The Apprentice Blog - Season 3

Team Building - Your Finale Dream Team

In Episode 15 - The Games People Play the final 2 will have old teammates return as their "employees" to do the final  task.  People have already been speculating who Trump will bring back and who will lead those teams.

But the question I have is:

Who is your dream team?   If you could pick a leader and 3 other candidates from this season as your "dream team" who would they be.

Even better, which 2 "dream teams" would you like to see battle it out for Season 3 Apprentice supremacy?  There is no need to stick with the remaining candidates, or with the 2-types-of-smarts breakdown...

Who do you think would make the ultimate Season 3 team, and why?

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.

Bill is Back For Season 4

Trump revealed today that Bill Rancic, the original "Apprentice" winner whose one-year contract expires on April 15, would receive a one-year contract extension with The Trump Organization.

In addition to Rancic's existing responsibilities overseeing the construction of Trump Tower in Chicago, his expanded duties will include strategic development of other Trump properties across the country and in Mexico. Trump also confirmed that Rancic would return to the boardroom during season four of "The Apprentice," filling in for George Ross and Carolyn Kepcher when they are on business trips.

"Bill has done an incredible job in the past year working for me," said Trump. "He's so talented that I thought he might want to go out on his own and make millions. We're lucky to have him back for another year and I can rest assured that my Chicago project is in the best of hands."

"I am so grateful for the opportunity that Mr. Trump has afforded me in the past year," said Rancic. "He has truly taken me under his wing and exposed me to his distinct and incredibly successful way of doing business. It will be a privilege to spend another year with him."

Chris, Chris, Chris - it's only $20.

Given the high volume of discussion this has generated, and Levi's explicit request, I'm creating a specific posting around Chris'recent fiasco.

---

Posted by Levi --- Whoever set up this, blog, you might want to create an entry about Chris, since it is garnering a lot of comments here. Since this hasn't been created yet, I'll add my own:

Regarding Chris"celebrating his success" I did some more searching and found this:

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=7d25c2354f8226a2

"Police in Tampa, Fla., have arrested a Las Vegas man who is a finalist in The Apprentice after a dispute with staff at a local bar."

It could very well be that they simply got it wrong, but it does make you wonder! Wow, can you imagine if he is one of the final 2? I can't fathom it myself becuase Trump has been making fun of him since the golf episode. If this is true, which I still doubt, he must have somehow done something incredible in the next couple of weeks before the final four. Still, I think it's an error. If it isn't, I think Trump has gotten what he deserves for not firing this guy before the finals (let alone much earlier).

---

Other articles suggest that Chris was at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino celebrating John Gafford's birthday.

NBC had no comment and stated that this was a "personal matter".

(I will post more article links and shift comments to this thread as soon as I'm back in the office. Thanks Levi)

Street-side Pizza Pie - discuss

Okay, so this isn't strictly within the bounds of our discussions here, however I'd love to hear what you think about this.

You are walking down a street in New York City and you see a trailer selling pizza, where no trailer has been before.  They are selling a new Domino's pizza creation.

What would get you to turn away from your original lunch plans to buy a slice from these guys? 

Would it be price, interesting new creation, line-up appeal (long lines = interesting), speed, novelty aka nosiness, or something else?

Or would you just see them, continue on to your original lunch destination, and then get back to the office and blog it?

I would likely succumb to the novelty (yes, I admit to nosiness) and check them out.  The Domino's name would certainly add a fair amount of credibility and I wouldn't worry about the quality of the food... but I'd only get a slice if the lineups weren't too long and they were getting people fed fairly quickly.

And yes of course, I would have told you if I'd seen them. 

Since the Tall_Texan started it... my favourite pizza is: regular crust with pepperoni, roasted red pepper, hot chili peppers and pineapple (but ONLY if I can get the chili peppers too).  Though I once had an excellent BBQ Chicken pizza on a thin crust in Harare that ROCKED!.

So state your crust, sauce, topping preferences...

