The Celebrity Apprentice

[ChrisH]

Steven was the one to go - he did a good job this week, but his enthusiasm has diminished week after week and this is the time in the competition to get fired up -- he isn't in that place.

Hi Shri,

I think Steven's problem was that he had already won twice for his mom's charitable organization, so he wasn't as "hungry" for the win as someone like Trace.

Steven's mother's cause will get more support than the food allergy cause. I have a couple of close friends with bad food allergies and I have a couple that could be deadly (obviously, I avoid those foods). But, its not a cause that will get a lot of exposure, acceptance or support. Its good to see Trace getting the word out to people. Something about Trace saying that he's there for the sole purpose of raising money to help his daughter - that's powerful

Chris

[Kevin Lee]

In this week's episode, Trump decided to fire both Carol and Lennox so that he could setup the dream matchup between "Good vs Evil", i.e. Trace vs Piers or the guy who has raised no money for his charity vs the guy who has raised the most.

I knew for sure that Trump wasn't going to fire Piers despite the advice from the other 2 business experts. Trump knows that Piers' ruthlessness is a ratings machine.

Moreover, I'd like to add that I'm very happy that Trump didn't bring back Omarosa as one of the "helpers" since she ruined Kwame Jackson's chances of winning in Season 1.

And while Trace definitely made a good choice to handicap Piers by selecting Lennox on his team, I feel that Piers shouldn't have chosen Stephen since Stephen doesn't like him and probably won't be committed towards helping his team win.

Lastly, why is Trace wasting his time overseeing that the Backstreet Boys get all the items they wanted in their room? He should've delegated that task to Marilu or Lennox.


Who do you think will win between Piers and Trace?

Personally, I'd like to see Trace win if only for the reason that he hasn't won anything for his charity yet.

[litekepr]

Trace was right to take Lennox and I was surprised that Piers didn't choose Carol first - she has been his biggest supporter for weeks. Piers taking Steven made no sense at all - but then Piers likes the chance to insult people and whine - so he gets that. No matter what happens and how Piers does - he will not give any credit to the others? That might work for TV ratings but its a sorry behavior for a "leader" in business.

The audience only saw a small piece of what Trace is doing and his dealing with the band to a point makes sense - since he has been the traveling band for years. The drawn out segment with them had to be for comic effect - there was no other good reason to show that. Marilu is much better suited to coordinating the event details and she doesn't need a crash course on how to get the band situated. I did enjoy Lennox and his reminders that the table choices were done. Its interesting to see Lennox without him being used by Piers. It will be so nice NOT to see Piers after next Thursday.

I'd love to see Trace win for many reasons -- but I only watch two reality shows and the team I wanted, won the other show. I couldn't actually get the winners I want twice in one year Either way, I don't have any reason to watch Piers ever again. No more Piers and no more Omarosa -- Happy Spring to me

Shri

In this week's episode, Trump decided to fire both Carol and Lennox so that he could setup the dream matchup between "Good vs Evil", i.e. Trace vs Piers or the guy who has raised no money for his charity vs the guy who has raised the most.

I knew for sure that Trump wasn't going to fire Piers despite the advice from the other 2 business experts. Trump knows that Piers' ruthlessness is a ratings machine.

Moreover, I'd like to add that I'm very happy that Trump didn't bring back Omarosa as one of the "helpers" since she ruined Kwame Jackson's chances of winning in Season 1.

And while Trace definitely made a good choice to handicap Piers by selecting Lennox on his team, I feel that Piers shouldn't have chosen Stephen since Stephen doesn't like him and probably won't be committed towards helping his team win.

Lastly, why is Trace wasting his time overseeing that the Backstreet Boys get all the items they wanted in their room? He should've delegated that task to Marilu or Lennox.


Who do you think will win between Piers and Trace?

Personally, I'd like to see Trace win if only for the reason that he hasn't won anything for his charity yet.

[Kevin Lee]

Trace was right to take Lennox and I was surprised that Piers didn't choose Carol first - she has been his biggest supporter for weeks. Piers taking Steven made no sense at all - but then Piers likes the chance to insult people and whine - so he gets that. No matter what happens and how Piers does - he will not give any credit to the others? That might work for TV ratings but its a sorry behavior for a "leader" in business.

Hi Shri,

I think that Piers was just so caught off guard by Trace's brilliant move to take Lennox that he instinctively thought he would be returning the favor by snagging Stephen. Furthermore, you're absolutely right in that Piers should've taken Carol 1st, so he might've been able to get Marilu and her rolodex working for him instead.

[Tami Szabo]

Well, the results are in and Piers is The Celebrity Apprentice.

