The Apprentice 6: Nicole's Passions & Muna's Faith
by Donna Emery
March 20, 2007
This week on the Apprentice, the candidates found out about, risk, trust, intrigue, and betrayal. And that was just in the scripts for their tasks.
Once again, Donald Trump pitted two teams of corporate-wannabes against each other in a task where they would do their best job to promote a sponsor's product. At the end of the task, one of the teams would get a convoluted "reward", and the other team would throw one of their dearly beloved members under the wheels of the Limo of Shame. That's pretty much how this episode went.
Kinetic - the early "stars"- had won again last week, but they were headed by the sinisterly cold Kristine, who'd had visible problems with the overly-critical Muna. The team was now composed of four serious-minded businesswomen. Due to a win last week, Kinetic was now living it up at the mansion, while Arrow was living in the relative squalor of the backyard "Tent City."
Arrow might have some dysfunctional members, but they've won their share of tasks. Last week, they'd been able to dump Surya: a Project Manager who had been cramping their party-prone style. But that meant that they had to live in the tents, and even suffer the insults of the wind whipping the shower curtain around Nicole's vulnerable body. Oh, the horror!
So, the rivalry was set. And the task was before them: create a soap opera-style webisode to advertise Soft Scrub's new cleanser. Kinetic decided to go with the tale of an adulterous housewife, while Nicole wanted to force Tim to propose to her. Methinks she was rushing things a bit, but after all, it was just a script… right?
What were the problems each team faced?
Kristine had to deal with Muna, who first expressed her lack of understanding, and then wouldn't commit to which role she wanted to take. Finally agreeing to let her be an actress, she then balked at some of the scripted words. When Kristine inexplicably left the filming set to buy the perfect lipstick for writing on the mirror in their scene, Muna talked faster than "Joe Isuzu" on Starbucks' as she nervously sprinted through an un-usable scene. But since PM Kristine was out at the mall with the silent (but somehow stellar) Angela, no one was able to give the word to stop the insanity of the webisode filming. Heidi may have wanted to, and certainly she had good reason to; but the PM wasn't there. So the Readers' Digest version of their script was what was recorded. Yikes.
Arrow's script may not have been Shakespeare and Tim and Nicole's acting was about as good as a grade school play, but they spoke clearly and they mentioned the product and its attributes. Nicole may have had ulterior motives in her choice of plots for the script, but she knew her soaps and convinced James to let her do her thing. Tim went nuts fitting the music to their scene, and James let him. Frank and Stephani gave their strong but silent support. And Arrow won the day; in the end, they carried it off because their speech was clearer, and the brand name was easier to understand.
Let's compare PMs: Kristine was cold and ruthless and businesslike. When faced with a nitpicking teammate, she waffled on what she wanted that teammate to do, and ultimately chose the worst possible task for her. At the time when she could have made the most difference, and possibly stopped their film from being as bad as it ultimately was, she was off picking out a lovely shade of pink lipstick. She entered the filming process too late, and from that moment on knew she had to spend her energies on thinking up a Boardroom strategy.
In contrast, James was laid-back and supportive. He was glad to find out that Nicole was a soap buff, and let her and Tim write and act in the scene. When Tim's second-guessing might have proved as problematic to him as Muna's was to Kristine, he chose to let Tim have his say. After all, he figured that Tim's expertise might serve their team. Though others on the team were a bit frustrated by Tim, James let him make his mark. At every critical juncture of the filming, James was there to lend support and he ended the task by taking his team to brunch.
By the way, was anyone else thinking it was a good thing that Trump wasn't at the brunch when James said he wouldn't bring any of his team into the Boardroom if they lost? That, my friend, was a definite Bradford Move. Don't say it again next week - no matter what.
In the end, Arrow won, and in the end this dysfunctional team again gets to think they are stars. James deserves the credit not so much for leading his team; but for sitting back and making the most of his team's individual strengths. If Kristine had done the same, she might have insisted that Muna take a behind-the-scenes role. She might have sent Muna for the infamous lipstick, with Angela as a chaperone to keep her on task. Kristine and Heidi would probably have made a killer video… and then who knows what would have happened?
Speculation gets us nowhere, and we know that Arrow won. Team Arrow got to meet one of the most famous men in the world, and they got to move back into the mansion - leaving Kinetic to clean their grubby camp kitchen. I had to wonder if they left them any Soft Scrub to do it with. And as the Little Team that Could was having tea with "The Governator", Muna was relying on her faith to save her in the Boardroom. Kristine, who was arguably responsible for the team's demise, decided instead to rely on the teachings of Donald J. Trump.
