Dateline: Behind The Apprentice – Beyond the Boardroom

Bill considers himself a self-made man. He is an entrepreneur who turned the cigar business he ran out of his apartment into a successful company. He's very athletic and believes that his experience as a marathon runner has taught him the endurance needed to excel at this challenge. In his audition video, he predicted that he'd beat out the MBAs because they have textbook smarts, not the practical knowledge that he has. Very interesting, considering his final opponent. In the meantime, Bill is enjoying his fame. He gets hundreds of emails a day, including many from female admirers. He says that he hasn't found the right woman yet, so if the rumors that he's engaged to Jen Schefft of The Bachelor are true, they obviously haven't found their way to NBC yet. Bill says that the finish line is in sight, but regardless, he knows he can hold his head high, proud of how he performed.

In the final segment of the night, NBC financial reporter Ron Insana, who has the coolest name since Wolf Blitzer, assembles a panel of experts to predict which of the men will win. On the panel are Donny Deutsch of the Deutsch Agency (you may remember him from the second challenge), entrepreneur B. Smith, Isaac Mizrahi (who participated in the celebrity auction challenge), dotcom billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, and TV host Carson Daly (who also participated in the celebrity auction challenge).

The panelists talk about Kwame first. B. says that he's not an entrepreneur like Bill and has a tendency to be too nice. Donny says that Kwame doesn't have any fire in him, but Isaac reminds us that he's cute. That said, Isaac met Kwame in the auction challenge and found him the most impressive of his teammates. He says that after the negotiation was over and the cameras were shut off, Kwame tied up all of the loose ends and finalized the details. That's actually quite impressive, since Jessie and Omarosa had the lead in that task – Kwame was obviously willing to do what had to be done to make sure the job was done right even if it wasn't the most showy task. Carson thinks that Kwame was smart in that he let some of the other competitors eliminate themselves. The group collectively gives Kwame a pass for choosing a bad location for the lemonade challenge. Mark says that if you make your mistakes early, they're easily forgiven.

But right now, the panel says, Kwame's final challenge to produce a Jessica Simpson concert seems to be on the brink of disaster. Everyone thinks Kwame has been far too laid-back in dealing with the problems Omarosa has caused. B. calls her a diva and thinks Kwame should deal with her more firmly. Carson thinks it's a test – no way is Jessica lost. After all, she's on the cover of magazines! She can't be hard to find.

The panelists admire Bill's no-nonsense approach, including occasionally being less than patient with his teammates. Mark thinks Bill is right to not let up, including the time he berated Ereka for taking a five-minute break in the apartment renovation challenge. The panelists do think, though, that Bill can be a bit of a maverick. He's used to working for himself, so he might not fit into a corporate environment as well as Kwame would.

Everyone agrees that the women's behavior in the first challenges and their use of their sexuality was over the top. Donny, who witnessed it firsthand, especially thinks so. Still, the panelists agree that the game's MVP is Amy.

Finally, the panelists discuss which man is best in a variety of criteria. Who has the best resume? All but Donny think Kwame does. Which man is best with clients? They are divided. Everyone does agree, though, that Kwame is the best at working with his coworkers, but sometimes can be too nice. Everyone but Isaac agrees that Bill is the best at making tough decisions.

In the end, the panelists predict which man will walk away with the top prize. Two choose Kwame, and three think it will be Bill. But of course, the final decision will be made by Donald Trump, and we'll learn it soon. The segment ends with Ron Insana doing a perfect imitation of taking the elevator down to the street, complete with wheeled suitcase and look of dejection. It's hilarious.

Well, after an hour of Apprentice extras, I am more than ready for tonight's finale. I'll see you here on Friday morning with all of the details.

Betsy is the Associate Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached with any comments at betsyw42@hotmail.com.

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