(Spoilers ahead)
"I'm embarrassed to be a businesswoman."
- Carolyn, on the fact that the seven remaining women of Apex can't get along with one another
Will Apex ever win again before being disbanded? Another week, another loss for Apex, another boardroom full of backstabbing and fighting. That's three in a row now.
Let's run through the women of Apex:
Ivana: Did a terrible job as the project manager for week 2 (the ice cream challenge) and avoided being fired only because Bradford stupidly waived his immunity.
Elizabeth: Was project manager for week 3 (the toothpaste challenge) and lost, though someone else was more to blame; however, broke down emotionally during week 4 because she didn't get another person assigned to help her.
Maria: Should have been fired during week 3 when she caused the team to go overbudget by not nailing down a fixed price on the adwork, then tried to blame Elizabeth.
Sandy: In charge of decor for week 4 (the restaurant challenge), she didn't bother to check out what other restaurants in the area looked like, resulting in a nice but out of place look for the restaurant. Should have at least been brought into the boardroom but escaped because Jen C. self-immolated and left her behind out of friendship.
Stacy R.: I thought she had a good point about how ridiculous it was for week 4 project manager Elizabeth's stereotyped to comment about the two "old Jewish fat ladies" costing them the challenge. However, Stacy R. also showed cluelessness in trying to rag on Jen C. stealthily, without noticing that Jen C. was standing right behind her.
Jennifer M.: Probably the only one who hasn't made a serious mistake yet. She's been critical of the other project managers to date, yet hasn't been selected to the boardroom, suggesting that the others fear her.
So we have three disasters (Ivana, Maria, Elizabeth), another fairly shaky performer (Sandy), and two competent ones (Stacy and Jennifer) -- who, coincidentally (or perhaps not), are both attorneys. Score one for lawyers!
Apparently, next week, Apex gets Pamela back from Mosaic. Somehow I don't see this as really helping the team. Pamela lost the challenge the week that she was the project manager and hasn't really done much since then; she's got an abrasive edge that will probably intensify the conflicts in Apex. (Really, I started to diagram who was against whom, but it got too confusing and overwhelming.)
Carolyn deserves better. Surely, Mark Burnett doesn't mean for us to believe that this bunch (excepting Jennifer and, I suppose, Stacy) were the best, most brilliant, business-savvy women he could find to cast, does he?
(Or I guess it could all be in the editing. . . .)
UPDATE (9/30): Prof. Althouse weighs in on the portrayal of women on the show, as well as offering thoughts on the opening segment of last night's episode, where Kevin challenges the women on their decision to gang up on Stacie J.
By the way, although there was no mention of an extended boardroom episode this Saturday, NBC has allotted the usual Saturday 7 PM Central time for "The Apprentice." Yahoo!'s "Apprentice TV" site does say that there will be an extended boardroom version. I'll be there to recap for you.
Check out the memo to Jennifer C. at this site:
The Apprentice Rules
They really hit it on the nose.
Posted by: robert | October 17, 2004 at 09:43 AM