This week’s task was to re-launch Kodak Moments by creating a storefront. I think both teams did well overall; each had their share of obstacles to overcome. After getting feedback from mystery shoppers and visiting both storefronts, the Kodak executives thought Tenacity did a better job.
Rock Solid was more disorganized; Sinbad could not really communicate well with his team. He would start out saying one thing, then joke about something else. That really confused the team. Bret Michaels had no idea what Sinbad wanted him to do. Whenever Bret asked Sinbad what he should do, Sinbad would either ignore Bret or start talking to someone else. As bad as it may have looked, I think Bret handled it well. Even during the boardroom he was able to keep his cool even though he was probably fuming inside. Rod was pretty funny to watch during the task. He claimed to be part of the “fellowship of the doers”, but was shown politicking with people on the street and talking on the phone with an advisor. I thought it was a mistake that Rock Solid decided not to print the picture out right then and there. How could they share these Kodak moments by making people go home and get their pictures online? I guess it was alright though; at least it would generate traffic to the website.
Tenacity had a clear vision thanks to Maria; she was able to delegate tasks well and made her vision become a reality. I thought it was a great idea to get the kids involved from the Make-a-Wish Foundation. There were some really toughing moments. Getting the chance to meet the celebrities and be on television must have been very exciting for them. Cyndi Lauper was a little hard to handle, she would talk constantly about non-task related stuff and just wore out her teammates. I can see that getting old real fast – it wouldn’t surprise me if she gets sent home early because of that. Sharon Osbourne came down with a cold and on her doctors orders she had to go home. She returned for the actual event, but still had a cough. Amazingly, Maria had Sharon passing out cupcakes and bottles of water. Are you SERIOUS?! The overall flow of customers was better on the women’s side. They chose to print out the pictures on the spot, which caused a small crowd to form around the printers. It was a little chaotic and customers had trouble finding their picture. The on thing that really made Tenacity’s storefront stand out was the way they pushed the Kodak product line. Summer was very knowledgeable and explained the products to customers. When it came right down to it, the Kodak executives felt the same way.
I can’t get over Rod Blagojevich. He just can’t stop politicking. Wherever he goes, he’s “on” His answers in the boardroom are so political – he never really gives a straight answer. I loved it when Trump called him out on it. When Rod answers questions, he takes his time to formulate his answers and never really puts anyone down (I love the face he makes as he’s thinking) I can’t wait to see him as a project manager. Until then, “Sinbad, you’re fired.”
Celebrity Apprentice – Kodak Moments
Lost – Recon
This was another mediocre episode which centered on Sawyer. There were a few good scenes and a little (ever so little) more was revealed. In the flash sideways, Sawyer looked like he was up to his old tricks as a con artist, but he was actually working for the LAPD. That was an interesting turn of events, huh?
It was nice to see that Miles was Sawyer’s partner in LA. Sawyer still kept his distance though; he didn’t reveal anything about his past and was secretly hunting down the real Sawyer. When he finally came clean with Miles, it drove him to tell Sawyer that they were no longer partners. That’s interesting, isn’t it? Didn’t Miles correctly guess that Sawyer drove Kate away and that’s why she had to return to the Temple? In the flash sideways we saw Sawyer drive Miles away.
When Smoke Monster John pulled Sawyer aside to send him to the other island, I kinda knew something was up. I had a feeling that Smoke Monster John knew that Sawyer would question his decisions which would make waves with the other recruits. The best way to stop that would be to send him on a “mission”. It was a good thing too; I would have liked to have seen how he would have reacted when Claire tried to kill Kate.
On the other island, Sawyer got to see the Ajira plane and discovered that Widmore was there setting up camp. He made a deal with Widmore to lure Smoke Monster John into Widmore’s arms where he could do whatever he wanted with him. Unfortunately, as soon as Sawyer got back to the main island, he told Smoke Monster John all about it! It turns out he’s trying to play one off the other and plans to make his escape as they fight it out.
