

The more I think about this decision the more I'm perplexed. I'd speculate that she had an ulterior motive for bringing 4 PEOPLE to pick out carpet. Maybe she was handing out tasks that she didn't want Kristi to know about? Maybe she was making plans for possible boardroom strategies? Possibly off-camera?

It's seems too weird to be merely bad planning.

kar

Oct 21, 2005 @ 3:53 pm

I'm still trying to figure out why Trump fired Kirsty over Jen. Jen, clearly, is a pretty face (smoking body too fwiw ;)), but she's repeatedly shown very little mental horsepower. She gets overwhelmed too easy, and to be honest I think despite having the bulk of her teammates against her, Kristy hosed Jen verbally.

Jen is not leadership material. Kristy is. Kristy _is_ toxic, Jen is just a semi competent worker bee. But Kristy clearly has more talent than Jen (to me at least). Seems more a case of keeping the eye candy I think :/

Brian, my god, is he 5ft tall?! Maybe his team mates are huuuuge I don't know but he looks like he escaped from Willi Wonka's factory.

Poor Bec, hopping along, she didn't utter a word all episode which is a shame, I hope that means she's going to stick around a while, because I can't see anyone else toppling the Marshawn, Randal juggernaut. Those two, love em, but they are as exciting as dish water.

ajesquire

Oct 21, 2005 @ 4:00 pm

I'm still trying to figure out why Trump fired Kirsty over Jen. Jen, clearly, is a pretty face (smoking body too fwiw ;)), [/quote]

The reason I can't get worked up over any eliminations/firings on these job-interview reality shows is that Trump knows who he wants to hire. The team members' performance on any given task is never the reason for their firing, just the opportunity for it.

Trump probably knows Jen will fuck up again and give him the opportunity. Kristi potentially could've come on strong and denied him that chance.

pacestick

Oct 21, 2005 @ 4:03 pm

Kristi potentially could've come on strong and denied him that chance[/quote]

unlikely

tiggeril

Oct 21, 2005 @ 4:05 pm

Kristi potentially could've come on strong and denied him that chance.[/quote]
Maybe if by "come on strong" you mean "inspire someone to take a swing at her." Otherwise, I'm not buying it.

Nutjob

Oct 21, 2005 @ 4:25 pm

Yeah, I think Kristi would have just gotten more annoying and more, er, heh, bossy as the weeks went by. She didn't do that great as PM on the first task, and while she works hard, she's a pretty difficult personality. I think she would have gone sooner rather than later, too.

Wacoshade

Oct 21, 2005 @ 4:26 pm

HA! Read Bren's blog on Yahoo. Some tidbits.

"At The Come To Jesus Meeting II, Marshawn tells the Blond Coven to quit all the bickering. Marshawn, that was admirable, but ineffective. Next time, try this: 'For the love of God, would you please shut that loud obnoxious cake hole of yours up. I would rather listen to the sound of small animals being tortured than to listen to the mindless petty garbage that spews forth.'"

"The next morning, Ms. Rhona calls. Alla answers. Now we know why the strip clubs in Vegas keep the lights down low."

"In a move that can only be described as charitable, Mr. Trump allows the ladies from Capital Edge to choose someone from Excel to join their ranks... What Dante did in three books, Randal did in three seconds."

"A little peroxide can make a whole lot of stupid."

"In a heated argument, Jenn M. shuts the door on Kristi. Again, it's all about timing. Jenn M. does something in week five that should have been done in week one. "

Marie Laveau

Oct 21, 2005 @ 4:32 pm

Was it just me, or did it seem like TD thought Boyfriend Bill was trying to show him up, so he went against his opinion and fired Kristi? It was just kind of strange. [/quote]

Come on, now... you can't show up the Trump! He's the Biggest, the Awesomest, the Loudest, the Most Fantastic, with the Best Hai-- OK, maybe there is ONE way.

I think it's a bit of an exaggeration to refer to Markus as a "loose cannon"... as I understand it, a loose cannon is typically someone who is dangerously out of control, and I just don't think this appplies to Markus. He's a bit pitiful, yes, and strongly in need of firm direction, but not a loose cannon. On the other hand, he certainly couldn't have chosen a worse time to have his Stuart Smalley, you-hurt-my-feelings discussion with Brian. I can't fault Josh for telling him to cut the crap, get to work, and try the group therapy when there's not a deadline and a task at hand.

