Monday, April 03, 2006

Orthodox Apprentice: Episode 6

This episode served as another Kiddush HaShem. Daniel Brody was fired last week, but Lee Bienstock continued to make us proud as the remaining Orthodox Apprentice candidate.
  • The episode opened with Lee and Tarek Saab returning from the boardroom on Erev Yom Kippur. Bryce Gahagan called a team meeting. First Tarek changed into casual clothing. Lee wore his business suit. It's not clear if the meeting was prior to, or after, Kol Nidre services.
  • The next morning Lee leaves the team and walks to Park East Synagogue. We don't see any of the animosity from Lenny that we saw for Rosh HaShanah. Lenny wishes Lee well as he leaves the suite. Leslie supports Lee's decision. In an interview, Lee talks about the importance of his religion in general, and of Yom Kippur in particular.
  • When Donald Trump introduces the task - writing an ad jingle for Arby's chicken naturals - there's no mention of Lee's absence. Earlier, when Lee and Dan missed a task for Rosh HaShana, Trump pointed it out to Synergy.
  • Synergy won. Gold Rush neglected to include that chicken naturals are only available at Arby's and their music wasn't catchy.
  • Back in the suite, Bryce had trouble placing the blame on anyone. He was proud of everyone's hard work and tried to keep the team united.
  • Lenny Veltman said that Lee should not be blamed for the loss. During the team discussion, no one pointed a finger at Lee.
  • In the boardroom, Charmaine was blamed for the lyrics and Tarek took a little heat for the music, but Bryce defended them both as hard workers. He told Trump the blame fell on Lenny for not contributing to the task. (Lenny felt that he couldn't contribute since he wasn't familiar with an ad jingle and he couldn't rhyme in English.)
  • Mr. Trump asked Lee who should be fired. Lee delivered a very appropriate response, saying that he could not pass judgment since he wasn't present during the task. Trump then questioned Lee if it was fair that he gets two free passes for the holidays. Lee told Trump that his religion (and family) come first and he wasn't trying to get a free pass. Trump moved on to another topic, saying that Lee could not be fired for observing a Jewish holiday.
  • In a shocking decision, Bryce (of Kansas City, Missouri) took Lenny and Lee back into the boardroom. He let Charmaine and Tarek walk free since they actively participated in the task. Lenny and Lee did not contribute to the team. Donald, Carolyn and Bill were all clearly shocked that Bryce would take Lee into the boardroom. Just minutes earlier, Trump had said that Lee couldn't be fired.
  • This was the easiest firing of the season. The focus was completely on who was (and who wasn't) brought into the boardroom. Bryce tried to insinuate that Lee should be fired for skipping the task. He blamed the loss on a lack of creativity, which he said was the fault of Lee and Lenny for not contributing. Trump did not want to hear anything about Lenny or Lee. Donald strongly defended Lee and refused to fire him for observing a Jewish holiday. Clearly the only option was to fire Bryce.
  • This was the second episode of the season with a heavy religious influence. Not during the task, but in the boardroom afterwards. Again, Lee Bienstock took a stand and made us proud as observant Jews.
  • Donald Trump has proven to be a tremendous defender of religious observance. Lee is very fortunate to have Mr. Trump on his side. If we didn't know better, we'd think that Trump is Jewish too.
  • The question is how does the general public react to this. Do people agree with Bryce that Lee should not get a "free pass" and he should be fired for his lack of contribution? Or do viewers agree with Donald that life is important, religion is important, life sucks, tough luck, etc?

Other random thoughts:
  • When will Leslie contribute something?
  • When will Michael contribute?
  • Why is it acceptable for Sean to kiss all the women on his team? (except mAndrea)
  • Wasn't this task more suitable for American Idol than The Apprentice?
  • We've seen six rewards: one to clothe unemployed men; one to swim with the sharks; three meals; and one to take home diamonds. Does that seem balanced?
  • How healthy is Arby's Chicken Fingers Combo with Curly Fries?

