Even though I found this week’s task of promoting the XBox 360 at Wal-Mart to be rather yawn-worthy, the interactions among the contestants didn’t disappoint. Has there been anything funnier this season than the montage of Roxanne and Allie explaining the crucial differences between eye rolling and eye raising? And besides Omarosa, have there ever been two contestants more in denial about their own bad behavior? OK, maybe a few more, but in typical bad kitty fashion, Allie wasn’t penitent until she realized that her actions had teed off Trump. And when she tried to apologize, he shooed her out of the board room.
Pardon the pun, but I was floored that Gold Rush pulled out a win this week. The editors did a fantastic job of making it appear as though Sean and Lee were totally screwed because their signage guy failed to deliver the floor and roof of their display on time. Fortunately, they got the essentials of the task right: they showcased Wal-Mart merchandise that could be used with the XBox and included price points. The display itself was sloppy, and that obviously bothered the Microsoft and Wal-Mart execs, but they were better off concentrating on the products. In contrast, Synergy devoted most of their energy to creating a living room environment, which Trump hilariously labeled “a third-rate liquor lounge,” but ignored the fundamentals of product presentation.
I felt bad for Tammy. Sure, she took the helm and steered Synergy’s ship in the wrong direction, resulting in a loss, but Allie and Roxanne did very little to guide her back on course. Her remark that her team mates were acting very high school was dead-on. It pleased me when she called them on it, but they wimped out by denying that they were being anything less than sweet, helpful, and wonderful. As if.
Not that Tammy was making things easy for them. I can’t blame Allie and Roxanne for recoiling at Tammy’s insistence that the project be “all about me.” Making such a self-indulgent declaration is not the way to garner the respect that Tammy so desperately wanted from her coworkers. I’m not sure how she could have effectively approached Allie and Roxanne, seeing as how they have formed some sort of air-tight sisterhood. This partnership certainly wasn’t evident on the last task when Roxanne led, so it’s not clear why things are changing. Perhaps it’s because three is an awkward number. And by making herself the PM on this task, Tammy unwittingly orchestrated her own exile.
People naturally pair off, in friendships, in business, and certainly in love, so it might have been inevitable that there would be an odd person out in this group.
This could be the reason that Sean and Lee worked so well together. Because it was just the two of them, they could make decisions more quickly and move on to implementing their ideas. If they hadn’t run into the snags caused by Adrian, the tardy sign maker, their win would have looked like a royal ass kicking. As it was, they had to deal with the stress of factors beyond their control, but they were able to stay focused on what the task required them to do. If it hadn’t been for the sign drama, they would have been quite boring to watch.
So it’s down to the final four, and anything could happen in the next three weeks. I’m a lousy prognosticator when it comes to reality TV, but now that it’s two against two, I have some ideas about who could go home next depending on which team loses. If the men of Gold Rush bow to the women of Synergy next week, I think that Lee will be fired. He’s been very successful in the past, but his mouth sometimes gets in the way of his actions. His role as the resident politician is clearly starting to irritate the Donald. Sean will stay.
If the women find themselves in the final boardroom, Trump will probably pitch Allie. Even though she’s proven herself to be a hell of a salesperson and a hard worker, Roxanne has a better record as project manager. Furthermore, Allie is more easily swayed by her emotions and tends to whine when things don’t go her way. That’s not to say that Roxanne hasn’t had her childish moments, but I think she’s been more careful not to show that side of her personality to Trump and his associates. For instance, Bill Rancic was upset with Allie this week when he saw her roll her eyes as Tammy described the project to him, but apparently he didn’t notice Roxanne doing this.
So if it comes to down Sean and Roxanne as the final two, who will emerge victorious? Hard to say. But one thing’s for certain: the final boardroom showdown should be a heated battle. I can’t wait.
