Wow... 22 minutes after the episode is over, and no comments yet... no one else must've been watching, either...

Lenny's gone. What a surprise, and Charmaine continues to be a nag, even afterwards.

What a blah episode.

Lee is an unpleasant toad, although somewhat clever and eloquent. He knows just how to kiss every space on Trump’s ass, and he also has the loyalty keyword. He’ll probably win.



It’s like they give him a two or three adjectives about each contestant for Trump to go with and he never bothers to think further



…is it really a great idea to say this about a kid with cancer? Also, Trump kissing her? That poor, poor child – like she doesn’t have enough to deal with.

I just keep hearing "I've never had 10,000 faces before."

Good Charmaine, I'm glad you've grasped the point.

Man Lee just pissed me off. I don't care if Lenny is your bestest friend, he totally screwed up! He focused completely on that one idea and it sucked.

Michael, wow. You started off so well, asking all the right questions...then you shut up! I almost died when Allie, Sean, and Roxanne just started cracking up when Michael called them. It was either that or cry. And Sean and his "wanker." LMAO!

This really bothers me: On these construction tasks, why do the candidates always wear hard hats while the executives, viceroys and Trump forego them? Are they OSHA exempt?

OK..Damn Trump for actually making tears well up in my eyes with that reward. That was really touching.

Bill: “You didn’t lose this task because of the presentation.”
Lenny: “Then why bring it up?”

BWAH!!!

Lenny is gangsta.

Give me the good ole days when the candidates just retired to the suite without feeling the need to pacify the loser with their “gracious” well wishes.

It's because everybody's still watching the episode after it! I felt that Lenny deserved fired but I didn't want him gone because he was my favorite canidate. I'm sad but anyways back to the second episode for me. GO LEE YOU RULE!

I can imagine Lenny being at the winning reward at Toys R Us...

"Come on little girl, pick out toy already... in mother Russia, toy pick you out"

Why does that douchebag Bill constantly sputter out that the firing was 'easy' or a 'no-brainer'? If it's so easy, then why do they even have a boardroom? Why don't they throw the loser into a pit of alligators as soon as the task is over?

I was hoping Trump might get bored and fire Michael or Andrea even though they were on the winning team.

I watched 24 and Tivo'd both episodes. This one, with Lenny as project manager and the horrible meeting with the Ace executives was too painful to even watch. I had to turn it off ten minutes in. So I'm watching the 7-11 episode instead.

While Michael's mind-boggling indecision was a little painful, did anyone else think the group dressing-down was a little much?

I mean, I'm all for teamwork, but damn, that was a pool of bitch.

Lenny, Lenny, Lenny. You sucked and you pretty much fired yourself. I can't believe he focused so much on Charmaine. And she just hopped around, "please like me! Please? Don't hate me." Man, have some dignity, Charmaine.

Now THIS is why I still watch this show. The giggling in the van and Sean’s “Michael is SUCH a wanker!” had me absolutely rolling. The people on this show can be annoying as fuck, but they can also be so damned entertaining. I LOVE it.

Just once, when Trump asks someone how business is going, instead of saying, “Business is great!” I really wish someone would say something like, “It sucks ass, Mr. Trump.”

Candidates in hardhats. Whenever I see that, I think of Omarosa, and I laugh.

OMG, that meeting with Lenny and the execs was PAINFUL. I thought watching the British version of The Office was painful. This was a new level of pain. Why couldn’t we see how they overcame that silence? Hee.

That’s right, Trump! Be decisive! Make those tough decisions! Point to that photo!

Um, Lenny? You do need to repaint red walls like, 5 or 10 times. Trust me.

…hey, it’s the WOPR. Shall we play a game? Ah, good times, good times.

I really couldn’t tell if Charmaine was talking too much, but it seemed like whatever she said was accurate.

When someone wants to “take you through our vision,” it’s never a good sign, is it?

Wow, based on the reaction of the kids, I really thought that Gold Rush was going to win. The kids seemed pretty happy.

“Is that all? Pick more.” Finally, Trump says something smart. I would have loved this as a reward if I were a contestant. Much better than eating truffles.

Wow, for once, I think Bill did a good job in the boardroom. And I can’t believe how smug Lenny is. Just…wow. From Day One, Lenny had that “I’m right, you’re wrong” attitude about him, but I didn’t think it would get to quite that level. I really wonder what Lee saw in him that made him so loyal.

