I’ve been working like a dog the past few months & one of my few connections to pop culture has been my beloved TiVo.  So, after a day of conference calls & meetings, I decided to vege a bit and watch last week’s Apprentice and check out how Sepia Mutiny’s friend Toral Mehta was doing.

Now, in contrast to Raj who dished up the drama almost from the outset, Toral’s been disappointingly flying beneath the radar and laying low.   No longer - last week her fangs were unleashed and my-oh-my what snobby, elitist, east coast fangs they were.   A few choice quotes -

“I’m from Wharton …we’re really here to demonstrate work ethic and that’s a different style of thinking from those individuals who have not been trained by large corporate institutions

“I would have to say that there are a group of women here [pointing at a gaggle of laughing blondes] who have banded together based on the fact that they have no work experience.   I like them all on a personal level, I think they’re cute people if I had a secretary job or an administrative job, I’d happily hire any of these people”

Oh Boy.   Now that’s a good way inspire folks.  Note to The Toral, it’s one thing to not forget the little people as you rocketship takes off.   It’s a different thing to tell ‘em they’re little before your ship has even left the ground. 

Last week’s episode had the contestants teaching a bunch of retirees about the post-vacuum tube world of electronics and entertainment.   Toral did her best to play Vanna White & demo a big screen TV to the audience…  alas failing miserably.   Navigating on-screen menu’s apparently isn’t her forte -

“Look I’m an investment banker on wall street, I put together multi-million dollar deals.   I wouldn’t say it’s below me but it’s not something I’d generally do”

Something tells me that’s precisely what she’s trying to say.

Predictably, when it was boardroom time, the other gals seized upon this and other failures.   Nearly to a T, they ganged up on The Toral and singled her out for The Donald’s trademark viper strike “you’re fired.”   Toral launched back in a catty, vixen-like manner demonstrating why realityTV is often better than a soap opera -

“I have a substantial knowledge of finance, accounting, and marketing.   I have impressive work experience.  The top real estate developers in the city know me.  You have in general a group of people with unimpressive work experience, [and a] poor professional education…”

Toral was, however, quite literally saved by a thread.   Her one ally in the room happened to be that week’s project manager (who, as Toral informed us, went to U. Chicago and hence shares a certain pecking level).  The PM had a soft spot for Toral and brought in 2 other gals instead - a nearly fatal decision for the PM which Trump seized upon -

“Toral has to be smart … she went to a school that’s truly the smartest people in the nation for business … the Wharton School of Finance.    Now that doesn’t mean she has common sense and it doesn’t mean she has other things”

“you can say what you want about Toral…. the fact is that the team can’t stand her and she has brought the team down… she certainly wasn’t an inspiration to the team”

Trump’s insight goes to prove the old aphorism that some of the greatest judges of human nature aren’t shrinks but rather, bar tenders and successful salesmen.   You’d better watch this week’s episode - if Toral’s team loses, it’s likely to be her last.  And I betcha she’ll go down in delicious flaming glory.