Apprentice TV Show star changes role
Kendra Todd went to Miami looking to recruit job applicants and wound up bidding herself for the highest-profile job on television, The Apprentice.Kendra, who's on a first-name basis with viewers of the NBC series, attended the Miami auditions for The Apprentice seeking prospects for her Boynton Beach company, My House Real Estate. "I figured it would be a great place to find bright, motivated people, who were looking for their big break," she said. "My business partner, Charles Andrews, talked me into auditioning. Talk about reverse osmosis. I guess I was the one who got recruited at the end of the day."
The once-reluctant applicant has made it through months of elimination challenges to The Apprentice's final four. (All the contestants are still in the dark about the final outcome, which will be determined live on May 19. They are sworn to secrecy as to who will be the ultimate two.) Three tests remain before Donald Trump changes his tune from "You're fired!" to "You're hired!" in the finale. The winner gets a year-long apprenticeship in the Trump organization at a salary of $250,000.The most recent Apprentice cull, attorney Bren, likes Kendra's chances. Appearing on Live With Regis and Kelly last week, he said Kendra was the most impressive of the remaining players.As fate would have it, there is another South Florida connection to this week's challenge. Kendra and a teammate will be working with Miami Beach-based pop artist Romero Britto in creating a line of T-shirts.If there's any justice, Kendra will make at least the final two. A couple of weeks ago, she single-handedly saved Craig and Tana, who also remain in contention, by working through the night to design a Pontiac brochure. Her then-teammates had called it a night and gone to bed. The all-nighter wasn't Kendra's first; she endured several while at the University of Florida. Not often, however, she said: "I'm a pretty organized person."Pontiac was so pleased with her work that it will use the brochure as a sales tool, an executive said on the show. Kendra didn't think to ask if they intended to pay her, she said.Creativity is one of Kendra's strong suits. She was a founding editor of Capture Life magazine, a periodical that celebrates luxury lifestyles. Another of her sidelines came in handy in landing a spot on The Apprentice. The interview process involved making a videotape to demonstrate her personality. In her James Bond-themed video, she presented herself as Agent 53, the alter ego she uses on a real-estate-oriented radio show that airs on WBZT (AM 1230) at 1 p.m. Sundays and 2 p.m. Wednesdays.Reality show contestants are often pigeonholed into a certain box for dramatic purposes -- the hothead, the diva, the goof, etc. -- and only this side is shown of them, sometimes to their chagrin. Not Kendra. "I am very pleased with how I've been portrayed thus far," she said. "I made a promise to myself when filming started [the competition was conducted last fall] that I would exercise character, integrity, patience and respect for my teammates and competitors. I wanted to focus on the tasks and winning, and not get sidetracked by the drama."If Kendra does go all the way, she will become the first female Apprentice, although the sample of only two is too slim to identify male winners as a trend. Kendra doesn't think gender is an issue. "The most qualified person should win." In any case, she has become at least a local celebrity. "People are starting to recognize me in public. At first they would ask if I were their neighbor or worked in their building. Now it's more of an immediate recognition." It's also a boon when she shows properties. Meeting someone they've seen on TV "has lowered resistance with purchasers," she said. One of the fun aspects of being on the show has been sharing the experience. "My friends and colleagues have organized a viewing party every Thursday. It's been a great experience for so many people and has brought us all together each week to have some great times."They're rooting, of course, for the great times to keep rolling right through May 19.
The once-reluctant applicant has made it through months of elimination challenges to The Apprentice's final four. (All the contestants are still in the dark about the final outcome, which will be determined live on May 19. They are sworn to secrecy as to who will be the ultimate two.) Three tests remain before Donald Trump changes his tune from "You're fired!" to "You're hired!" in the finale. The winner gets a year-long apprenticeship in the Trump organization at a salary of $250,000.The most recent Apprentice cull, attorney Bren, likes Kendra's chances. Appearing on Live With Regis and Kelly last week, he said Kendra was the most impressive of the remaining players.As fate would have it, there is another South Florida connection to this week's challenge. Kendra and a teammate will be working with Miami Beach-based pop artist Romero Britto in creating a line of T-shirts.If there's any justice, Kendra will make at least the final two. A couple of weeks ago, she single-handedly saved Craig and Tana, who also remain in contention, by working through the night to design a Pontiac brochure. Her then-teammates had called it a night and gone to bed. The all-nighter wasn't Kendra's first; she endured several while at the University of Florida. Not often, however, she said: "I'm a pretty organized person."Pontiac was so pleased with her work that it will use the brochure as a sales tool, an executive said on the show. Kendra didn't think to ask if they intended to pay her, she said.Creativity is one of Kendra's strong suits. She was a founding editor of Capture Life magazine, a periodical that celebrates luxury lifestyles. Another of her sidelines came in handy in landing a spot on The Apprentice. The interview process involved making a videotape to demonstrate her personality. In her James Bond-themed video, she presented herself as Agent 53, the alter ego she uses on a real-estate-oriented radio show that airs on WBZT (AM 1230) at 1 p.m. Sundays and 2 p.m. Wednesdays.Reality show contestants are often pigeonholed into a certain box for dramatic purposes -- the hothead, the diva, the goof, etc. -- and only this side is shown of them, sometimes to their chagrin. Not Kendra. "I am very pleased with how I've been portrayed thus far," she said. "I made a promise to myself when filming started [the competition was conducted last fall] that I would exercise character, integrity, patience and respect for my teammates and competitors. I wanted to focus on the tasks and winning, and not get sidetracked by the drama."If Kendra does go all the way, she will become the first female Apprentice, although the sample of only two is too slim to identify male winners as a trend. Kendra doesn't think gender is an issue. "The most qualified person should win." In any case, she has become at least a local celebrity. "People are starting to recognize me in public. At first they would ask if I were their neighbor or worked in their building. Now it's more of an immediate recognition." It's also a boon when she shows properties. Meeting someone they've seen on TV "has lowered resistance with purchasers," she said. One of the fun aspects of being on the show has been sharing the experience. "My friends and colleagues have organized a viewing party every Thursday. It's been a great experience for so many people and has brought us all together each week to have some great times."They're rooting, of course, for the great times to keep rolling right through May 19.
posted by kevin at 9:10 AM
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