I'm not sure who irritated me more tonight. Lee's little Lenny sycophancy. Sean's portrayal as an incredibly prissy little buggering prat. Or Andrea's monotone blathering. Or Roxane's embarassing inability to enunciate.

Michael was poor as a PM. But he alone had the sense to have a real meeting with the judges. And 45 minutes is hardly the wasting time burner the rest wanted to convey it as. And the room ended up being spot on. Hard teamwork brought it about. But there also would not have been a room if Michael hadn't gotten it. Too bad the rest of his vile little team didn't really care because they figured a lose would be all his fault. Funny that. If its a win, he had nothing to do with it, but if they lost, it's all his fault. Synergy, minus Michael, is nothing but a bunch of wankers, no matter what Sean tries to label Michael.

Trump skeeved me out by showing up to bask in the glow of a Make-a-Wish shopping trip. Way to aim the spotlight douche. And his comments were so incredibly stupid. He tells her everything is going ot be okay? Really? Thanks so much Doctor Trump. And then saying "isn't she beautiful?" like he was touring a stable or kennel.

And speaking of Douches. Rancic managed to be the Victoria Falls of douches tonight. What the hell was with the asking Andrea of Michael's job so far as PM? Isn't that his job to apply that incredible business acumen that he is supposed to have and make that determination himself? Is that how he has been doing his job as proctor each time? Taking an awkward mid-task poll? And then the ad for Ace. Ace should have asked for George. Or Kendra. Or Robin for that matter. Rancic looked mentally challenged in that spot. Not Ace's best pick for pushing their charitable work.

Glad to see Lenny go. But really, at this point any of them leaving is a long overdue process. I think Lee though needs to look up ethics in the dictionary. Being blindly loyal to Lenny is not ethical when it tries to save him from the blame that he deserved. Despite her whining, Charmaine did not lose them the task. Though to be honest, they could have produced Disney World within four walls and it still might not have let gold Rush recover from that disasterous meeting.

I loved Lee's cheat sheet and "words Trump likes to hear." What were some of those words? Crafty? Resourceful? It's a bit sleezy of him (in a smart, political way), but it shows Lee knows how Trump really works. I hope Trump watches that and realizes how silly it makes him look.

Oh, if only. But I think it's more likely he'll watch it and say, "Wow, I really do have a fantastic vocabulary."

Watching Charmaine yip at Lenny's heels after the boardroom made me cringe. She belongs on America's Next Top Model with how desperate she is to be liked by everyone. She's way, way , way too sensitive for this competition.

Michael may have taken too long to make decisions, but he gave a great presentation. I'd rathe rhave a boss who took time and made an informed decision than someone who jumped at teh first idea in haste. I felt bad for him when they were laughing at him in the van.

I will miss Lenny. I knew he wouldn't win, but I really like him. The thing is, no matter what Ace/Boy's and Girl's Club thought, the kids who tested out each space loved it. So in that respect it was a win win. Synergy did do an overall better job. I did thoroughly enjoy Allie/Roxanne/Sean's laughing fit when Michael called after Ace was supposed to have closed to consult them on color options one more time. I wonder how long Roxanne had him on mute. Hehe. Michael really did need to thank all of them for busting their butts to get that place done.

One final note. Charmaine, shut up! 'A professional painter would have that up three times as fast.' How helpful to know that a professional would be faster, if you hadn't noticed none of you are professional painters. She really needs to go.

Farewell Lenny. You deserved it, but at least you went out in hilarious fashion. I think Trump and the Viceroys wanted to kill him, after all the times he backtalked and disagreed. I guess he and Bryce are similar in some ways.

Michael has to be right up there with Lee as one of the worst winning PMs this season. He did a good job with the meeting, but that was about it. And he's just so boring.

Loved Allie/Sean/Roxanne cracking up in the van. At least they're funny. And I even laughed at Sean's wanker comment. And all that air-punching was amusing too.

While she's was negative, I have to admit that Charmaine can be pretty good in the BR. Except when she interrupted Bill, she never seemed to be in danger of firing. She may not be the brightest (but I think she's smarter then most of the contestants), but she's got the boardroom skills to go farther. She just has to use them wisely.

