The cat is out of the bag

by The Receptionist on October 13th, 2009

Ah when things are going wrong, have a cup of tea. Isn’t it the standard Irish remedy for everything? Never mind they are hours behind, Jennifer suggests that Aoiffe should put her feet up and reach for the Barry’s. What better way to start one of Aoiffe’s tantrums. Did anyone notice the smoke coming out of her ears as she sat waiting outside the boardroom? I’m slightly confused though about whether she knew she was going into the boardroom or to a lavish wedding in her flowery number. Still amazes me how the eyeliner and mascara were still in full place after days of hard graft – Aoiffe give me a bell and tell me where you get the stuff from, because I want it!

Brendan, if the man were an ice-cream he would eat himself. I would have done this, I would have done that. Please Brendan, you are either in the competition or on the couch with the rest of us screaming at the TV. Wonder were you as backward about coming forward when trying to woo your beautiful Aoiffe? Oh yes, you have been caught and what a little bold pair both you and Aoiffe have been. Is it true love, or just two people stuck in a house for a number of weeks with nothing else to look at? Is it going to have repercussions in the boardroom? We will have to wait and see.

Stephen must be delighted though, as all this talk of Aoiffe and Brendan has diverted anyone mentioning the state of him wrapped in the sheets snoring his life away. Stephen seriously, not a good shot.

The Receptionist

Jennifer bows out

by Nicky on October 13th, 2009

What an episode!! Before we discuss the task I have to mention the big purple elephant in the room that shocked me last night. Aoiffe and Brendan having a relationship or an affair? True or false? Time will tell, I did not see it coming but now I see what Bill meant by “surprise surprise Brendan agrees with Aoiffe”. We need to question whether it is relevant to the process and if it was said in slight bitterness from Jennifer. I could understand if Brendan and Aoiffe had ganged up on Jennifer but they both fought their own corner so I didn’t understand the relevance of Jennifer spilling the beans but that’s TV folks! I was delighted to see the unseen clips after Jennifer’s revelation for a bit of gossip. Do NOT miss them!

Ok so back to business. This task was an absolute breath of fresh air. Instead of advertising campaigns, presentations and Apprentice lingo we had manual labour, grafting and tempers flaring from exhaustion. Two run down houses were provided and with €2500 B & Q voucher they had to transform the properties and increase the rental value. This was simply to see who could provide maximum return on investment. This task was not based on who could destroy and repair the most, as with only 2 days to purchase, transform, clean and redecorate, it was mainly about project planning, time management, budget management and team management.

This was Jennifer’s time to shine as she has been under the radar so far and with her experience in organising budgets for large scale projects such as the Port Tunnel this was an excellent task for her, but she was very disappointing. Team Platinum got very frustrated, but of course Ruth was sticking by her PM. I maybe a bit cynical here but I feel this is a tactic to avoid the boardroom rather than supporting her team. How on earth they spent so long in B & Q when they needed as many hands on deck goes beyond me? I would have logged onto B & Q website where there is a reserve and collect service, it calculates your budget and all products online.

Chú Chulainn won the task by an increased value of €67 over Platinum. Mistakes were made in this team but I felt some were justified considering the circumstances, time restraints etc. Neither team are professionals seen on TV shows such as “extreme makeover” home edition. Bill wanted to see team management and team work. For this reason I thought Geraldine did a very good job. She always seemed to have a plan, was very focused and gave the team clear direction. She had high energy and motivated the team. My only criticism is her mention of class issue again on the apprentice unseen clip. That is product of your surroundings and parents and not helping Geraldine’s case against Aoiffe.

We are seeing the same candidates shine lately; I would like to see Steve, Brendan, Sam and Aoiffe lead. Steve and Sam are good team players but do they have what it takes to be PM. Brendan and Aoiffe are happy to criticise but shy away from direct responsibility when it comes to PM; can they put their money where their mouths are?

This will be an interesting week.

