The Apprentice L.A. - Aired Jan. 7 - Commentary
We're back, baby! I hope you all had a great holiday season, spending quality time with friends and family... Oh, screw it. Competitive reality shows with The Apprentice and Grease: You're The One That I Want have returned! We'll get to Grease in a post later today or tomorrow, even though it aired first. I want to start the New Year off with the bigger show. The 'UGE show! The 30 billion dollar industry!
Now there's no question about it, Donald Trump is an asshole. He's demonstrated this in the past, and the whole feud with Rosie O'Donnell is beyond ridiculous, though there's no doubt he's milking the whole thing for publicity. Despite all of this though, he's a highly entertaining host for a show such as The Apprentice. His bombastic, over-the-top style is exactly what this ode to greed requires. And then there is the gorgeous, gorgeous hair... It's 'UGE!
This season finds us in beautiful Los Angeles, California. It's not quite as beautiful as New York, nor as full of life and character (as a city, as they both certainly have their fair share of characters). And it's too damned sunny. Seriously, I heart NY as a location much more than LA. Besides, both the Crips and the Bloods are out to get me.
That said, it certainly doesn't hurt to mix things up and have a change of location, as long as your not Laverne and Shirley. The candidates got to work a car wash last night, so already the show is making use of it's new backdrop. The living and work arrangements are interesting too, with Trump and the boardroom being right next to the mansion and campground. Oh, the campground. I'm loving that! These contestants may be successful in business, but judging from life around tents, they'd probably die if they ever had to do Survivor. They got tents, latrines, showers, a barbeque... Everything they could possibly need! Look at it as an adventure, oh frail little city folk.
The only real problem with the new setup is the loss of one of the classic Apprentice scenes. There's no hallway for the surviving losers to walk down, no door into the suite opening onto looks of shock or cries of happiness. On the other hand, instead of a receptionist letting the candidates into the boardroom, we now have a butler. How posh is that? Yay, Jeeves!
The other big changes this season are on either side of Trump, and I'm not talking about his Real Doll wife (that link is not safe for work, around children, behind Grandma's back, or anywhere for that matter, so be warned (here, this one is much safer)). No, I'm talking about his daughter, Ivanka Trump, replacing the fired and much missed Carolyn. Luckily however, she's been doing a fine job so far and I can't wait to see further along in the season. On the other side, everyone's favourite curmudgeon, George, is gone! Maybe he's eating some fine cookies somewhere, maybe he's off playing shuffleboard, or maybe he's just too cranky to do it this season. All we know is that his chair is empty, and the latest twist is that the winning project manager will sit there when the losing team is in the boardroom. Oooooh, I like!
Being project manager during a task has always been a dangerous spot, with few benefits other than picking who comes back into the boardroom with you if you lose, and something to point to at the end if you make it to the final two. But now there are definite perks. In addition to the above sitting in on the losing team, the winning project manager now keeps that position until their team loses. If you get a team on a hot winning streak, you could write yourself into the final two unless you do something truly awful to screw yourself royally. Who wants to sit beside someone at the end who can say, "Mr. Trump, look at my record. I was project manager SIX weeks running!" Nobody, that's who!
Because it was the season premiere, we didn't get to know a lot of the cast. Trump really seemed to like that rat who helped screw Team Canada out of the very first Olympic gold medal for women's hockey ever, but that was pretty much all we saw of that triumph-stealing hussy. No, at the start of the season for most of these shows you pretty much only get camera time if you're in a position of power, if you're likely to make an early exit, or if you stand out in what is usually a bad way. James got some face time because he seems to be very, very talkative, but in the end this episode was the Martin, Frank, and Heidi Show. Martin was going to get face time no matter what, and I've got a feeling that Frank would have too, even if he wasn't his team's project manager. I'm just grateful he was, because it gave us one of the best near meltdowns ever following one of the best starts by an insane project manager ever. It was all good!
I won't even bother saying anything about Heidi's team this time around. They were cool, collected, and they won by thinking things through. Not so much with Frank, who didn't so much lead his team but started panicking immediately, which lead to the wonderful shot of him running away to get fliers printed while leaving his team wondering what the hell just happened. It was sooo delicious to see!
