The Donald - Week 8

Last night's episode was definitely entertaining. Tana was great. Sure, she was kind of goofy, especially when she said stuff like, "Yeah, people will really diggity that!." But she really owned the whole rap star persona and won over the artists. She and Craig had a great rapport during the negotiations. They worked as a team, kep the mood light, and started small, then worked up to big ideas. Plus, they seemed to be having a great time. It's easy to see why Tana is a top salesperson for Mary Kay.

John, Erin, and Stephanie, on the other hand, were terrible. John is so sexist. I'm glad he's gone. Plus, he's an idiot. I loved when Gene Simmons responded to his lame story by saying, "Is that supposed to butter me up?" That was fabulous. John did everything wrong: he talked about himself too much, interrupted Erin and Stephanie constantly, and kept pitching that lame idea about playing a gig at somebody's house party. That was so bad!

But Erin and Stephanie are also to blame. Why didn't they put John in his place after he blew the first negotiation? Erin said she didn't want to start a fight, but she basically gave up on the task by keeping her mouth shut. On that point, I agree with John. If Erin and Stephanie hated his ideas so much, why didn't they come up with something better and then insist on pitching it?

Chris also blew it big time. I'm surprised he got off so easily in the boardroom, especially after he started screaming at George and Caroline. I wouldn't want someone that volatile running one of my companies. Besides, he showed poor judgement by appointing John his right hand man. John seemed promising at first, but it became clear in the last couple of episodes that he's mediocre at best. Chris made the mistake of trusting John because he was his buddy, not because he was the most capable person on the team.

Getting back to the beginning of the episode, I was surprised that Chris gave up Tana in the switch. Craig, I'll admit, never seemed that great until last night. But Tana has always shown spunk. She also has a great attitude, which goes a long way. As for Kendra, I agreed with her decision to get rid of Erin and Stephanie. Erin performed well on the TV spot, but she seems rather vacant overall. Stephanie, for her part, has a bad attitude.

I'm really glad Kendra stepped up to the plate last night. She did a great job. As I've mentioned in previous weeks, she seemed to be flying under the radar, although, as someone pointed out, it was she, not Erin, who came up with the smart marketing strategy for the mini-golf course. Kendra made a lot of smart moves: she attended one negotiating session with Craig and Tana, and then realized that she could entrust them with that task. But she still required that they get approval for all of their auction ideas. That shows that Kendra wasn't trying to shirk responsibility to cover herself in case her team lost. For the first time, Kendra seems like a contender. After last night's episode, my money's on Tana and Kendra for the final two. It would be nice to see a woman win the Apprentice job for once.

I'm excited about next week's episode. Apparently, it's going to involve Burt Rutan, who was featured in Inc.'s January issue as our entrepreneur of the year. That should be interesting!

The Goods is focused exclusively on products and services for business owners. We won't ignore the latest netbook or the hottest smartphone, but we'll also examine the services, software, and Web-based tools that can help make your business succeed. Nadine Heintz, a senior editor at Inc., edits The Goods, as well as Quick Hits. Send suggestions, comments, and deals to nheintz@inc.com.