On Monday, November 8, we spoke to David Johnson, who had been the ninth contestant fired by Donald Trump on the November 4th episode of The Apprentice.  Beginning with this episode, the teams were reconfigured with David, Anand, Poppy, and Stephanie on Fortitude, and Brandy, Steuart, Clint, and Liza on Octane.  The task was for each team to create a four-page ad that showcased the Donald J. Trump Signature Collection for Macy's department store.  David and Brandy were the project managers, and David took a lot of the task onto himself for his team, which also gave him the lion's share of the blame when the Macy's staff preferred the brochure designed by Brandy's team.  David was fired by Mr. Trump, but has since moved to San Francisco and embarked on a relationship with fellow Apprentice contestant, Poppy Carlig.

Here are the facts about David Johnson from his NBC Apprentice bio: David Johnson, 34 (Portage, Mich.), embodies the image of the All-American father of five. The Navy veteran, part-time stand-up comedian and once successful account manager, married his high school sweetheart and is father to five children. Johnson, a Portage, Michigan resident, once had two houses and could buy his family whatever they desired, and in today's recession has become an unemployed family man who can't pay his mortgage and is determined to prove to his children that he is still a great provider.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO DAVID JOHNSON OF THE APPRENTICE 10: 

USTH: What was your game plan going into this process, and did you have any sort of criteria of things that you would be willing to do and things that you would not be willing to do in order to win the game and become Donald Trump's apprentice?

DAVID JOHNSON: I think it's kind of obvious that I would have done about anything to win. Going into the thing, I figured I'd either be first one fired or win the whole thing because I wasn't going to play with any team members. And I looked at it as a competition where there's only one winner, and from the very beginning I just wanted to play it my own way. And yes, I did some things that were questionable and they got me to a point but in the end, I think the way I played it ultimately led to my demise.

USTH: In the boardroom, your teammates all sort of ganged up on you each week it seemed. But one thing I noticed is that, even though you were defending yourself, you always maintained your composure and you never really went off on anybody in a negative way too badly.  Was that also part of your strategy? How did you manage to maintain your composure when so many different people were coming at you each time?

DAVID JOHNSON: Well, I mean it's pretty simple, I guess, when you look at it. It's a contrast from the way I played it during the task to when the boardroom started. And the reason the boardroom is – Donald Trump and his family are in the boardroom, and it's a different world and a different environment in there. And, it's a room of respect and I'd have to maintain that in front of Mr. Trump himself.

So, it's very easy for me to revert back to my military days and go into a mode where it's a lot of sirs and yes and I sit there and I take what I get. Squabbling doesn't ever accomplish much and, I was hoping that by other people getting enraged at me and saying things that it would actually take their credibility away and allow me to look better in the eyes of Mr. Trump – if I didn't fire back with the level that they came at me.

And, there were some times in that boardroom that it was pretty brutal back at me in general and the whole Oompa-Loompa tirade that [Clint] went on and so, I actually found myself laughing at a couple of his comments.

And so, no. I mean, it wasn't hard to keep my composure because of the people I was with and it being Donald Trump – I had to be professional in the boardroom.

USTH: Now that all the gameplay is over, when you look back on your teammates, are there any ones that you actually liked in real life and maybe want to keep in contact with or at least have some respect for them?

DAVID JOHNSON: Well, the thing is, it's funny. You know, how it happens during the show, and then what goes on afterwards when, everything is done and you're allowed to actually find out who these people are.

Actually during filming even Gene and I had some words in the beginning of the season. And we quickly, actually, became quite close throughout his time there and then after. And Gene and I stay in contact. You know, Brandy and I being that she lives close to where I live now, I've seen her outside the show – and a couple of others.

And, of course, there's – it's funny because everyone's personality is different when the competition is over. It's almost like a boxing match if you will. You can hate your opponent while you're in the ring and you can throw your jabs and then afterwards you go out and you can actually have a beer.

So I mean of course it's different and there have been some relationships, some more than others, that have come from the show. [Editor's note: Some time after David and Poppy were fired from the show, they embarked on a relationship that continues to this day.]

USTH: In the ending segment [Rockport: Next Steps], you said you started your own company. Can you just tell us what type of company you started and how things are coming along in that regard?

