Who's going to get Hired?

There've been some great discussions going on about who is going to be the next Apprentice.  I figured I'd try and centralize this discussion by addressing this question directly.

So, let's discuss the skills, performance and strategies of the remaining candidates. 

Tell us who you think is going to win, their strengths that will get them hired and maybe even their weaknesses and why those won't effect the decision. 

Comment on performance, personality, skills and achievements. 

There's already a heavy back and forth happening between the Kendra and Tana camps.

(As a "favour" to me, please avoid personal attacks on candidates (and other posters) and just focus on the person you would hire if you were Trump. As editor and the person who pays for this blog, I reserve the right to delete the really nasty comments that have been popping up lately.)

Personally  I think Kendra is the next Apprentice. 

She has a strong background, has worked fairly well with most of the other candidates, and, for the most part, she has kept her head and wits about her.   By admitting she was wrong about Craig's box idea, she demonstrated her ability to recognize and acknowledge her mistakes as well as give credit where it is due.  She has initiated creative sales strategies to garnering her team multiple streams of revenue. 

Because of the tv-aspect of the show this is a more than just an interview, and as many people have observed I think Trump will have to hire a woman or minority this time around.  The editing has kept Kendra under the radar for most of the show - which is often a clue to a final 2 candidate.  I think, though I could be wrong, that Kendra will shine in the one-on-one interview stage.

Who ever gets hired, it's pretty interesting comparing the apples and oranges skill sets in the final 5. 

I can't wait to read who you think will win and why.

Comments

[dj]

I believe that Kendra will win, not because she's a woman, but because she's talented and she has something all the others don't have. she has the god-given natural ability to know what to do at each task. when she's not confident about something, she realizes it and steps back. she doesn't make any idiotic moves. when she's sure about something, she finishes it strong. i've been watching kendra from the very first episode and when she made a comment that the pm was to blame when everyone on that team was blaming danny. Kendra is smarter than all the other candidates, and if kendra was put up against bill ransik, i wouldn't know who to choose.

[PeteInOH]

Out of the five people left, I think Trump has a very easy decision, Kendra Todd should be the next Apprentice. She can be a strong leader, she knows what it takes to win a task, she admits when she makes mistakes, she never caused her team to lose, and she knows how to win. Out of the five, she is the most qualified. Tana should be right there with Kendra, however her antics on the GM task were dissapointing.

[Elaine]

At first I thought that Tana was a good candidate. She was able to delegate and take care of conflict. After her last performance on episode 12 I really lost faith in her. I can't for the life of my understand why she would say what she said on public television. She reminded me of Michael, using her exemption to get out of work. I know that Kendra was the project manager, but I also know that in life it is good to take initiative. Ask what you can do. Don't just sit back and wait to be told something. In the pizza performance, Tana came forward with the idea. In episode 12 I don't know what she did. Anyway, enough rambling. I now feel that Kendra is the stronger candidate to be hired. She works effortlessly and is very creative.

[chriss]

I am sure that Apprentice 3 will hold Craig or Kendra as the next apprentice. Both of them have excelled at all of the taskts. But Craig's failure to pull his weight in episode 12 (the car brocherure) might loose him some points...but he mite receive points for the eopisode where he was the PM and build the box all by him self. One candidate is a minority, the other one is a woman, but that shouldnt't be away of choosing people. Skills matter...they both have it...

As for Tana, her comments of her calling her self a milf, will not get a job with Trump...Her performance in episode 12 shows that she did not care about the task. THis shows that she will only put her weight when her butts in a problem, she wouldnt go extra to support the company...

as for alex and bren...they are alrite...bren reminds me of a beer boy...and alex reminds of a weird guy..lolz

newayz
go craig
n kendra

[Leah]

Without a doubt, I would hire Kendra as the apprentice. Her ability to strategize and execute is second to none. While Stephanie was the project manager during the golf task, her (Kendra's)idea to market to surrounding vendors in the area was instrumental to Magna winning. In fact, whether she has been project manager or not she has been instrumental in many of Magna's wins. When Magna was faltered on the Burger King task she could have jump on the bandwagon and gone with everyone and said Danny deserved to be fired. But she didn't, she went ahead and told it like it is and said the "PM" was at fault, which he was. In that episode it became apparent that she obviously is not easy to be swayed and she is firm enough and objective enough to see weaknesses in her teammates or team and point them out.

