Jason Hasselkus

Now that we are down to the final four contestants for NBC’s The Apprentice LA, lets take a close looks as to why each of them may or may not win.

Nicole - The Dreamer
Nicole should do just that, dream on; really there isn’t a chance she’s going to get the job. Look who’s she’s up against, especially her other female counterpart Stefani. From what I’ve seen, she’s lazy and that’s just the start of it.
Why She Might Win
Well the optimal word there is “might”. Nicole does have the female thing going for her, and it’s no secret that Trump likes women. He was all over Heidi, just because she was good looking, not because she had any skills. Nicole does sell real-estate so she must have some sales skills, but as a PM, I don’t see it. She isn’t that polished and most of the time runs on pure energy and little common sense. Like I said “might” that could be used interchangeably with “won’t”.
Why She Won’t Win
At the end of the day, Trump is no dummy and he’s going to hire someone with actual skills. I’ve yet to see any real skill come out of Nicole. I mean on the last task, she should have been all over that like white on rice. But she wasn’t and that ultimately hurt her team, or shall I say Kristine. Because Nicole was sleeping she wasn’t the one that wrote down the wrong phone number, and if Heidi hadn’t been such a liar, Nicole would have been joining her boy toy Tim on loser’s lane. Nicole’s time is short, I just don’t know if it’s next week or the week following. And the number one reason she won’t win… Stefani isn’t going to stumble on herself.

Stefani - The Realist
Hands down the strongest of the final four. She’s got everything you want in an employee, and yet the real question is…. Why in the hell would she want to work for Trump.
Why She Might Win
Amongst the remaining candidates, she’s the most highly educated one. Her presentation skills are superior to even some of the most seasoned sales people. She graduated in the top 10% of her class from Southwestern University School of Law in their prestigious SCALE program, the only two-year Juris Doctor program in the United States accredited by the American Bar Association. Well rounded? Yes. Articulate? Check. Easy on the Eyes? Yes. So there you have it, not a lot that needs to be said about her. I don’t think that she has ever been called out in the board room besides for a job well done. James picked her as his partner because he knew she could get it done, and she did. I don’t really think there is much “might” in this one, I would say she IS the next Apprentice.
Why She Won’t Win
The only way she isn’t going to win, is if they give her some task and have it totally sabotaged. She can do just about anything, and she’s a task master. She can explain herself well and if anyone dare take her into the board room, she would kill them. She a lawyer, a trial lawyer, fighting works compensation, enough said.

James - The Webhead
The only thing we know about James is that he runs an online business. Ok, so in 2007 who doesn’t have an online business?
Why He Might Win
Give James credit, he’s smart enough to always wiggle himself out of a jam. If he’s going down, he’s taking you with him. He does know how to lead; he’s proven that, although rarely does he come up with the ideas himself. I don’t think Trump is here to hire a thinker; he’s here to hire someone that will go do what he wants. James would probably make a good goat boy, I think of anyone he’d be the easiest to lead around. So for James it’s all about strategy at this point. If he’s going up against Frank, he’s safe because Frank will talk himself out of a job. If he’s teamed up against Nicole, well that’s a bit harder because Nicole has the ability to wiggle her way around like James, so it could turn into who’s got the ability to be quite long enough to let the other one talk themselves out of a job.
Why He Won’t Win
If Nicole and Frank have already exited and only Stefani remains, James like the others doesn’t have much of a chance. He can try to throw her under the bus, but Trump might see right through that. James has been in the board room too much to really make it much further than second place. Although it’s hard to out talk Frank, but James, like Nicole really give him a run for his money. James has been in front of Trump many times, and may not have the polish that Trump is looking for. He relies heavily on the backs of others and rides the wave when it’s good.

Frank - The Mouth
There isn’t anything special about Frank except that he’s got A LOT of character and is generally one of the personalities that make the show fun to watch. With Frank it’s all New York all the time.
Why He Might Win
Frank has a few things going for him. One, he knows construction and how to manage a job site. It’s not secret that Trumps biggest investments are in real-estate. Second, he’s from the Bronx, and Trump sure likes his New York boys. So those two factors are what gives Frank kind of a surprising edge over the other candidates. It also comes down to what the final tasks are. Anything to do with construction he’s in, if it has to do with design and artsy fartsy stuff, he’s a gonner.
Why He Won’t Win
Four words: “You Talk To Much”. Frank has the problem of being heard before he’s seen. He’s got a mouth and that’s always a liability, no matter what way you look at it. He should be able to “Fight”, like Trump likes so much, but after last week, I’m not sure he can pull that off week after week. When Frank said that Tim was “wet behind the ears”, I nearly fell off my chair. I’m not sure Frank has looked at himself in the mirror lately, but he’s not the most polished of all the men either. Yes he’s a fighter and is good at throwing the ball in your court, but when it comes to image, Frank doesn’t have it.

So there you have it, my assessment of who’s going to win the big prize. My pick Stefani, there is no doubt in my mind, although I base this on logic and not how I think Donald Trump thinks. If I were to go on that I might as well have picked Heidi since Trump tried his best to keep her around forever.