37 Comments:

At 4/04/2006 12:23 AM, Blogger SusQHB said...

Man, I couldn't believe what I saw tonight. Its nice and dandy that Trump is so cool with the religious guys taking off for the holidays, but why schedule a task on these days at all? Everyone knows that business is practically a stand still in NYC on Yom Kippur. Most of these tasks are a matter of two or three days. Would it kill the producers to reschedule. There are other days of the week that religious people can work. I'm worried that although we see it as a Kiddush Hashem that Lee took off, people around the country will not see it that way, and Jews everywhere, especially Orthodox ones are not going to be portrayed in a positive light. Any other thoughts?

 
At 4/04/2006 12:49 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Clearly the producers did this to add drama to the show. They must've known that Lee (and Dan) would not take off on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.The producers, knowing they had two orthodox Jews on their hands wanted to play up the religious angle and one way of doing that was deliberately scheduling tasks on the High Holidays. Also, since we know that Lee doesn't miss another task, it's pretty safe to assume they did not schedule a task for Succos. This is probably because the general population is familiar with the High Holidays but unfamiliar with Succos. They could understand Lee taking of for Yom Kippur, but if he took off again for Succos, most people would think he was just making stuff up.

 
At 4/04/2006 9:36 AM, Blogger Michael Spilzinger said...

I don't think Bryce was trying to put the blame on Lee. It seems that he knew that if he brought in Charmaine, she would be fired (for the lateness and the glaring omission of the corporate message) but didn't anyway, basically forcing Trump to fire him while still having a safety valve.

This is the fundamental flaw with the show; Bryce should be commended for the leadership that he showed in bringing the team together. If this show was an audition, I would hire Bryce on the spot if I could.

I am a bit troubled by the fact that Trump brought up Lee's absences in the first board meeting. Kind of gratuitous don't ya think? However, that could likely have been done to serve two ends; 1) To test Lee's committment and 2) To bait Bryce and see how he would handle it.

I like the fact that Lee was willing to "die Al Kiddush Hashem". I hope he gets fired before Succos if that means he will not have to compromise his prinicipals.

 
At 4/04/2006 9:36 AM, Blogger Michael Spilzinger said...

oops, principles.

 
At 4/04/2006 9:43 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I also hope Lee is fired before Sukkot. Otherwise we'll run into some serious chillul hashem, anti-semitism, ignorance, etc. There's no way it could turn out positive for Lee to skip 2 more tasks.

Maybe Lee will resign the next time a task is scheduled for a holiday. That wouldn't come off too well either though. It's really a no-win situation for him heading into the next yomtov.

 
At 4/04/2006 9:48 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

(Continuing from 9:43 Anonymous)

These issues aren't as bad with a regular job because usually an observant jew will prove him/herself in their job before running into these issues. Most orthodox jews wouldn't start a new job just prior to the holidays. You need time to prove your value before you take off so much time. Also if you do start a new job befoer the holidays, you alert your new boss before accepting the job. I'm sure that happened here (Lee surely told the producers in advance), but they chose to ignore it. Trump could have told the team that Lee had a pre-approved absence, but he didn't say that.

 
At 4/04/2006 9:50 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Theresa mentions Lee misses two tasks. He has now missed two. THis means he either gets fired before Succos or a task isn't planned for then. He would not work on Succot. I read elsewhere on this site that at one task they are selling food and a girl on the street says she can't buy because its not kosher and the team members say "we have a person on our team who keeps kosher" and they bring out Lee so we know he at least makes it to some sort of food selling task.
I am not sure how this all looks to the general public but I think managers should take a notice of Trump and see how accepting he is.

 
At 4/04/2006 10:21 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am an Orthodox Jew, a Yeshiva University graduate no less, living in Missouri--Bryce country. While all the Orthodox Jews in New York and Florida are kvelling among themselves about the Kiddush Hashem for Lee taking off for the Yomim Noroyim, which are really no-brainers, I'm looking at the longer-term implications of Monday's show, and the calendar of October, 2005, and what lies ahead.