The Blinging Stars of Episode 8

We thought since tonight's episode is going to feature a musical who's who of rock and rap we'd like to know a bit more about the musical guest stars.

So we partnered with the guys at allmusic.com to providing bios for all the musical stars in tonight's episode.   Just click through to read more about:

• The Barenaked Ladies
• Eve
• Fat Joe
• Gene Simmons
• Jadakiss
• Lil' Kim
• Lil Jon
• Moby
• New Found Glory
• Simple Plan 

Clip Show - What We Didn't See...

Comprised of mostly never-before-seen moments, this episode showcases the greatest scenes that never aired. Verna's final meeting with Donald Trump, Danny's singing, Gene Simmons flirting with Stephanie, and a few of the contestants' audition tapes are some of the highlights.
03-17-2005 9PM

So the question is... will you be watching?

Online Poll Using WebSurveyor

Where is Carolyn?

The question on everyone's mind is not "how did Tara get fired?" but "Where is Carolyn and when is she coming back?"

So, while it this post is not truly business focused, about a particular episode, the progress of the show or a candidates performance... I'm still posting it. 

So the question is - Where is Carolyn?

Is she really on a business trip like Donald says?  Is she doing a guest stint on The Apprentice UK?  Is she sipping margaritas and listening to Jimmy Buffett?

Online Poll Using WebSurveyor

Who has the coolest personal site?

If you want to send a message to one of The Apprentice candidates, we recommend you go directly to their personal site and attempt to contact them there.

Alex's site - alexthomason.com - is up and running. Interesting piece - Why the Apprentice?

Angie's site - angiemcknight.com - is up and running.  Interestingly Angie's site focuses almost exclusively on her cabaret singing and not on her business side.  A quick mention of The Apprentice is all that appears. (thanks to the Jen who sent in the link)

Audrey's site - audreyevans.net is now up and running.

Brian's site - brianmcdowell.com - is up and running.  Try hovering over his picture.

Danny's site  - kastner.com - is up and running and Danny is including Music Recaps of the Apprentice episodes!  (these will be available on iTunes soon)

Erin's Site - erinelmore.com - Very model-esque... on an amusing note, in addition to her sold-out autographed photos, Erin has a line of "Apprincess" T-shirts for sale on her site.

Kendra's site - kendratodd.net & agent53.com are up and running.  Kendra's business site myhousere.com has been redesigned and is up too.

Kristen's site - kristenkirchner.com- Kristen's site is up, running and merchandising with Kristen's "poetry book, autographed photos and designer T-shirts"

John's site - John doesn't have his personal site johngafford.com running yet - but it recommends you check his business site for more info. www.patternrecog.com

Michael's site - michaeltarshi.com - Michael's sit is up, running and already merchandising the Tarshi Bar!  Michael also includes a set of Philanthropy links which he encourages Apprentice viewers to support. 

Stephanie's site - stephaniemyers.net -  Stephanie's site is up and running.  The site focuses on Stephanie, doesn't merchandise at all, and is very pink.  More content is expected soon (since there are "come back next week to see..." through-out).  (thanks to the apprenticeblog reader who sent in the link)

Tana's site - heytana.com - amusing photos with "heytana.com" stickered everywhere.  The ubiquitous T-shirts available.  You can even get included in the Hey Tana Team Album by photographing yourself in the T.

Tara's Site - taradowdell.net - Tara's site is direct, professional and covers all the basics. A nice "Giving Back" section.  (thanks to the Ino who sent in the link)

Todd's Site - toddeverett.com - personal and pointedly not pushy.

Verna's Site: vernafelton.com - Verna's site is personal... Verna includes a message to the fans about why she left the show - Message

Domain Registered, but no site yet.
however, this doesn't neccessarily mean the sites are owned by the Apprentice 3 candidates as we saw with the cyber-squatter on kendratodd.com.

brenolswanger.com - hosted, but we don't know if Bren owns the domain.

Can't find active sites for

Chris Shelton

Craig Williams - craigwilliams.com is NOT the Apprentice Craig.