Separately, I agree with the earlier comment about the women being under the float. I would like to think they were hiding from the terrible presentation... because, WTF? Did they think Favreau was a hungry bear and their lives were in danger? (Forgive me, Fav. You were awesome in "Love and Sex".)

auntiemame

Oct 21, 2005 @ 4:35 pm

"A little peroxide can make a whole lot of stupid."[/quote]

Aaaaaand Bren clinches his title as All-Time Biggest Asshole on the Planet. You know what, Bren?A little lawyer (you) can make a whole lot of stupid too.

ghettofabman

Oct 21, 2005 @ 4:35 pm

I think someone who looks like Jon Favreau ate the real John Favreau, leaving us with that bloated creature we saw last night.[/quote]

Jeremy Piven, perhaps?

Let's hug it out, bitch......and grab a bite to eat!

LadyKenobi

Oct 21, 2005 @ 4:41 pm

"What Dante did in three books, Randal did in three seconds."[/quote]

This? Is awesome.

Nutjob

Oct 21, 2005 @ 4:48 pm

Come on, now... you can't show up the Trump! He's the Biggest, the Awesomest, the Loudest, the Most Fantastic, with the Best Hai-- OK, maybe there is ONE way.[/quote]

Don't forget the YOOGEST!

uranushertz

Oct 21, 2005 @ 4:58 pm

Everything has pretty much been said, but here are my thoughts:

I heard somewhere that DT selected the candidates himself. I don't know if that's really true or not, but since to him one pair of boobies is just like another pair of boobies, I can see why the girls' team is such a disaster (except Marshawn). Geez. They can't manage their way out of a paper bag. I'm also conflicted about their creativity. Yeah, they won the Lamborghini thing, but that Dairy Queen thing? The moment I heard "Big eyes and big lips," I knew it was a loser. I'm not suprised they lost the Zathura challenge. It seemed like such a "boy" concept (boy movie makers, boy adventure, starring boys), it would take actual creative talent for a women to "catch the vision" and that gaggle of boobies just doesn't have it. My fantasy is TPTB would pick women with actual TALENT instead of just "managing skills" which seem to end up really being "bitching skills." Perhahps though, DT's choice of women was on purpose. They will all end up getting fired, so the path will be clear to hire a man.

immutabilis

Oct 21, 2005 @ 5:08 pm

"The next morning, Ms. Rhona calls. Alla answers. Now we know why the strip clubs in Vegas keep the lights down low."[/quote]

Bren, sweetheart, I'm pretty sure a fat, balding man like you doesn't look too peachy at 7 am in the morning. As for strip clubs, I just know you're very familiar with a few, so I wouldn't get too sanctimonious about it (at least not while the cucumber commercial is still in the not too distant past).

Akai

Oct 21, 2005 @ 5:19 pm

Am I the only one who thought the editing on this episode was a little off? Typically, the bulk of the epi is on how the teams come up with their respective plans, who decides what lame idea to run with, etc, but this week we saw *none* of that -- we see them each watching that stupid trailer for a bad retread movie, and that's it. Next thing we know, they're all master carpenters and painters and modelers -- and we didn't see anything about either team getting instruction from professionals or anything. I've done just about every kind of home repair there is, which I doubt is true of all the "high powered businesspeople" on the show, but I wouldn't know the first thing about how to construct a float, so where did all of that come from?

I also couldn't figure out why and how Markus went from having verbal tourista to being silent and sullen and I suspect that maybe the keys to that were in the scenes we didn't see of them planning out the design of their float? It was such a sudden change from the last episode where he was actually useful and his team-mates patted him on the back in the boardroom I just wonder if the best drama wasn't left on the cutting room floor.

