248 replies to this topic

[TWoP Pembleton]

Both teams are charged with producing a live event launching the new Buick Verano to a live and online audience. The men's choice of Project Manager is called into question, and the women's team is divided when half of the members feel shut out by their Project Manager. A heated boardroom concludes with a shocking result, and Trump's decision surprises everyone.

[bandita]

Penn is the devil. Can't wait to see it.

Trump was always going to fire two people. Loved how more than one person was trying to tell the Trumps "that's not true" about Lou but the Trumps weren't going to listen.

Adam deserved to be fired. That "You suck" thing went over like a lead balloon.

Andretti hasn't done much of anything all along. He deserved to be fired on this one, too.

Edited by bandita, Mar 11, 2012 @ 10:03 PM.

[LennieB]

When the Buick guys did NOT see Andretti in a racing suit behind the wheel of their Verano.....

UNANIMOUS LOST.

IMO, everything else was secondary.

Edited by LennieB, Mar 11, 2012 @ 10:04 PM.

[tone]

The women won over the men? Really? All because MA wasn't the star of the presentation. The men's presentation was far better, except for the repeated "You suck!" part. I guess it gave LF something to do, though.

And Trump punishing Adam for not bringing 2 people back by firing 2 instead of 1. Trump, your BS has no ends.

[LadyNebula]

I'm sorry to see Michael go. Yes, this could have been his challenge, but I didn't like Trump's "You're a brand!" No, he's a person, and one who clearly was uncomfortable with the marketing/speaking aspect.

What was Teresa wearing? It looked like she was wearing a Muppet.

[Rozen]

So basically Trump promised the Buick execs an enthusiastic Andretti backing for their vehicle, and was enraged when it didn't happen. Arsenio nailed it perfectly, all that Buick wanted was for Andretti to jump up and down on the stage swearing it was the best car ever (and for free at that!). The rest of the team could have all been in the trunk and they wouldn't have cared. I bet Andretti knew it too, so did his best to minimize his involvement.

Lou is this season's Gary Busey, he's so annoying. I thought Jose Cansenco looked on the verge of roid rage at all times, but Lou has him beat.

[missy jo]

Nooooooooooooooo!!! Adam was one of my favorites. I think he's funny, smart and versatile. If he hadn't offered to fall on his sword I don't think he would have been fired, even though he was the project manager.

Lou is embarassing.

Aubrey O'Day is very, very smart, creative and most of all articulate. Unlike Teresa who misused the word "jaded" and sat there with her jaw open when Don Jr. used the word "thesis."

However, Aubrey mispronounced the name of the product, and in marketing, that is a deal-breaker. Period.

I liked and understood the guys' presentation much more, but those are the breaks.

What was up with Ivanka's pink dress in the beginning? Could you imagine anything LESS flattering than that?

except for the repeated "You suck!" part. I guess it gave LF something to do, though.

Yes, it was done to pacify him and I think there's a decent chance that's why they lost.

Edited by missy jo, Mar 11, 2012 @ 10:07 PM.

[33 Sheets]

Adam did deserve it, Michael did not. Just because he's not a performer doesn't mean he deserved to go. I felt like they fired him because of his personality.

How superficial. The Trumps are chumps.

Meanwhile, Lou lingers on, saving his whining for the boardroom. Pffft.

[vinnyvin]

It's funny how Tia has a Grammy while Debbie, Aubrey (and Clay) don't.

[bandita]

What was up with Ivanka's pink dress in the beginning? Could you imagine anything LESS flattering than that?

Must be one of her designs.

Andretti didn't deliver and I agree with the poster about his minimizing his involvement. If he is going to advertise for a vehicle and use his "brand" to sell it he probably might want some DOLLARS for it.

[Kali12]

Arsenio nailed it perfectly, all that Buick wanted was for Andretti to jump up and down on the stage swearing it was the best car ever (and for free at that!). The rest of the team could have all been in the trunk and they wouldn't have cared. I bet Andretti knew it too, so did his best to minimize his involvement.

This. You can't give away celebrity endorsements like this for free (and esp. if you don't really feel that way about the product and you're a professional).