DAVID JOHNSON: I've been in telecommunications for ten years – ever since I got out of the military – and I love it. It's an ever changing environment. And so [my company] is a technology consultant company where I have third party contracts with vendors and I sell my products and services to my old client base that I had and that I established as well as [to] new [clients].

So, it's one of these I guess you'd call me a VAR, which is a value-added reseller, because of my relationships with a lot of my accounts. I'm able to steer them in the right path of technology. And so, I started it pretty much right away when I knew I didn't want to go back and work for "the man." I didn't know what to expect, of course.

And it's been pretty decent. Bumps along the way, of course, once the show came out. There's been some, "Oh, man. You know, wow! That's who we're doing business with!" kind of moments which I've had to do damage control on. But for the most part, it's good. I have relationships, so it was nice to get back in with my old clients.

USTH: You talked a little bit before about how after you were fired, you got together with Poppy, but I just want to clear up something Alex Delgado told me when I interviewed him in September. He said that after you guys get fired, you all gather together in a "sequester house" like the TV series, Big Brother. Is that the case or what really happens when you're in that taxi and you're going away?

DAVID JOHNSON: Well, yes. Of course. You're fired - you go to that other place, if you will, and you're sequestered until the end of the show. Everyone's there in various stages if they do get fired but ultimately every contestant does get together at the end of the show when everything is done.

So, once filming of the show wraps then you're able to be free because even in the "sequester house," if you will, you still have rules and babysitters where you cannot really spend time with the other contestants unless it's monitored and you're not really allowed to do much.

It's a controlled environment. But, after everything's done on [the show], during those few days of wrap, that's the time where, I was able to spend time with [Poppy] and [do] some other things.

You know, it was after I was fired that they stopped bringing the remaining seven contestants over to the other house because it didn't make sense with filming being so short to go [to the other hotel for sequester].

And so, all those contestants that remained – they stayed [in the original location]. We stayed on the other end of town and then once everything was wrapped, we were able to get together.

The Apprentice airs each Thursday night at 10:00pm Eastern & Pacific / 9:00pm Central on NBC.

Use the image gallery below to read the other interviews in this series

01/16 

 

With only one game of the World Series left to play this week, and Glee in reruns due to Election Night coverage, Fox fell back to its customary fourth place in average viewers for the week.  Although NBC's Monday night lineup was displaced by a Saturday Night Live special, The Women of SNL, and its Tuesday night lineup was similarly disrupted due to election coverage, it gained 800,000 viewers over last week's average now that Fox's baseball was no longer a factor.  This also allowed CBS to pick up 700,000 viewers even though its top-rated NCIS franchise was in reruns.

On Wednesday, October 6 and again on Friday, October 29, we spoke with Mahsa Saeidi-Azcuy, one of the more outspoken contestants on this season of The Apprentice.  The October 6 interview was in reaction to the news that Ms. Saeidi-Azcuy had resigned from her position in the District Attorney's office in Brooklyn, New York earlier that week.  On October 29, we spoke once again when she was fired by Donald Trump during the October 28 episode (which actually took place months before in real time).  Mahsa was fired after her team, Fortitude, lost to the men's team, Octane, on the task of putting together a presentation for potential backers of a planned Broadway musical.  However, in a twist, Mahsa wasn't actually fired because of what happened on this task.  She was fired when it came out in the boardroom sequence that, in the previous week's task, she had spoken to a member of the men's team, Clint, regarding how much money her team had earned during the pedicab challenge.  For her part, Mahsa insists that although she did reveal a dollar amount to Clint, he reciprocated with information about the men's team – a claim which Clint vehemently denied and was backed up on by the other contestants.

Here are the facts about Mahsa Saeidi-Azcuy from her NBC Apprentice bio: Mahsa Saeidi-Azcuy, 29 (Brooklyn, N.Y.), worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, New York and is the host of two web-shows on the side.  Dealing with the financial pressures of being the sole breadwinner in her family, Saeidi-Azcuy has gained personal strength in this economic downturn.  Before receiving her J.D. at Brooklyn Law School, Saeidi-Azcuy studied Biology at the University of Virginia and film at the New York Film Academy.  She passionately fights to promote justice and is obsessed with beauty, hair and style secrets.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY OF THE APPRENTICE 10:

OCTOBER 6 -

USTH: My question for you is simple. without revealing any spoilers for the show, why did you resign from your job as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn's DA office?