Even without taking a glance at Kendra's resume, it is apparent that ther skills are more superior than any of the candidates she is competing against. I believe if she had competed in seasons one or two we would have already had a female apprentice.

[ME]

Either candidate would be great to hire but I am going to go with Tana. I know she didn't go all out on Episode 12, but she has demonstrated the ability to handle pressure situations in a very calm and professional fashion. She is quite creative and has plenty of experience to back it up.

Kendra would also be a great choice but if she gets into a bickering match with Craig, she may come across as being real whiney.

I work at a Pontiac dealership and the brochure that Kendra put together is outstanding. If Kendra does not get to bet the Apprentice, GM should hire her to do all of their promotional pieces.

[Lucy]

Out of the five candidates that are left, I feel the choice is clear. It has to be Kendra. She has the book smarts and the street smarts. She will be able to deal with all types of people and clients in a professional manner. If Kendra does not win it will be a shame.

Craig- he made a great box, but that is it. He lacks drive and communication skills.

Tana- her performance and attitude on the last task was uncalled for. She was just coasting on her exemption.

Bren- Never stepped up to the plate. He never made up for the "veggie failure"

Alex- If he was truly good he should have been able to turn the losing team to a winning one. Very dissappointing and a cry baby. Chris is nuts but Alex should have been able to stand up to him and handle him.

[Tim]

For those fans who have been watching since Season 1, it's important to note that the interviews are very important. Nick appeared to be Trump's soulmate. Amy only lost once or twice in the entire season, she switched teams twice and caught Trump's attention. Both of them did not fare well in the interviews leading to a Bill vs. Kwame showdown. Or in other words, the interviews decided the final, not the performance in tasks.

So who would conquer the interviews? Kendra besides for having a real estate business, was on a weekly talk radio show. She's excellent at marketing and is methodical and intelligent in her approach. She is mature (there is a deleted scene that is on the Apprentice website this week where she approached Craig to try and work their challenges out).

I think Tana, with her Mary Kay experience will also perform in the interviews. I think we're headed for a Tana v. Kendra performance with Kendra coming out on top. Tana showed her true colors with her exemption crap this week, I was so disappointed.

As far as Alex, he does not have a strong personality and he totally screwed up the photo shoot this week.

Craig does not even make sense when he speaks and can you see the next Apprentice having an afro? Can you name a business leader who has a large afro that wears a pick in it? Just like Danny, he just doesn't dress the part.

Finally, Bren... he's hilarious. I love him and I think he's a funny guy, but doesn't have IT.

Kendra is amazing! She ROCKS!

[Cher]

Kendra has been a professional from Episodes 1 through 12. At episode 16, she is going to be looking down at all her competitors and laughing because of her ability to not only use her "book smarts" but "street smarts" as well.

Every time she leads in a task, it almost seems like that team is guaranteed a win. She just crushes the competition. Time and time again as a team player she has crafted ways for her team to win. When she is the project manager she drives them home to victory. As a team player and project manager her ideas seem to never be challenged because she articulates the information to her teammates in such a manner that they have no other alternative but to implement the idea (most times they cannot think of a better idea). Its a no brainer Kendra is the APPRENTICE.

[Ethan]

Tana will beat Alex in the final 2
Bren and Kendra out in the interview stage
Craig gone next

[Texan]

Kendra is by far the best candidate this season. I don't know what is going to happen with the interview, as I have seen that there is a task for week 14. In any case, Kendra's professionalism throughout the show as well as her resume, should keep her in the final two.

The thing that I most admire about her is that she is creative and not only when she is PM, but also when she is just a teamplayer. That means that she plays to win and not only to cover her behind. She is a winner.

Let's face it, she has never been inside the boardroom - Note to Tana: Kendra is the real virgin :-) after 12 weeks, she has never faced Mr. Trump - This means that she not only has won 2 tasks as PM, but also has been considered by her teammates as not deserving to be in the boardroom when her team failed.

