The Apprentice 3 Preview: Book Smarts vs. Street Smarts

For two seasons now, The Apprentice has begun with the candidates divided into two teams – men against women. Early on, we saw different ways the two genders handled the challenges, not to mention getting along with each other. But in both of the previous seasons, another conflict emerged later on in the game. Was Donald Trump looking to hire a candidate with book smarts – like Harvard MBA Kwame or the very educated Kevin? Or would he consider a candidate with street smarts like Troy or Sandy who didn’t have a college diploma, but who did have some impressive experience?

In Season 3, that conflict comes to the fore. From the beginning, the candidates will be divided up by their educational backgrounds. Those with “book smarts” will have to prove that the time they spent in school makes them more viable candidates. And those with “street smarts” will try to show Trump that they’re just as smart as the other team. Let’s meet the candidates.

Let’s start with the “book smarts” team. First up is 29-year old Alex. Alex studied archaeology at Jerusalem University. He holds degrees in Theology and Latin from Seattle Pacific University. He also has a JD from the Seattle University School of Law. He worked in Washington as a lobbyist for the apple industry and is currently an attorney. Alex says that from watching past seasons, he’s learned that it’s better to make friends than enemies.

Bren is 32, this season’s bow tie wearing, and has his BA from the University of Memphis. He also holds a JD from the same university. He has experience as a real estate closing attorney, but currently works as a prosecutor.

39-year old Danny has his BA from Cleveland State. After he graduated, he studied music composition at Boston University and MIT’s Media Lab. He’s the CEO of a company he founded called POPstick, which innovates marketing technology. Danny thinks he should be the next apprentice because he is “on the leading edge of the next big thing.”

Erin is a 26-year old attorney from Philadelphia. She earned a double degree from the University of Miami in political science and broadcasting. Her law degree is from Villanova. She believes that her experience as an attorney will give her an edge in the boardroom.

Kendra is a 26-year old real estate broker. Her degree is in linguistics and is from the University of Florida. She thinks she is just the sort of risk-taker that Donald Trump would like to hire.

Michael is a 25-year old real estate developer and graduate of Boston College. He believes that the key to success on The Apprentice is to work well with your teammates.

Stephanie is 29 and works as a supply chain consultant. Her degree is from Arizona State University’s well-regarded business school. From past seasons of the show, she learned, “Gossip and cattiness are counterproductive and detrimental.”

Todd is a 34-year old sales manager from California. He has a BA in business from the University of Miami. From past seasons of the show, he’s learned that in order to be hired, “you must step up.”

And rounding out Team Book Smart is 34-year old Verna. She’s a graduate of Jackson State University with an MBA in Business Communications. Verna says she should be the winner because she is a hard worker not afraid to take on challenges.

And in the next corner, there’s the Street Smart team. First on the roster is 41 year old Angie, who owns two Curves for Women franchises. She turned a $40,000 investment into a $1.5 million dollar market value in just three years.

Audrey is 22, one of the youngest candidates, and a very successful real estate agent. She is also launching a non-profit organization to help high school students pursue their dreams.

Brian is 29 years old and once turned down a full college scholarship to start his own business. He owns five businesses now and is a self-made millionaire.

After graduating from high school, 22 year old Chris immediately went to work with his father in real estate. He now has a portfolio of properties worth over a million dollars.

Craig is 37 and is currently pursing a number of things. He’s a firefighter and EMT, owns his own shoeshine business, and is a partner in an entertainment conglomerate. He believes his “resourcefulness, insight, and energy” would be an asset to the Trump organization.

John is 32 and owns two successful businesses. He has also owned and operated several thriving restaurants and nightclubs.

Kristen is a 31 year old real estate financier. She believes that her positive attitude will help her to become the next apprentice.

Tana is 37 years old and has been an entrepreneur since the age of nine. She owns several start-up companies. She has learned that “there’s no fooling Mr. Trump, George, and Carolyn.

At 28-years old, Tara is the youngest person ever to serve as Director of Appointments in the office of the Governor of New Jersey. She currently works as a senior government manager. She believes that her past ability to overcome adversity will give her what it takes to win the job.

That’s it for the candidates. Donald Trump believes that this season will be different from the previous two because the candidates have watched and studied the previous seasons. Many of my readers, who have also watched and studied the previous two seasons, have written to me to express their doubts about how this season will be organized. After all, Donald Trump has, in the past, fired some very qualified candidates in large part because they didn’t have college degrees, most notably Season 1 favorite Troy. Will he really consider hiring someone from the Street Smart team? Well, I can’t say for sure, but looking at the resumes of all of the candidates, I’d say it’s possible. According to Season 1 winner Bill Rancic, Trump admires people who are entrepreneurs, like Trump himself. Many of the Street Smart candidates fit that bill. And Trump has been equally wary of candidates who have more education and less experience, like Season 2’s Kevin. Time will tell if the candidates with advanced degrees have an edge, but considering that Trump is interviewing nine candidates without college degrees, I’d say he’s open to the idea.

The third season of The Apprentice premieres on Thursday, January 20 at 8:30 eastern time. I’ll be here every week with my recaps and hope to hear from all of you as the season goes on.

Betsy Wasser is the Associate Editor of Reality News Online. As a graduate of Washington and Lee Univeristy, she’d probably be considered book smart. She can be reached with any comments at betsyw42@hotmailcom.

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