I'm not sure if I should be proud or ashamed of this, but I have seen just about every episode of Survivor and The Apprentice since these pioneering Mark Burnett Reality TV franchises stormed on to the small screen. Lots of imitators have come and gone since then, but The Donald and The Probst, if somewhat weakened, continue to dominate the Reality TV landscape. Survivor finished it's 11th(!) season on Sunday, and the fourth run of The Apprentice ended last night (thankfully the CBS and NBC scheduling people knew better than to show these two finales at the same time...)
The Survivor: Guatemala finale was, as usual, a bloated and overlong three-hour affair, including the standard ceremonial "walk of remembrance" (this time with odd hand-drawn sketches of the departed contestants being tossed into bonfires) and, of course, a final immunity endurance challenge involving standing in the same spot for way too long... this time the survivors held elevated ropes while balancing on a platform, and it all had a disturbing crucifixion scene look to it...
Eventually, Rafe (Rafe?) absent-mindedly screws up, and thus we are down to our final two: Danni and Stephenie. (Whatever happened to normal name spellings?) The jury questioning begins, and regrettably it's all rather tame...
Even the feisty Judd, who fired the brilliant "I hope you all get bit by a freaking crocodile" parting shot a few weeks ago, doesn't really liven things up when he has his chance in the spotlight. Predictably, Danni wins and yet another mediocre contestant goes home with a million dollars more or less by default.
The increasingly pointless "Reunion Special" follows... the most notable thing about the "reunion" to me this time around was the ridiculous extreme makeovers of the female contestants. I could barely even recognize any of them, so who knows if that was actually Danni winning the million or not?
It all finally ends with a preview of next season: we're going to... yes, ANOTHER tropical island! Why can't they try something new for a change? The mountains, the desert, a swamp, a cornfield, a parking ramp ... anything other than another island (even if it is "EXILE island"...) Oh well... I'll be watching again anyway, torch (and beverage) in hand...
Onward to The Apprentice finale... which is "Live from Lincoln Center"... apparently this is considered cultural programming, and who am I to argue. Despite the classy venue, though, the show suffers from amateurish production (as always) including awkward pauses, commercial breaks that nobody seems prepared for, and even George's microphone not being on. There's a cheesy band (including at least three keyboard players) performing campy live renditions of the ominous Apprentice music to set the mood.
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Article comments
1 - El Bicho
Randal is a punk. How big is the Trump organization? I think it could handle another employee on a different project. And does he not realize that there are already three "Apprentices" already working for Trump? I lost all respect for Randal and will not support him when he brings the Digital Underground back together. That guy is lupid!
2 - Canadian Man of Honour and Letters
DISFORTUNE
YOU ran a marathon and were the first to cross the line after a grueling race. Be it a slim margin of victory or a large one, how would you feel if the rules were arbitrarily changed to get your approval of the second-place finisher receiving an equal gold medal. Now imagine that marathon lasting your whole life. Competition is inherently discriminatory but the rules should be fair and consistent. Every metric showed that the man from Jersey (Randal) was superior to the lady from Minnesota (Rebecca) albeit some myopic viewers refuse to acknowledge this fact. Let me innumerate.
1) Randal was, by far, better educated
2) Randal was, by far, better experienced
3) Randal had a flawless record and more than equally contributed to Rebecca's only win
4) Randal actually produced charity for a CHARITY EVENT. This should not be overlooked - if this challenge had taken place 3 weeks earlier would there have been any question to Rebecca’s firing. Donald might have fired her whole team all over again for good measure.
4) Randal had a hostile charity delegate that eventually was, herself, won over by his heart, professionalism and equanimity.
5) Randal also stood up for a weak candidate (Markus)- he voted for his exemption the first week and verbally supported him in another boardroom debriefing (Lamborghini challenge) -the only one to do so.
6) Randal’s altruism was showcased when he was determined to assist Rebecca to her sole and only win. He said this in unequivocal terms.
7) He earned the love and support of virtually all of the candidates early on in the series. He maintained this support and admiration throughout a competitive environment. This alone speaks volumes of his value and charisma.
8) Randal was prescient. "I cannot see why you would not pick me to be your sole and only apprentice" he said early-on during the finale. This was meant to relay his strong belief in his win. (This was most likely why Donald deferred to him at the end of the show).
These points are incontestable and provide ample proof of his triumph. Accolades (a lesser win) must be extended to Rebecca but not at the expense of a triumph (greater victory).
As to Randal's response to Donald's inappropriately timed query -which effectively diminished the win while the victor had yet to set his arms down from a well won victory salute. The question should have never been asked in the first place.
Do I believe they were both qualified. Yes. Do you believe they were equally qualified.... see above.