Lee's cheat sheet was amusing. But that couldn't outdo his annoying Lenny ass-kissing.

Well at least Lee was loyal. And he is a seller. Still smarmy. Not as bad as Sean-the real wanker!

Oh my God. Someone shut Sean up!!

And Charmaine, bless your sweet little heart, you can't be the homecoming queen here. I'm sorry.

Lenny. Lenny, Lenny, Lenny. Take Lee with you. *waves*

You beat me to it, Absolutqt.

Loved Lenny's response to "Your presentation was not the issue" . . .
"Then why are we talking about it?"

Also, from DT: "Lenny, you like red. You're from Russia."

Andrea trying to answer Bill ultratelepathically (he's fine. . .) was awesome! Very sorry about Leslie, though. She's been lovely the whole way through.

I just watched the DVD of Season 1 and the contrast between the original series and the current one is amazing.

1) The candidates in the first season actually wanted to work for Donald Trump. Now they want to be Reality TV Stars.

2) Nearly 35 minutes of each episode was spent describing and carrying out the actual task. Now, it's less it averaging about 20 with the remaining time spent on petty and pointless bickering in the boardroom.

3) Edits highlight really stupid Business 101 mis-decisions. We're expected to laugh AT the candidates rather than admire them... sorta like the way we treat elected officials these days.

4) Donald used to treat the candidates with respect; now he mocks them and calls them losers. It's so sad.

Michael really did have problems making decisions. I cannot believe that he agonized so much over such details as relatively petty as the paint colors. If he was really that concerned, he should've gotten more paint than they needed so that they could have had some choices. Had I been Sean, I think I would've been snickering and giggling on the phone too.

I don't quite understand why Lee felt so compelled to protect Lenny, but then again, he's the one living in the Suite with him, not me. I just know I certainly wouldn't have made the effort to try and train him on what to say in the Boardroom, knowing that Lenny is so stubborn that he wouldn't really absorb or use any of it anyway.

The entire episode I wanted someone to put a muzzle on Charmaine. I cringed every time Lenny told her to stop talking, EVEN THOUGH I was thinking the exact same thing. And that's pretty bad.

I also thought it was a bit strange and awkward that Boyfriend Bill would put team members on the spot about their PM right in front of said PM. That seemed to be a bit... er... unplanned, and I can understand how it would've been uncomfortable for Andrea or anyone else. It's not like they could've honestly said "Well, Michael is a lousy leader" without expecting repercussions in the Boardroom if they'd lost.

The reward was a little better than some of the charity-related ones they've done in the past, though the team did seem to be acting a bit awkward around this little girl. It's almost as if they didn't know how to treat her, which I thought was strange--she's just like any other little girl, she just happens to have a brain tumor. Come on, people!

God, I'm getting really sick of Bill. Does he have a real job at the Trump Organization anymore?

I also loved Lee's little cheat sheet for Lenny. I really didn't understand the "politician" thing until now. He's brilliant, and now one of my favorites for that moment alone. Plus, he had a point about how it should really be up to the children which space they liked better, though I would have picked Synergy's based on its broader concept.

Lenny, Lenny, Lenny. It was your time. You were a disaster as project manager and really needed to go.


Random Thoughts:

Is it just me or was there Russian-style music playing before the boardroom?

I laughed really hard when I saw that Synergy put Trump the Board Game in their play room.

Gold Rush's meeting with the Ace execs was literally painful to watch. Lenny really doesn't do well when put on the spot. I'm surprised the editors didn't have the sound of crickets chirping during the long silences.

I believe the teams did have some outside help. I could have sworn that at one point, I saw a guy who clearly was not a member of either team painting in the background. Maybe it was just my imagination.

I'm glad Michael won. Even though he couldn't make a decision, he seems like one of the more likeable people in this contest (not that that is saying much).

I really wonder who was driving the van that Lee and Lenny were riding in. In past tasks, the team members drove themselves.

As for the reward, I liked it. The little girl was cute and I think The Donald's heart grew three sizes that day.

Was I the only one who flashed on the "fight" scene from Bridget Jone's Diary 2?

