March 7, 2005

Hundreds vie for a spot on ‘The Apprentice’

Who to work for: Donald or Martha?

By Patti Wolf
Staff Writer

They came in conservative suits, mostly gray and black, with hair neatly coiffed. No one dressed flashy for this “job interview,” except one hopeful contestant dressed as a clown in a pinstriped suit, a red-and-white polka-dot vest and bloomers under suit pants. Along with the requisite clown makeup—white face, red lips, and even sported blue hair—he even wore a yarmulke.

“I’m here just for the experience,” said the clown, Jay Jahne of Campbell.

What would Donald Trump or Martha Stewart say about his attire?

“I’m here just for the experience,” said the clown, Jay Jahne, 37, of Campbell, as he stood in line with nearly 350 applicants for an upcoming season of NBC’s The Apprentice. He didn’t think much of his chances. “I want to be able to say I went out and tried for it.”

He seemed like the only one who didn’t think he had a chance. The other would-be applicants, who came from as far way as San Diego to stand in the chill outside the NBC affiliate on San Jose Saturday morning, were upbeat, energetic and confident.

San Jose is one of 29 stops for producers of “The Apprentice.” The twist this time is that contestants could apply to be the apprentice to lifestyle maven Martha Stewart or real estate mogul Donald Trump. The Silicon Valley contestant pool, heavy on real estate, entrepreneurial and corporate types, overwhelmingly favored Trump.

But Isabella Erlich, 31, of San Francisco, had eyes only for Martha. Erlich, who co-owns a line of sportswear for women, was scoring points and making a few bucks in the contestant line with her raspberry, blackberry and corn muffins. They’re a Martha recipe, of course.

“She’s my idol,” said Erlich. “I’d really only do this for Martha.”

Nick Moezidis, 36, of Almaden was making his second run at a shot on the hit TV show. He made it through three rounds of interviews for the show’s first season before hearing the words, “If we like you, we’ll call you.”

“I’m a fan of competition,” said Moezidis, who owns Ladies in Motion, an Almaden fitness studio. He is also a marketing director for a start-up company and coaches his son’s competitive soccer team. The secret to making it on the show is simple, he explained. “Be aggressive, cutthroat, sharp, and not afraid to make a fool out of yourself.”

Each contestant was given a band with a number. The contestants go in to the audition in groups of 10 and are pitted against each other, similar to a boardroom session with The Donald. The more you know about your competition, the more you can use it against him or her.

He was like that in his first try for the show, but by the third interview, his boss suggested he tone it down, and he was done in by being too mellow.

Those in the pack at the front of the line didn’t know each other when they arrived, but hours later when the first wristbands were distributed, they were like old friends. Benjamin Yates, 27, of Mountain View was the first to arrive at 12:40 a.m. “I planned to get here at 3 but I couldn’t sleep.”

Michael Giluso, 25, came prepared when he arrived at 2 a.m. Giluso, who grew up in Willow Glen, where his family still lives, brought a chair and a sleeping bag. Reza Namvar, 33, flew in from San Diego, slept in his rental car in the TV station parking lot, and joined the line at 3:30 a.m., seconds ahead of Bill Meeker, 42, of Los Gatos. Jason Noriega, 28, of Saratoga who arrived at 4.

Noriega and Yates, veterans of “The Apprentice” contestant searches, got chummy with their line-mates, remembering their previous experiences. The contestants go in groups of 10 and are pitted against each other, similar to a boardroom session with The Donald. The more you know about your competition, the more you can use it against him or her.

Moezidis’ session with “The Apprentice” staffer lasted no more than 10 minutes. After a short discussion, he was told to fire someone.

“I felt real bad,” said Moezidis, who admits he’s fired employees before. “I hardly knew the guy, but he was the one who didn’t contribute much.”