The Apprentice: Martha Stewart – Why Amanda Lost

It’s been almost two weeks since the last episode of The Apprentice: Martha Stewart aired, but I held onto this article to remind you of just where we left off. That’s me, always considering you, the reader, above all else. But on the other hand, we had Amanda, who seemed to always be considering herself above all else. Was this the reason she was fired, or was there more to it? Why did Amanda lose?

This particular edition of this column is interesting because Marcela did so many things that Donald Trump would have fired her for – but this isn’t Trump’s show. What’s more, Amanda may have been fired not only for what she did, but for what she said. We’ll get to that in a bit, as we go through What ‘Apprentice 4’ and ‘Martha Stewart Apprentice’ Applicants Should Have Learned to answer all of our questions.

The first rule is to show leadership. You may be saying to yourself, “Wait a minute, Self – Marcela was the project manager and was a lousy leader, so why is she still there while Amanda is not?!” Good question! And I have a good answer.

While it is true that Marcela did not have control over her team and this rule very clearly says, “What is worse than walking into the Boardroom after having lost? Walking into the Boardroom and saying, ‘Yes, we lost, but it wasn’t my fault because I had no control over my team.’” However, Marcela didn’t say it wasn’t her fault – she accepted a good portion of the blame. And her lack of control was not entirely attributable to her own problems.

Amanda said before the challenge even began that she was just going to screw off. She purposely laid back in the hopes that Marcela would fail. That, my friends, is not leadership. Indeed, the very next paragraph of the rule talks about what to do when an applicant is not the project manager: “Trump and Stewart will still want to see leadership. You should volunteer for a significant role, step up, take a stand. Don’t just hang back and wait for the Project Manager to screw up.” (Emphasis added.) Amanda did exactly the opposite of what she should have done to impress Martha.

She did at least follow the second rule by staying cool under fire. Of course, that’s because she didn’t give a damn what happened during the task and expected Marcela to take the fall. One place she thought she was staying cool, but really wasn’t, was in the Conference Room. But we’ll get to that later.

The third rule tells contestants to have a backbone. There were times when Amanda followed this rule by standing up for herself, but they always seemed to come when she shouldn’t have been. For example, during the previous task – on QVC – Amanda kept trying to take over when she had already been shot down. Then, this time around, she refused to even discuss her thoughts on the task half the time, choosing instead to do things like muttering “whatever” and walking away.

Amanda really blew the fourth rule, which says that scheming and plotting usually doesn’t work. Hello, Exhibit 1. Amanda and Ryan decided they weren’t going to help dig Marcela out of her hole, figuring that would mean the end of her. Instead, it meant the end of Amanda. People have to realize that while this is a competition, that doesn’t mean what works on Survivor will work here. Martha Stewart is looking for somebody to take a job with her – she doesn’t want an employee who will scheme and plot to backstab the boss! Yet that’s exactly what Amanda did.

The fifth rule says to play well with others. Martha herself brought this one up a bit in the Conference Room when Amanda said she is good with people. Martha didn’t buy it, and most viewers probably didn’t either. We’ve seen Amanda pull some stupid stunts, again looking back at the QVC task. But purposely undercutting the project manager this time around really makes it clear that she was not playing well with others.

We get to harp on Amanda’s attitude once again when it comes to the sixth rule, which instructs applicants to focus on the long-term. Thinking for the long-term means trying to impress Martha Stewart with how great a job you will do. It means putting your all into every task. It does not mean lying back to see how bad a job somebody else can do just so you can crow about it.

Recapper Betsy said it best: “All of the best candidates on The Apprentice have worked hard to help their team win whether they were in charge or not. Bill Rancic, in particular, springs to mind. If Amanda really wants to be the one hired, she should be looking for every opportunity to impress.”