We are past the point in the calendar where Lee and Dan can pull a Sandy Koufax or a Ken Holtzman and refuse to work on Yom Kippur and earn everyone's admiration for it.

First of all, the producers were idiots because after Dan and Lee refused to work on Rosh Hashonoh they knew what was going to happen on Yom Kippur and they could have skipped a task on that day. I'm convinced they deliberately scheduled it for dramatic tension and to cause potential conflict within the Gold Rush members.

So far, however, the frummies have had George Ross to cover for them by not being at Donald Trump's side in the two tasks on Yomim Noroyim with Bill Rancic sitting in his place. Those days, in all probability are over now and George Ross will be back, and I don't think Mr. Ross is Orthodox.

Gold Rush went from 8 to 6 members when Dan and Lee were not there on Rosh Hashonoh. Similarly, they went from 6 members to 5 members when Lee was not there on Yom Kippur. Gold Rush lost both tasks. Nonjewish project managers were fired on both tasks.

Gold Rush already is at a 6 to 5 disadvantage to Synergy as of this moment in the show. We are on Friday, October 14th. The next day is Shabbos, October 15th. Then come Sunday and Monday. Then come the first two days of Succos, Tuesday and Wednesday, October 18th and 19th. The following Tuesday and Wednesday, October 25th and 26th, are Shimini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. So Lee cannot work 3 out of the next 5, 4 out of the next 8, and 6 out of the next 12 and 7 out of the next 15 days.

It is no longer a point of a Kiddush Hashem that he doesn't work. With fewer players on each team, the absence of a player on each team will be felt harder and make his team more inclined to lose. Furthermore, he, so far, has not been subjecting himself to be fired for missing the Yomim Noroyim which is perfectly fair by the standards of the general world.

Now, however, look at the calendar again. If he is to make it through Succos, how many more tasks would he have to skip and be accused of taking a pass while someone else, more likely than not from his team, will be fired. One? Two? If he is to make it through Simchas Torah, how many more tasks would he have to skip? Two? Three? Four? How many tasks should he be allowed to skip, without risking being fired, and be allowed to get deep into the competition, before the question of fairness arises? He has missed 2 out of the first 6 tasks for Yomim Noroyim. Fine. No one is screaming yet. There are 11 contestants left. Let's say during the next 15 days there are 5 tasks which would leave 6 contestants, and suppose Lee would have to miss 2 or 3 because of Succos, Shimini Atzeret-Simchat Torah and Shabbos. Doesn't someone think that someone is going to scream why should Lee be in the final 6 is he had to skip 4 or 5 out of 11 tasks while he not was exposing himself to the risk of being fired like everyone else.

Does this quit being a Kiddush Hashem and start being an embarrasment that someone is getting a huge break because of Orthdoxy and Shimiras Mitzvot?

Hello, New York, New Jersey and Florida. This is real life.

The truth is, G-d in American culture is not G-d, but careerism, and nothing exemplifies this more that the popularity of "The Apprentice." Dan and Lee gave the other nonreligious Jews in the case the cover to take off for the High Holidays and neither of them, (Allie or Brent) bit at the opportunity.

In conclusion, right now, I am very conflicted how I want everything to play out here onward. I think Lee is too smart to screw up, unless he comes up with a creative idea that just doesn't work. If he takes off again, however, and Gold Rush loses once more while he is absent, there is a side to me which would hope that he would fall on his sword like Dan and Bryce have done the last two weeks. and Lenny offered to do last night, and offer himself up to be fired and spare one of his remaining teammates from that result. To me, that just might be the biggest Kiddush Hashem of all.

Now all of you New Yorkers, New Jerseyites and Floridians can attack me all you want.

