though he did say that a good word for Randall would have increased the nation's jobs creation figures by one.

Do you mean "a good word FROM Randall"?

I don't do this for a living.

Randall was the clear leader of that season since episode 1. I didn't even realize that he had those academic creds too. The spunky little brunnette, on the other hand, wasn't anything great.

I don't see why Randall should have to undercut his own achievements by splitting the glory with Rebecca. Trump's question to him was a feel good lay up, which was amazingly assholish. "Here, its up to you to make the hard decision, Randall." Sort of like proposing to your girlfriend on the jumbotron at half-time or on Jay Leno.

I appreciate the premise of the Apprentice being that the shnook with no high-faluting education can come in and get himself a big time job, but Rebecca ain't that. I would rather Trump bring back Troy than slap Randall in the face like that.

Randall was put in a hard spot, he won and Trump should have had to the balls to not put a hard decision like that in Randall's court, or the brains not to raise such an indecision. Why not hand out three gold medals for each event at the next olympics?

I bet it is staged anyhoo for more ratings. At least that ending part.

nice leadership

Like Trump needed Randal's permission to hire anyone.

In Randal's place I would have done the same damn thing. This isn't the Outcome-Based Apprentice where everyone is a winner. If Trump and Burnett wanted to change the rules of the game, let them be upfront about it instead of waiting until 10:58 pm est and forcing the legitimate winner to make their decision for them.

I really don't care much for the show, but my girlfriend watches it, so I got stuck seeing it quite a bit this season. She liked Randal, but was pissed at him after that. She thought both would be hired. Personally, I think Trump's kind of a jackass, so in a sense, Rebecca wins by not having to work for him (provided he doesn't actually hire her too, off camera).

Anyway, I kinda thought Randal was overrated. He seemed to coast by on reputation alone, passing responsibility and blame onto others, although more subtly than other players. In other words, he played the game well, but I wasn't particularly impressed by him. And academic credentials don't really mean much of anything. Nice to have, but not essential.

But I don't blame Randal for telling Trump not to hire Rebecca. He was on the show to win the contest, not really to get a job. From the sound of it, he didn't really need the job anyway. If you're in it to win it, you're not going to share the prize at the end.

There can be only one.

And Ace, "Asshole of the Year?"

Over the top.

If she's good, she got the venue to show her stuff, and that's more than most people get.

And what is Trump doing playing games like that? It's his decision and his company. The last thing I would do is make someone make a decision that sticks their neck too far out.

The Apprentice is basically about a lot of rat bastards being rat bastards to each other - so when one at the end behaves like a corporate rat, you're surprised?

Having said that, I can kinda of see where Randall's coming from - it's really hard to get ahead in the corporate environment. When you can measure someone's performance by how many widgets they slap together, that's one thing - but with office types and the notorious "wearing of many hats" that is encouraged by management, job titles blur, and the door thrown open for just about anyone to compete for promotions or just for simple security of jobs they already have.

And that includes people who get ahead by taking credit for other people's achievements. Rightly or wrongly we've all felt that way about others at one time or another - and it encourages a kind of jealous protectiveness of any achievement we consider "ours", a desire to kind of push back on and shut out those who seem to be hooking onto your coat tails either by their efforts or because upper management is uncomfortable with giving you too much of the glory regardless of merit.

And it can get nasty - this is what happened with Randall. Regretable? Probably, but The Apprentice is corporate America on steroids, and I think it's a bit disengenuous expecting to see a lot of goodwill and love for the common man here...

I think people are being too hard on Trump.

I think the Donald probably thought it was a foregone conclusion that Randall would say yes, and wanted to provide a nice ending by highlighting the previously unprecedented chemistry that the two finalists had exhibited. Randall and Rebecca were a very good team who appeared to have nothing but complete respect for each other... until the last 10 seconds.

I think Trump was probably as shocked as the rest of us, and simply didn't want to immediately overrule the guy he had just hired on national television. In other words, a ratings ploy backfired.

I'm with you ace... assohole of the year.

Sure, Randal came off as an asshole.

But I agree with the other commenters on the point that Trump shouldn't have put him on the spot like that.

That's akin to asking the winning Super Bowl team during the trophy presentation if they think the loser ought to get a Pete Rozelle trophy as well.

I don't think so. There really can only be one Super Bowl Winner.

Trump specifically mentioned 2 projects that he needed done, and asked them each which they would choose. They chose different ones.

Plenty of room there.

Aw, c'mon. Randal not only came off as a bastard, he came off as a stupid, stupid bastard. The Apprentice is really about the PR, not corporate standing, and he just ruined his own.

Trump gave him an opportunity to come off as a great, gracious guy, someone the media could have cooed over. Instead, he'll now be remembered as the asshole who wouldn't let Trump hire an amazing 23-year-old (well, amazing by show standards anyway, and I do think she'd fit the description of apprentice much better).

Like ace said, Randall won, that was made very clear. Trump very well could have split the win, but he didn't. If Trump had hired Rebecca too like he wanted, that would have taken the thunder away from his win. Instead, offering the decision was a great compromise. Maybe hiring two people wouldn't be fair to Randal, but this was TV and Trump, and it's all about the ratings and twists and all that reality jazz. Randal just ruined his reputation with a lot of the fans who could have probably bought his books and gone to his public appearances.