Wish Lou had gone instead of Adam. Adam is funny and brings a more relaxed vibe generally. Lou is angry and uptight and has a hard time contributing to a group.

In other news, Trump remains a jerk.

[Stinger97]

I can't say I was thrilled to see Adam going home because I did feel like I was developing a soft spot for him, but the loss really was ultimately on his shoulders. He would have made it out unscathed had only one person been fired, I believe, and he didn't throw himself on his sword the way he did, but with two people going home he most definitely had to be one of them.

Michael getting fired was unsurprising and welcomed. He didn't have the passion or the drive necessary to succeed here and, as others have pointed out over the last few weeks, he's flown so far under the radar I think most of the audience didn't even realize he was a contestant. He should have stepped up and been PM this week or provided a bigger presence at the presentation. He didn't, and he paid for it.

There's no doubt in my mind that Debbie is full of herself and probably difficult to work with, but I can't help but love her and root for her. Loved that she led the team to a win, especially in a task that most (myself included) probably pegged them as the underdogs in. Loved it.

Andretti didn't deliver and I agree with the poster about his minimizing his involvement. If he is going to advertise for a vehicle and use his "brand" to sell it he probably might want some DOLLARS for it.

I'm almost positive that they all receive a stipend to appear and compete on this show, so if you approach it from that perspective, Michael had already gotten money to endorse whatever product Trump could throw at him and his team. The name of the game is to win the tasks presented to you, and Michael, if he minimized his involvement, didn't do what was necessary to win the task. That's why his firing was justified.

Edited by Stinger97, Mar 11, 2012 @ 10:12 PM.

[chandapanda]

Such an aggravation for firing both Adam and Michael. However, it would've been awesome if Unanimous had taken a video of Andretti driving the car on the obstacle course and used it during their presentation. It would not have been a full-on endorsement by Michael but it would show what the execs wanted, which was an Andretti (it didn't matter which one to them, honestly) driving the shit out of their car.

And I'm very annoyed that the women won. I honestly thought that Teresa was the best, in the little bit they showed of her and her family, gamely doing it even though she had no input in the matter. Debbie/Deborah/Deb/whatever her name is grates, as does her very brightly colored pink lipstick that ages her. Also, she should have lost based on singing her song over and over and over again.

And the girls didn't know the safety rating? How silly, I would've fired somebody over that, too. And then they changed how many airbags are considered standard (is it 6 or 8?), at least they got the 10 airbags correct.

Gah, this episode reminds me of how much I dislike this show.

ETA: Lou should be forced to be PM next week, regardless of the task, after all that whining.

Edited by chandapanda, Mar 11, 2012 @ 10:12 PM.

[Jumelle]

So basically, Buick wanted Andretti, but Andretti didn't step up, so the men got doubly punished and the women's crappy presentation won?

I think Paul Sr. should have yelled "Aubrey Sucks!" That sob story about her mother was horrid, and she couldn't remember the name of the car? Guess she was too sidetracked by the cool van and her bump-it hair.

Wow! I call not fair!

Edited by Jumelle, Mar 11, 2012 @ 10:14 PM.

[Crucial]

Sorry, that was designed for a Michael firing right off the bat since he wasn't the PM for the task. If all the "why aren't you PMing" that was thrown about this episode wasn't a clue. How else could someone saying the WRONG name TWICE in a presentation be better? I just wish is was Adam and Lou. Lou is just insufferable. I'm sorry Lou brings nothing to the table and is just a pity party of one for himself.

[bonnierae]

Trump was going to punish Michael Andretti from the outset for not taking leadership in declaring himself the project leader! Trump always wants to control everything even who the team assigns leadership to. So, when Michael didn't thrust himself into the project leadership, he was doomed. And, of course, when Adam took responsibility and didn't feel that it was appropriate to bring in two people to join him in the "firing" Trump punished him. Trump has no respect for honesty nor altruism. He instinctively feels that those two characteristics are signs of weakness because he is an intrinsically evil man.

Trump is a megalomaniacal monster in every facet of his life, especially this "reality" show. This is the first episode that I watched and only because there wasn't anything else on that interested me. But, seriously, one solid hour of forcing the teams to lob insults and incriminations within their own ranks (to their own members)? This only provokes anger and destroys team solidarity. It is for Trump's pleasure...as if he is the emperor and the team members are the gladiators.