 
At 4/04/2006 10:36 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just had a brief thought which I would love input from everyone. One of the most unique things about Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is the fact that davening (prayers) takes up about 80+% of the day. Lee and Dan really had no way to participate in the task.
However, for Succos, prayers are substantially less. Do you think Lee can come up with a very creative way to still daven and then participate without breaking any of the laws? It would be tough, but it seems to me the only possible situation where he can still keep succos, be on the show, not cause a chilul hashem (atleast not as much) and redeem himself from any negative comments.
I would like to hear what people have to say about this?

 
At 4/04/2006 10:39 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Show Me-

This is the 9:43 Anon again...

I 110% agree with you!!! Lee must offer to quit before Sukkot or it will turn into a tremendous embarrasment for all observant Jews. He should tell his team that he won't be available yet again and instead of leaving everyone else to take the blame for a loss he offers to resign since he can't help out. Or he could tell them that if the team loses, he'll resign in the boardroom so no one is fired. I don't see any way how the situation could turn out as a kiddush hashem if Lee continues on the show during sukkot.

 
At 4/04/2006 10:40 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

To 10:36 Anon-

Turning on lights and driving cars aren't the only prohibitions. How about the big one called "work"??? Doesn't matter if it's physical labor or brainstorming or selling. Work is not allowed.

 
At 4/04/2006 10:53 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Turning on lights and driving cars aren't the only prohibitions. How about the big one called "work"??? Doesn't matter if it's physical labor or brainstorming or selling. Work is not allowed."

Obviously...
However, there are many tasks shown where contestants don't do much physically. A big portion of tasks are done at the creative stage - which he can definitely participate in.
If he has to speak to people on the street - he can do.
If he has to present - he can do.
If he has to carry things indoors (not mukzah) - he can do.

Like I said - he has to be CREATIVE - but it CAN be done. (I hope)

 
At 4/04/2006 11:10 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lee will not be missing any more tasks.

If anything, I'm pretty sure he wil participate in any task that coincides with the first days and last days of succos (IF he's still around) - but he will limit himself to being able to do certain things. (note that he isn't making money while working, and other things he may be doing like discussing what the team might do creatively is a gray area...)

I'm sure from now on it won't even be brought up on the show, editing-wise, so we won't even have a definite way of knowing what day they are filming on anymore (without an inside source).

If limiting himself causes the team to lose, and he has to be fired, then he won't be using religion as an excuse, so we won't be hearing about it anymore.

 
At 4/04/2006 11:21 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Also,
I know the girl who was in Manhattan that was mentioned earlier in this blog. She doesn't remember if she met Lee when they were filming the food contest right before succos or during chol hamoed. However, based on the dates, they have Friday-Mon before succos. I doubt they will do 2 tasks before tuesday - but it could happen. If it doesn't happen, then it means Lee made it through the first two days of Succos. How? We'll find out.

 
At 4/04/2006 11:45 AM, Blogger StepIma said...

I think it's interesting that no one is mentioning the two biggest elephants in the room of all:

1) Lee (and Dan) would ABSOLUTELY have mentioned their Orthodoxy to the producers at some point (probably very late) in the audition stage, and were taken into the interview process regardless... meaning that Trump was aware of their participatory limitations and still wanted them as potential apprentices knowing full well what that would mean. For future employment (which also involves teamwork with Trump employees, and not just in the NYC area), and with their teammates on the show.

and

2) It's illegal to fire someone based on their religious observance. Period.

I don't mean no one here so much, but also no one in the boardroom. (Frankly, I was surprised that Brent, a lawyer, never mentioned that he could have sued for being held back from presenting because of his weight ("fit" versus "fat" or not), and then put on the chopping block because of it -- that's illegal too). I think the counter comment to "life's not fair" - which is making me nuts every time I hear it - has to keep on being, "If they schedule a task on Christmas, I'll do it solo." People have to see the flip side of the coin.

I don't think Lee has any responsibility to step down if a task falls on Sukkot. I do think he needs to be project manager on the next task to show them his merits, though.

