Donald Trump is in the news again. After creating a wave following his scathing attacks on the proposed design for the new WTC, the property tycoon was in his element as he hired a female apprentice to work for the Trump Organization with a $250,000 salary.
Kendra Todd of Florida won herself this plush job on NBC's reality show 'The Apprentice' last night. Kendra Todd, 26, has a degree in linguistics from the University of Florida. She was up against 27-year-old Tana Goertz, from Des Moines. Tana is a top saleswoman in the Mary Kay cosmetics organization. The contest was billed as a book smarts vs. street smarts competition, as Kendra had the university degree while Tana had the street experience to back her up.
It was clear from the outset that the Trump Organization was going to have its first female apprentice since both the finalists were women. Trump was full of praise for Kendra; he complimented her on her work ethic and said, “You really hit it out of the park in the last two weeks." Mr. Trump also expressed his admiration for the way Kendra handled her team, "It is for that reason that I say, Kendra, you're hired'," he said. He added that “you had to work extra hard to earn your team-mates respect”.
It was for this reason that Tana missed out, "I just didn't like the way you treated your team," Trump told her. In the lead up to the final Tana had called her teammates "stooges" something that did not go down well with the boss. She later admitted her mistake and said, "It was a mistake judging them. I learn from my mistakes."
In the final test, Tana's team misplaced an American flag. They also ignored the New York governor during an event promoting the state's bid for the 2012 Olympics. In the end these errors proved costly for their leader. Patty Toal, 49, of Altoona, agreed, "You don't bad-mouth people that are working for you. I would have sat down and tried to motivate them," she said.
In contrast, Kendra egged on her team as they raced against time to clean up a set that a PlayStation executive found distasteful. The exec had threatened to pull out of a video-game championship that was being organized. Their untiring efforts brought praise from the disgruntled executive. Kendra also produced a snazzy brochure for automtive company, Pontiac. Tana cried sour grapes over this and said that it was because of her work that the brochure got approved, "That was the reason they loved it -- don't get me started," she said. Ultimately though what counted was the overall performance of each contestant, Trump had called Tana "a true star," but she disappointed him with her attitude in the final.
This is the third apprentice that Trump has hired via the show. The fourth season of The Apprentice and a spin-off starring Martha Stewart is due to begin this fall. Trump had hired cigar business owner Bill Rancic and software executive Kelly Perdew from the previous two seasons of the show. This season's winner Kendra Todd chose to work on a renovation project in Palm Beach. Way to go, Ms Todd, all the best!
