Ten slickly dressed adults sat around a table debating whether the theories of evolution or creationism should be taught in public schools. There was the nurse, the salesman, the former Israeli soldier, the software developer, the lawyer.
Though they aren’t friends, they asked to be there, mixing with one another over highly controversial topics in a dark room on a beautiful Saturday.
A singles mixer? A psychology project?
Nope, a job interview.
About 250 people showed up in downtown Denver on Saturday for a shot at making it onto the television show “The Apprentice.”
The popular reality program starts with 18 people vying to get a job with billionaire businessman Donald Trump. It’s been called a 16-week survival-of-the-fittest interview, where Trump infamously barks “You’re fired!” to contestant after contestant, until it ultimately comes down to the winner.
Casting directors from the show are canvassing the country to find the next batch for the season tentatively scheduled to air this fall.
“We want people who are honest, people who are self- aware,” said Jill Goslicky, a 25-year-old “Apprentice” casting director.
But that wasn’t the only show in town this weekend.
At the Colorado Convention Center, taping of “Wheel of Fortune” took place Saturday, with more scheduled for today. The shows are to air later this year.
Those competing to get on “The Apprentice” at Kevin Taylor’s at the Opera House, a restaurant in the Denver Performing Arts Complex, ran the gamut. From the highly competitive – one 27- year-old had his own international company – to the middle-aged, middle manager seeking a career change.
“It’s putting business acumen to the test,” said Ben Poch, a 25- year-old director of business development at a technology company. “We love the competition. If it wasn’t like this, the world wouldn’t be any fun.”
For 31-year-old Todd Stoneman, it was his mother’s push that sent him there Saturday.
“A lot of people who have worked for me, and a lot of people I’ve worked for, have said I should be on the show,” said Stoneman, a real estate developer. “But my mom has been persistent.”
The interviews were about personality and character, not necessarily experience. The candidates, who sat around tables in groups of about a dozen, only got a minute or two to talk about themselves.
And then came the questions, What do you think about wiretapping in the United States? What do you think about the U.S. spreading democracy around the world?
The strangers had about 12 minutes to duke it out.
Casting directors, like Goslicky, smiled and listened intently but didn’t take any notes.
“When you sit here, it’s easy to see who’s good, but it’s hard to explain,” she said. “You look for the spark in them. They’re not necessarily the loudest, but they have a certain passion.”
Staff writer Allison Sherry can be reached at 303-820-1377 or asherry@denverpost.com.