Nicky

Episode 4 Catch up

by Meteor on October 13th, 2009

In this week’s task, the candidates really had to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. The two teams were given a house each to renovate, in the hope of increasing the rental property value. Jennifer stepped up as project manager for Platinum, while Geraldine, eager to show what she can do, offered to be project manager for Cú Chulainn. Both teams began their task with great enthusiasm; however it wasn’t long before the cracks began to show. Jennifer, although willing was not really able. Extremely poor delegation skills and time management lead to bitterness from the other candidates on her team. Geraldine albeit making a mistake in taking up the carpets, proved the stronger leader and had her team more on side. Platinum’s teamwork won out in the end and it was team Platinum who were left to face Bill in the boardroom.

Although Bill was tough on Brendan and Aoiffe, who Jennifer brought back with her, Jennifer was always playing a losing game. Inside the boardroom her lack of delegation skills and team management were pointed out severely. Her choice of bringing Aoiffe and Brendan back caused controversy as it has been implied that these two candidates are having more than a professional relationship. In the end it was Jennifer who was sent home.

Is this the start of Breffmania?

by Nicky on October 9th, 2009

This week has been a busy week and I am surprised how much I am loving the show! I thought it would be too strange for me to watch but it’s actually nearly more intriguing because I have been there. Our year was so different though!

I had the pleasure of appearing on “You’re Fired” last Monday which was great fun! It provided a great opportunity to have good banter and throw around opinions (controversial or not) on the show of the moment. Some may ask if I was a bit hard on Setanta but better to be honest then sugar coat it, he was able to take everything in good spirit and I thought he really redeemed himself taking full responsibility for his actions. I know how difficult the pressure is and I can have more sympathy for certain other contestants for being the victim of a TV show but how Setanta spoke to everyone throughout all tasks was unacceptable and there was no reason for it. The unseen clips are brilliant for the inside track, I don’t think there is no love lost between the girls and Setanta as they all call him chauvinist and Geraldine’s clip called “not in his clique” makes me laugh when she quotes “how did such a big ego fit into such a small man”

Breffny seems to be the man of the moment, love him or hate him, everyone is talking about him. I personally really like him! He makes me laugh and what’s great about it is he doesn’t mean to! Setanta said he was a breath of fresh air for the house and everyone loved him. I do think he lacks any experience and should probably not be in The Apprentice but he’ll certainly be one who will possibly learn the most. Remember “Bill is the man of yesterday and you need a man of tomorrow, The Breffmeister” Like it or not Apprentice viewers I think we all need to prepare for Breffmania!

This weeks task seems to involve serious manual labour, we’ll get to see Stephens’s guns really at work now. Can see the guys getting really stuck in and interesting to see if the ladies put their backs into it, come on girls don’t let the side down. The teams can’t hide behind Apprentice vocabulary in this task, its grafting! There has never been a task like this and I’m really looking forward to it!

In the meantime I’m thinking as I lost out by an inch at last years Apprentice, I might apply for the chance to be the Meteor Apprentice, I reckon I’m probably too old and they wouldn’t want me Amazing opportunity though so best of luck to the entries!

Talk again on Tuesday

Nicky

It’s not a such a piece of cake after all

by The Receptionist on October 6th, 2009

“You are getting me cake” – eh get your own cake Setanta. And then you can send yourself crazy by trying to choose one particular type, without changing your mind a hundred times. From day one, there was something that just put me off Setanta and I think Lucinda nailed it on the head – he is a complete chauvinist. How dare he speak to Ruth as if she was his slave. It’s just such a pity she did not take him on and put him in his place. Because underneath all that macho it was obvious how defenceless he was.

I am always giving Jennifer a hard time for saying nothing, but last night she was the one who actually pointed out to Setanta that he seriously needed to stop changing his plan. I actually felt sorry for her as she was the one to have to sit beside him for the whole task, so I think she deserves a medal.

Aoiffe seriously needs to watch her step. It is one thing to slag off someone’s performance, but it is always dangerous territory to take on the Dublin accent. Although, she is good at accents, listen to her constant D4 impression – maybe it’s time she realised she was from Galway?