I know Piers raised more money than Trace and I know this was a race for raising money for charity, but I'm still disappointed with the ethics that Piers used in order to win. I like how Trump's son asked Piers something along the line if Piers would have won if Trace would have had as impressive of a roladex. I also like how Trump's daughter asked if he would have raised as much money if he had actually been nice.

Personally, I would enjoy working with Trace and be able to trust him on my team. I'm not sure I would trust Piers and this means I would not prefer to partner with him. Integrity is incredibly important to me. I think a values based model in business is where we need to head as a society. If this doesn't happen, the results will be less than savory. I'm not sure I like the message this show has portrayed.

[Kevin Lee]

Well, the results are in and Piers is The Celebrity Apprentice.

I know Piers raised more money than Trace and I know this was a race for raising money for charity, but I'm still disappointed with the ethics that Piers used in order to win. I like how Trump's son asked Piers something along the line if Piers would have won if Trace would have had as impressive of a roladex. I also like how Trump's daughter asked if he would have raised as much money if he had actually been nice.

Personally, I would enjoy working with Trace and be able to trust him on my team. I'm not sure I would trust Piers and this means I would not prefer to partner with him. Integrity is incredibly important to me. I think a values based model in business is where we need to head as a society. If this doesn't happen, the results will be less than savory. I'm not sure I like the message this show has portrayed.

Hi Tami,

Based on the criteria to win the last task and performance in previous weeks, I feel that Piers deserved to win, despite being the villain on the show.

In the season finale, the last task was judged by:
1.) Auction Totals - Piers raised $376,000 vs Trace's $64,000.

2.) Ticket Sales - Piers sold $12,000 vs Trace's $38,000. However, Piers gave away about half of his tickets to the people he was trying to support.

3.) Overall performance of leading the event - I'd say it was a tie in this category.

Past performance- I don't think Trace ever won a task as project manager even though he always had great ideas. At the end of the day, "wins" matter and Piers had a few of those, including the greatest slaughter in "The Apprentice" history vs Omarosa

If the rules to win the final task were different, then perhaps Trace should've won.

*I also liked how Carol spoke up about how she should've been one of the final two contestants!

[Tami Szabo]

I really do understand what you are saying, Kevin. I'm complaining because ethics are very important to me. In the real world, I want people on my team who are easy to work with and that I can trust. To me, it's not all about money, but I do understand this is why Piers won.

I feel it's important to find the best LEADER who can still make money. A great leader can inspire people on his/her team to use their creativity and all their assets in a very successful way. A sketchy leader could hinder this process in the long run. For example, Piers and Amarosa could be efficient, but working in a toxic environment with either of them could get to me in the long run!

I like what you said about Carol... she has been my favourite to win for a long time. I would have chosen her for sure! She knew business was business, but she didn't have to be unethical about it. Quite honestly, Trace was not my choice to win, but he was a better option for me than Piers. I'd love to work with Carol any day.

Who would you want to work with?

[Kevin Lee]

I really do understand what you are saying, Kevin. I'm complaining because ethics are very important to me. In the real world, I want people on my team who are easy to work with and that I can trust. To me, it's not all about money, but I do understand this is why Piers won.

I feel it's important to find the best LEADER who can still make money. A great leader can inspire people on his/her team to use their creativity and all their assets in a very successful way. A sketchy leader could hinder this process in the long run. For example, Piers and Amarosa could be efficient, but working in a toxic environment with either of them could get to me in the long run!

I like what you said about Carol... she has been my favourite to win for a long time. I would have chosen her for sure! She knew business was business, but she didn't have to be unethical about it. Quite honestly, Trace was not my choice to win, but he was a better option for me than Piers. I'd love to work with Carol any day.

Who would you want to work with?

Hi Tami,

If you ask me, I think Carol vs Piers would've made a more interesting matchup since it'd not only be good vs evil, but a woman vs a man.

But to answer your question about who I would want to work with... I'd say it really depends on the task. For instance, I think...

-Jennie Finch and Lennox Lewis seem like really nice people with laid back personalities and would make great co-workers.

-I could see myself working for Carol or vice versa.

-if I wanted to win on "The Apprentice", I'd pick Piers Morgan for his rolodex and Gene Simmons because he's the ultimate salesperson.

[Tami Szabo]

I agree that I would have loved to have seen Piers and Carol on the homestretch together. It would have been VERY interesting.

Speaking of interesting... I noticed you could imagine Carol in either role of leader or partner. That's the ideal person I like to work with.

When I asked you about who you wanted to work with, I forgot to clarify that I meant in a "leadership" capacity. However, I see what you mean about Jennie and Lennox being great co-workers. I don't see them as leaders either, but definitely people who would be great to have at my side.

[litekepr]

Well, the results are in and Piers is The Celebrity Apprentice.