Furthermore, she has probably accomplished the best result of any Apprentice task ever (since the brochure was so good as to be used for national launch). That gives some points to Mr. Trump to negotiate deals with other companies for next seasons' tasks. After all, some candidates can do better than cucumbers :-) . That is something he will/should never forget. Additionally, she has shown stamina and a proactive attitude that is very important in the corporate world.
Her creativity is the best among the pool of candidates (maybe even among all candidates from all seasons).

I don't see Trump having a big problem choosing Kendra over the rest.

Finally I will say that after episode 12, I can conclude that Tana has been over rated and that Bren is a better choice to be in the final two, but you know, this is TV and Trump needs to have a Street Smart competing vs. a College Smart in the final episode. That was the whole promise and theme of this season and they have to deliver a final two show according to that.

I am just waiting to hear Mr. Trump say:
KENDRA,YOU ARE HIRED!

[JB]

I am confident that Kendra is going to win.

I picked her from the very first episode because they randomly showed Carolyn praising her in the boardroom for just one little comment (it was so odd that I knew Kendra was going to go far!) With the exception of one week where I switched my mind to Tara (and she was canned a few days later), Kendra has not only stepped it up when given the opportunity (all of her marketing ploys have been excellent, not just as PM, and there is an unaired clip about how she secured a deal to get things really cheap for the motel task) but also she has been a solid and dependable team member, avoiding most of the backstabbing and catfighting that has plagued the other candidates (with the exception of her spats with Craig, which appear to be cranky-Craig's doing.)

Kendra is sure to impress in the interviews as well.

I think that her only viable opponent in the final will be Tana. Craig is a grouch (if he doesn't go this week then his time will come before the final - the editing has made him look so weird that there is no way he'll make the final 2) and Alex has recently proven himself fairly useless. I can see Bren maybe as a longshot to the final, just because they haven't made him look too too bad, but then again he hasn't really done anything too good either.

Tana is Kendra's toughest competition. Although I kept these two neck-and-neck for a while, I put Tana a firm 2nd place now. Last week, she was fairly rude and was shown to be riding her exemption - this is a major hint from the editing that she actually does have some flaws (up until then, she seemed perfect didn't she) and they have shown Kendra as squeaky clean (remember Kelly looking perfect all season while by this point Jenn M was becoming a "fembot"?)

I really don't think pre-show experience even plays a part - whether a broker or sales exec, high school or college grad, I think it is really their performances on the show that have carried these two to the head of the pack.

By the way, the interviews will not be held until the final 3 if at all - after this week's task, there is ANOTHER task when there are 4 left (I think maybe they originally had 14 tasks with the 18 candidates, and Verna quitting offset it all by one person.)

GO KENDRA!

[Tall_Texan]

There's no question in my mind that Kendra and Tana are the two finalists. Alex and Bren might impress a little in interviews but they haven't impressed lately in their specific tasks. I can't see either winning.

Of Kendra and Tana, I think both have strengths and weaknesses and it truly depends on which you think Trump values more. I think Kendra has the inside track at this point based not on winning the Pontiac task or going it alone but based on Pontiac's reaction to what she produced. That's certainly the type of response that plays very well in front of the boss.

I wouldn't count out Tana though because, eventually, the two will need to go toe-to-toe in the boardroom and Trump seems to like fighters. Kendra hasn't had to fight for herself yet (Tana has hardly had to either) but I think Tana is the more feisty of the two. Kendra shows herself more as a whiner than a fighter. While that doesn't make a big difference to me, I think it does to Trump.

Unlike all the guys, neither Kendra or Tana have made a significant misstep so far - nothing that would be worth getting fired over. You're starting to see their personalities come out more in the final episodes and I ultimately think that is going to be the difference. I just can't tell you which is going to mean more to Trump - the hard-working, marketing-savvy whiny Kendra or the sales-savvy, hard-closing kinda goofy Tana.

Unlike last season, I can see this going either way. Kendra probably is a better fit for Trump's organization but don't count out Tana's ability to make and close a sale - a trait that is obviously going to mean a lot to a real estate tycoon like Trump.