Got to grab my morning coffee.

The Receptionist

Time to mix the teams up

by Nicky on October 6th, 2009

Third time lucky for the candidates as their performance for Big Red Book was certainly more impressive than the previous two tasks. I was excited to see how the dynamics would change as the teams were mixed and my instincts swayed to Chú Chulainn being the stronger team and even though they had the Breff-meister who Sam joked “couldn’t find his way down the steps without a map” (ouch) they did have three of my top runners, Maria, Lucinda and Steve.

I had a tinge of guilt watching this episode for giving Donal a hard time as compared to Setanta, he was employee of the year. Setanta constantly referred to Marmite, I don’t like Marmite and was far from crazy about Setanta both professionally and personally. His people skills, his indecision; I felt he was rude and disrespectful to his team mates, letting the power go straight to his head. Telling Jennifer to “shut up” was outrageous! The morale of the team was low from the outset. They had a good concept but with all the confusion seemed to tie themselves in knots. The ad looked very amateur and the team did not seem united. They were all concerned about covering their own back sides! Where my confusion lies is Cake – Rubix cube – cake – rubix cube – cake. I’m sorry but am I wrong in saying the rubix cube is one of the most complicated and difficult puzzles? The abacus would have been ideal but Big Red Book has used this in a prior campaign so I wonder if Platinum would have been disqualified if they had gone with Geraldine’s idea? Throughout the show Aoiffe did not seem to contribute much but in fairness she illustrated an impressive advertising campaign and as a marketing coordinator I know the work and thought that has to go into such a proposal. Unfortunately the personal clash between her and Geraldine is over shadowing the work, I do think people are orchestrating the conflict to be a class issue but I feel it is more a personality clash.

It was obvious to everyone that Maria should have led the task for Chú Chulainn but the “boys club” prevailed and Breffney took on the challenge, sword and all! The reality is the team led Breffney! Between being a “ham sandwich”, “hi Lovelies”, “11890″ phone call and “sword in scabbard” we cannot deny he brings a sense of comedy and a laughing team is a happy team. He had an excellent point in the Boardroom that though he may not know much about print advertising he knew his team and how to achieve the best from them.

Well done Chú Chulainn! Commiserations to Platinum but from the unseen clip I don’t think there is love lost between the girls and Setanta.

Nicky

Episode 3 – Catch Up

by Meteor on October 6th, 2009

This week saw the candidates take on the challenge of creating a print campaign for The Big Red Book to feature in Business and Finance magazine.   It was also the first time the girls and boys were placed on mixed teams which spiced things up a little.

 
After a long debate it was decided Breffny would steer team Cú Chulainn while Setanta decided to lead the Platinum troop.  Team Platinum struggled with the initial concept and due to Setanta’s indecision and bad time management skills, they always seemed like they were catching their tail.  Breffny on the other hand demonstrated his lack of knowledge on mostly everything in business and was held up only by his strong team.  However it was team Platinum that made the major error of spelling the advertiser’s name incorrectly, which not only annoyed him, but really annoyed the big man  himself – Bill.

 
Back in the boardroom Bill was not impressed with Platinum’s performance, although it was noted that the work Aoiffe did on the advertising strategy was excellent.  Cú Chulainn headed off to a nice dinner after winning the task and left Setanta to defend himself and his team. Surprisingly, Setanta brought Geraldine and Ruth back, not the person who was in charge of proof reading the ad. More evidence that the boys are working in a clique. Geraldine stood up for herself in the usual fashion while Ruth battled through her disappointment at being called back in. In the end, Setanta’s waffling had run it’s course, and his inability to stick to a decision saw him picking up his suitcase and heading home.

