The Apprentice Season 2 thread (1 Viewer)

[todd s]

I also think it was ridiculous to fire him. He stood by his team. The only thing I can think of is that Trump didn't like his cockiness. But, to keep inferior people over someone who has proven himself because he felt he should stay with his team and was confident in his contribution is crazy. My only question is why did Trump tell him a decision like that in the real world could have destroyed a company? Why? Doesn't the buck stop at the top? In real life you don't get exemptions.

 

[Patrick Sun]

The point was that in business you don't give up a strategic advantage if you don't need to, and if you do give up the advantage, it can cost you and your company.



In the framework of the game, Bradford demonstrated that he could be bullied/shamed into giving up a strategic advantage with nothing tangible in return, and that is a trait that the Donald wasn't okay with for the Apprentice #2.

 

[Scott_Sch]

Agreed, it was definitely a stupid decision to give up the exemption, I just don't agree with keeping around inept people over a guy who showed some promise in all the other areas of the business. Trump himself said in the boardroom that he's made some dumb decisions in his day...



It was almost like he stewed on it as the boardroom session went on and then at the end he just couldn't keep himself from firing Bradford...kind of weird.

 

[Stephen Heath]

I think it was the best thing to do IF Trump had decided that this mistake was so stupid that there was no way on the planet he would hire Bradford.



Ivana and Stacie WILL be back in the boardroom and he can pick them off anytime. It's obvious that they have no chance at all. Bradford, however, might not get selected, which means he might make it a fair ways along, piling up successes, which would make it harder for Donald to get rid of him without looking dumb on network TV. I suspect Donald just didn't like Bradford, decided there is no way he'd want to work with Bradford long term, and figured this was the ideal time to get rid of him.



As was said before, as much as it seems like Survivor, it IS a job interview and Trump is the boss, and sometimes the most qualified people don't get hired because of personality conflicts.

 

[Michael Hughes]

The fact that he called Carolyn, Caroline! cost Bradford a chance at redemption from The Donald, he dissed his lady. You have to figure this is a Job interview, and after watching season 1, you don't know here name by now? The Donald for sure did not like that. And to use profanity like he did in the board room, also showed poor form. Some folks forget that it is a business interview, and the two guys last year were bnoth very polished business guys.



You have to treat each board room, as an interview and some folks just don't get that.



A great twist to the show this week.

 

[Scott_Sch]

Forgot about him mis-pronouncing her name (ouch..). I do realize its a job interview, just thought the others should go first (don't know about you guys, but sometimes bad personalities are better than ineptness in my book...although I am an engineer). Anyway, good point about the fact that it might be a while before Bradford got back in the boardroom so it does make some sense to take him out now. And I also agree that we will be seeing Ivana and Stacie in the boardroom again very soon.

 

[Jacinto]

I guess I had a different interpretation of why Bradford gave up his immunity, and I think he could have kept his job by defending his decision like this:



"Mr. Trump, when you suggested that I was only being so vocal and forthright about my team's shortcomings because I could hide behind immunity, I took that as a knock on my character. I speak the truth, regardless of what others may think of me, and to prove that, I was willing to throw away my immunity. I can have my business savvy questioned, my sales skills questioned, my organizational skills questioned, but I will NOT have my integrity questioned."



I think if he had defended himself along those lines, Bradford would still be in the game.

 

[JamieD]

I don't think so. Trump has already struck at people who have put "integrity" in front of business.

 

[Brian-W]

The simple explanation - why is Bradford gone? Because no one wants to watch a bunch of successful and smart people compete.



Everyone wants to watch a trainwreck, and what better way to watch than to keep incompetent people on the show to the end (Omarosa ring a bell?). It makes for a more interesting show.

 

[Brook K]

I think that had Bradford explained himself like he did in the cab he might have survived, but to just agree with The Don "yeah that was pretty stupid of me" and offer no defense of his actions was even dumber.

Some of you are forgetting that there weren't many opportunities to fire Omarosa. Her team won several of the competitions, like the art show. IIRC, He only passed on firing her once in the 2nd half of the season. The next time she was in the board room she got fired.

 

[teapot2001]

What did Bradford say in the cab?