I think they're doing this on purpose because it made good t.v. I'd like to believe they won't do it again on the other holidays out of respect for him - especially since they had no way of knowing when they were making the schedule that Dan would be gone by this point too, so for all intents and purposes it would be accomodating two people. And while it's difficult to get shooting permits well in advance to work around certain days, the Jewish holidays are all on the NYC calendar. Alternate-side parking is suspended, etc. It wouldn't be that difficult to rearrange a task around two days, if it came to that. So I don't know.

But the point is, he can't be fired for observing the holiday. I don't know what the game-show rules are, but in the real world, if it really happened he'd have the easiest lawsuit in the country. I can hear the lawyers salivating from here.

I just wonder whether no one's mentioning it on purpose, or no one's thought of it... and since that seems to be the obsession here, which is "better for the Jews"

 
At 4/04/2006 11:47 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

All of this might have been able to be avoided if Dan and Lee had looked at the start date and have seen the potential problems. They could have asked the producers and Mr. Trump if their participation could be delayed a season as next autumn's series would not have been filmed until the summmer like in the previous years. In the summer months there would have been no question of Yom Tov or Yomim Neroyim at all. It's a shame they didn't try this to put themselves on an even playing field with all of the other candidates.

We saw Monday what a classy guy Bryce is, and until The Apprentice, he may never have met a Jewish person in his life. His internal conflict was demonstrated by bringing Lee into the boardroom but not saying he should be fired.

For smart people, however, I've never seen a season where so many project managers (Theresa, Dan, Bryce) put their own heads on the chopping block just by not bringing the right people in the boardroom. Doesn't anybody get it that you bring in whoever thought of a losing idea or messed up on execution no matter how brilliant the idea or industrious the work appeared at the time. Whoever Monday morning quarterbacks the best puts himself or herself in the right light. Don't underestimate Leslie or Michael yet. The Apprentice is sort of like the NCAA basketball tournament, survive round after round long enough until the competition becomes really meaningful.

 
At 4/04/2006 11:59 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Stepima is totally wrong. First, Lenny and Leslie have not been project managers yet, so Lee cannot be a project manager again for the next one and probably two tasks.

More important, it's not whether Lee would have a lawsuit for religious discrimination if he were fired. The point is, by ducking out, he is putting one of the fewer and fewer other contestants potentially into harm's way of being fired on a particular task, while he misses that task. In the real world of employment, that an Orthodox Jew would take off for a particular holiday does not make a fellow employee any more likely to fail in his or her efforts and be fired. That's why this competition is so unlike real life.

 
At 4/04/2006 1:22 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lee wears a yarmulka on the audition tape. If you live or work or breathe in NYC, how can you not know that most Jews (not just Orthodox) observe Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashana.

I agree that the perceived conflict was intentional, intended to create buzz for a dead franchise. And it is working.

 
At 4/04/2006 1:58 PM, Blogger StepIma said...

You're right - I forgot he'd already been a project manager already.

Still, his not being there on a task isn't enough of a reason for the team to fail... so only the Sam's Club membership push and the text-messageing task have been manpower-related. Having more people there generating ideas is a luxury, not a necessity. Last week they had Dan AND Lee there, both helping with the idea generation and execution of the TV spot (which takes identical skils as jingle-making -- they're both commericals), and they still lost. Having Lee there or not might have helped - but not having him didn't sink their ship. So to speak.

 
At 4/04/2006 2:18 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

A thought not related to Lee but I was curious as to what thoughts others might have on this idea. Since Bryce acknowledged that he couldn't really justify firing anyone on his team he should have responded when Trump asked him who he was bringing back with him into the Boardroom, "Mr Trump, I will coming back by myself. No one else on my team should be held responsible for our failure on this task." I think that Trump might have been so impressed that he would have spared him. And, even if he was fired, he would have been able to leave as a hero instead of the sarcastic, bitter person that he showed us in the end.

 
At 4/04/2006 3:56 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I dont think Trump would have spared him, there have been candidates in previous seasons who have attempted to look the hero by taking full responsibilty. all this does is make the firing decision even easier for the Donald.