Lenny was the right one to go. Charmaigne may be annoying sometimes, but she was on-target with her comments. They DID need to plan for the meeting with the execs. Did Lenny learn NOTHING from the massive fuck-up that was the meeting with the execs in the last task? Guess not. Sure, waste their time. Piss them off. They're just the ones who will decide if you win or lose. And you lost.

Lee was backing a dead horse there. I give him credit for his loyalty, but he loses more than he gains with the stupidity of the person he was backing.

I thought Lee was admirably calculating in coaching Lenny. At least it showed me that he's actually thinking about what Trump wants and what each task is supposed to accomplish. That's the kind of analysis I only dream that these idiots occasionally think of. True, I saw his defense in the boardroom was a total Rebecca-for-Toral moment, but on the other hand I think the team was ganging up on Lenny a little unfairly in that they seemed resolved to get him out before the task even started. So...mission accomplished, I guess, but I don't blame Lee for wanting to hold on to his bestest friend.

Sean's dance-y, frustrated "He's SUCH a wanker" moment was fantastic. Not as good as Ivana's "Fembot" speech, but close.

Did anyone notice that when the winning team was at the presidential suite and Sean went to the window to look at the White House, Andrea was rubbing his back?

Andrea scares me. She seems to have no soul. I think she could easily be a psychopath.

Delurking to say that the whole episode felt contrived to me, as if Trump said to himself, "Well, Lenny's been around long enough, it's time to fire him this week."

The kids coming into Gold Rush's room had a much more palpable excitement about what they were seeing, and they seemed to be having a much better time. If the goal of this task was to entertain the kids, then Gold Rush should've won, despite not having the diversity of Synergy's room. I can't help but wonder why the executives didn't take the kids' reactions into consideration since it was so obvious...perhaps still ticked off about the painful excuse for a meeting with Gold Rush?

And while I've despised Andrea and can't wait to see the Sticker Bimbo sent down to a cab, I've really grown to despise Charmaine just as much. STFU and stop complaining all the time, woman. Geez. I was disappointed that Tarek didn't mention her incessant blathering in the boardroom.

One note about Synergy...anyone else notice that Sean had his arm around Allie in the van when they were all laughing at Michael's phone call? Quite cozy, those two.

Well, the show just got a lot less interesting without Lenny around. They keep touting this as "the best season ever," when in actuality I think it's by far the worst...worse even than Season 2, which IMHO was a complete disaster.

I felt so bad for the little cancer girl. But it squicked me out that our culture's answer to making her happy is just to throw shopping bags full of plastic corporate garbage at her. And then Trump, in all his utter vulgarity, strolls in and says "buy more." I'm surprised they didn't give her a cash register receipt at the end, point to the total and say, "See? You are this happy now."

Lenny got a good edit.

You can tell that even though they didn't win the task, the kids enjoyed Gold Rush's music room a lot more than the other team.

Ace Hardware, Ace Hardware, Ace Hardware, Ace Hardware, Ace Hardware, Ace Hardware

Did I say the sponsor's name enough times? Just wanted to check.

ACE HARDWARE!

Alas, the cameras didn't catch anyone saying what I would have said, which is "I didn't even know Ace was still in business, I buy this shit at Home Depot."

I thought Lenny was hilarious and spot on.

Bill: "The presentation's not why you lost."
Lenny: "Then why bring it up?"

Carolyn: "The instruments would be expensive to replace if they were broken,"
Lenny:"So would that big TV."

And he's right about Charmaine and her relentless nagging. Funny how in the next episode Charmaine is all over Lee's ass about "not being positive."

But that's for another thread. Back to Charmaine - why the hell does she care so much if Lenny is her "friend" - she's never going to see him again, except at the reunion show. And she just spent the bulk of the last task bitching about him. So who cares if he likes you?

Lenny was just not sycophantic enough for Trump's liking.

Oh my God. That was nuts.

Some thoughts:

1. Here I am like a sucker thinking that Michael was boring. Ends up the man is completely batshit. Great!

2. Charmaine certainly really, really loves to talk. It's a good thing she's so exotic looking.

3. Damn Michael for making me agree with Ohn-drea! I would've slapped him while he was having his color freeze in Ace. CHRIST! It's paint -- you're not buying a condo.

