The Apprentice Los Angeles Finale: The Big Yawn

By the time the Finale rolled around, did we really care? Did we ever get a clear decision about who wrote the best commercial for the final task?

On the positive side, I think Stefani deserved to be the winner. I was afraid Donald would cave in to demographic pressure. We've had winners who are male, female and African-American. It would be so tempting to balance with an Asian-American -- and such an appealing, genuinely nice guy, too!

But Stefani remained a calm, quiet presence. She was the only woman on a team of four and she conducted herself with dignity. She got the work done without stepping on egos.

Is she a leader? Frankly, I'm not sure that matters. Her first year will be mostly about learning, not leading. At the end of the year, she'll be well-positioned to take a position with a law firm, specializing in real estate and construction, earning as much as she will get from serving as The Apprentice.

I hope Trump finds room for Frankie somewhere else in the organization. He's got so much heart (and he could get a little polish along the way.)

I've always enjoyed The Apprentice but this year, I get the feeling NBC says to The Donald, "You're fired!"