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puddin:
I watched The Apprentice last night and absolutley loved it!!  :D Here's a recap from the site..It's a lot to read...

January 8, 2004
by Help Wanted

Sixteen "survivors" arrived on the treacherous island of Manhattan to face the challenge of their lives, with the hopes of winning a six-figure salary. Their boss over the next 13 weeks would be the biggest real estate developer in New York, Donald Trump. The players are from all walks of life, from PhDs and MBAs to home-schooled, self-made success stories. Read more about each player, click here.

The players arrived at what would be their home for the next few months, an insanely cool suite in Trump Tower. See pictures, click here. The eight men and eight women had never met each other before arriving at their new digs. They were escorted into a sophisticated boardroom where "The Donald" was waiting for them. Some players chose to stand, while others sat at the massive boardroom table across from one of the most famous business tycoons in the world. Donald introduced a man seated to his right as George Ross - Trump's Executive Vice President and Senior Counsel. On Donald's left sat one of his Chief Operating Officers, Carolyn Kepcher. George and Carolyn would help Donald decide which one of the 16 people before him would ultimately "win" a job as President of one of Trump's companies for one year.


The Donald let the players know that out of 215,000 applicants these 16 people were hand picked to participate in what he called a "13-week job interview." This, he emphasized, was no game. Despite that, he divided the group into two teams of eight: men vs. women. Each week, he explained, there will be a business task for each team to accomplish. Each team will select a "project manager" for that week to lead the team. The project manager will be held partly responsible for that team's success or failure. The losing team will meet with Donald after the task competition, and one member of that team will be fired.

Next, the players arrived in the suite. They were in awe of the lush surroundings...it was like "The Real World" all grown up. The men and women seemed excited by the men vs. women aspect of the teams. They mingled while sipping champagne and snacking on caviar. In the midst of the schmoozing, Omarosa opened an envelope and discovered their first task: picking a name for their team. Catching the hint, the men soon found their envelope and also got to the name task. After hours of deliberation on both sides, the names were chosen: Versacorp for the men and Protégé Corporation for the women. That afternoon, the Trump hotline - a red phone in the living area - began to ring. The group was instructed to meet The Donald the following morning at the New York Stock Exchange.

Bright and early our teams arrived to find Donald, George and Carolyn waiting at the NYSE. The teams anxiously awaited their first task. Would they be on the floor of the exchange? Would they be hobnobbing with Wall Street traders? Trump took them back to basics. Each team would start with $250 and have to sell lemonade on the streets of New York. At the end of the day, the team with the most profit would win the task. Troy was introduced as the team leader for the men and let Donald know their team name, Versacorp. Ereka stepped up as the ladies' task manager and introduced the Protégé Corporation. Donald responded much better to Protégé than to Versacorp, as far as names go. Might've been the lovely ladies he was responding too...but who can know for sure? Donald rang the opening bell as the two teams scattered.

Location, location, location. Trump said he'd rather have a smart person making a great deal in a bad location, than an idiot making a bad deal in a great location. It made sense when he said it. Troy rallied the men and assigned tasks to different team members, while Carolyn Kepcher watched with interest. While some mapped locations and others went to gather supplies, the women gathered under Ereka's leadership. However, there was just a lot of arguing going on and not much planning. No one was letting Ereka lead, but everyone had plenty of ideas about how to proceed. Versacorp chose to set up shop near a touristy spot and began charging $1 a cup. Kwame negotiated free supplies with a local vendor, which saved seed money. Versacorp was on target. Protégé finally got it together and used their cell phones to keep in constant communication during the setup and supply phase. It also helped when Ereka and Kristi got totally turned around and wound up on the opposite side of the town. Finally, Protégé got their logistics worked out and refocused. Tammy didn't win any points when she took a lunch break...and spent some of the seed money on a snack! Meanwhile, none of her team members had eaten anything all day. Omarosa tried to reach out and give Tammy some advice, but it just wound up creating more tension.


Meanwhile, across town, Versacorp looked very organized and was very earnest in their attempts to drum up business, but wasn't doing any business. David, the genius in the group (supposedly), ran around with a sign practically assaulting passersby. The guys decided that Kwame's seaport location wasn't working for them. They packed up and began to hunt for a new spot, as the women began a hunt of their own. Apparently, sex sells lemonade. They were doling out kisses, phone numbers and good old-fashioned flirting with their lemonade...and actually getting $5 per cup! Sam, meanwhile, was getting very frustrated with the increasingly failed efforts of Versacorp. He wasted precious time and went against the team leader to try and sell one cup for $1,000. Needless to say, it didn't work.

