"The Apprentice" and its parody, "My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss"

Now that Prof. Althouse has stopped watching "The Apprentice," it looks like I have the lone task of providing not-so-lofty thoughts on The Donald's interview process. . . .

I didn't blog about last week's episode, but in case you missed it (or you get your Apprentice info from me), the task was to remodel homes and see which team generated more profits in doing so.  Raj led Apex and Sandy (?!?) led Mosaic.  Raj's downfall was two-fold: first, he let law student Kevin talk him into using a particular contractor even though he (Raj) had a bad feeling about the guy; and second, he turned a four bedroom house into a three bedroom house.  The contractor overpromised, and Raj never went out to get more contractors to help out (as Andy did on behalf of Mosaic).  As a result, the upper level bathroom project was left unfinished at the deadline!  Also, while I'm all for nice big master bedrooms, four rooms are better than three.

Best line from the episode was Trump's: "Here are Visa check cards with $10,000 each on them.  Raj, don't spend it all on women."

The boardroom was okay, livened by the fact that Jennifer and Raj tried to create an alliance to take down Ivana.  Since Trump does the firing, it didn't quite work out.

Lesson that should be abundantly clear by now: when Trump asks you (the project manager) if you want to bring a specific team member into the final boardroom, say "yes"!  After Raj selected Kevin and Ivana, foul-mouthed Chris insisted on saying something.  And what he said was that Apex had no chemistry and if the teams were mixed up, they would lose again.  Trump and Carolyn were appalled at his attitude.  Raj, however, elected not to bring Chris in, defending his decision on the ground, "What, do you want me to be a politician?"  Apparently, the answer is yes!

Oh, and Trump decided to "reward" Chris for his outburst by making him the project manager for the next task, which turned out to be . . . .

. . . . running a one-day bridal salon.

A bridal salon?!?  Wait a minute, Mosaic's Sandy runs a bridal salon!!!

As Chris predicted, Apex lost again, in large part due to Chris' defeatist attitude.  We kept hearing "this is f&*(ing impossible" in that New York accent of his.  Of course, after they lost by a 12-1 margin, in confessional interviews before the boardroom, Chris proudly announced that he was not the type to give up and that he would keep fighting and fighting.  Yeah, unless it's to run a bridal salon. . . .

Needless to say, Chris got fired.

Now, as Entertainment Weekly argued, it seems pretty unfair to have a task suited perfectly for one of the contestants.  But my guess is that the projects and the casting are done by separate groups without interaction, and that it just turned out that a project and a contestant were a perfect match.  Otherwise, if you plan the tasks first, then select contestants so that no one will have an edge, you might lose some contestants you really want.  (Though, I have to confess, I hardly see how Sandy would be any kind of loss.  She's not interesting in a bad way, like Omarosa.  She's just . . . there.)  If you select the contestants first, that would limit the projects.

Perhaps co-blogger Kevin has the answer, since he worked on "The Apprentice 2."  I guess the only question is whether his contract allows him to give the answer.

Oh, and on the recommendation of a fellow reality TV junkie, I gave Fox's "My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss" a try.  (Hey, I'm still getting over my illness, and this is TV equivalent of comfort food.)  It's hilarious!  The boss isn't even fat . . . but obviously the title is meant to play off Fox's previous "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance."  Like that, this is a hoax that parodies "The Apprentice," from the male and female henchpersons to the superrich guy, the teams of men versus women, the projects, firings (called "going home"), even those nighttime shots of the city with the music in the background.  Only, the superrich guy and his assistants are just actors who mess with the contestants in every way possible, giving them contradictory feedback, etc.  The final firings are made by a secret "real boss" who gives no explanation, leaving it to the actor playing the superrich guy to make up whatever he wants.

Comments

[Chris]

"Obnoxious Boss" has got to be the funniest reality show I've ever seen. Saving his first million dollars? Excaliber?? "I'm a bee, I can make my own honey"..."bzzzz."

FOX has done it again.

[David]

I watched last night (a fellow alum is on the show, so we were trying to spot her). It's a riot! The sabotage is great.

[g]

The tasks on MBFOB are great, and probably more relevant to the real business world than the tasks on the Apprentice. I can't believe they all fell for the Excalibur sword.

[Kimberly G. Newsom]

I just can't get enough of My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss!! It is a RIOT!!!!!!! Can't wait for the one about the Cyanide. The Excalibur Sword was so funny -- can't believe how they all fell for it!!!!!!!!!!

[G. Canterbury]

What about the part where the make believe Trump told the women, "One of you broads is going to get fired tonight". The women's reaction was so funny!!! I nearly fell out of my seat!!!!!!!!!

[Ami Cusack]

Why isn't this show getting any coverage?? It's HILARIOUS!!!! So much better than that Survivor Vanuatu.