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: I think it was a very difficult decision for me to make because I love being a prosecutor. But I think first just to explain why I decided to go on The Apprentice, I think we're all allowed to have that one dream job even if you might be very happy with your day job.

USTH: Regarding your teammates, whom on Fortitude did you respect the most and whom did you respect the least and why?

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: This is a very tough question. Okay, let me think about it.

USTH: I mean, it's just the two of us, so don't worry about it (laughs).

USTH: Okay. Well said.

USTH: In your educational background, your bio stated that you also studied film and biology, and I understand that you host a couple of web series of your own on the side.

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: That's right.

USTH: Now that you've been on The Apprentice, have you been bitten by the reality TV bug? In the future, would you like to star in, or host, your own reality TV series?

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: I have not been bitten by the reality TV bug at all. I think the reason I did this was because I wanted to make my dream of working for Mr. Trump come true. That being said, for the past five years I have been hosting and doing online shows. So that certainly is something that I'd be interested in pursuing in the future. But right now my goal is to become Mr. Trump's apprentice. I think I have a very strong shot at this. And I'm in it to win.

USTH: Okay great. Without revealing whether or not you were eventually fired by Donald Trump, how would you rate your performance in the competition and on the tasks overall?

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: I think that I've been a really good team member. I think I always on the tasks – like in my interviews – I might seem a little strong. But I think when I'm on a task I'm very positive; I'm there to make it happen. On this past episode, you know, I'm terrified of dogs. Absolutely terrified. I cross the street when I see a dog. I don't know why – I just am. And, you know, I sucked it up and I got in there in the dog pit. And I gave it everything I had. The women's team, thanks to a group effort, ended up winning. So, I think I've done very well so far. I definitely have not been taking a back seat or a quiet role. I definitely have been putting myself out there. I'm very proud of with how I stayed true to myself during this entire process. I'm extremely proud of myself so far. I just have to be who I am. I put it out there, and I think Mr. Trump will really respect that.

OCTOBER 29 -

USTH: Hi, Mahsa, how are you today?

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: I'm good, Scott. I think we've spoken before. How are you?

USTH: Yes, we did. We spoke on October 6th, and it's a pleasure to speak to you once again.

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: Thank you.  The secret's out – I got fired, boo hoo.

USTH: Well, it's bad, but we think you're going to do good things in the future so we're looking forward to that, but watching last night's episode, it was unique in that it seemed that you were fired for something that happened on a completely different task. Do you agree with that assessment and if so, who do you think should have been fired based on just the Broadway task in and of itself and why?

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: Well, I'll tell you something right now. I was extremely disappointed in how the events went down. If I was going to get fired for the promotional materials that was fine. I think that Mr. Trump absolutely made a mistake in firing me for the reason that he fired me. In fact, I was so upset about this that I made a video message that I posted on my website, a message to Mr. Trump asking him to clear my name just to make it clear that I never, ever lied.

USTH: What is the website so we can all take a look at it?

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: It's on Google. I mean, if you Google "Mahsa Donald message," it should pop up but my Facebook is Mahsa (The Apprentice). It's a page called Mahsa and in parentheses it says "The Apprentice." If you Google that, it should pop up, and then my video is posted all over the page.

USTH: Okay, we'll look forward to that. Do you think the guys were being inappropriate for coming back into the boardroom the way they did?

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: No. Let me tell you something right now. There were two people that were completely lying straight to Mr. Trump's face last night and them coming back I think it was not inappropriate that they came back. They should have come back, and Clint should have told the truth when he came back in there, but instead he chose to come back in there and lie to Mr. Trump's face. And people backed him up whether they were lying or they were just trying to get rid of me but I was just so disappointed in how in order for me to be fired, they all lied and got together and attacked me. I was just so disappointed in how it was done, and I was really disappointed that Mr. Trump didn't think more along the lines of common sense and didn't say, "Hold on, Mahsa's not lying; Clint, you're lying" because it was very clear.

USTH: You talked about how you would like to be a television host [in the "Rockport: Next Steps" segment of the episode in which you were fired]. What type of show do you envision yourself hosting? Would it be a purely entertainment show, or do you think you would want to use your legal background in some way on television?