Here’s a few closing thoughts:
– Smoke Monster John told Kate that he had a mother, and that she was crazy. He said that he had growing pains and problems that couldn’t be avoided. He then told Kate that Aaron has a crazy mother. What does that mean for Aaron? Remember the psychic that Claire went to visit before she took flight 815? Maybe he saw what Aaron would become if she raised him. I wonder if we’ll see Aaron again before the Finale.
– It was very telling when Smoke Monster John revealed to Sawyer that he was the ‘smoke thing’. Evidently, all Smoke Monster John wants to do is leave the island – he doesn’t want to be killed. Can he be killed? I didn’t entirely think so based on how he survived Sayid’s attack, but maybe it’s possible. Think about this – if Smoke Monster John does succeed in making it off the island, do you think he’s still the Smoke Monster, or does that ‘power’ only exist on the island?
– If you were Claire, and Smoke Monster John led you to believe that your baby son was at the Temple, and when you got there your son wasn’t there – wouldn’t you be fired up? Not Claire, she doesn’t seem like she’s mad at Smoke Monster John in the slightest. Instead she’s mad at Kate for raising Aaron. Such gratitude!
Celebrity Apprentice – Burger Heaven
Celebrity Apprentice is back! The show involves 14 new celebrities competing to raise money for a charity of their choice. I loved watching this show last year and this year has the potential to be just as great. There are some interesting celebrities on the show this year, one of them being former Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich. One of my favorites this year is Bill Goldberg. GOLDBERG! GOLDBERG! I used to watch him years ago when he was on WCW and WWE. It’s great to see him again.
This week’s episode was a good one. Both teams had to run a restaurant to see who could raise the most money. The two project managers were Bret Michaels and Cyndi Lauper. If you watched the show, you know that from what we saw, it looked like the men would lose the task – we didn’t see too many people in their restaurant and the price point drove people away. It looked like the women would win hands-down. There was a line around their restaurant the whole time. When the receipts were tallied, the men actually raised more money than the women. After a wishy-washy boardroom, Carol Leifer was fired.
Since Bret Michaels was the project manager of the winning team, $100,000 was raised for his charity, the American Diabetes Association. Bret was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 6 years old and has to be in control of his blood sugars. During the task, he neglected to watch his levels and nearly crashed. It was funny at the end of the episode to hear Goldberg reprimand Bret for not taking care of himself. It was a very genuine concern and was nice that we got to see that.
One final note, Rosie O’Donnell’s name came up in the boardroom; she’s good friends with Cyndi Lauper. It was funny when Trump said, “she’s gross.” There’s still some bad blood between them and it will be interesting to see if her name pops up again.
Survivor – Week 5
The episode opened with the Villains doing “Dragon Slayer Chi”. It was a great team bonding activity. Everyone participated except Russell; he was out searching for the hidden immunity idol. He eventually found it and was eager to share the fact that he has it with a select few.
The Reward Challenge was another physical one. JT tackled Boston Rob, Boston Rob slammed JT into a railing, Rupert smashed Jerri’s face into a post, and James injured his knee. OUCH! The Immunity Challenge involved another puzzle, and yet again the Heroes had a big lead and went on to lose the challenge. At Tribal Council, Tom was finally voted out.
I think it’s a huge gamble voting Tom out and keeping James around. James is a lot of dead weight with that cast. Hopefully, that won’t hurt the Heroes when it comes to the challenges. But these challenges have been very physical; I’m surprised these players don’t see that. They should – they’ve all played this game before. Think Heroes, THINK!
I thought Coach overreacted a little too much when Russell told him he had the Immunity Idol. Coach said it was “monumental” a few too many times. C’mon, he got down on one knee in front of Russell? Now, instantly, he trusts Russell (not a smart move!). What happened to bonding with Boston Rob? How soon we forget I guess.
Before the Immunity Challenge the Heroes tried to look focused by rejecting the chocolate the Jeff offered them. Russell responded by saying “We’re always focused for challenge, that’s why we win”. He’s right – the Villains have won 4 out of 5 Immunity Challenges. The Heroes need to change that pretty quickly or they’ll find themselves grossly out numbered. Only time will tell. “Tom, the tribe has spoken.”