Donald Trump is a bottom feeding, low life, mouth breather, scum-sucking maggot and that is an insult to all bottom feeders, mouth breeders, and scum-sucking maggots.

What a waste of an hour of my life (in my never-to-be-humble opinion)

Of course, ymmv.

[stephf13]

The women won over the men? Really? All because MA wasn't the star of the presentation. The men's presentation was far better, except for the repeated "You suck!" part. I guess it gave LF something to do, though.

The men's presentation was far superior to the women's. We could not believe that the women beat the men.

I'm not super-familiar with race car driving, but don't drivers usually have vehicles that sponsor them? Perhaps that's one of the reasons why Michael didn't want to be more in the forefront of the task.

I don't think Adam or Michael deserved to be fired. I actually think Debbie should have be fired, regardless of the women's win. She was pretty terrible.

[filmcamerachick]

As the parent of an often very stubborn toddler, I've finally figured out the thing (well, one of the things) that bugs me so much about Trump. Once he gets an idea in his head, that's it - he cannot be swayed, whether by counter-argument, dissenting opinion or fact. He fixated on the fact that Michael should have been project manager because Andretti = cars, and nothing was going to convince him otherwise. Whereas to me, someone who drives cars fast for a living doesn't automatically know how to get up on a stage and sell them. I would actually lean more towards the comedian/public speaker as the project manager - I do agree with a previous poster that if Michael had been up there in his racing uniform, the Buick execs would have been super excited by that, and it would have gone a long way.

Trump is so infuriating because he's so damn stubborn! He was personally insulted that he "heavily suggested" Michael be project manager and the men didn't take him up on it. He was certain that that was the reason the men lost - when it was actually the fact that Michael wasn't very dynamic on stage. That wouldn't have changed if Michael had been project manager, so why did Trump keep whining about that?

Arghh! Trump drives me around the bend.

[isotonerz]

Gotta comment about the Teresa/Debbie scene when the team was celebrating the win . . .Debbie is very annoying, and she was apologizing or whatever to Teresa. Teresa said in voiceover “Debbie is so fake, she will grin in your face then stab you in the back”. Maybe. But, uh, Teresa, that’s exactly what YOU did. If you didn’t want to make nice with Debbie you should have made that clear to HER face instead of in a voiceover.

Debbie really loves herself - yes THAT Debbie Gibson. Ooookay. *cough*has been*cough* (I didn't hear the audience oooh and aah . . .they probably thought wtf?) And she said something about performing all the time? Really? Get over yourself.

I thought the men should have won – but didn’t like the ‘you suck’ bit. Thud – lead balloon. The women’s presentation actually was lame, imo, and regardless of why Audrey mispronounced the name of the car TWICE.

[ChicksDigScars]

So basically Trump promised the Buick execs an enthusiastic Andretti backing for their vehicle, and was enraged when it didn't happen. Arsenio nailed it perfectly, all that Buick wanted was for Andretti to jump up and down on the stage swearing it was the best car ever (and for free at that!). The rest of the team could have all been in the trunk and they wouldn't have cared. I bet Andretti knew it too, so did his best to minimize his involvement.

If Andretti had been front and center, the Buick executives wouldn't have been happy. What Trump failed to realize and observe, is that Michael is NOT Mario. Mario Andretti still does advertisements and product endorsements. He has the personality to be in front of the camera. Michael does not have his father's charisma. He is much more reserved and his speaking voice is fairly monotone. Having him drive the car and comment on the car itself, was the right thing to do. He does not have the personality to carry a presentation. He's not a salesman, and he knew that.

I'm so done with Lou. These guys shouldn't feel intimidated into saying nice things about him, and that's the vibe Lou gives. His name is brought up, and he leans forward, with his face twitching, and almost dares that person to say something negative.

That said, if you can't get the name of the product right (I'm looking at you, Aubrey), not once, but TWICE, there is no way that your team should win. Period.

[Tunia]

For all Trump knows, Andretti may have contractural obligations that could preclude him from giving an all out endorsement to a Buick product. Or, perhaps the Verano is a "good enough" car, but not as great as they portrayed, and he doesn't want his name (brand) to be permanently associated with it. It's pretty presumptuous of Trump to question Andretti's (non)actions in this case.