4. On some of his interviews .. does Lee have a wandering eye?

5. Who in hell was that dude dressed up as a king on the street in front of Toys r' Us? He was kind of random and somewhat scary. I’m not altogether sure he wasn’t dressed like that by choice and just joined in when he saw a bunch of people and cameras flocking around the Toys r’ Us.

6. Damn Tarek for making sense in the boardroom! I was just getting comfortable with not liking him again.

7. HA! I now love Leslie for talking shit about Trump's athletic abilities. That was great!

Did Trump really say: “You like red because you’re from Russia”? I don’t know why I’m surprised but all I could think was, “Oh, no he did’n’!” I didn’t think he could become more of a parody of himself than he already was.

I knew Lenny was toast as soon as they showed the footage of Trump threatening him in the BR last week.

He did crack me up though:
Lee: “What were the criteria we were judged on?”
Lenny: “Sustainability”
Lee: “No, creativity.”
Lenny: “Sustainability”
Lee: “Creativity”
Lenny: “Yeah, sustainability.”
Heh. What did he think “sustainability” meant? I can’t imagine how it applies to this context.

Lee really won points with the “loyalty” bit, didn’t he? He’s lucky as that has backfired on some people in the past.

Carolyn was right on with the bit about the instruments breaking. Oddly enough that was my first thought, too. Expensive stuff put into public areas almost always turns to crap immediately, because that which belongs to everyone belongs to no one.

I agree Charmaine’s vocal tone can bug and she can come off sounding negative, but —almost everything she said to Lenny tonight was exactly what I was thinking. Having said that, I’d never want to work with her. She’s the type who always has to be right and always has to have the last word.

Honestly I can’t imagine who the final two will be, but right now I’m thinking Leslie might be one of them. As for the other . . . uh . . . Allie, maybe? At this point I’m not ruling out Tarek either, if he doesn’t screw up again. It certainly won’t be Lee (too young), Sean (too smarmy), or Micheal (too wishy-washy). Certainly there isn’t a clear winner like there was last season.

I was ready to comment, but then the NEXT EP came on! Yee-haw!

Ace is the Place: Lenny was NOT The Man. All his weaknesses---abruptness, contempt, feelings of superiority, and unoriginal thinking---came out tonight. He had NO questions for the Ace people?

ETA: Yes, the kids loved Lenny's room. Not my point. He ticked off the Ace execs, and thereby put himself behind their 8-ball. I happen to love Lenny, my above adjectives notwithstanding, but I think he was very wrong tonight (e.g., Michael elicited that the Ace logo and slogan were good things to post).

Lenny could not care less what the executives wanted. His one and only concern was how the kids reacted to the room.

And they loved it.

I usually hate the reward segments, but you can't hate it when a sick child is involved. Poor girl, 8 years old and a brain tumor. The shopping spree may have been brief, but I'm sure it will be memorable for her.

Lenny's room might have worked a little better if everything was not lined up against the wall. Would it have hurt to have the keyboards facing each other, for example?

Lenny would have been awesome. He would have been all "Just take all the toys, little girl. They're paying for it, so take it all!" That's how Lenny seems to process things.

Those are two hours I'll never have again...I don't know, I really don't like any of these people. Pimp daddy Sean and his laaaaddddies, I find very annoying. I almost fell for the 'I love the view of the symbol of my new home', but then those lips kicked in, and the eyes lost the twinkle, and I was able to break the spell. Roxanne who I liked, looked like she was one of those ladies on 'what not to wear' with that rain coat, and her affinity for gouchos. Although I like Michael (when he said he felt more at home with the losers, well it kind of made him seem more of a loser), I did think the laughing was funny.

I liked Lenny too, but the key to being gansta in business is knowing when to kiss up. Lee was trying to hip him to it, you can say what you want (and even sometimes tell the truth) if you make them laugh, and appropriately say I was wrong, I should have been more open to more ideas. Not 'why you bring that up', or 'we lose, but what is you problem the kids like, and instruments not that expensive, what you think $99.00 is lot of money, psssss, it's not lot of money' (then roll eyes). Wrong, wrong wrong. However I did like that Lenny totally dissed the crying (notice no tears this week) Charmaine, and her 'what we cain't be freeeieends, just becaws I sad sumthin bout you?'. Plus he hipped her to the 10,000 face thing. I've only seen about 25 of them, but I believe there are probably quite a few more there.

