Just some quick thoughts while watching tonight's episode of "The Apprentice":
1) When Troy and Kwame went off to watch the magic show with the animals, did anyone else think of poor old Roy Horne when a tiger stood on its back legs and hugged the performer? And also, did anyone else think it was demeaning for the African lion to be ridden like a donkey?
2) I really dislike Katrina. When she and Amy were trying to get the car dealer to put up a car rental, and she complained offscreen about Amy's butting in, what was hilarious was that Amy was the one who closed the deal.
3) How come Trump's assistant George is always off on important business trips, but Carolyn never is? Glass ceiling?
4) The previews for this episode had Trump wondering who came up with some dumb idea. When the white tiger was wheeled out in the cage, I couldn't help but think, maybe the tiger will get loose and maul some VIPs . . . .
5) Notice how Protege started out as the all-female team, and right now, it's Bill, Kwame, and Troy.
6) I thought the look of disbelief on Amy's face when the team results were announced was priceless. I guess she really started to think that she was invulnerable.
7) What was with the super-mini skirts that Amy and Katrina wore to the final boardroom? Maybe it's just me, but I would think that if you fighting to stay in the game, you'd want to show Trump that you are professional. . . .
8) Finally, who knows what else she might have said in the cab that was not aired, but I thought Katrina's final comments -- which were pretty much pure vituperation directed at Amy -- were just catty.
All in all, a fun episode. Only 2 regular episodes left before the live finale . . . .
UPDATE (3/26): Prof. Althouse offers thoughts on some of my observations.
3) George is International Council. Carolyn's in charge of golf courses. 'Nuf said? ;-)
Posted by: Jeremy C. Wright | March 26, 2004 at 05:36 AM
Carolyn is an attractive blond woman and appeals to the 18-34 male demographic, George is a frumpy old man and appeals to no one. Remember, in television, it's all boils down to demographics and market segments. That's probably also why the two women wore mini-skirts into the final board meeting with Trump. I'm sure the producers determine the players' wardrobe for that meeting every week.
Posted by: tom | March 26, 2004 at 06:13 AM
Bill basically won that event for Protege' by getting the VIPs to sign up. How come they didn't end up having more people than versacorp? Didn't they make them signup when they went to spin the wheel? And what was with that kid, was that just a stunt? Did they just tell that kid what to say?
Weird episode!
Posted by: Jeff Findel | March 26, 2004 at 07:12 AM
As I (and presumably almost ever other viewer) predicted last week, Katrina is gone. I'm curious to see how he works the "teams" next week - will he leave things at 3 and 2?
Posted by: Craig | March 26, 2004 at 07:47 AM
From the previews, it looks like it'll be 3 against 2, and if the two lose, I guess they both go to the boardroom.
Hard to predict how things turn out, but I think if Versacorp loses and neither Nick nor Amy stands out, Amy will be fired. The sheen is off her with the loss, and while her past saved her this time, Trump seems to like Nick.
Posted by: Tung Yin | March 26, 2004 at 07:56 AM
I also think Nick will do a better job in the boardroom - he certainly has more experience. Amy really didn't make much of an argument in there, and Trump has really seemed to grant a lot of leeway to those who stand up for themselves.
Posted by: Craig | March 26, 2004 at 08:24 AM
What was strange about last night's contest was that it didn't seem to entail actually increasing the casino's revenues, but merely getting people who had already decided to gamble at the Taj Mahal to use one team's tracking card over another's. Did I miss something? Did the teams actually entice these people to increase their wagering?
Posted by: Will Allen | March 26, 2004 at 11:09 AM
I get the feeling George's "business trips" generally lead him to the doctor's office. That is, unlike Ponderosa's "concussion," his medical problems are fairly serious.
Posted by: fishkite | March 26, 2004 at 11:15 AM
"Ponderosa", I like that...
Yeah I agree with Will, and Amy basically pointed out this fact on the floor to Trump which just seemed to highlight how stupid the premise of their assignment was.
What about the part where Trump is on the golf course and the wind is blowing his hair all over the place. He plays it off cool-like by saying that it proves his hair is real... but seriously, we could see the staples...
Posted by: Jeff Findel | March 26, 2004 at 11:43 AM
Why did they wear short skirts? For the same reason that all eight women on the show had model-like figures: because it perfectly matches the well-established sexual proclivities of Trump himself.
What I liked in last night's episode was that the "VIPs" were some the scummiest, most shabbily-dressed "high rollers" I've ever seen.
Posted by: Stephen Silver | March 26, 2004 at 01:01 PM