~T

 

[Stephen Heath]

quote:

Because no one wants to watch a bunch of successful and smart people compete.

I can only speak for myself, but that's why I was really looking forward to seeing Stacie and Ivana get the boot. I think season one was at it's best AFTER the worst were weeded out. The episodes I liked best were the ones where both teams went balls to the wall, and both did very well, but one team did just a bit better, causing Donald to have a real tough time deciding who to get rid of.



I like that it's not Survivor, it's a job interview where you have to beat out people in ways that prove you're a team player. You can't win by making alliances and backstabbing, you have to excel and show you're on the ball. Right now, they're playing it like Survivor with all the "who should we vote off" style.

 

[Jonathan Carter]

quote: I think season one was at it's best AFTER the worst were weeded out. The episodes I liked best were the ones where both teams went balls to the wall, and both did very well, but one team did just a bit better, causing Donald to have a real tough time deciding who to get rid of.

And that is what will happen with this season. Ivana and Stacie will both be gone soon enough and Bradford was so stupid to do what he did he deserved the boot also. The minute he opend his mouth and said that I wanted him gone. It was cocky and stupid. He looked like he was about to cry though when Trump was laying into him and telling him why that was a dumb move, but it was. You never give up the advantage.



Now Ivana will be reviled for causing the team to lose one of their stongest assetes and Stacie is going to be even more hated (rightly so IMO) and she'll still be on the chopping block.



As for Jen, like Trump said, she needs to learn to keep her mouth shut. She just kept interrupting and jumping in, even after being told to shut up. Looks like she may have learned a small lesson last night though. Her and Raj irritate the hell out of me and I can't wait to see them fired.

 

[Jason Harbaugh]

One thing is for sure, they weren't lying when they said it would be the boardroom everyone would be talking about.

 

[Brian-W]

Is it me or is it:




[*] Carolyn getting more 'involved' in the boardroom than previously...
[*] The camera just showing more of Carolyn that we didn't get last season
[*] All of the above
[/list]


She's a lot more outspoken and makes far more 'shocking' faces than last season. These last two boardrooms, she had appalling faces (like when Bradford called here Caroline instead of Carolyn)

 

[Jonathan Carter]

Yeah, she looked like she was going to come over the table and rip his face off for that one. I can promise he'll remember her name correctly for the rest of his life though.

 

[GordonL]

What some of you (and Bradford, apparently) don't get is that the show is not a game, it's a friggin job interview! After thinking about this a bit, Trump's decision might have been harsh, but it was the correct one. Like he said, hiring someone who makes bad decisions for whatever reason, even if the intentions are good, could end up costing him millions.



I'm not so sure that Ivana will be reviled by her teammates, if she can explain her decision in a palatable way. By bringing in two of the stronger candidates on the assumption that since Stacie was such a disruptive force, Trump's decision would have been a no-brainer, her teammates might forgive her. But who knows what Ivana was thinking?

 

[Joshua_W]

It's not a job interview. It's a game show, just like every other Survivor and Big Brother. The grand prize is a job with Trump. Unless I'm mistaken, and Trump makes all of his executive applicants set up lemonade stands.



Everyone is playing to the cameras to a certain degree. Bradford giving up his immunity, Trump firing him. All for the benefit of the audience.



Hell, it's not even a real boardroom. It's just a set. The elevator back up to the suite and elevator down to the taxi ride is faked as well.

 

[Jonathan Carter]

quote:Everyone is playing to the cameras to a certain degree. Bradford giving up his immunity, Trump firing him. All for the benefit of the audience.

I'm sure Bradford was happy to play the fool and lose a chance at a job all for the audience. If he was, then he was a bigger idiot than I thought and doubly deserved to get fired.

 

[Andres Munoz]

quote:"Mr. Trump, when you suggested that I was only being so vocal and forthright about my team's shortcomings because I could hide behind immunity, I took that as a knock on my character. I speak the truth, regardless of what others may think of me, and to prove that, I was willing to throw away my immunity. I can have my business savvy questioned, my sales skills questioned, my organizational skills questioned, but I will NOT have my integrity questioned."

Jacinto...you're fired!