The Apprentice 2 Weekly Performance Review, Episode 9: Team Destruction

Mosaic Corporation:

Before we begin, I have to point out that Jen C is as clueless as ever! No, Ivana shouldn't have been fired instead of you, she actually did well on the restaurant task. Trump basically shot down your arguments against Stacey and Elizabeth and said that if anyone beside you should have been fired, it was Sandy. Elizabeth and Stacey were fired for other reasons, not totally unrelated to that task, but had they improved from that week instead of spiraling downward, they might still be there.

Andy: Once again, you prove yourself the best on your team by grabbing the backup workers off the street and putting them to work. Without you (and let's be fair, Rob working like a madman), Mosaic probably would have lost. But eventually, I'm sure you'll be fired for being too young or inexperienced, at which time I will rant and rave about the stupidity of it. But until then, keep proving yourself and you'll come out of this show looking better than anyone else.

Wes: Not a lot from you this week, which is not unusual. I have to wonder why you never seem to get much screen time? You need to make an impact!

Maria: Thankfully, I didn't have to endure listening to you much this week. Maybe you complained that the house needed more sexing up, and they cut it.

Kelly: Like Maria and Wes, we didn't see much of you this week. Were things going so well that you didn't have anything to complain about? Because that's the only time it seems we see you anymore.

Sandy: Once again, you escape. In the extra online footage, you were shown taking control of the organization, but we couldn't tell from the episode. I've been wanting you to be Project Manager so that I could finally figure out if you are incompetent or just too boring to be shown on TV. I'm still undecided on this, but there is one thing I've decided on. If you last this long on a show like this and have as little screen time as you do, it's a sign that you don't have the skills it takes to lead. You have to take control, like Kelly, for example, for better or worse, and you haven't even begun to do that. Your time is coming. Soon.

Apex Corporation:

A quick word about the return of Stacie - why, if the contestants were so afraid of her, would they have brought her back? Her return just proves to me that her firing was a load of Ivana in the first place. Fire her for being weird, fire her for not reacting well to pressure, but the fact that she was fired because these idiot women said they were afraid of her? It's a joke, and now it's been proven. However, Stacie did herself no favors by losing her temper.

Chris: We all knew you had a big mouth, but GEEZ. Could you be a little stupider next time? What on Earth possessed you to make such a stupid statement? Not only that, but to STOP the proceedings and make a grandstanding production about it! You should thank your lucky stars that Raj didn't decide to bring you in after your comment, because you would have been going home.

Jennifer: You've shown time and again that your biggest talent is tearing others down. Whenever they need a clip of someone talking about how someone else is incompetent, there you are. I don't know about Trump, but cattiness and an air of superiority are not traits I want in a manager. I realize that you're probably playing strategy, but come on! Chris' comment, while dumb and ill-advised, is right on the money. The biggest reason that the team is in shambles? You and your negative attitude.

Ivana: Clueless AND classless? And you were doing so well until you had to open your mouth. I love how you had no answer for Stacie's question of how you were in danger. Running away is a really good way to deal with a problem employee.

Trump disputed the reasoning that brought you into the boardroom, but I don't. You've shown a bit of talent the last few weeks, but looking on the series as a whole, I just don't see anything that proves you should be on the show in the first place, let alone in the top ten.

Kevin: You recommended the contractor. You set the prices in the fashion task along with Wes. Why is it whenever you DO something, it turns into disaster? I'd like to think your talents lie in organization and leadership, not in the actual doing. There are worse shortfalls to have, but I think your mistakes will catch up to you. I also wish that you would have taken more responsibility for your actions in the boardroom, especially after your contributions last week with Elizabeth.

Raj: Who would have thunk it, you were actually fired for poor performance? Here I've been readying myself the past few weeks to rant about how you didn't get a fair shake because of your "differentness" and here you go, failing miserably on the last two tasks.

It's ironic, I think, that you were saved last week by the very factor that got you fired this week - that the Project Manager is ultimately responsible for the team's decisions. Although Kevin chose the contractor, you okayed it and didn't exert enough control once he was there, just as Elizabeth took your suggestion and let things get out of hand last week.

It should be obvious that I like you a lot, Raj, but I have to agree with this week's firing. As a leader, you've got to do more than stand around and worry about the job, you've got to make sure it gets done. You make a fantastic manager of people, because you're not afraid to ask for advice (from Kevin in this episode, Chris in the restaurant challenge) and are quick to praise. And you're a fantastic contributor, and even though your ideas might not be the best, you seem to always want to help the team however you can. But you just aren't good at getting things DONE. In addition, your biggest decision, to convert the house from four bedrooms to three, was pretty bad.

On the plus side, though, you had the smoothest exit of anyone, on any reality show, EVER, by asking Robin for her number on the way out. For that, you will always be the man.

Mike DeGeorge has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Christian Brothers University in Memphis, and has almost ten years of management experience. He is also Associate Editor of RNO. Email Mike at mikmaria@charter.net.

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