We all know who won.
In the Trump Boardroom, Mr. Trump is the king. Since Muna pays homage to "a higher authority" - as they say at Hebrew National - maybe it's just as well that she was taken out of the race. I just can't see someone as faith-oriented as Muna being the newest factotum for Donald Trump. Though being the Apprentice can and has brought its recipient a certain kind of fame, and a definite aura of corporate respectability, one has to wonder what someone like Muna was doing on the show in the first place.
In the end, I thought the blame for the task - and therefore, the ouster by Trump - should rightfully have gone to Kristine. She made the decision to have Muna as an actress. She made the decision to leave the set at a critical time. And she made the decision to cut the part of the film that most prominently mentioned the sponsor's brand. Wrong, wrong, wrong. But it wasn't Wrong Kristine that got fired.
It was Muna. Muna placed her faith in God, and her trust in Heidi. Though I am not willing to say that God let her down - because I believe that it's possible that God may have bigger things in mind for Muna than the Apprentice - I can definitely affirm that Heidi let her down. Did Heidi lie to Muna - or did Muna misunderstand Heidi? Heidi was torn by indecision, when she was asked who she preferred. I could see the stock ticker that's inside Heidi's mind whirring like a Rube Goldberg creation, as she calculated her odds with both people. In the end, she chose Kristine, and Trump somehow decided that Muna's risk in trusting Heidi showed enough lack of corporate savvy to deserve firing.
I heartily disagree. Though I might concede that Muna proved herself too "un-corporate" for Trump by taking that risk, Kristine should have taken the fall for this task. I could even have accepted a double firing, as long as Kristine was one of the firees. Instead, she survived. On to next week, and to Scrooge James and his breakup of the Romance of the Century.
Here's how I think the crew is doing, this week:
James - The Webhead
Current Ranking: 1 - Previous Ranking: 6
A 29-year-old Internet entrepreneur from Seattle, Washington.
For this week at least, he's at the top of the heap. I don't know that he is the ultimate leader, but he gave his team the support they needed and helped them find a way to win on their own terms. He'd better speak up a bit more in the Boardroom if he's there, next week, but for now Trump sees him as Number One.
Stefanie - The Realist
Current Ranking: 2 - Previous Ranking: 2
A 32-year-old attorney from Los Angeles, California.
I have a theory about Stephani. I think she's this year's Kendra. This lady shows way too much talent whenever she speaks to continue to fly under the radar, but she's pulling it off. Although she again won't have a chance to be PM next week, she could still show us her talents again and continue to impress Trump. James doesn't choose her to send to Kinetic, and that tells me he values her. There's gotta be a reason. I think we will soon see what it is.
Angela - The Olympian
Current Ranking: 3 - Previous Ranking: 3
A 26-year-old three-time Olympic ice hockey player from Oyster Bay, New York.
Her televised performances don't justify Trump's adulation, but he's no dummy. I choose to think he is calling her a "star" for a reason. Just like Stephani, I think she is keeping her talent under wraps so far, and we will soon see the reason Trump is so supportive.
Tim - The Musician
Current Ranking: 4 - Previous Ranking: 5
A 24-year-old tutoring company owner from Los Angeles, California.
I saw his serious side this week, and his dawning realization that maybe he moved in too soon on the Nicole romance. I hope that next week, when Nicole is gone, we can see him supply even more talent to the team. I think he's got a lot to offer… and that we're about to see what a Harvard man can do.
Heidi - The Hottie
Current Ranking: 5 - Previous Ranking: 1
A 26-year-old national/international sales manager from Santa Monica, California.
She may have sold Muna down the river, but Trump hasn't forgotten her early triumphs. She's still the standard-bearer for PM/Viceroys, and her team still treats her like she is the Deputy PM at each task. No matter what Trump says, he still thinks highly of her.
Frank - The Mouth
Current Ranking: 6 - Previous Ranking: 8
A 27-year-old contracting company founder from Bronx, New York.
This is the guy who is behind the scenes at every project, and though his often-adolescent mannerisms are silly to watch, Frank is a valuable man to have on the team. I don't think he can win, but I still enjoy watching him.
