washington | The man whose unorthodox tactics made him the early star of NBC’s “The Apprentice” hasn’t let his dismissal from the show discourage him.
Sam Solovey of Chevy Chase, Md., had just finished buying groceries for an elderly woman he has been helping out since he was a high school freshman, and for the first time ever, she paid him. So when his mom told him about an open casting call for the show — in which two teams of eight people compete in various business tasks to be mogul Donald Trump’s new underling — he headed down to the Georgetown bar Third Edition with an extra $50 in his pocket.
When he realized that he was too far back in line to get in, Solovey said he walked up to a guy near the front and offered him his just-earned money to “jump in the line.”
When his group of eight went in to audition, and the producers raised the question of business ethics, Solovey mentioned how he moved up in line and an argument ensued.
“I guess it was memorable,” he said.
Two weeks ago, the 27-year-old Solovey became the third person Trump “fired” from the show. But from the very first installment of the program, Solovey never seemed to mesh with his male teammates. Interviewed recently by phone as he waited for a plane to Los Angeles, where he appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday, Jan. 26, Solovey partially attributed his difficulties to cultural differences.
Some of the other contestants had “never been around Jewish people” or experienced “our style” — traits such as talking with hand gestures or simply “talking a lot,” Solovey said. (One of his teammates said on the show that “if you ask Sam what time it is, he tells you how to build a clock.”)
Apparently hoping to force his ouster, the others elected him team leader, even though they did not respect his abilities, Solovey said.
“To elect a leader you don’t believe in is shameful, and shows a total lack of character,” he said.
As for the nap that Solovey appeared to take in the second episode when he was supposed to be working, he only rested on the floor for three minutes, he said, because he was “exhausted from trying to contribute” but not being given any responsibility.
“When an active mind goes unstimulated, it goes to sleep,” he said, adding that he had finished the task he was assigned.
A strong work ethic, along with knowing the importance of family and education, are some of the “Jewish values” that Solovey said his parents have instilled in him. He became a bar mitzvah and was confirmed at Washington Hebrew Congregation and has been a somewhat regular attendee of Friday night services at the synagogue in recent years, he said. He makes a living running a business e-mail newsletter in the Washington, D.C. area.
Solovey prepared for the show by reading 15 books about Trump, and sees the businessman’s life history as the “story of the American dream” and “similar to the story of Jewish immigrants.” Trump’s grandfather came to the United States and started a business, and the next two generations of the family have built on that success, he noted.
Solovey proposed to his fiancée, fifth-grade school teacher Lori Levin, during a recent interview on the “Today” show — earning a “mazel tov” from Katie Couric.
As for the attention he has garnered from the show, even though he was eliminated so early in the game, Solovey stressed that his experience is all part of a “lifetime education,” and that “the challenges” are more important than the rewards.
“Sometimes winning is losing, and losing is winning,’ he said.