Please let us know below if you've found site for any of the other Apprentice 3 candidates and we'll add the info to the list.

So the question is, what do you think of the Apprentice Candidate Sites??

Online Poll Using WebSurveyor

Online Poll Using WebSurveyor

Not Playing by the Rules

When Magna agreed to lobby for Donald to overthrow Michael's exemption they were making a creative and innovative play for control of their own team.

While the idea required Donald to be open to discussing the details of the exemption rule, and the possibility that there was some fine print that would allow for creative play, there's no reason to believe he wouldn't be open to considering it.

Erin pointed out, "from a legal perspective, every contract, every corporate bylaw, there are words, and they don't exist in a vacuum. They have meanings, and they have exceptions," she said. "'Exemption' is a word that has meaning, and possibly, if you guys agree, maybe exceptions."

However, the discussion never really turned into a discussion of the rule itself, Donald very expertly kept the conversation focused on performance.  Which in turn moved to a discussion of who was responsible for the loss, which this early in the game is quite often the primary focus of Donald's firing decisions.

I think that Danny and Magna (sans Michael) needed to be a bit less direct in attempting an overthrow of an exemption.  By telling Donald, Carolyn & George that the rule should be broken Magna focused too much on the rule, and not on tangeably demonstrating why this was time to invoke the fine print of the exemption rule. (Assuming of course that there is any.)

If they had been more indirect perhaps they could have created an environment in the boardroom where Donald was the one to table the idea, or perhaps challenged Michael sufficiently to demonstrate the reasons they felt the exemption should be overthrown.

It was a smart and strategic move - but I think they needed to do a little creative salesmanship to have made it fly.

So, we asked what people thought

What do you think of Magna's attempt to fire Michael?   Survey Closed
Total Votes: 754

Too bad it didn't work - neither did Michael 34.9% If they'd spun it right, Michael would be gone. 25.1% Michael was exempt! Shame on Magna. 12.21% Bad idea to challenge The Donald. 8.72% Nice try, very creative, but too late. 6.31% Only Donald can break the rules. 7.11% Rules are meant to be broken. 4.3% I'm not sure. 1.34% Looks like Michael was everyone's target for this episode.

You Thought The Donald Was Tough - The Martha Spinoff

NBC just announced that Martha Stewart will be hosting her own spinoff of The Apprentice when she gets out of prison.

Casting for both “The Apprentice 4” and "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" begins immediately in 27 cities nationwide.  Open casting calls run from Jan 29th - Feb 26th. 

Candidates encouraged to apply should be creative, entrepreneurial, versatile, media savvy and articulate. They also should have expertise in technology, design, television, publishing or merchandising and possess good business acumen. Application & more details are available at NBC.com

"The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" will retain the general format of the original series including weekly eliminations, however, the style and feel of this new show will be tailored to Stewart’s personality and brand identity. The tasks will be centered around Stewart’s areas of expertise: media, home renovation, entertaining, design, merchandising, technology and style.

"Martha has her own empire, which has a different look and feel," Mark Burnett said and Stewart will bring her own sensibilities and creativity to the elimination process.

The show will be set in New York or Connecticut, the base of the domestic diva's Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. It will have 16 to 18 contestants competing at tasks designed by Stewart to test business acumen, with the reward being a one-year job at a salary of $250,000 U.S.

As for arguably the most well-known aspect of the show – the catchphrase used to disqualify losing contestants – Trump said that Stewart will not utter "You're fired!" at the end of every episode.

"She's probably going to use a different expression," he said.

"Mark and I have always admired her," Trump said. "She's a very brave woman. She's built a multimillion-dollar empire. It was an easy decision. We think this will be an absolutely tremendous success."

Called The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, the show will air on NBC. It's not known if Global, the Canadian carrier for the Trump-hosted series, will pick up the Stewart version. But we do know there will be a Martha Apprentice Blog coming.