So we have lost two…

by Nicky on October 2nd, 2009

Two gone, another eleven to go! Things are becoming interesting as characters unfold and the weak are sniffed out! Those who were happy to see Donal go including myself have been getting criticism from some diehard fans, its part and parcel of the show but everyone is entitled to their opinion and I stand by my decision. To be honest any of the Chú Chulainn team could have been fired. Maybe Brendan and Setanta were weaker throughout the task but I know from experience that Bill often judges, not by the actual task and how you go through the motions, but how you deal with the task and your team. Whoever is at fault for poor relations between Donal and others we cannot be sure but Donal was the one who let it affect him and was full of hot air. Bill needs to be able to see how well you can adapt in his work force and how you react under pressure, it was not to be for Donal. The show maybe edited (I know this well) but I have to comment on what I see.

Protective clothing at the ready because I see sparks flying! We all presume the conflict will be between Geraldine and Aoiffe which I definitely see growing but from the unseen clips the conflict could be between girls and boys. It was the same last year, the women work well immediately, enjoying the benefits of a winning streak so mixing of the teams can turn dynamics (for the worse). In Stephen’s unseen clip he accuses some girls for being too confident. He disagrees they are the stronger team and it’s “on” when they mix! I always expect him to do a little gun show after he speaks! The boys should worry less about being loyal to the “boys club” and do what’s best for the teams. Time will tell.

There are so many characters this year I am still sussing them all out, some are entertaining, some have business talents, others are just stone mad! Jennifer has been too quiet and from what I can see has contributed very little, I really hope to see more to make a better judgement but at the moment she is weak. Steve went slightly under the radar after an impressive first week; will he live up to our expectations? I like Geraldine but hope the education remarks which maybe frustration or insecurity do not manifest into something bigger than it is and ultimately lead to her downfall. Breffney is the image of Enda Kenny, furrowed brow and all. I do question whether he is one of Irelands leading business youth and the reasons he is on the show but “boardroom Breff” makes me smile and brings a bit of comedy so for selfish reasons I hope he stays. If Bill doesn’t fire him then I’m sure he’ll fire himself (for the 2nd time)

Nicky

Is staying quiet a good tactic?

by The Receptionist on October 2nd, 2009

According to The Apprentice predictor on the homepage, Stephen is the man with the most ambition.  I think Stephen, is the man with the best game plan. Stephen started out strong, proving his solid leadership skills on the first episode. Then slowly, after showing his good side to Bill, has begun to slip back into the crowd again. I like your style Stephen – give Bill a little to dissolve, and then stay out of trouble until it’s time to shine again. 

Somebody who keen to keep her head in the sand so far is Jennifer. From what I have seen in the last 2 weeks, I am wondering what potential Bill sees in her.  She just doesn’t seem to speak or offer an opinion. But maybe this is the type of game she thinks will win her The Apprentice. If you don’t do anything to stand out, maybe there is no reason for you to be fired?

This week’s behind the scenes footage

by The Receptionist on October 1st, 2009

Watching Stephen in this week’s unseen clips, made me smile. Ross O’Carroll Kelly changing the sheets on his bed.  But with the muscles Stephen has (come on girls who can miss them), making a bed is an easy task for him. If he had concentrated as much on his task this week as he does on his physique he might have been in a better position going into week 3.

According to Lucinda, Paris Hilton is her granny, this really explains a lot, particularly her obsession with blusher. As somebody pointed out on the comment stream during her second task, can somebody tell her that her blusher does not have to match her blouse – Tone it down!

What about Setanta and his secret love for his notepad? “I don’t want people touching it, ripping out pages” Setanta seriously, let go of the notepad, after your presentation we can see there clearly is nothing substantial written in it.

Everybody loves Geraldine’s quote of the week “Daddy can’t buy you cop on in Trinity college”. As much as I love the quote, I would hate to see Geraldine concentrate on the fact that some of the others went to “posh” colleges etc. I mean how many times will Breffny remind us he went to Harvard? Geraldine has a good head on her shoulders  and she does not need to make comparisons between herself and the other candidates. 

Out of all the candidates I am still waiting for Jennifer to add something to the tasks – an idea, an opinion,  I suppose just to say something!  Come on Jennifer get yourself in there!