LOL, damn, sorry, I just never had my respect for a person fall so sharply before.

Ace, you magnificent bastard, I love you. I can't stay away from this blog's mix of politics and really bad pop culture.

And this is exactly why Randall will be making a million dollars next year and the rest of us will be commenting on this blog.

C'mon, Ace, tell me you would have had this opinion if Rebecca had a penis or was fat and ugly.

You don't get ahead in top organizations by being nice. You get ahead by knowing when to be an asshole. In Randal's spot I would have done the same thing because it could have been a trick? Trump COULD have said, "My apprentice needs the confidence to take the prize when it's his to take."

Besides which Rebecca--a journalist mind you, and someone, the few times I watched the show, did little but sit back and stay out of the way--got offered a job at Yahoo this morning.

Geez, A-hole of the year? What, with 2005 coming to a close, the worst thing you have heard someone say is this? Were you even paying attention? cough*deanmurthasheehankerrytookie*

Trump basically forced Randall into a halftime marriage proposal on the jumbotron, at least Randall had the nards to say no.

No way! He won fair and square. Maybe he has his own reasons for not wanting her as a coworker too. That's his right to take it for himself with no shame or guilt.

I think Trump was thinking of Rebecca as an apprentice for the Wife #4 position. Or is it #5? I lose track. I was getting the creepy Humbert Humbert vibe every time he looked at her.

Rebecca did OK on the show, but the real competition for Randall would've been ruthless Alla.

And I agree -- to say "hire her" would've cost Randall nothing, and made him look like a nice guy. Instead, he came off as the heavy in the whole thing.

Randall came off as awesome. Despite being put on the spot, and despite the way many people would react to it, Randall told the truth. I already like the guy but now I respect the hell out of him.

Trump can hire Rebeka any time he wants, duh.

I can't believe a couple of posts point out that it was unfair to give Randal such a hard decision to make. Wasn't that what the show was about. About who could make the right decisions under pressure which would indicate how you would do in the real corporate world.

Colossus,
No way she'd be wife #4. A lady journalist got wayyyy too much sass-mouth to be a Trump wife. He learned his lessons from the first two.

"There can be only One!"

or, if you prefer:

"Two go in, One comes out!"

[gotta support an alum]

You know, for all of Trump's pre-series gloating about how he'd handpicked the contestants (except one -- I'm guessing Markus) and they were the best ever, there wasn't a single finalist who wouldn't have been stomped by Kendra.

Not even "Ecstacy".

He would have come off much better by saying...

"I'd appreciate it if we could make tonight my night, but tomorrow, I'd like to be the first to extend my hand to Rebecca."

He has the win, the title, the job, the magnanious gesture, and the power to call the shot.

Win/Win

Because the competition is now over...or is it?

Frankly, I have difficulty believing that, with a few more years under her belt, she wouldn't be very stiff competition for him.

I wish my daughter was half as together as she.

Randall blew it 100%. He had already won, so the notion of sharing the glory is bull. This was about payback. Rebecca had slagged him a couple of times when she felt he didn't produce and, if you recall, he got all upset about it. I think this was his chance to throw it back in her face.

If he had just said, "Give her the job," he would have been the big hero everyone made him out to be. Instead he is a sore winner.

I NOW HATE RANDALL -
I liked him up to that point. The person who pointed out that this is about PR was right. Randall could have been a gracious winner, but instead he was an egotistical insecure jerk.

As my Uncle Leon would say... he showed his ass.

Ace -

Rutgers graduate Randal Pinkett, RC ’94

Rutgers - no wonder he's a ballbuster.

I don't think Randal is an ass. I respect him. I just think he messed up by saying what he said, especially knowing Rebecca's loyalty and reputation. I think she took it like saint. I wish both of them the best.

I just hate how this has been turned into a race issue. I posted about this topic on my blog and drew the ire of some people.

JLP

I just hate how this has been turned into a race issue.

I've read quite a bit about this from several sources today and this is the first mention of race I have heard. It had nothing to do with race.

Steve L.,

I got the impression it was turned into a race issue by the comments to this post on my blog.

I read the Television Without Pity boards (even though I usually end up irritated and hating myself for going back for more. Liberals can be truly sick creatures, and every episode of every show seems to garner at least one anti-Bush, anti-Republican crack, even harmless saccharine shows like Extreme Home Makeover).

And yes, the racial aspect has been brought up several times. Some people think the fact that Trump wanted to hire Rebecca proves that he's a racist who refuses to let a black man shine or have the spotlight alone. Complete BS for so many reasons.

Complete BS for so many reasons.

Season 3 was probably rigged to get a woman, too, though it turned out that Kendra was excellent anyway.

The Trump organization needed a "token". Otherwise Jessie Jackason and Al would of been whining.

Asshole of the century. He could of helped her, seeing as they were supposed friends. In the last episode I felt that Randal was extremely arrogant and up himself. Did u see the way he stared when rebecca made comments or trumph asked her a question. He doesn't deserve it. Mr Trumph has made the worst mistake EVER! He fills his company with loyal people and Randall just failed the loyality test. His absolutly greedy. Fuck. I was so pissed.

There would have been a cost to Randall if you listened to the final words of Mr. Trump they would have shared the salary.

Anyway Rebecca was 1 and 2 as a PM why was she ther