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: I think both of those would be great. I also think that I'm somebody that's very opinionated, and I think something like The View – I think I'd be perfect for that but,  right now I'm just trying to clear my name. I was falsely branded as a liar. The actual liars were advanced to the next round of the competition. I think that Mr. Trump made a mistake and although what I did was wrong in revealing the [dollar amount], Clint instigated that conversation, and Clint revealed the [dollar amount that the men's team earned]. Clint lied, and Clint's moved on to the next round. Clint wasn't the only person that was lying in that. So, right now my main focus is to clear my name, and we can talk about what I'm going to do in the future after that. As an attorney, all I have is my honesty and integrity and there's no one more honest than me and I will not let anyone – anyone – throw dirt upon my name like that.

USTH: It's your legal background coming up, and you're fighting for your own justice in this case, so it's...

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: Oh, absolutely. I think you have to look at my video and then if you have questions, go to Mahsawho at Twitter, M-A-H-S-A-W-H-O and I'll answer any question that you have.

USTH: Okay, that sounds fair enough. In looking back over the entire Apprentice experience, what are your feelings about everything in totality? I know it sort of ended badly but...

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: I would do it a hundred times over again. I am so grateful to the producers and even to Mr. Trump even though I'm so disappointed in how I was falsely branded as a liar despite the fact that I was telling the truth. I would do it a hundred times over again. It was an incredible experience overall, but just because it was incredible, and just because I really appreciate it, [it] doesn't mean that I'm going to let anyone brand me as a liar and not fight back with every single thing that I have.

USTH: That's great. You know, when you were talking before about how you'd be open to hosting an entertainment show or something with a legal background, it brought to my mind that – I don't know if you're too young to remember this, but back in the '90s Star Jones sort of got her...

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: Oh my god, can I tell you something about her?

USTH: Go right ahead.

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: Yeah, she's a former Brooklyn prosecutor like me...

USTH: Exactly.

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: ...and rumor has it she's on this season of Celebrity Apprentice, so I think that's really fun, and I can't wait to watch her. I'm hoping she wins.

USTH: Yes, Donald Trump was on The View yesterday, and he said she is on The [Celebrity] Apprentice, and she's doing well, but it also brings to mind the fact that during the '90s, she made a name for herself by appearing on The Today Show as a legal correspondent talking about the O.J. trial. That might be something that you might look into, just as a suggestion.

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: You're so sweet, thank you. I will take any suggestion that people give me.

USTH: That might be something that you might seek out – being on Good Morning America, The Today Show, etc. as a legal expert as a way of getting your foot in the door in the entertainment world. I think you'd really be good at that. You are a good speaker; you do command attention, and that's how Star Jones got started.

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: Well, thank you and you promise you're going to go watch my video, right?

USTH: Oh, I'm going to watch it, absolutely.

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: Thank you.

USTH: It was a pleasure once again speaking to you, Mahsa.

MAHSA SAEIDI-AZCUY: Thanks so much.

The Apprentice airs each Thursday night at 10:00pm Eastern & Pacific / 9:00pm Central on NBC.

Use the image gallery below to read the other interviews in this series

01/16 

 

The combination of the World Series (albiet relatively low rated) and a fresh episode of Glee propelled Fox to the top of the weekly ratings where they gained 4.5 million viewers over last week's average.  Fox's gain seemed to be NBC's loss as the peacock network, who aired reruns of both of its Law & Order series, fell to a season low of 6.6 million, down 1.4 million from last week.  CBS also lost viewers, down 600,000 from last week.

NBC's shows continue to perform poorly – only a measly three of its shows landed in the top 40 including the holiday special, Scared Shrekless at number 37.  The other two were football related.  Something needs to be done at that network and fast.  Even former hit series, The Apprentice, seems to have been fired by the American public.  Its ratings are so low that it threatens to be taken over by Univision's Rosa de Guadalupe.

CBS's new series continue to perform relatively well although only Tom Selleck's Blue Bloods has managed to become a top 20 hit.  Former CBS champ, Hawaii Five-O, bleeds viewers each week and will fall out of the top 30 on next week's chart unless it stabilizes its ratings slide. 

Over at ABC, its fortunes rise and fall with Dancing with the Stars, Modern Family, and Castle which now outperforms both Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy.  We'll see if that continues in the weeks ahead now that the November sweeps stories are set to begin.