At the end of the day, the teams regrouped back in the boardroom to tally the profits. Carolyn gave Donald the Versacorp update: They found a location quickly, tapped into local resources and doubled their money. George reported in on the Protégé Corporation: They got their act together and made over $1,200 dollars! The women had won! As a treat for winning, the women were invited to Donald's private apartment. The men, however, would have to return to the boardroom later that day to face a firing. Losing to the women was a big reality check for Versacorp. If the women thought their luxurious suite was impressive, it was nothing compared to The Donald's private penthouse. Picture a French chateau with a breathtaking view of Manhattan. Gold furnishings and trim, indoor fountains, imported Italian marble...you name it, The Donald had it.

Back in the suite, the guys tried to figure out who their "fall guy" would be at the firing. Oddly Sam, not team leader Troy, seemed the most anxious/nervous. Once in the boardroom, the men faced their "boss" and braced for the worst. George kicked things off by saying that "he didn't want to work with an idiot," and that location was the most crucial thing to successfully completing the task. Kwame defended his choice of the seaport Fish Market location, but Trump wasn't buying it. Sam was very diplomatic in his critique of Troy's leadership. Jason was put on the spot next and got busted for actually interrupting Donald during the discussion. In his own defense. Troy said it's very easy to be a "Monday quarterback," but in the moment he stepped up and ran with the ball. Carolyn then chimed in to say that Troy was an inconsistent leader because he backed up Kwame on the location, but didn't back up Sam when he offered ideas on marketing and sales. When Donald polled the guys on who they felt was the worst leader in the group, they almost unanimously said, "Sam." Troy said it was because Sam doesn't earn the respect of the team. Sam, who was totally annoyed at this point, stood up and made an impassioned plea to Donald Trump about how he was "the only person in the United States" that Sam wanted to work for. Donald responded by putting the pressure back on Troy. He asked Troy to name the two team members who were equally responsible for the failed lemonade business - and the two he felt would not make good corporate presidents. Troy named Sam and David. The remaining five guys were sent back up to the suite. Troy, Sam and David were asked to wait outside the boardroom while George, Donald and Carolyn deliberated. George said he liked that Sam was a risk taker. Carolyn reiterated that Troy was an inconsistent leader. The guys were asked back in. Donald told Troy that despite being a lousy leader, he had potential. Troy was allowed to stay. Donald then turned to Sam and told him that as a wild card, he'll either to great or be a "total disaster." Donald hadn't figured out which way it would go yet. David hadn't made much of an impression at all and he even admitted that he wouldn't have been a good leader for this task. In this battle, it's the suite or the street. Donald sent Sam to the "up" elevator, back to the suite - and David to the "down" elevator, out to the street. David was fired.

Bathfizzy:
I love this show.  I applaud Mark Burnett for another good show.  I enjoy the jobs the two teams are sent to do.  It is neat the ideas they come up with.  I wonder if they will merge the two teams later on down the road.  So far Donald has fired the rights guys.  I could not believe Jason did not meet with the clients to see what kind of ad they wanted for their airline card.  Considering he volunteered to be the Team Leader for the task as he mentioned he worked in advertising for awhile.   He really had no clue.  And as annoying as Sam is, he really does think way beyond normal thinking.  But you need someone like that with the crazy ideas.  Sam definitely will not make it to win but he will be good as part of a team.  For the girls, Omarosa sure is a bossy one that can't stand it when she doesn't get her way.  I wonder what the task will be for them this week.  For anyone that hasn't seen it yet, you have to tune in.  The rewards for winning the tasks are pretty good.  

puddin:
The Men lose Again!! It's not fair..the woman shake their stuff to get what they want ..the men are just as smart but, can' get a break..Sam Is fired, Trump was really hard on him..) Sam was so set up by his team..maybe now they could concentrate on winning instead of getting Sam fired ::)...

puddin:
Sam was on the Today show and asked his girlfriend to marry him..she said Yes  :D!! I liked Sam..  :)!
I'll do a recap copied from www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Apprentice...

