Martha Stewart Apprentice

[Dave00]

Martha seems to be drawn to Marcela's fundamental decency and ability to appeal to the rapidly increasing Hispanic market. Marcela is someone who stands out against a tiger shark like the eliminated Amanda,

She won it with the latino comment. You could tell Martha Stewart latched onto that idea of moving, what really is a very white brand, into minority communities.

I can't see any of the "candidates" really being an executive. But I can see Marcella working well at the company.

I don't understand the idea of letting the teams outsource their projects. For several projects, including this week's, the winning teams had decided to just hire someone else to do the project. That's not interesting at all. Marcella's idea was much more intriguing, and she would've won if her team had any interest in actually trying to sell.

Also, this year way too much of the shows are devoted to the aftermath, and not enough to the projects, which I think are more interesting. And Martha's sidekicks are a joke. Her daughter, who is a "consultant" to the company; and Mr. Unlit Cigar Chomper Charles. They're even less interesting than martha, which is hard to do.

Dave

 

[jefhatfield]

Who got kicked out on the Nov. 23 episode?

i missed it

and what was the reason...which team won...and what was the task?

-jef

 

[nospleen]

i missed it

and what was the reason...which team won...and what was the task?

-jef

My tivo did not tape it. I am hoping it was not on? Does anyone know?

 

[jefhatfield]

i checked on the apprentice-martha stewart web page just now and there was nothing on it...maybe they update it after they play the later in the week rerun of wednesday night's show on msnbc, an affiliate of parent nbc

i have no idea who could get kicked out since they all have their vulnerabilities...jim and bethenny are too scattered though they mean well

dawna and marcela can't lead or control people like jim because they don't want to offend anybody

leslie has some chance because of her camera presence and perceived authority and ryan seems a bit better but may lack the camera presence, but they also both show a lot of weakness when the stress hit and people like jim don't make it easy on them or anybody

maybe jim got kicked off being jim the crazy man, or maybe he continued on his increasingly controlled path of the last two episodes

 

[Deepdale]

i missed it ... and what was the reason...which team won...and what was the task?/QUOTE]

Jef, you are as safe as Martha's remaining wannabes. There was no show on 11-23 since NBC broadcast a concert by Faith Hill in that timeslot. Next Wednesday, 11-30, it returns and I am hoping that will prove to be Jim's day of reckoning. He may be ripe to go postal.

Another reminder for viewers ... the live finale is set for 12-21 from 8-10.

 

[jefhatfield]

thanks for the update for the reason for no episode

why couldn't faith hill, talented singer that she is, have a concert on abc or cbs? heck, cbs is the weakest network in the past few years so they can really use a boost over there

i ended up watching the deleted scenes from donald's the apprentice show and it was terribly boring and such a waste of time...i wish donald went back to getting some variety on his show, like his first season, and martha's show...first season...and now, as we know, last season

but she wants to continue the apprentice on another network for a second season so i will watch it unless it's on some cable channel i don't get like upn2 or hbo or something

 

[Deepdale]

... i ended up watching the deleted scenes from donald's the apprentice show and it was terribly boring and such a waste of time...i wish donald went back to getting some variety on his show.

I also watched the summary episode and it was quite tedious to finish without throwing something at the TV screen. The positive feature is the way it illustrated how annoying, egotistical and self-absorbed the candidates are ... interesting how the same description fits King Donny perfectly as well.

I finally got to see how Rebecca broke her ankle while skating with the NY Islanders. Just because one is on the winning team does not mean that sound judgment should be abandoned for an ice skating session when one can barely stand up on skates.

The task promoting Shania Twain's new perfume was far from electrifying, but Adam's dismissal was worthy. It was abundantly clear that he had a horse's ass of an idea to use the costly carriages. It's true that only five calls separated the teams, but in Trump's protected world I suppose everybody is a winner until he speaks the two magical words that prove otherwise.

The two words I look forward to speaking will come immediately after the winner is announced: It's over!

 

[jefhatfield]

tonight could be the last night for jim...yay...but i have to admit, he has remade himself into a much quieter, kinder, and gentler contestant

actually, i don't think he was ever mean, but his "jim" carey (sp?) personality, though not as funny, especially in this context, is not a corporate personality

but then again, i don't do well with corporations or organizations, be it government, financial, retail, or customer service...thus my having been self employed part of full time for 28 years...plus it pays better to be self employed but the money is not what i am after, but the autonomy of the lifesyle of an entrepreneur

at least i am glad i don't have to work for jim, with him, or have him as an employee

 

[peterparker]

Dammit, Jim remains... But from the previews it looks like he's back to himself next week.