[Jeri]

Given Kendra's track record so far, I do not see how she would "unravel" in the boardroom or interview. She has a superb track record that is unmatched by any of her competitors. Her strong track record as a team player and project manager is "platform" enough to ground whoever choose to ruffle her feathers in the boardroom or during a task.

When you talk about who has the better qualities to be the Apprentice, it is obviously Kendra without any hesitation. A few people say she comes across as being "whiney", however, I see it as just complaint against slacking and useless teammates. Regardless of the fact, she might "whine", but she still gets the job done and very well I must add. And so far, I have not seen her "slacked" on any task that she is involved with. That tells me she is dedicated and loyal and has a desire to complete tasks regardless of how difficult or easy that task or her teammates might be or whether she is a team player or project manager.

She has creative marketing and sales skills that are exceptional and more superior than any of her competitors. In addition, her leadership and strategic skills are usually dead on. Mixed that with her formal education and you have a lethal weapon and an APPRENTICE. Go Kendra!!

[Gretch]

Okay, Kendra is great. But if , AND only if, Don is smart ( he likes to surroud himself with young folk- to forget that he himself is aging), he will go with TANA. I'm sorry , Kendra, you are great , but , be honest, Tana, is better, she is a cameleon. She was able to get a lot out of the sony project. Not because Kendra was on her ass to do so either. She was able to play up each star's (from Rapper to Moby) ego. She knew that that the rapper's saw her as MILF( Which I knew appalled Carolyn) but she was strictly business with Moby, yet somehow, got him to acquience, to accomadating a week on the road with a fan. Please, Kendra would never have been able to do all that. Much of Kendra's abilitie's can be delegated to a tech. Tana has vision even though she is rough around the edges.

[Gretch]

Oops. I know how the world works. I know Kendra will win, I just wanted to point out some things about Tana. Unfortunately, I know Don lacks vision, so Kendra will win. I support Tana for , at least, making a good show-except in show 12, C'mon Tana - you were weak. Bad form.

[dj]

Craig, the apprentice candidate?

That must be the most ridiculous opinion by far. He doesn't know how to work with others. He's obnoxious and selfish. He's abrasive and he doesn't have any good ideas. The Box episode? Come on! He got so lucky on that one. The handpainting and the involvement of the family wasn't his idea. He somehow became the hero in that episode, but, my God, he's not fit. I was so disappointed that after Kendra tried to get in good terms with Craig, that Craig would still afford to annoy Kendra the way he did. He's an immature, undeserving, lucky SOB and if he wasn't in the same team as Kendra's, he would've been long gone.

I feel bad that Chris was fired. Although he might lack professionalism, he had a heart. If he was put in team with Kendra, they would've worked well together. I hope in later tasks that Kendra picks Chris to be her assistant.

[dj]

I regarded Tana as a strong oppenent for Kendra. But after Episode 12, the feelings quickly went away. If the Don saw the Episode, he would quikcly fire Tana and Craig. She was so irresponsible and she lost any credit that she had remaining. Tana might be a good show, but in a business world, someone else can do the show, but people like Kendra will manage from behind. If Bren doesn't step up, it will be a sure win for Kendra, much like the way that Bill and Kelly was a sure pick for the Apprentice.

Alex has been getting too much credit so far. I really don't remember what he did well. Aside from the shrewd business-savvy look, he doesn't really have anything else to offer. If it was down to three a team, she shouldn't be taking a nap. If he had nothing to offer, he should've at least stayed up in support like the was Chris did.

[Michael]

MISTAKES made by everyone:

Kendra - None to remember so far. Looks like the no 1 choice of everyone and of me as well. I KNEW IN FIRST EPISODE WHEN SHE DIDN'T ATTACK DANNY LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, AND INSTEAD ATTACKED PM, THAT SHE WAS A STRONG FORCE. Carolyn was impressed and so was I. Definitely ranked 1 among all.

