Maddy Sloan sat quietly, politely listening to a candidate give what sounded like a prepared speech. She looked down at his rZsumZ, noted a peculiar spelling mistake and gave the candidate what was sure to be the “You’re Fired” look. “He spelled his college’s name wrong,” Sloan said. The Donald would not be pleased.
With her partner Aaron Roos, Sloan, a casting director for The Apprentice, interviewed more than 100 of Duke’s finest graduate students, faculty and alumni Thursday morning in the Bryan Center for the chance to be a contestant on the fourth season of NBC’s hit show The Apprentice—a reality program where candidates are rewarded for strong business acumen.
On the show, contestants compete in various business-related tasks for the chance to work as an executive in Donald Trump’s organization. Casting directors review about 300,000 applications each season nationwide, but fewer than fifty candidates ever make it to the show.
Jeff Lovingood, a local car salesman whose wife works at Duke, understood the competitiveness and arrived early. He was the first candidate interviewed.
“My chances are a little better than winning the lotto but not as good as getting struck by lightning,” he said.
Sloan said the candidates who go to the next round are usually strong individuals with stand-out personalities. “Born leaders, who are not afraid to be who they are, are also good,” she added.
While casting directors refused to go on the record about any specific questions they asked candidates, they said all questions are fair and are aimed at figuring out the candidate’s true identity.
“This is not a job interview,” Roos said. “Don’t be stiff, and loosen up. If you naturally curse, then curse.”
The event was hosted by the Graduate and Professional Student Council. Heather Dean, GPSC president and a fifth-year graduate student in neurobiology, said even though she never got a chance to interview, she felt the event was a success.
“They were great. They really loved Duke,” she said, adding that she overheard the judges mention there were several candidates they might want to see again.
Casting directors were simultaneously interviewing for the newly announced show The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. According to an NBC press release, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart will follow a similar format to Trump’s flagship version, but tasks and eliminations will be tailored to Stewart’s areas of expertise. Lisa Valvo, a graduate student of Earth and Ocean Sciences who also sells domestic goods, heard about the new show at 6 p.m. Wednesday night and knew she had to apply.
“I like how she turned her domestic tendencies into an industry,” Valvo said, while showing off her magazine wallet. “She’s my hero.”
David Montag, Edens Quad residence coordinator and avid fan of The Apprentice, was overjoyed at this opportunity and said he almost cancelled a trip to Long Island, N.Y. in order to stay for the Raleigh casting call Feb. 5. This was not Montag’s first time interviewing for the show. He waited 17 hours in Atlanta for an interview for season two of The Apprentice—he was the ninth person interviewed. In order to ensure another interview, he went to the Bryan Center Tuesday morning at 2 a.m. just to make sure that there was not going to be a huge line.
“This is the right time, right place and right moment,” Montag said, adding that Trump has been his role model since he was ten years old. “I am not a person of high faith, but if something is meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
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