Career Tips from The Apprentice LA? Don't do it!

As a long-time Apprentice fan I looked forward to the move to Los Angeles. This one was over the top. First, do you believe the losing team really slept outside in the tents? This scene has to be staged! Second, we need two judges. This time around, Donald has decided that the winning project manager can sit in the Boardroom to have input on the big decision: who gets fired. Bad idea. In the old show, Donald had not one but two people to be his "eyes and ears." Now he just has one -- his daughter, an attractive woman who seems very smart. But she can't be everywhere. And she just lacks the edge. Trump made a huge mistake when he fired Carolyn Kepcher. She cut through the nonsense to ask just the right questions. We had fire in the boardroom. Last night's boardroom went all over the place. The best part came when the candidate simply couldn't believe he was fired. Donald chose the nice-guy fatherly approach: "I'd hire you as a lawyer. You could teach my children. But you won't do the nitty-gritty stuff..." Actually he's got a point. Corporate life is about tending to mind-numbing details, over and over again, while you're all dressed up in a nice suit. Read Carly Fiorina's book, Tough Choices, for an eye-opening view of life at the top (not to mention the perches along the way). As for other new rules: the winning project manager gets to stay in charge until his or her team loses. Again, bad idea! How will we assess the leadership skills of the other team members? OK, let's face it. This show gets driven by ratings, not realism. Good watching. Bad business.