Good lord, is this show never going to end? I really thought that had to be the finale last night... I suppose if all the other television I'm currently watching wasn't either on PBS or DVD I might have seen some advertising on NBC that would have clued me in to that fact, but as I did not, hearing "Stay tuned for scenes from next week" shocked me to the core. I've had a strong hunch that Kendra was going to win ever since that miniature golf task but for the past month I've been almost certain of it, which removed any suspense that might have existed and turned watching The Apprentice into a joyless test of endurance. Today I thought I would finally be free, but no. At least the finale is not going to be three hours long this year (though since the end of the final task was part of the finale last year it really is still two hours long, just needlessly dragged out). Two weeks ago reader Mike A. was inexplicably picking Tana to win and I really ought to have bet him $100 or something so I could at least have the anticipation of a big payday to keep me going (it would be even more inexplicable after last night if anyone still favored Tana, but if such a sucker is out there let me know). Anyhow, here are my thoughts, such as they are. I don't like Kendra much (and find it incredible that someone with a voice as annoying as hers is to me has marketed themselves as a voiceover talent), but she has long seemed to be the only contestant to have any business acumen at all, she works very hard, and she seemed throughout this final task to have everything well in hand. I can't recall any other Apprentice task where, if I were in the position to have to hire somebody to do whatever they had to do in real life I would consider hiring an Apprentice, but if there were some big promotional event that I needed someone to run, I would feel confident putting Kendra in charge. Tana, on the other hand, is both unlikeable and not so competent. I can't go so far as to say INcompetent, and if I had a warehouse full of... I don't know, denim angel bears or something, I'm sure she could get those bears sold for me in short order. But anything beyond sales is, I feel, beyond Tana. At the end of the boardroom last night Caroline and George were, of course, forced to say that it was an extremely difficult choice and the two women were both great, but all they could really find to say about Tana is "she's very nice". That's not just damning with faint praise, it's damning with a faint LIE, because I think it's increasingly apparent that Tana isn't really all that nice at all. It is also increasingly apparent that I am very hungry, so stay tuned for the conclusion of these thoughts after I fetch myself some lunch.