The Apprentice holding casting call in OKC

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City),  Feb 17, 2005  by Brandice J. O'Brien

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Savvy, business-oriented Oklahomans are expected to line up at the Waterford Marriott hotel for a chance to make an impression at The Apprentice casting call Saturday morning.

Dressed in business attire and poised with resumes, they will eagerly wait for the chance to hear, You're hired, a phrase that real estate mogul Donald Trump rarely uses in the NBC television show. Or, hear home-making tycoon Martha Stewart debut her signature catch phrase on a television spinoff, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.

Trump has uttered You're hired twice; once to Bill Rancic at the end of season one and to Kelly Perdew at the end of season two. Each man outlasted nearly 20 other job applicant contestants in various tasks and competitions. At the start of the first two seasons, the teams were divided by sex. Trump assigned tasks at the beginning of each episode. During the hourlong program, the teams executed the project under the watchful eyes of Carolyn Kepcher and George Ross, high-powered employees of Trump. When the allotted time was up, Kepcher and Ross reported their findings and the teams' results to Trump. The team that made the most money usually won. Winners were treated to lavish rewards. Losers went to the boardroom, where someone heard the inevitable You're fired. Teams dwindled until one contestant was left.

Details for Stewart's upcoming spinoff are under wraps.

It will be almost the same show, except in the end, the apprentice will work for Stewart instead of Trump, said Kristina McGann, casting director for Mark Burnett Productions.

Merideth Bentley, a 22-year-old senior at the University of Oklahoma, hopes to be named the apprentice of Trump's season four. Season three is currently airing at 8 p.m. on Thursdays.

I think the most important thing is I'm a leader and I'm very goal oriented and I can sit back and be a follower, Bentley said. I'm a very good team player with a very positive attitude about life, life's obstacles and I'm a serious person who knows how to have fun.

Bentley was one of 57 potential Trump and Stewart Apprentice applicants who entered NewsChannel 4's The Apprentice Casting Call contest. In early February, she submitted a 60-second VHS video telling why she'd like to be on the NBC prime-time show. Ten winners were selected. Results were announced on the 10 p.m. Valentine's Day broadcast.

(Mine) was like a news story; a 22-year-old from a small town became the 'apprentice,' Bentley said. Trump hired a 22-year-old and he's glad he did. It was the American story aspect of it, the unique quality of it too - small town to big city - and I really stressed that too.

Bentley and the nine other winners will receive wristbands that will allow them to cut to the front of the line Saturday morning.

People were judged on creativity, types of character and are good representatives of people from Oklahoma, said Luanne Stuart, vice president, director of creative services for Oklahoma's NewsChannel 4. They're educated in life or have a higher education, high energy and a little something different to offer.

Interested candidates must be at least 21 years old. The season four apprentice will win a one-year position with Donald Trump or Martha Stewart, earning a yearly salary of $250,000, McGann said.

Doors open at 9 a.m., interviews begin at 10 a.m. and the casting call will end at noon.

Copyright 2005 Dolan Media Newswires
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