Kristine - The Schmoozer
Current Ranking: 7 - Previous Ranking: 4
A 37-year-old attorney from Los Angeles, California.
She's just lucky lightning didn't strike her when she said that God wasn't in the Boardroom. She deserved to be fired, but her escape from Trump's clutches - and her selection by both of her teammates - shows she is not going to go down without a strenuous fight.
Nicole - The Dreamer
Current Ranking: 8 - Previous Ranking: 9
A 25-year-old commercial real estate corporation owner and broker from Chicago, Illinois.
She wrote the script for the winning webisode, and though it may have been less than perfect, she used her knowledge to benefit her team. Next week's episode is sure to incur her wrath, and she's not going to be quiet about it. This has the potential to get really ugly.
Muna - The Believer
Fired Episode 9
A 28-year-old attorney from Matawan, New Jersey.
I loved watching her and I'll miss her. I think she brought a lot to the team. Though her hyper personality may have grated, some of her ideas were worth listening to, and I wish her the best in whatever she does. She is a bright and talented lady. May God bless her.
Surya - The Hair
Fired Episode 8
A 24-year-old brand manager from Cincinnati, Ohio.
I think he really is a better competitor than Arrow made him out to be. He has so much knowledge, and he has a great work ethic. He'll be much happier in a company that prizes thinking over results. I wish him a team that respects his mind and brings out his best side.
Jenn - The Blonde
Fired Episode 7
A 26-year-old publicist from Phoenix, Arizona.
It was hard not to like Jenn in this task. Though she made an error in setting the
theme and using go karts, it seems that she did gain the respect of her team, and she went out with class. It's too bad she couldn't put her talents to better
use; she seemed like she had more to offer than she could show us. I wish her the best; she deserves it
Derek - The Risk Taker
Fired Episode 7
A 34-year-old movie studio vice president from Los Angeles, California.
I enjoyed watching him, so I'm sorry he's gone.
But his final speech seemed to show that he'd been in it for the laughs, so he did what he came to do. He was liked by his team and I think he'll do well on
his own. I wish him the best.
Aimee - The Thinkier
Fired: Episdoe 6
A 32-year-old territory manager from Chicago, Illinois.
She just didn't know where to devote the bulk of her energy and made a whale out of an octopus. I was rooting for her to be gone from the start of the episode, and I won't mourn now that she is.
Aaron - The Adaptor
Fired: Episdoe 5
A 25-year-old community sales manager from Fredericksburg, Virginia.
James was pretty kind when he called Aaron "laid back". Even more this week than last week, Aaron's idea of being PM seemed to be to stand back and watch everyone else work. He deserved to be fired and his team will be better off without him.
Marisa - The Politico
Fired: Episode 4
A 28-year-old attorney from Wellington, Florida.
All I can say is that this lady is tenacious. I don't think she understands how abrasive she is, and I don't think her ideas were all that great. I will say I'm glad she's gone, but I do wish her the best in life.
Michelle - The Closer
Fired: Episode 3
A 34-year-old real estate consultant from Los Angeles, CA.
I think Michelle made up her mind to quit before this task even started. It's too bad she put her team through such misery before she quit. She was probably one of the least decisive PM's in the history of the show, and though I give her credit for making a decision and sticking to it, the decision to quit before Trump fired her was self-serving and potentially damaging to her teammates. I wish her the best in the future.
Carey - The Perfectionist
Fired: Episode 2
A 25-year-old marketing and promotions firm owner from Atlanta, Georgia.
Carey, I am glad you got a chance to show everybody what you're made of. Now please take your pink suit and go home. Carey seems like a nice man but he let his fashion sense take over his business sense. I was disappointed that he got fired, but it may be for the best.
Martin - The Philosopher
Fired: Episode 1
A 37-year-old attorney from Atlanta, Georgia.
Maybe he is brilliant but that doesn't make him an asset to a modern business venture. He seems like a very bright man, and I wish him the best in the halls of academia. He finally heard an old saying that he hadn't wanted to hear, and he's gone. Look on the bright side: now he can go to the bathroom!
Next week the lovebirds get split up, and Nicole becomes one of the ladies of Kinetic. Will this strategy extend James' winning streak, or be his downfall?
Donna is a nurse and teacher, and a mother of 5. She lives in Pennsylvania and is admittedly addicted to many reality shows. You can reach her at mrsed4ever@yahoo.com.
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