I was delighted by the double shot of The Apprentice this past week, although that celebrity version of Iron Chef that will be running in its stead next week is sure to be lame, lame, lame. I mean, I’m sure Patti LaBelle is a great cook, but would she be as riveting as someone like Michael, who couldn’t select paints at Ace Hardware without consulting his teammates? Could the cuisine on Celebrity Cooking Showdown be more captivating than the new P’EatZZa sandwich from 7-11? Highly doubtful. Listen, I know what I like, which puts me much farther down the road of happiness than someone who can’t pinpoint what turns his or her crank.
Lenny definitely amused me, and now he’s gone. Sad, but predictable. In fact, I knew that Lenny would not survive his first stint as project manager, and I was right. Why? Simply put, Lenny never played well with others. He was incapable of seriously considering suggestions from his teammates, even people he respected, like Lee. As Lee sat with Lenny in the kitchen trying to coach him through points that he should make in the final boardroom, it was as though Lenny couldn’t really digest the suggestions. And seriously, I don’t think the problem came down to a language barrier. Lenny’s English may not have been letter-perfect, but he always knew what was going on, barring a few key vocabulary words like “jingle.” No, I think our Russian friend was a bit scatter-brained and didn’t know how to take the few good ideas he had and focus them toward achieving a goal.
That’s not to say that he totally sucked on what was to be his last task. The theme of music for activity room at the Boys and Girls Club of America was a fine choice, but the implementation was all wrong. And the main reason that Lenny and his comrades screwed that up was because they didn’t ask enough questions during their meeting with the executives. What baffled me was why Tarek, Lee, and Leslie basically let Lenny flounder in front of the executives. Charmaine asked a few questions to get the ball rolling, but no one else stepped in to find out the necessary information. Why would they do that? Did they deliberately want to see Lenny fail? I don’t get it.
Nor did I get Michael’s behavior as he tried to manage Synergy. He was the polar opposite of Lenny, really, being anal about every picky detail even though he ultimately succeeded in capturing what the executives wanted. However, it was truly painful to watch him take everything so seriously while Allie, Sean, and Roxanne laughed their asses at him and Andrea rolled her eyes behind his back (and where the hell was Tammy?). I expected a lot more from Michael, but it was clear from this task that he’s not the super star I thought he’d be.
More depressing still was Michael’s attitude on the next task. I can’t blame him for jumping at the opportunity to switch teams and work with Gold Rush, but after they lost, he said that he felt he fit in better with the Gold Rush gang and actually didn’t mind losing with them. Michael, Michael, Michael, how can you say that? Why not just come right out and declare, “The losers are my people! I am one of them!” The Donald would never hire someone who felt that way.
On the other hand, I doubt he would hire someone like Andrea, who out and out said that she wished she could be the project manager on every single task. And with two wins under her belt as PM, Andrea is entitled to be a bit cocky. However, the fact that she wants to control everything suggests that she’s difficult to manage. That side of her hasn’t come out yet, but it very well may in the coming weeks. A person can only do so much stealth eye rolling before others sit up and take notice. And really, why would she want to work for Trump, anyway? She’s already a millionaire, thinks she has a nice life, and owns several companies. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, girlfriend.
Which is definitely not a motto that Leslie should have embraced so wholeheartedly on the 7-11 task she managed. After Lee’s deal to see 1,000 pizza sandwiches fell through, Gold Rush’s defeat was a foregone conclusion. The price point of $7.99 for one sandwich was absolutely ridiculous, as was the deal of two sandwiches for $8.99. I can’t believe that Leslie didn’t listen to Lee when he told her that he overheard the 7-11 managers discussing the outrageous price of the sandwich. She brushed Lee aside and said it was too late to change the price. Her inflexibility ultimately led to the loss.
I can’t say that I was sorry to see Leslie go, particularly after she took such patronizing tones with Lee in the boardroom. She called him honey, got sarcastic when he was trying to speak, and totally talked down to him. Hello, did she not notice that Lee is one of Trump’s favorites this season? After Lenny was fired, the Donald told Lee that his loyalty to Lenny was admirable. When has Trump ever said anything nice to anyone after a firing? It’s always, “Get outta here,” accompanied by a gesture favored by prison guards and burned out kindergarten teachers. Trump loves that kid, maybe not enough to hire him, but I expect that Lee will stay in the running for a few more rounds.
Charmaine is a real wild card, though. Some weeks, she’s terrible, but on the past two tasks, she was OK. Sure, she complained a lot to Lenny, but even Trump admitted that her criticisms were valid. In the end, her fiery emotions will probably get the better of her. She nearly flipped out when Lenny’s parting words to her were that she had “a thousand faces.” Why would she take Lenny so seriously, knowing that he loves to spew words for the hell of it? Charmaine’s big problem is that she expects everyone to adore her, and when they don’t, she’s devastated.
At this point, I still maintain that Allie is going to emerge the victor. She has a good sense of humor and definitely commands the respect of her teammates. Sean clearly adores her, which makes her the envy of many female (and probably some male) viewers. Then again, perhaps during the finale, El Trumpo will finally get his act together and flat-out decide to hire the two of them, instead of dumping the decision on the winner like he did last time. I mean really, why should he pass the buck when he’s the boss?