Then there was Martin. From the moment he stood there in his suit he bought from a blind tailor offering Trump a hug if it meant he could go to the bathroom we knew he was going to be a disaster, but how big of one? I mean, he's got the mighty big shoes of Brent from season 5, Markus from season 4, and Danny from season 3 to fill!
On the first task, putting together a tent, he excelled at standing on a rock, claiming he was "supervising". So far, so good! Then at the car wash he was a washout at sales. But... He just wasn't good at it. He didn't actually drive any sales away. That was a little disappointing. And for the record, I don't think Brent was ever Apprentice material, but I still think he was unfairly treated by his team based on his looks and personality.
Anyway, Frank's team lost, and Martin stayed surprisingly cool while Frank got more and more freaked out with every passing moment. I kept waiting for him to break down in uncontrollable sobs or to snap and start swearing at people while getting all paranoid. As fun as either of those would have been, the barely contained desperation was a blast to see. It also helped us to learn that in the boardroom, whining and begging means you "have the fire to succeed". In fact, maybe if Martin didn't stay so cool and did a little whining and begging himself, things would have been different. As it was, he was the one who took a ride home in a luxury car (no New York taxis this season).
I haven't said much about Heidi yet. Well, she was a competent project manager. It was a fairly straightforward task, so we'll have to wait to see how she does on something a little trickier. However, where she really shined was sitting beside The Donald in the boardroom. She had gone in with a plan to try and keep the weakest player on the other team around, but obviously she didn't have any control over that. What she did do well was sit there with confidence, asked good questions, and was honest with Trump. She looked like she belonged there, and that certainly can't hurt. If she wins again next week, she can build on all of that and help lay the foundation for keeping herself safe after her teams inevitable first loss (I say thinking of the odds of winning several in a row, but you never really know).
It's too early in the game to pick a favourite. There are just too many people we don't know well enough yet to make that call. For the moment though, Heidi is sitting in that coveted spot.
Now there's no question about it, Donald Trump is an asshole. He's demonstrated this in the past, and the whole feud with Rosie O'Donnell is beyond ridiculous, though there's no doubt he's milking the whole thing for publicity. Despite all of this though, he's a highly entertaining host for a show such as The Apprentice. His bombastic, over-the-top style is exactly what this ode to greed requires. And then there is the gorgeous, gorgeous hair... It's 'UGE!
This season finds us in beautiful Los Angeles, California. It's not quite as beautiful as New York, nor as full of life and character (as a city, as they both certainly have their fair share of characters). And it's too damned sunny. Seriously, I heart NY as a location much more than LA. Besides, both the Crips and the Bloods are out to get me.
That said, it certainly doesn't hurt to mix things up and have a change of location, as long as your not Laverne and Shirley. The candidates got to work a car wash last night, so already the show is making use of it's new backdrop. The living and work arrangements are interesting too, with Trump and the boardroom being right next to the mansion and campground. Oh, the campground. I'm loving that! These contestants may be successful in business, but judging from life around tents, they'd probably die if they ever had to do Survivor. They got tents, latrines, showers, a barbeque... Everything they could possibly need! Look at it as an adventure, oh frail little city folk.
The only real problem with the new setup is the loss of one of the classic Apprentice scenes. There's no hallway for the surviving losers to walk down, no door into the suite opening onto looks of shock or cries of happiness. On the other hand, instead of a receptionist letting the candidates into the boardroom, we now have a butler. How posh is that? Yay, Jeeves!
The other big changes this season are on either side of Trump, and I'm not talking about his Real Doll wife (that link is not safe for work, around children, behind Grandma's back, or anywhere for that matter, so be warned (here, this one is much safer)). No, I'm talking about his daughter, Ivanka Trump, replacing the fired and much missed Carolyn. Luckily however, she's been doing a fine job so far and I can't wait to see further along in the season. On the other side, everyone's favourite curmudgeon, George, is gone! Maybe he's eating some fine cookies somewhere, maybe he's off playing shuffleboard, or maybe he's just too cranky to do it this season. All we know is that his chair is empty, and the latest twist is that the winning project manager will sit there when the losing team is in the boardroom. Oooooh, I like!