January 21, 2004
Sam Can't Deliver..He's Out
Sam and Nick returned from Jason's firing to greet their stunned housemates. While Nick returned to the group, Sam plopped himself down in the entryway and said he would "sit at the front door until someone comes over to greet me." So he waited... and waited... and waited. No one came. Meanwhile, coming out of a second devastating loss to the women, the men decided it was time for Sam to put up or shut up. They elected him Project Manager for the next task. The women, on the other hand, who had been succeeding at the weekly tasks were not succeeding in creating a happy team. In fact, Jessie called a meeting to discuss the constant in-fighting. Katrina backed Jessie up and felt the behavior was unprofessional. In the middle of the discussion, Omarosa got up and left the group. Later, Katrina and Omarosa tried to continue the conversation privately, but that only resulted in both of them accusing the other of personal attacks. The confrontation escalated to the point where Katrina almost started crying and told Omarosa to "shut-up."
Donald met both groups at Westchester Airport to illustrate the "art of the deal." After listening to how Donald negotiated a buy for unused planes at a greatly reduced cost, the group learned that their next task would test them on the art of negotiation. Each team was given a list of items and an approximate retail value for each item. Like a scavenger hunt, the teams would have to locate the items and negotiate for a lower-than-retail cost. The team that collected the most items, at the biggest savings, would win the task. The losing team would have one team member fired. When the men regrouped to go over a game plan, Troy compared Sam to Picasso. He said Sam was way out in left field, but he painted a colorful, yet disturbing picture. Would it be enough to lead the men to victory? For the women, Jessie took over as Project Manager and she wisely divided the team into two, smaller groups - separating Omarosa and Katrina. Likewise, the men had a "field" team consisting of Bowie, Kwame and Nick; and an "office" team to call the plays.

As the day continued, the women and men applied different strategies. The women, once again, learned that a little flirting goes a long way - not to mention flat out begging. Nick suggested they call a local dealer. They were instructed, incorrectly, to buy gold late in the day - and consequently wasted their whole morning trying to negotiate their gold purchase. That turned out to be a costly mistake. The field team had just gotten to Chinatown and was about to negotiate at least two other items on the list when Sam called and sent them uptown on a gold hunt. Sam's management style seemed to frustrate the guys, but they continued to follow his direction. The women were much more successful in Chinatown, buying both squid and a leg wax at reduced prices. Back at the suite, Sam, Nick and Troy were in the middle of crunch time when they got a surprise visit from The Donald. Donald asked Sam if maybe the guys elected him Project Manager so they could get rid of him. Then, after Donald told Sam he never realized how short he was, Donald shook his hand. This was obviously one of the biggest moments in Sam's life. Once Donald left, Troy made Sam take a moment to refocus his energy at the still uncompleted task.
At five o'clock, both teams reported back to Trump Tower for a final tabulation. George reported in for the women. The total retail value of the items on the list was $1,379.33. The women negotiated an overall savings of 22%. Carolyn then reported in for the men. Their total savings off the retail value was only 9%. The women had won for a third time! Donald said he was starting to think he may never hire a man again. As a reward for their hard-earned win, the women were treated to dinner at the famed 21 Club.

The next day, the men returned to face their firing. Donald asked the group if they felt it was Sam's fault that they failed the negotiation task. Kwame spoke-up first and said, "Yes." He felt that the golf club and the leg wax should have been the easiest to negotiate down. Kwame also reiterated that it was Sam's fault that they aborted their Chinatown mission and went chasing for gold that wasn't easily negotiated. When asked if he thought Sam was a leader, Nick replied that while Sam possessed leadership qualities he's not sure he'd have made the same decisions. Bowie didn't agree and flatly said, "No." In his defense, Sam felt that he didn't get the full respect of his team, which hindered his leadership abilities. Next, Sam chose Kwame and Bowie to face the firing with him. Nick, Bill and Troy were sent back up to the suite. George and Carolyn both told Donald that Sam was a distracting factor and that it would be interesting to see how the men performed without him. When the guys reentered the boardroom, Donald asked them all to defend themselves. Once again, Sam tried to say it was lack of team respect that led to team failure; however, Donald interrupted to ask "Isn't it over, Sam?" And then Donald told Sam the two words nobody wants to hear, "You're fired." Sam was stunned into silence and sulked out of the boardroom.

puddin:
 Apprentice update....Apparently NBC realized that Wends, nights at 8:00..was not a good time slot for The Apprentice~~I just saw a commercial..It's now officially moved to Thurs. nights againat 9:00.

From TV Guide
BAD HAIR DAY: Donald Trump can wipe that smug look off his face. His hit NBC
reality show The Apprentice got clobbered in the ratings last night by Fox's
American Idol. Clobbered. In its first Wednesday outing opposite Simon Cowell and Co., The Apprentice attracted 12 million viewers to Idol's 29million viewers. The Apprentice had been averaging 20 million viewers on Thursday nights.

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