My Big Fat Idiot Boss
Won't Get Fooled Again, Or Will They?
Commentary by Alisa
November 8, 2004
The Boss
Other than Ralph, the smarmy host of the first "Joe Schmo Show," they couldn't have picked a better character for this show than Mr. Paul N. Todd aka William August.
When we first see him sitting in his private jet pontificating about his position in life as a billionaire and showing himself to be an ass slapping misogynist, he is very convincing as a harsher, bigger braggart than Donald Trump. It is no surprise that Fox has once again stolen the entire concept of a show, in this case, "The Apprentice," and turned it into the farce that has quite a bit more humor than the real thing.
As soon as he steps out of the private jet "set" and exposes himself (not in that way!) he steps right back into character.
I already sense a certain kind of promise that I didn't feel at the beginning of "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé" which turned out to be a terrific show. That's why I have such high hopes for this particular series. As the sycophants become more and more anxious to work for this jerk, his character will become more abrasive and harder to take. I'm rubbing my hands together in glee and that's not easy to do when you're typing. I refuse to be disappointed.
Mr. Todd greets his new acolytes with cheap champagne and a pate made out of blended bologna and an aerosol cheese product. There are other Hors d'oeuvres that have a lot of mystery ingredients including Spam and are met with comments like "This is the taste of what rich people eat" and so forth. These doofuses seem completely unaware of what is going on which is why it should be so easy to fool them.
Mr. Todd promises us that things will only get worse as time progresses, and I believe him. They are such easy prey.
Another aspect of the show that doesn't come as a huge surprise is the fact that he has two assistants, also professional actors who play the same part as Donald Trump's stooges. They sit by his side and criticize as well as make cutting remarks. After everyone leaves, it's nice to see them get out of character and laugh their asses off at the fools who keep nodding their heads and are willing to do anything to win.
Who's Who Among the Nobodies
The assembled crew of lower echelon "achievers" is not too impressive. In fact, I don't consider a shipping executive (whatever!), an entrepreneur, an aerial construction worker, an automobile finance manager and liquor distribution executives to be on a par with Harvard Graduates or attorneys.
Upon first meeting Mr. T., one of the women dresses in a hooker outfit consisting of a cheap looking mini skirt and tight tee which would be okay if you're standing on a Chicago street corner, but not appropriate for meeting "the boss" for the first time. Unlike the greedy bunch on "The Apprentice," these men and women are totally clueless. I mean, like totally!
There is a real reward though. It's $250,000. Not as much as Survivor or The Amazing Race, less than Big Brother, but you get a quarter of a mil to go through this charade and may the best man, woman, or biggest fool win.
What amazes me is that Iocor Corporation, the fake company which Mr. Paul N. Todd represents sounds so real and yet cannot be Googled. Big surprise.
The Challenges
The first task that had to be performed after the group split into two teams - men vs. women - was to panhandle in the streets of Chicago. I was very disappointed in their performance. They made up cardboard signs that lacked as much imagination as anything I've ever seen. I'd rather see a sign that says "Will not work for a bottle of booze. Pay up or pass me by" than the "Help Chicago" cardboards. Who in the world would give these people money? Well, apparently a few suckers did cut loose with some change that amounted to over $300 for each team. The women, who wore shorts and tees, did slightly better than the men, which wasn't saying a hell of a lot, because they didn't look that great and their marketing (begging) abilities were sorely lacking. So far the women (and men) are showing absolutely nothing in the way of creativity.
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