Being project manager during a task has always been a dangerous spot, with few benefits other than picking who comes back into the boardroom with you if you lose, and something to point to at the end if you make it to the final two. But now there are definite perks. In addition to the above sitting in on the losing team, the winning project manager now keeps that position until their team loses. If you get a team on a hot winning streak, you could write yourself into the final two unless you do something truly awful to screw yourself royally. Who wants to sit beside someone at the end who can say, "Mr. Trump, look at my record. I was project manager SIX weeks running!" Nobody, that's who!
Because it was the season premiere, we didn't get to know a lot of the cast. Trump really seemed to like that rat who helped screw Team Canada out of the very first Olympic gold medal for women's hockey ever, but that was pretty much all we saw of that triumph-stealing hussy. No, at the start of the season for most of these shows you pretty much only get camera time if you're in a position of power, if you're likely to make an early exit, or if you stand out in what is usually a bad way. James got some face time because he seems to be very, very talkative, but in the end this episode was the Martin, Frank, and Heidi Show. Martin was going to get face time no matter what, and I've got a feeling that Frank would have too, even if he wasn't his team's project manager. I'm just grateful he was, because it gave us one of the best near meltdowns ever following one of the best starts by an insane project manager ever. It was all good!
I won't even bother saying anything about Heidi's team this time around. They were cool, collected, and they won by thinking things through. Not so much with Frank, who didn't so much lead his team but started panicking immediately, which lead to the wonderful shot of him running away to get fliers printed while leaving his team wondering what the hell just happened. It was sooo delicious to see!
Then there was Martin. From the moment he stood there in his suit he bought from a blind tailor offering Trump a hug if it meant he could go to the bathroom we knew he was going to be a disaster, but how big of one? I mean, he's got the mighty big shoes of Brent from season 5, Markus from season 4, and Danny from season 3 to fill!
On the first task, putting together a tent, he excelled at standing on a rock, claiming he was "supervising". So far, so good! Then at the car wash he was a washout at sales. But... He just wasn't good at it. He didn't actually drive any sales away. That was a little disappointing. And for the record, I don't think Brent was ever Apprentice material, but I still think he was unfairly treated by his team based on his looks and personality.
Anyway, Frank's team lost, and Martin stayed surprisingly cool while Frank got more and more freaked out with every passing moment. I kept waiting for him to break down in uncontrollable sobs or to snap and start swearing at people while getting all paranoid. As fun as either of those would have been, the barely contained desperation was a blast to see. It also helped us to learn that in the boardroom, whining and begging means you "have the fire to succeed". In fact, maybe if Martin didn't stay so cool and did a little whining and begging himself, things would have been different. As it was, he was the one who took a ride home in a luxury car (no New York taxis this season).
I haven't said much about Heidi yet. Well, she was a competent project manager. It was a fairly straightforward task, so we'll have to wait to see how she does on something a little trickier. However, where she really shined was sitting beside The Donald in the boardroom. She had gone in with a plan to try and keep the weakest player on the other team around, but obviously she didn't have any control over that. What she did do well was sit there with confidence, asked good questions, and was honest with Trump. She looked like she belonged there, and that certainly can't hurt. If she wins again next week, she can build on all of that and help lay the foundation for keeping herself safe after her teams inevitable first loss (I say thinking of the odds of winning several in a row, but you never really know).
It's too early in the game to pick a favourite. There are just too many people we don't know well enough yet to make that call. For the moment though, Heidi is sitting in that coveted spot.
Labels: commentary, NBC, The Apprentice L.A.
posted by Tabby at 7:53 a.m.
4 Comments:
Thank goodness you're doing The Apprentice! Despite a reminder call on my answering machine from my sister, I missed the first episode (at least it was for a good reason - I was spending some quality time with my 9 year old). I've missed reading your witty commentaries/recaps!
PS If you know of any information about a return of TH, please post for me! I've been completely away from the reality TV gossip.
Hi, CG! I haven't heard anything about Treasure Hunters returning, and I haven't seen any application information on NBC.com. The ratings for the show were poor enough that it's highly unlikely that it'll be back, unfortunately.
Sorry about that. The shows just come back, and already life happens and postpones coverage. Not to worry though, I have it started.
Great recap! Not as acerbic as some other recaps, but the season's just underway.
I hope you'll be blogging the whole season through--being a Brit I get the episodes slightly late, but I'd love to read your reviews. They're not long enough though--MORE! Give us more!
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