“NBC is delighted to be working with an iconic, self-made, business woman such as Martha Stewart, a true entrepreneur who transformed a small catering business into a world-renowned empire,” said Zucker, President, NBC Universal Television Group. “The series will be infused with Martha's celebrated grit and savvy as she offers others a chance to aspire to turn their dreams into hard-won reality.”

“I am thrilled to be able to offer my good friend Martha the opportunity to join me in the success of ‘The Apprentice,’” said Trump, Executive Producer, “The Apprentice.” “As an executive producer, I’ll be rooting for amazing ratings but most of all, I hope she has as much fun as I do with this venture.”

“Martha Stewart is an American icon and was the world’s first self-made female billionaire,” said Burnett, creator and Executive Producer, “The Apprentice.” “Donald Trump gives thousands of Americans the opportunity to apply to learn from and work for the most dynamic real estate tycoon in the country, while Martha Stewart offers her wonderful creative vision and expertise in the worlds of television, publishing and merchandising. This diversity of opportunity for both viewers and applicants will take our franchise to new heights.”

“Martha has a unique ability to spot and nurture talent – as evidenced by the incredible team she built at MSO,” said Susan Lyne, President and CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. “We will welcome the winner of “The Apprentice” search to the MSO family in this dynamic period for the company.”

Stewart is scheduled to be released from custody in March, when she completes a five-month sentence for obstructing justice. Last year, she was convicted for lying about her reasons for dumping shares of ImClone Systems stock in 2001, right before the price plunged.

Burnett stressed that the deal for her show was worked out before she entered prison, since Stewart's sentence prevents her from conducting business while in jail.

"Since the last four months, Martha's been incarcerated and has given no input," he said.

If you are applying to be Martha's Apprentice - we'd love to hear about it!  Let us know how it goes.

Casting Dates for Season 4

NEW YORK -- January 25, 2005 -- As NBC previously announced at last week's press tour, Donald Trump will be back in the boardroom for two more seasons of NBC's "The Apprentice." Casting begins immediately in 28 cities across the country and online at www.nbc.com. "The Apprentice" featuring Donald Trump will continue to air Thursdays at 9:00pm ET with season four airing this fall and season five premiering in the winter of 2006.

Interviews will take place in the following cities:

For all casting calls, wristbands are distributed 8 AM to 11 AM and at 9 AM interviews will begin.

Los Angeles, CA: Saturday, Jan. 29th KNBC 4, 3000 W. Alameda Ave. Burbank, CA.

New York, NY: Friday, Feb. 4th The Trump Building @ 40 Wall Street.

Detroit, MI: Friday, Feb. 4th WDIV Studios 550 W. Lafayette Blvd.

Houston, TX: Friday, Feb. 4th KPRC 8181 SW Freeway

Atlanta, GA: Saturday, Feb 5th Hyatt Regency 265 Peachtree St.

Denver, CO: Saturday, Feb 5th 500 Speer Blvd.

Raleigh, NC: Saturday, Feb 5th NBC 17 1205 Front St.

San Jose, CA: Saturday, Feb 5th KNTV Ch.11 2450 N. First St.

Las Vegas, NV: Friday, Feb. 11th Green Valley Ranch Resort 2300 Paseo Verde Drive

St. Louis, MO: Friday, Feb. 11th President Riverboat Casino 800 N. First St.

Tampa, FL: Friday, Feb. 11th WFLA-TV 200 S. Parker St.

Washington, D.C.: Friday, Feb. 11th Mercedes Benz 200 S. Pickett St. Alexandria, VA

FT. Worth /Dallas TX: Saturday, Feb. 12th TCU Rickel Bldg. 3005 Stadium Drive

Providence, RI: Saturday, Feb. 12th WJAR 23 Kenney Dr.

Louisville, KY: Friday, Feb 18th Clear Channel Studios 4000 #1 Radio Dr.

Philadelphia, PA: Friday, Feb 18th Loews 1200 Market St.

Boise, ID: Saturday, Feb. 19th Plaza 7 5257 Fairview Ave.