I know Piers raised more money than Trace and I know this was a race for raising money for charity, but I'm still disappointed with the ethics that Piers used in order to win. I like how Trump's son asked Piers something along the line if Piers would have won if Trace would have had as impressive of a roladex. I also like how Trump's daughter asked if he would have raised as much money if he had actually been nice.

Personally, I would enjoy working with Trace and be able to trust him on my team. I'm not sure I would trust Piers and this means I would not prefer to partner with him. Integrity is incredibly important to me. I think a values based model in business is where we need to head as a society. If this doesn't happen, the results will be less than savory. I'm not sure I like the message this show has portrayed.

I agree with you completely and especially about integrity and bring trustworthy. I would definitely rather work with or for Trace. Piers was a jerk and a pompous pain during the entire show. His win at all costs and crush anyone is a rotten business attitude to show. It gets ratings, but the show is supposed to be about business. Again, this mentality is why I hate reality shows. Encouraging people to worse and rewarding obnoxious and questionable behavior is a sad way to fill many hours of television programming. Imagine all the reality shows we could eliminate if a real value based system was in place. Ivanka made a good point, he didn't have to be that big a jerk to win - but he did appear to relish that behavior.

Shri

[Tami Szabo]

That's a good point, Shri. Piers did seem to relish in his unethical behaviour. I think I remember when Vinny left the show, Piers said something to Vinny about it not being personal and that business is business. It's almost like he was saying that it's OK to do nasty things in business so don't take it personally.

To me business doesn't have to be the kind that cuts the heart out of the opponent. We can use our wisdom and all our bargaining skills, but we don't have to be jerks about it. In fact, if we are secure in our product or service, we don't need to call down the other side anyway. This is why I'm not all that keen about election campaigns that trash the competition. And that's a whole other point... does it really always have to be about competition, or is it about doing our absolute best regardless of what the others are doing? (Of course, I know we still need to be informed though.)

[litekepr]

That's a good point, Shri. Piers did seem to relish in his unethical behaviour. I think I remember when Vinny left the show, Piers said something to Vinny about it not being personal and that business is business. It's almost like he was saying that it's OK to do nasty things in business so don't take it personally.

To me business doesn't have to be the kind that cuts the heart out of the opponent. We can use our wisdom and all our bargaining skills, but we don't have to be jerks about it. In fact, if we are secure in our product or service, we don't need to call down the other side anyway. This is why I'm not all that keen about election campaigns that trash the competition. And that's a whole other point... does it really always have to be about competition, or is it about doing our absolute best regardless of what the others are doing? (Of course, I know we still need to be informed though.)

Very true - I cringe each time they behave like that and then say its just business. I've never found it necessary to cheat and shaft people to succeed and I'm very happy with the things I've done in business. It is more work to use our mind and work for a solution instead of being a jerk and a cheat. I think "reality TV" is skewing people's perception of reality - if the view of the world that reality shows present is true, the world's in bigger trouble than I thought.

Shri

[Tami Szabo]

I so agree! Actually, the business world as we know it IS in trouble. I heard some stats last week that they expect by the time 2050 that 70% of workers will be freelancers. Employee/Executive Bullying won't be able to stand it when it could be easier for someone to simply contract with the nicer guy (or gal). I, for one, will be choosing the nicer ones!

[Kevin Lee]

I agree that I would have loved to have seen Piers and Carol on the homestretch together. It would have been VERY interesting.

Speaking of interesting... I noticed you could imagine Carol in either role of leader or partner. That's the ideal person I like to work with.

When I asked you about who you wanted to work with, I forgot to clarify that I meant in a "leadership" capacity. However, I see what you mean about Jennie and Lennox being great co-workers. I don't see them as leaders either, but definitely people who would be great to have at my side.

Hi Tami,

I'm the type of person who responds better to "leaders" who are respectful and trust in my abilities, so I don't think I'd like it if Piers was calling me names, pressuring Stephen while he was trying to sell tickets or overstepping on Carol's duties (e.g. Carol was responsible for the food, but Piers instructed the staff to with hold it so that the guest would get drunk faster). I don't like leaders who feel the need to micro-manage because if they think they can do the job better themselves, then why ask someone else to do it in the first place?

Back in school a long time ago... I think we did a personality test and I turned out to be a "negative leader" or "negative follower", haha. I can't really recall what either means, but the other outcomes would've been a "positive leader" or "positive follower".

[Kevin Lee]

TVGuide.com reports that NBC will employ "The Celebrity Apprentice" for a second season and it'll air in January 2009.
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry ... /800032086

I hope that for next season, they'll bring in bigger celebrities than they did this year!

Who would you want to see on the show next?

More importantly, who do you think they'll cast as the next villain now that Omarosa has been fired for the 2nd (and hopefully last) time ?