Slade2

Oct 21, 2005 @ 5:31 pm

I went there for a few days for a crew regatta in college, and it was a bit overwhelming. I'm from NYC, and had never really been in the South besides Florida (Disney doesn't count) and NC where my NY-born cousins live. It seemed like every car was a truck, and every truck had a Dixie flag in the window. We also saw a few Dixie flags flying outside of houses. Now, I know some people think of that flag as a cultural symbol rather than a racist one, so I respect that it's too much of a generalization to say "Everyone in that town must be a racist redneck." The people we came into contact with were nothing but nice and hospitable, so that's the other side. It just definitely threw me and my teammates for a loop. Is that where Kristi is from? I didn't get a racist vibe off her at all, throughout the entire season in general or in this episode in particular. I don't know if she's a stereotype of other Southern women from Gainsville, but I think she, herself, is just a pushy, stubborn woman. [/quote]
Thanks ladolce (and earlier flavialynn?) for addressing my question about Gainesville. I didn't say Kristi was a racist, but after reading that she's from Gainesville, I tried to gauge her reaction to Marshawn from Day One. So I wasn't surprised that she complained about Marshawn as PM and didn't want her to receive immunity. Does that make her racist? No. But she had no reason to dislike Marshawn and I expected her not to. (I thought her talk with Randall was more about getting the man on her team on her side than anything else.)

And from that Oprah show, the townspeople from Gainesville in the audience were very racist and made it clear black folk weren't welcome in Gainesville. It was a very disturbing display and has stayed with me for over ten years.

And why did no one help poor hop-a-long Rebecca with her suitcase? I disliked the whole team seeing her have to hop like that, pretty petty not to assist the girl on crutches.[/quote]
Last week, Marshawn was pulling her luggage and I wondered last night if Rebecca made it clear that she wanted to pull her own luggage this week as not to seem helpless, or if Marshawn didn't receive a proper thank you and decided Rebecca could go to hell.

In other news, does anyone else see Alla as an extra from "The Dark Crystal"?[/quote]
BWAH! And, yes, absolutely. Good for you for making the connection.

CheekyCricket

Oct 21, 2005 @ 5:34 pm

In regards to Jen taking who she picked shopping (randal, rebecca, and marshawn). I think she saw that these people are actually the smart workers and wanted their advice.

The more I think about this decision the more I'm perplexed. I'd speculate that she had an ulterior motive for bringing 4 PEOPLE to pick out carpet. Maybe she was handing out tasks that she didn't want Kristi to know about? Maybe she was making plans for possible boardroom strategies? Possibly off-camera?

It's seems too weird to be merely bad planning. [/quote][/quote]
Of the various decisions by Jenthura which perplexed me, this was the most perplexing. If she did see Randall, Rebecca and Marshawn as the smartest workers, which is debatable, then why, why, when there's only 45 minutes to finish the float, why would she take the smartest workers on an expendable activity, a shopping expedition to get carpet? And probably those way-out-of-scale potted plants, which were the most bizarre bit of their float. How much expert advice did she need to buy carpet and plants and whatever else? Those are not exactly high-powered decisions, for which a PM needs her best staff.

Conversely, if the float wasn't finished, and Jenthura thought that Alla, Felisha and Kristi were the weakest workers, why would she leave the weakest workers to scramble to get the float finished? And they were scrambling, though I doubt they'll get much credit for that. Why not at least leave Randal there to offer some additional energy and musclepower?

Why? Can anyone, anywhere, explain?

Shades of the Bedazzler . . .

I do think it's possible Jen is used to getting things handed to her, and therefore her neogotiating skills and listening skills are underdeveloped. There's something stubborn about her, like she has trouble absorbing information and making adjustments. She came off as very rigid in her confrontation of Kristi on the task. And she decided Kristi was a "whiner". Not the word I would use, but Jen was wed to that word. Then she managed to spend an entire day seeing and hearing the word "Zathura", but not really SEEING or HEARING it.[/quote]

Excellent insights. Lord knows what she actually heard and saw.

Jenthura seems to dwell in her own LaLaLand, where everything is shiny and warm and lovely and the birds are always singing, and all the boys are cute and sweet and ready to lend a supportive shoulder to a pretty girl in distress . . .

LadyKenobi

Oct 21, 2005 @ 5:41 pm

nilknarf

Oct 21, 2005 @ 5:45 pm

I thought that the director guy in this episode looked like someone who has acted in films, but I can't think who it is.
Does anyone know if this guy has acted; or, if not, who it is that he resembles?

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