Bren - You have to admit, he is a solid performer so far. I dont understand why everyone is so damn sure that Bren definitely won't be the next apprentice. May be his too charismatic character with bow ties and all makes everyone think that he will be just the entertainer like Raj, Troy, Chris, Danny etc, and but definitely won't be the apprentice. Bren hasn't done much wrong except that veggie episode. He hasn't been outstanding, but it is difficult to fire him unless he makes a severe mistake. I FEEL BREN IS NICE, HARDWORKING, HONEST, STRAIGHTFORWARD UNLIKE ALEX, TANA AND CRAIG, AND SHOULD BE IN TOP 2. It will be a great contest: BREN VS KENDRA.

Tana - Her cunning side was exposed last week. She was exempt from firing. She did not contribute much during the project, and then tried to take all the credit for Kendra's work during presentation. For me, she slipped from 1 to 3 in one week. If NBC is showing that so clearly, that obviously means she wont be hired.

Craig - Has lead successfully in one task. But, since NBC is highlighting his fights with Kendra all along, it means that it will lead to his firing, probably in the next episode. But, if he wins next week as PM, he has great chance to be in top 2

Alex- The guy is as cunning as they get. Last week, he was poor as PM, but Angie was fired unnecessarily. Then, he didnt do the job that Chris gave him. But STUPID TRUMP was just under the impression that "Alex is a star" and "has become loser with Net Worth" and fired Angie and Chris, but Alex deserved to get fired. Atleast, Chris is honest, but Alex is definitely not. He should be fired next week.

[Tans supporter]

I want Tana to win. Yes. She is rough around the edges. I still believe that if Teumv said jump- she would say "how high". Anysoo, I am a Tana supporter. sorry if this upsets anyone else. Not to mentdoon that she know it is all about "sealint the deal" especially in real estate. The rest of it, the underlings can do. Also sehe is able to put for 110% of effort for the Donald. Unfortunately, I know that as I right this, the ink is dried. I bet that D--- F--- chose childless Kendra. Simply because he wants young females to surround him. Give me a break. Melannia knows what she is getting into to. From the last show. She knows her place as arm Candy. Donald has a ego. Hmmph.

[Humphrey]

It's easy to understand that Tana wants Magna to lose and with Craig, kick Kendra away in the boardroom, since she and Craig are members of NETWORTH but not MAGNA. From the side of business, i think that is forgivable. Yet, the fact that Kendra was strong enough to overcome this challenge proved she is a stronger candidate than Tana. Nevertheless, i am still a big fan of Tana Tana Tana ... =]

[Jenna]

If Tana slacking in the Pontiac task is forgiveable then we have to forgive Bren's cucumber idea from the Dove commercial.

If Bren lacked formal education he definitely would be a final 2 contender. Afterall, he is a stronger candidate than Tana. However, since the season's theme "books smarts versus "street smarts" has to prevail Tana will contend against Kendra. In the end Kendra will demolish Tana and become the apprentice.

Kick butts Kendra!!!

[Sam]

Kendra Todd without doubt!

We don't know what exactly was going on in the whole show. But as far as we can sense from the editings, Kendra is made to let us believe that she is going to win.

Actually, she is likeable and competent. Tana seemed to be the most competent candidate before the car task. She is no longer everybody's favourite after that episode.

It is easily predicted that the final 2 are Kendra and Tana. However, Kendra seems to be a much more suitable candidate for Trump Organization. She is smart AND ETHICAL! Tana may be a good salesperson, but not a leader or manager.

(Sorry about my poor English as I am not a native English speaker)

GO KENDRA!

[Donald]

Don't you find Kendra energetic in the basketball training reward?

I am sure that Trump is going to hire a young energetic female who can pull all-nighters WITHOUT SLEEPING or SLACKING!!!!!!

If Tana is forgivable for sleeping in the last episode, I don't see why Michael was fired for being lazy.

TANA, you are FIRED!
KENDRA, you are HIRED!

[kim]

i wonder what craig and tana were doing after they saw their performances from Thursday..i would stay inside....I am nervous however about the preview for the last task saying that everybody returns to help out the finalists and one finalist balks and wants them to be replaced whereas the other one is trying to please the sponsors....could the balker be kendra...of course it could be a statement being made in a confessional like "man, i wish i coulda gotten another team" and they are blowing it up to make it seem like it is something bigger