 

[Deepdale]

Dammit, Jim remains... But from the previews it looks like he's back to himself next week.

It sure seems that his embarrassing antics, fueled by alcohol consumption, are back on center stage.The next task of preparing an in-flight video presentation may have Jim temporarily flying high, but the descent may be unsettling and the conference room landing even rougher. When one carries on like a fool in public while representing a person with an iconic stature, it is a transgression that will push Martha to her limits.

 

[clayj]

Did anyone else catch that Jim quoted someone named "Sun Tzao" talking about warfare, deception, etc.? C'mon, Jim, the guy's name is "Sun Tzu".

Jim is definitely not as smart as he thinks he is. I think Martha knows his deal and is keeping him around for maximum entertainment value before jettisoning him at or near the final cut.

 

[jefhatfield]

sometimes leslie and marcela have shined this season, but never as project managers and this last episode had leslie lead and lose again so she got kicked off

marcela didn't do jack and she actually also deserved the boot...i thought martha was going to fire them both

ryan, while on the losing team, was ok (but not great)

jim or bethenny are probably next to go, and judging from the scenes next week it seems that dawna is safe for one more week making her make the final four with possibly marcela, bethenny but definitely ryan, or it could be dawna, marcela, ryan, and jim...but bethenny and jim are the most scattered of the bunch and marcela can't be low on the radar for that much longer

in conclusion:

1) marcela has the good heart and the passion, unlike the other four (jim, ryan, dawna, and bethenny)

2) dawna could be a good behind the scenes person for martha but should never go on camera

3) ryan has potential but has to be more assertive

4) bethenny would have to step up in a big way and make herself known

5) jim would have to do the opposite to survive

 

[~Shard~]

All of the remaining candidates seem pretty flawed to me, each in their own way - I think Martha is going to have a hard time ultimately hiring one of them, as she could find significant faults in each one of them. Even last night it seemed like it was a hard decision for her deciding which one to fire, since they all delivered sub-par performances. Maybe she should have taken a page out of Donald's book and just fired all of them.

 

[jefhatfield]

All of the remaining candidates seem pretty flawed to me, each in their own way - I think Martha is going to have a hard time ultimately hiring one of them, as she could find significant faults in each one of them. Even last night it seemed like it was a hard decision for her deciding which one to fire, since they all delivered sub-par performances. Maybe she should have taken a page out of Donald's book and just fired all of them.

i can see firing the two women on the losing team, but what was really so bad with ryan in this last challenge?

 

[clayj]

i can see firing the two women on the losing team, but what was really so bad with ryan in this last challenge?

Nothing, and that's a flaw in the system known as The Apprentice.

Ryan had a good idea; Charles even said it was a good idea. But then Leslie, the PM, mucked it up. Martha criticized Ryan for not "taking ownership" of his idea... but the fact is that Leslie was the PM and Ryan couldn't MAKE her do what he wanted. There is no ownership in The Apprentice... if your PM is a strong-willed idiot, like Leslie, then you're screwed. Occasionally, we've seen PMs who are weak and who get out of the way of their subordinates, and those teams have won. But a strong player working for a weak PM who has to have things THEIR way often finds themselves with a loss.

It's too bad that some of these players don't stand up for themselves better in the conference room/boardroom. If I were Ryan, I'd've said "Martha, I had this great idea (which Charles thought was good, too), but Leslie screwed it up. I tried to convince her to go with my original idea, but she wouldn't do it no matter how hard I tried. I couldn't MAKE her do it, and she was the boss. Ergo, it's her fault we lost."

The way it works now, a buck private can get fired for telling the general that he's an idiot, when he really IS an idiot.

 

[~Shard~]

i can see firing the two women on the losing team, but what was really so bad with ryan in this last challenge?

Actually that's fair enough, I agree - he didn't really screw up. That being said, he didn't really do anything overly impressive either and stand up for himself in the boardroom...

 

[Deepdale]

Interesting episode tonight, but I just checked the time and realized that west coast residents still have not seen it. I will share some thoughts after it has been aired out there.

 

[~Shard~]

Interesting episode tonight, but I just checked the time and realized that west coast residents still have not seen it. I will share some thoughts after it has been aired out there.

Dammit, I was all ready to talk about the episode when I saw that the thread has been updated, but you're right, I guess we should wait...

 

[Deepdale]

Dammit, I was all ready to talk about the episode when I saw that the thread has been updated, but you're right, I guess we should wait...

Being patient is the right thing to do ... I have seen too many instances where people eagerly post spoilers about a variety of items and it creates some bad blood. I look forward to your comments about tonight's show.

