The Apprentice 4, Episode 13: All the Marbles

Jennifer M. says she loves both of them, but that she’s a huge Randal fan. He has people skills and is a natural leader. She says he has a big heart, and you can see it in his eyes. That’s a big heart, all right.

Ooh, now for Alla! All says that she will stick to the facts, and that is that Rebecca isn’t in the same league as Randal. She saw nothing in Rebecca, and that’s why she traded her. There are boos from the audience, as Alla concludes by saying that Randal is outstanding. Several RNO’ers have wondered why Alla was so hard on Rebecca. Way back in the Best Buy task, which Rebecca led, Alla said that she did not like Rebecca’s leadership style- she was too forceful. Since we know that Alla herself is rather forceful, I think we can conclude that when she has to work with someone else like that, she bristles. Alla likes to be the one in charge. I also think that Rebecca lost points with many of the women on her team for supporting Toral.

Trump introduces Dan from Yahoo, who is sitting next to Kendra and Bill in the audience. He announces that Yahoo is donating $100,000 to be split among the two charities. By the way, to those of you wondering where Kendra has been all season and why we haven’t seen more of her, I’d guess that the answer is that she’s been busy working on her Apprentice job! I also think that the reason we see more of Bill than Kendra or Kelly is not only that Bill has had the title for the longest, but also because he is outstanding in the boardroom and is very charismatic.

Trump tells the candidates about the two jobs he has available. One is working on the construction of a luxury high-rise in Jersey City. The other is an expansion of Trump’s casinos in Atlantic City. Trump adds that which project they each choose might influence his decision. Randal says he’d love the Atlantic City job, which is nice because Rebecca would prefer Jersey City.

Trump asks Rebecca if there is such thing as too much education. She diplomatically answers that she values education, but that the important thing is how you use it. Randal says that the fact that he has five degrees is not as important as the fact that he’s run five companies.

Rebecca, he says, is not experienced enough and has shown an inability to lead a team to victory. Trump asks his favorite question, which is if Rebecca is “tough enough” to work in New York. Randal thinks she’s tough, but not that tough. Carolyn takes him down a peg by saying that he’s very good, but should have checked the weather. Trump asks Randal why he should hire him. Randal points to his record. Then, he asks all of the fired candidates to stand up if they think he should be hired. Since that part of the stage is lit, it’s not a very impactful moment for us watcing on TV. He starts to give another answer, but Trump cuts him off.

Rebecca says that Trump once said he’d walk through concrete walls to get what he needs. She’s done the same thing. She talks about starting a non-profit at the age of 15 and working with Al Gore and Colin Powell. She says that she would be a better choice as apprentice than Randal.

Randal counters, “I run business; Rebecca writes about business.” Good line. He says that he has the academic background, experience, and record to prove himself. George wants to talk about that record, but Trump tells him it’s time for a commercial.

We will never know what George had to say, because Trump is ready to go. He wants good people working for him, and this is more than just entertainment for him. Randal has been outstanding and is very educated. Rebecca is also educated, smart, handles pressure well, and didn’t quit because of her ankle. He’s still not sure what to think of her loyalty to Toral. Randal is a good leader and leads through example. Randal is hired.

Randal jumps out of his chair in triumph and goes to shake hands with the other candidates. But wait! There’s more! Trump asks Randal to sit back down, and the music stops just in time, leading me to believe Trump had this trick up his sleeve before this moment. This would be the point that many of my readers predicted. In a season marked by multiple firings, Trump will end with a multiple hiring, offering a job to Rebecca as well.

Trump says that he’s thinking about hiring Rebecca too, and wants Randal’s opinion. Randal says that while she’s good, the name of the show is The Apprentice, not The Apprentii, so there should be only one. Okay, Trump says. He was thinking about hiring Rebecca, but now he won’t. Randal continues to celebrate as the credits roll.

What the hell was that? Randal has been saying all along that Rebecca is a worthy oppontent, and that he respects her and thinks she’s talented. But he doesn’t want Trump to give her a job. Not because she’s not good enough, but because he doesn’t want to share the glory? And Trump decides to take the advice from someone who has worked for him for less time than it takes to pour a cup of coffee? That’s pitiful. This doesn’t have to be a zero sum “I win, you lose” game for Randal. He’d still have the job he wanted, and he’d still be Trump’s first choice, but Rebecca would have a great opportunity as well. Yet Randal refuses to share even a little bit of the glory. In that very quick moment, I was no longer able to feel as happy for Randal. This really ended things on a sour note, and I’m disappointed.

Betsy Wasser is the Associate Editor of Reality News Online. She can be reached with any comments at betsywasser@gmail.com

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