Tough Assignment! [UPDATED]

More I cannot say, but for professional reasons, I am obliged to watch the entire first season of "The Apprentice" on DVD.

This is another one of those "Where've you been?" moments. What was this, four, five years ago? No, only two? But the world long ago exclaimed over the first season of "The Apprentice," and moved on. I'm so Rip Van Winkle. It's like walking into Best Buy and looking for a boom box, which I also just did. Hel-lo?

Nonetheless, here are my very, very, very belated reactions:

1) The damn thing is as addictive as potato chips. I don't know whether any of the subsequent seasons were as gripping. But I'll probably have to watch the new season, starting in January, which reportedly features Ivanka Trump to nip-tuck drooping ratings.

2) I was astonished by how quick the women were to fall back on their sexuality, and secondarily on little-girl wheedling, to win their challenges. Hardly a one of them, with the possible exception of Omarosa, banked entirely or even primarily on being a competent, intelligent adult. I almost felt sorry for the men, because the readiness to flaunt sex (and cutesiness) gave the women such an unfair, undignified advantage. When in episode 4 Trump himself actually called them on the carpet about it, I was like, "Whew!"

3) Everybody says how horrible Omarosa was. I've only watched four episodes, but so far I don't see it. She's the only black woman in a dovey covey of white or half-white girls (OK, Tammy is Asian, sort of), and all she has to do is show a little temperament and they all gang up on her. Then she regroups and shows she can adapt, make nice and play their game very convincingly. Maybe she'll unsheath the naked rapier of her ice-cold ambition later on, but so far I don't get why everybody hates her.

4) When they go up to Trump's apartment, the absurd faux-Versailles splendor of it struck me as so ridiculous that if I had been there, I would have been hard put not to LOL. The only thing I've ever seen to compare to it was the Romanian dictator Ceausescu's palace. Only a true peasant still holds up Louis XIV as his fulfilled fantasy of the rich life.

OK, I've gotta see what happens. (Fortunately, I don't remember, though know I heard it at the time. What's flatter than stale buzz?) Back to episode 5. To be continued.

(I forgot to mention one unexpected problem I'm having with the show: it's making me homesick.)

UPDATE: Ruth Anne was right. Omarosa turned out to be a phony/ drama queen/ slacker/ troublemaker.

Comments

[Danny]

I've never seen "The Apprentice" but must admit to following the latest Donald Trump/Rosie O'Donnell feud thanks to youtube. I don't care what you think of Rosie (and I think her initial comments about the irony of him being the moral compass for 20-year-old women in this country were right on), the Donald is worse than the most immature and nasty bully on the middle school playground. His comments about Rosie O'Donnell's attractiveness, weight ("I want to sue her just so I can take some money out of her big fat ass"), and homosexuality are so appalling, so beyond the pale that it makes me even more sick that some people idolize him. Imagine if he said similar vile comments about someone's race or ethnic background. Oh well, I guess it's perfectly acceptable these days to ridicule overweight lesbians and imply that they are sub-human. Donald Trump is pure slime.

[mm. takhallus]

Okay, people, we're clearly going to have to stage an intervention and rescue Annie from smoking that reality TV crack pipe.

[Ruth Anne]

Be prepared for Omarosa to disappoint you. She's a whiner [ceiling tile]; and she's a liar [final challenge]. She fluffed up her resume about being an "advisor to President Clinton"--more like an "intern." She's poison and it just so happens that she's the only black woman amid equally fatuous white women.

Beware of those smart peasants: Mother Theresa and Stalin are two examples.

[amba]

Yeah, when Omarosa complained of a headache during the apartment renovation and then went outside and played basketball with some kids, I kinda had her number.