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The Apprentice Season 10: Conference Call with Nicole Chiu

Posted on 09/20/2010 by David in The Apprentice and Cast Interviews

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Nicole Chiu from The Apprentice Season 10

 

 

by David McAlpine

 

Last week on The Apprentice, 16 contestants began the job interview of a lifetime as they competed for a job with Donald Trump at the Trump Organization. Nicole's team fell short on the task, which was to design a modern workspace and, ultimately, Nicole, the Project Manager, was fired for the inability to give direction. Last week, she spoke to reporters on a conference call about her experience on the show.

 

Q: Were you surprised at how Mahsa reacted during the boardroom?

A, Nicole: I think that's how Mahsa reacts. She's got a type-A personality and I think she wanted to make an impression, so that's how she chose to do it.

 

Q: What was going through your mind as you were waiting outside the boardroom with Mahsa and Tyana?

A, Nicole: It felt very reminiscent of "Mean Girls," you know? They were trying to strategize and obviously Mahsa was very upset, so it came off that way. I was just trying to gather my thoughts so I could tell Mr. Trump why I deserved to stay and why I didn't deserve to get fired. I was trying to calm myself because it was such an intense situation.

 

Q: What did you take away from this experience?

A, Nicole: It was an incredible experience. I think the one thing that I took away is that it really reinforced my values because I have no regrets about what I did and I'm not ashamed that I was fired, I played like I wanted to play. I put myself up on the chopping block, I'm the type of person to volunteer first for that. However, when I left, I did get an interview with the Miss Universe Organization, so it goes to show that integrity can be rewarded.

 

Q: When you went in the boardroom, were you surprised by how everyone ganged up on you?

A, Nicole: I thought I had a lot of support of my team, so I was surprised by it. I think it was because I was so focused on the task at hand that I wasn't hearing what everyone else was telling me. I tried to keep everything positive and focus on the bonding of the team, which I think we really did, so I was surprised it was so strong.

 

Q: Looking back at the episode, do you think the men's workspace was really better than your own?

A, Nicole: I think it comes down to one factor: liability. If there's a rug in a workspace that everyone is slipping on, that's not a success in my eyes. I guess the task was to go for something modern, but not necessarily safe. When I was looking at the task, I thought it inherently needed to be a safe space.

 

Q: Did it feel like high school at any point; the cool kids versus the not so cool kids?

A, Nicole: I didn't feel any animosity like that during the task, my intention was focused on building a team and collaborating and creating a great workspace in the time were were given. There was a lot of dissecting and plotting and strategizing behind the scenes, which probably lead to me being so shocked in the boardroom. Once we were in there, it became clear very quickly that I was the target and everyone got on the bandwagon. I understand them because I volunteered to go first; if I were one of the other women, I wouldn't want to point the finger at someone else and make an enemy when I didn't have to.

 

The Apprentice airs Thursdays at 10/9c only on NBC.

 

(Photo courtesy of NBC)

 

Follow David on Twitter: twitter.com/davidmcalpine

 

For more Apprentice links, visit SirLinksALot.net.


  


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