 

[jefhatfield]

Being patient is the right thing to do ... I have seen too many instances where people eagerly post spoilers about a variety of items and it creates some bad blood. I look forward to your comments about tonight's show.

i used to see the "24" threads and besides the mountain states, the midwest, and the east coast, there were many a country that saw what happened before i did, so i just waited to log on, and see the episode first

it's 20 minutes or so past the west coast airing, but i guess i will have to wait for the hawaii members since they see everything on television last

i just don't have any favorites at this time (maybe because i have seen everyone's bad side as martha stewart executives) so even if i had to guess and spill the beans on what happened, i would have no clue as to how i think next week's show will go

but clayj, deepdale, shard, and others, feel free to PM me on who you think will win, and why, because i don't want to spoil this for anybody who has not seen this episode tonight

 

[Deepdale]

i would have no clue as to how i think next week's show will go ... but clayj, deepdale, shard, and others, feel free to PM me on who you think will win, and why

It is way late in the east and watchers of the show will share more tomorrow, but before going to bed I will PM you with my guess as to who will win. I agree that it is now very hard to predict future events (except for one that seems likely).

 

[jefhatfield]

jim...now that the team competitions are over and it's down to individuals, martha's executives are going to find jim too annoying to hire

bethenny...she can come across ok if she is not stressed but she does have a skill (natural foods chef) which fits right in with martha's organization but bethenny is not an organization/corporate person

dawna...the accountant and perfect non offensive personality who keeps cool under pressure and is the perfect "yes" person to any leader in a group but not a real go-getter like jim and bethenny can be

next week it all depends on who martha's executives find least annoying to fit the job as apprentice since they fill find the three applicants sorely lacking for a $250k dollar senior executive job at martha stewart living

the least likely person to win will be jim but he did make it into the top three which is far better than anyone could have predicted, especially with a more suitable ryan and howie who got kicked off already

 

[~Shard~]

jim...now that the team competitions are over and it's down to individuals, martha's executives are going to find jim too annoying to hire

bethenny...she can come across ok if she is not stressed but she does have a skill (natural foods chef) which fits right in with martha's organization but bethenny is not an organization/corporate person

dawna...the accountant and perfect non offensive personality who keeps cool under pressure and is the perfect "yes" person to any leader in a group but not a real go-getter like jim and bethenny can be

next week it all depends on who martha's executives find least annoying to fit the job as apprentice since they fill find the three applicants sorely lacking for a $250k dollar senior executive job at martha stewart living

the least likely person to win will be jim but he did make it into the top three which is far better than anyone could have predicted, especially with a more suitable ryan and howie who got kicked off already

Excellent summary jefhatfield, I'm not sure if there's much I can add to that. As you say, now that we're down to individuals, there is no way Jim will get hired - he is to much of an insincere, loud, cocky salesman. Bethany gets stressed easily, and dawna, well, doesn't really do much - as you say, she's a good "yes woman".

So, in all honestly, I don't think any of them truly deserve to win, I think the hard decision for Martha will be who to actually hire since each candidate has their weaknesses and none of them are stellar and standouts. And perhaps this is one of the reasons Martha won't be coming back next year.

 

[jefhatfield]

And perhaps this is one of the reasons Martha won't be coming back next year.

nbc to martha: "you just don't fit into our organization"

too bad i guess since donald trump as executive producer was planning on having martha do well with her show then replace him in his timeslot

now trump has to continue alone next year, and this years viewership of donald's apprentice is 4 million viewers less than last season so his show is whimpering out

nbc (and presumably trump) planned a boardroom meeting where martha fires donald (very much in the self effacing humor trump is known for and a very big way for him to make an exit...the same big way he made an entrance onto primetime television and which also mirrors his life of huge ups and downs)

 

[~Shard~]

nbc to martha: "you just don't fit into our organization"

Exactly.

too bad i guess since donald trump as executive producer was planning on having martha do well with her show then replace him in his timeslot

now trump has to continue alone next year, and this years viewership of donald's apprentice is 4 million viewers less than last season so his show is whimpering out

nbc (and presumably trump) planned a boardroom meeting where martha fires donald (very much in the self effacing humor trump is known for and a very big way for him to make an exit...the same big way he made an entrance onto primetime television and which also mirrors his life of huge ups and downs)

Really? Was this the case? I had never heard officially that she was ultimately supposed to be a replacement for Donald's show - interesting. That boardroom scene you describe would have been cool to see - where did you hear about that?

Yes, it will be interesting to see what happens next year. It's pretty short notice to throw a new Apprentice together to replace Martha (who would they get, anyway?), so as you say, Trump will probably be flying solo, and I'm curious to see what the ratings will be like.