 
At 4/04/2006 4:14 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

There's no question that the casting team knew Lee and Dan wouldn't work on the holidays. Neither of them would have gone on the show without an assurance from the producers that it would be okay for them to take off for the holidays.

Did you notice that there was a 2-day task over rosh hashana and a 1-day task on yom kippur? (The performance of the jingle was on the second day but all the work was done on the 1st day.) That's not a coincidence. It must be by design.

Basically the casting and producing groups intentionally set up conflicts to create tv drama.

It's just like every season there's a problem that comes up with the final task. Jessica Simpson got "lost". Chris Webber (i think thats who it was) didn't show up for the charity basketball game. The american flag was "missing". Joe Piscopo canceled his performance (but he still went to the event). There's no way these were all coincidences. Celebrity appearances are very well orchestrated. These problems were set up intentionally to keep the show interesting.

Same thing with the holidays. Usually there's a day off after the boardroom, but this time there wasn't. A one day task was intentionally scheduled to take place on yom kippur. Just like a 2-day task was scheduled for both days of rosh hashanah. They easily could have moved either task by a day and we wouldnt be having this discussion.

This show's primary purpose is advertising revenue and brand building for Trump. Hiring an apprentice is a much lower priority.

 
At 4/04/2006 4:15 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Show me from missouri,

I agree with you 100%.

Stepima,

"2) It's illegal to fire someone based on their religious observance. Period."

The laws in the USA only prohibit against discrimination based on religion. There is no law that says a business MUST accept any employee's actions because it is part of their religion.

Here is some background on religious lawsuits in the past:
http://www.aclu.org/religion/frb/16224leg20040602.html

If a person's absence from work makes it impossible for the workplace to function or causes the employer "significant difficulty or expense," the employer doesn't have to be accommodative.

 
At 4/04/2006 4:26 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lee can't say that is the task were on xmas he would work along because xmas isnt the same as yuntif. It is more like Chanukah or Purim when it would be nice and all to relax and be with fam but its okay to work. People can work on xmas if they want. no prohibitions against it. its just not the same issue. i dont think an equivalent exists within christianity.

 
At 4/04/2006 4:48 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't know why you keep coming back to this law that someone cannot be fired because of religious observance. These guys are not paid employees, they are interviewing for the job. When Trump says, "You're fired!" it is just a gimmick line. They were never hired to begin with.

Getting back to my scenario of Bryce coming in alone to the boardroom; that is so much more dramatic than just taking responsibility for the loss but bringing in others to take the heat. No one has been so dramatic on the show in all its seasons. I think Trump would have been impressed and, anyway, Bryce had nothing to lose. He knew it would be his neck on the chopping block.

 
At 4/04/2006 5:01 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

michael- bryce would have been fired more quickly than anyone could say "bryce youre fired". it would be a stupid move and he'd be fired before the other people even leave the boardroom. a couple seasons ago, a confident project manager gave up his immunity. trump fired him for that alone.

 
At 4/04/2006 5:51 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I actually think that Trump was annoyed with Bryce not only because he brought Lee into the boardroom but also because Bryce took the decision of whom to fire away from him. Trump seems like the type of guy who likes to be in control...always!

 
At 4/04/2006 6:14 PM, Blogger StepIma said...

anon 4:15 -
wow - I didn't know that. I still don't think it would apply in this situation, though. They lost on their own lack of skills. Having him there probably wouldn't have made a difference.

anon 4:26 -
I agree that the xmas comparison isn't equivalent in terms of observance value (hashkafa? ;) -- but for the nonJewish participants, it's a reference they would understand. Given a choice, many if not most of them would prefer to go be with their families. And any of them who were religious Christians would attend church services. He doesn't need to draw an exact parallel to make a point they could understand.

I agree with Yo totally... the coincidences are pretty remarkable. I still remember last season, I was convinced that Joe Piscopo was paid off not to perform.