So now I actually care about no one, and if someone has to win, I kind of hope it's Lee, I really can't root for Roxanne, because I thought she was her own woman. However she's under some sort of langui-spell that Sean casts over all woman. Fortunately Mandrea's not a woman so she doesn't seem to be affected (although she does have a very nice life where everyone does what she says).

I think that was her point. I may have misread the situation, but it sounded like Charmaine was trying to convince Lenny to hire professionals to get the job done more quickly.

I'm so over Lee. Trump may be right -- he's a total politician. If he is ever elected to office, I'm sure we can expect that his best and least competent friends will be the highest ranking people whatever administration he may have.

Also, I know that trying to make sense of Donald Trump's line of "logic," but why is "loyalty" a good thing sometimes, but "protecting" your friends (I'm thinking Katrina/Ereka from S1) from firing is bad?

I think it may have more to do with her feeling that she will be in the final two and trying to cover her bases in case she is stuck with Lenny.

Personally, I am rooting for the lesser of every evil....Tammy.

Actually word to Winky Dink also, I thought even if Leslie had gone for the $2.00 price, they would have won, because that would have been a $2000.00 price increase over any day. I'm sure that would cover a day's lunch time window of those 7-11 sandwiches at like $1.50. So besides not wanting to lower the price, I thought she was kind of stupid for that. Everyone knows, if you've got inventory, better to unload it for cheaper than take it home with you. She could have at least improved her chances for a larger increase. So although I thought she seemed likable also (especially after she combed and brushed her hair), agree with George, she didn't seem to have the drive and laser beam killer spririt needed.

Ghettofabman,

Who is Tammy?

They needed to have the same set of kids visit both rooms. The Gold Rush kids gave them all a false sense of hope and the Synergy kids were on quaaludes.

He is the "king" that wanders around inside Toys R Us. Sometimes they have a Barbie/princess deal back by the dolls and they have the trademark Geoffrey the giraffe who was in a brief shot at the beginning of the reward segment. I'm sure there are more, but that 's all that is coming to me right now.

As for the task.....Why is it that Lee can get away with LOYALTY to Lenny, but Bryce was fired for it last week?! Something is seriously flawed with logic there! Lenny seemed to be the right one to go. Andrea is a bit (just a bit...) overbearing, but she does seem to get the results. Sean & Allie seem a tad too close to be interviewing for an executive position. More later I'm sure!

Exactly. The execs seemed like real sourpusses toward Lenny's team for some reason. Maybe because of the awkward, short meeting; maybe they didn't like his accent, but they seemed determined not to like it. "Some people don't like music"? Hey dummy, these aren't just people; they're kids. Kids all love beating on drums and stuff like that. As far as that Commie stuff about forcing the kids to learn teamwork; don't they get beaten over the head with that enough at school? It won't hurt them to spend a little time alone being creative.

Carolyn's point about the equipment being expensive didn't make sense to me, if both teams spent the same amount of money. It doesn't necessarily cost any more to replace one $1000 keyboard than it does to replace 100 $10 toys. In fact, cheaper toys might wear out faster, while expensive ones are more likely to come with a warranty.

Lenny was just far too blunt for this competition, and I think his language problems doomed him no matter how well he might have done on the tasks. There were just too many times that he obviously misunderstood what someone was saying, or put something wrong, and sooner or later that was going to make him too big a liability. I like him, though, so I wish he'd been more gracious at the end.

It's always a shame when a PM does a terrible job and ends up winning anyway, because Trump's and the show's memory is too short to ever hold him responsible for it later. This week goes down as a win for Michael, just as if he did a great job.

I'd hire this guy in a heartbeat.
http://www.lennyfromussr.com/welcome.html

Ha!

The main reason I have to think that he just kind of showed up (and may well have been dressed like that just andering the streets) was because:

• He didn't seem to do much IN the store
• He didn't get in the limo at the end of the excursion
• I've never seen anyone/thing like at a Toys R Us

Maybe he was trying to meet Donald Trump and sneak home with him? After all, he was covered in gold...

True, but instruments are going to get manhandled a lot more than a TV. In fact, probably the only thing getting touched is the remote. And in the same room, the Trump boardgame has to be about $2.99 in the Kay-Bee bargain bin. So no major loss if that needs to get replaced.