The make-up staff hates these women!

[bandita]

Right now the Andretti's are associated with Chevrolet
Andretti Brand

The more I think about it the more I think if I was in the position of Andretti I would not want to be the one seen as fully endorsing the car. But as one poster suggested, they could have shown the driving footage.

[Stinger97]

Debbie really loves herself - yes THAT Debbie Gibson. Ooookay. *cough*has been*cough* (I didn't hear the audience oooh and aah . . .they probably thought wtf?) And she said something about performing all the time? Really? Get over yourself.

No doubt that Debbie enjoys being the center of attention (I think pretty much all the celebs, save Michael, do as well) and belting out tunes whenever she gets the chance, but I had to commend her for allowing herself to be the butt of Lisa's jokes. I thought that her constant singing was played for laughs throughout the presentation, not as some masturbatory ego boosting on her part. That's why she didn't irk me much during the whole thing.

[TelevisionMary]

If I'm remembering right, the mis-speaking the name of the company was an issue for firing in a past season. I can't remember if someone got fired for it. But I know this issue has been brought up in the board room before in the past.

Trump was pushing for Andretti to endorse the Buick, and it did not happen, but in reality (not reality tv), that would be akin to Mario Andretti endorsing the Buick.. and for only $50,000 which was the prize money. I do think Andretti should be fired for sitting in the background looking like he is just there for airspace. I would have fired Lou, Lou seems to be just flexing his muscles and threatening the other team members (in the background that the viewer does not see as well as upfront and now the comments are coming out that the men feel intimidated by Lou but they are either scared or too nice to speak up, as in real life they will have to face Lou some time. They don't want a horse head in their bed.

Trump totally faked me out, right before he said the women did better, he complimented the men's team. I thought for sure the men won, except I thought the coarse language was bad and not professional.

Edited by TelevisionMary, Mar 11, 2012 @ 10:25 PM.

[DotsAndStripes]

I don't think Michael's firing had anything to do with the task. He was bad television, so they needed an excuse. His awkwardness provided such an excuse. I actually liked the 'twist' of firing two people tonight because there actually seemed to be a reason for it, namely Adam's refusal to bring back two people.

The men's team honestly remind me of mean girls when it came to George and now Lou. They've decided who they think is weak and that's it. No matter how much the guys try to say that they loved both George and Lou I get the distinct impression that they wrote both off instantly.

I thought the men's team losing this week was fair. The execs didn't seem like they liked Adam's performace. They had bigger, more genuine smiles during the women's presentation. Of course that could all be editing, but I thought the men were dull.

Finally, the star of the show is Aubrey. She is completely out of touch with reality, but she's exactly the type of celebrity I want on this show. Her comments about Debbie were amazing! I would never want to interact with Aubrey in real life, but on tv she's gold.

[bandita]

Debbie got a pissy face when she was the butt of Lisa's joke. Or that just could have been the editing and said pissy face came at any one point after dozens of possibilities of things happening that she did not like.

Edited by bandita, Mar 11, 2012 @ 10:26 PM.

[Diana Berry]

Hey its The Debbie Gibson just so we don't forget.

Yea Andretti flew under the radar but he seems like a good guy and not an ego maniac.

[bagatelle1]

I'm sorry to see Adam leave, if only because he was funny and intelligent and now we're stuck with Lou and Dee.

Speaking of Dee - I wish he would put his damn hand down. I don't care if someone behind the camera told him to keep his hand up, he should be a man and keep the thing in his lap because he looks like a little kid feeling sorry for himself and asking for pity and attention.

Edited by bagatelle1, Mar 11, 2012 @ 10:29 PM.

[FreakyBunny]

Michael was boring, and Adam never seemed to want to be there in the first place. As long as Penn wins, I'm good.

[Quiet1ne]

Speaking of Dee - I wish he would put his damn hand down. I don't care if someone behind the camera told him to keep his hand up, he should be a man and keep the thing in his lap because he looks like a little kid feeling sorry for himself and asking for pity and attention.

On twitter, he said his doctor told him to keep his hand up.