I also think that Bryce should have gone. I loved when Carolyn said, "Why don't you just say, 'Mr. Trump, fire me?'" He had a lot of conviction in his voice when it came to defending his team, but deep down, he was wishy-washy. He wouldn't take the bullet and say it was all his responsibility so he should be fired, and only brought in Lee because he needed two people - which is really spineless. Then the other week, during the cereal challenge, he suddenly had doubts about his billboard, and when Charmaine called him on it, he acted like it wasn't his idea in the first place, so he wouldn't get pinned with the blame if it failed. He could stand up for the team as a whole, but not take a stand and say "fire this person" - even when he pointed the finger at Lenny, he wavered and backtracked and said that it wasn't really his fault. I just didn't see his integrity as having a backbone behind it - it seemed more like a "noble" way to keep from having to making a choice.

 
At 4/04/2006 8:57 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The main issue with making a parallel to christmas is they still have the element of choice... Christians would "prefer" to be with their families on Christmas and Easter

we, orthodox Jews, don't have the choice.

 
At 4/04/2006 10:47 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

" I read elsewhere on this site that at one task they are selling food and a girl on the street says she can't buy because its not kosher and the team members say "we have a person on our team who keeps kosher" and they bring out Lee so we know he at least makes it to some sort of food selling task."

*Raises hand* That was me you're talking about. This was the 7-11 task where they promoted a new pizza sandwich. The task took place on Thursday October 20th, which was chol hamoed succos.

 
At 4/04/2006 11:36 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mitch, I would like to see you edit your post to reflect the true kiddush Hashem that took place in this episode. It appears on the yahoo clip: Lenny says that Lee doesn't have to answer to Trump b/c he has only One True Judge up above and that's who he answers to. He continues to say that he (Lenny) would resign if Lee got fired. Whoa! This is a guy from Russia, and we don't need to be reminded about what he said in the first episode. Of course I blame Dan and Lee's influence (and maybe even George) but most of all I credit Lenny for his remarkable growth and insight. This guy is for real and he is a true mussar for the rest of us. He is our guiding light and our role model. Lenny has got all my respect, he should go all the way. Maybe Lenny will have Dan and Lee over for a Seder sometime.

 
At 4/04/2006 11:55 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

moodus, from interviews it seems Lee is the one getting thru to Lenny on some level. Dan didn't get along very well with Lenny or Lee....

 
At 4/05/2006 12:40 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anybody know why Lee always gets grouped together with Brent and Lenny? Lots of people see them as misunderstood, undervalued and targeted by their teamates. I get that about Lenny and Brent, but why Lee?

 
At 4/05/2006 11:27 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Trump warned Bryce not to bring Lee. He also didn't blame Lenny for the loss. And yet, Bryce chosed to disobey him. If Trump gives you a warning and you still do what you want, that's insubordination, and just cause to be fired.

Bryce is too arrogant. Who the hell is he to say that Trump should listen more? Is Bryce a billionare? Is he an old man with decades of experience?

Besides, I think it was anti-semitic for Bryce to bring Lee to the boardroom. Reminds me of lousy christian bankers who used to blame the Rothshilds for thier problems. Or crappy musicians that blame jewish musicians for their lack of popularity. Bryce was a schmuck and he deserves public scorn for what he did.

 
At 4/05/2006 12:32 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Although my initial reaction was Bryce took Lee in for anti-Semitic reasons, after more thought I don't think that's the case at all. He took in Lee and Lenny because they didn't contribute to the task. It had nothing to do with religion, nationality, culture or language. They just didn't contribute and that's why Bryce took them in. I don't think there's any more to it than that.

 
At 4/18/2006 6:11 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

i really hated brent and he ate WAY to much!!!
glad he was fired!

why do u want lee to be fired he is a great guy!!!1

 
At 4/18/2006 6:13 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

sorry wrote in the wrong post about brent but anyway...
lee deserves to go and win the leadership of the team. no one likes him bec he's Jewish???
talk about being rasist!!

 

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