After the recent media showdown between Donald Trump and Martha Stewart regarding the respective success and failure of their shows, I was anxious to see the former strut his stuff once again. Trump has claimed that The Apprentice was at one time the number one show on TV. In the past, I’ve agreed with him. I thought that the fourth season of The Apprentice was outstanding–chock full of juicy characters (remember Markus and Toral?) and an appropriate amount of scandal (who can forget the quadruple firing?). I loved the other seasons, too. And after the premier episode of the new season, I’m optimistic that the Donald will continue to deliver the searing boardroom bravado and backbreaking tasks I’ve come to expect from this show.
Good casting doesn’t hurt, either. And even though El Trumpo’s deskside demeanor packs an entertaining punch, his show wouldn’t continue to stay afloat without the intriguing personalities that duke it out for the winning title. This season definitely has them in spades, although it frustrates me to see that the men don’t need to be Orlando Bloom clones to get on the show (even though Tarek is, excuse the drool on my chin), while the women tend to resemble Bond girls from different eras (Theresa is Ursula Andress, Charmaine is Barbara Bach, etc.). Not that Brent isn’t amusing and Lee isn’t bright, but the disparity in the looks department is a tad obvious, folks. And honestly, would Summer, the boardroom’s first casualty, have even made it past the first round of interviews if she weren’t such a babe? I’m sure that the restaurant she owns is great, but the girl is dumber than lint.
Ooh, was that a tad harsh? I suppose the Donald’s forthrightness has rubbed off on me a little, as has living in Manhattan for the past year and a half. However, Summer’s pathetic showing on her one and only episode made the boardroom result a foregone conclusion. True, Tarek was dangling by a stray thread on his well-tailored suit, but at least he was able to stand up for himself. And despite his cocky posturing as a MENSA member, I hope that he sticks around for a while. The boy is gorgeous. And since at least two people on his team, Lee and Lenny, now hate his guts for being pulled into the final boardroom, conflict is bound to erupt on the next episode.
Of course, it’s hard to show all of the players’ gleaming egos in one hour-long episode, but the glimpses I got have me psyched for the next show. Here are my favorites so far:
Sean
OK, duh. I’m a sucker for the accent. But those pillow plump lips, piercing blue eyes, and Dr. McDreamy coif don’t exactly hurt, either. Oh, Sean, you’re so hot, and the fact that you like Jane’s Addiction and Frank Sinatra only sweetens the deal. Don’t go getting yourself fired now, love.
Theresa
A psychotherapist has never been in the running before. I’m eager to see if Theresa’s knowledge and understanding of the human psyche will be of any help as she competes to run one of Trump’s companies. Could she use a bit of reverse psychology in the boardroom? Counsel a distraught teammate? She has a strong personality and hopefully that won’t get in the way of her enthusiasm and talent. I predict Theresa will go far.
Andrea
This woman is an animal. She’s already a multi-millionaire and has founded a number of different companies. I love the fact that the day after she saw Office Space, she quit her boring corporate job to devote more time to her clothing distribution company. I think that her creativity and willingness to risks will impress the Trump Dawg, so hopefully she’ll be around for a while.
Lee
The chances of a 22-year-old winning are quite slim, but what Lee lacks in experience he makes up for in common sense. The kid is clearly a player who can think on his feet, which he proved when Tarek brought him into the boardroom this week. The only aspect of Lee’s personality that I find fishy is his admittance that he’s never talked smack about people behind their backs, which he proclaimed as everyone was ripping on Summer before the boardroom. Yeah, right. I don’t believe that for a second and if Lee thinks he’s going to win points with this crowd by taking the moral high road, he’s on the wrong show.
Lenny
I was a Russian major in college and spent a semester in Moscow, so Lenny’s low, lilting accent is music to my ears. And since I’ve lost every argument I’ve ever had with a Russian, I expect that Lenny will continue to hold his own in the boardroom. I have a feeling that this self-proclaimed “vodka champion” will eventually mess up (at least according to Trump), but he should be fun to watch.
Brent
Just like his predecessors Markus, Danny, Raj, and Sam, Brent is this season’s resident goofball. Green Eggs and Ham is his favorite book and he has experience as a clown and mime. I haven’t yet decided if Brent is being facetious with his declarations that his teammates are jealous of him and that his talents were wasted up in the blimp. And if he doesn’t mind being picked last for teams, then he probably doesn’t take himself too seriously. I can’t wait to see his nutty antics, even though I predict he’ll be canned sooner rather than later.
It looks like NBC has set up another fun season. And I’m pleased that the show has moved to Monday nights, since Thursday evenings are still sacred because of Survivor. It’s nice to have the fun spread to another day of the week. Bring it on, Trump.