Chicago, IL: Saturday, Feb. 19th NBC-5 454 N. Columbus Dr.

New Orleans, LA: Saturday, Feb. 19th Clearview Mall 4436 Veterans Memorial Blvd.

Phoenix, AZ: Saturday, Feb. 19. James Hotel @ 7353 East Indian School Rd.

Oklahoma City, OK: Saturday, Feb. 19. Marriott Hotel @ 6300 Waterford Blvd.

San Diego, CA: Friday, Feb. 25. Horton Square @ 225 Broadway.

Columbus, OH: Saturday, Feb. 26. Ohio State University @ 2110 Tuttle Pk Place.

Orlando, Fl: Saturday, Feb. 26. The Groove @ Universal City Walk 6000 Universal Blvd.

Seattle, WA: Saturday, Feb. 26. Emerald Queen @ 2024 East 24th St.

Indianapolis, IN: Saturday, Feb. 26. WTHR @ 1000 North Meridian St.

Kansas City, MO: Saturday, Feb. 26. Union Station @ 30 West Pershing Rd.

Albuquerque, NM: Saturday, Feb. 26. Sheraton Old Town @ 800 Rio Grande

Prospective applicants should: be able to take risks, bounce back after failing, succeed in a cutthroat environment, go against the tide, remain focused, think creatively and be a leader.

Interested candidates should complete the online application form (see below), submit a VHS tape and apply for one of the most coveted jobs on earth. Cassettes become the property of Mark Burnett Productions, and will not be returned.

Prospective contestants for "The Apprentice" can find instructions and complete details by logging onto www.nbc.com.

Contestants must be legally eligible to work in the United States and live in the United States; must be at least 21 years of age; must be in excellent physical and mental health; must not now be a candidate for public office and must agree not to become one until six months after initial broadcast of all programs in which you appear, if selected as a player.

Prospective contestants, if selected to be interviewed, must timely complete, sign and return (prior to the date of your personal interview) a completed interview Agreement Package that includes a Background Questionnaire Form and authorization to obtain background information from third parties, among other agreements.

Think you could do better?

Tired of watching the candidates flounder on tasks you think are easy? Frustrated by mis-management, poor judgement and sloppy implementation? Wish you could show them how to do it right?

Well they're about to start recruiting for The Apprentice 4, so here's your chance.

In February, the producers are holding open casing calls in 29 US cities over 28 days looking for the next batch of candidates. Apprentice 4 Casting dates & details

They are also audition tapes & applications submitted before Thursday January 27th - Application

Semi-Final Interviews: Feb 2005
Final Selection in LA: March/April 2005

If you decide to apply, either at the open casting call or by tape, we'd love to hear about how it goes.

Good luck.

Net Worth or Magna, Short Skirts or Skills?

So the first question is...

Online Poll Using WebSurveyor

Book Smarts vrs Street Smarts

In Season 3, Donald and Mark have finally broken away from the pre-school "girls on one side, boys on the other" and are now pitting the "book smart" academics with a minimum of a college degree against the "street smart" go getters with only a high school diploma.

"For the third season of 'The Apprentice,' Mark Burnett (Creator & Executive Producer) and I have decided to take the series into a new realm," said Trump. "We wanted to see what would happen if we pitted college grads ("book smarts") against high school grads ("street smarts"). The result makes for fascinating television. Who will you root for? You'll also discover that we chose candidates who are more relatable--- along the lines of Sam, Troy and Amy."

So the question is -  Who do you think will do better overall, the Book Smarts or the Street Smarts?

Here's the breakdown...

Magna aka Book Smarts:

Alex Thomason, Bren Olswanger, Danny Kastner, Erin Elmore, Kendra Todd, Michael Tarshi, Stephanie (?), Todd (?), and Verna (?)

Net Worth aka Street Smarts:

Angie Harper, Audrey Evans, Brian McDowell, Chris (?), Craig Williams, John Gafford, Kristen Kirchner, Tana Gertz and Tara Dowdell.