NEW YORK - When Kelly Perdew was listening to executives and former candidates from NBC's "The Apprentice" commend his work during the behemoth three-hour finale of the 15-week job interview, he wasn't imagining what his business cards would look like just yet.
"I was wondering in the back of my mind, 'Is this a giant setup for a fall?'" Perdew told The Associated Press Monday.
Turns out the cheerleading, which Kelly himself called "lopsided," helped sway real estate mogul Donald Trump, who selected the software executive, described by some as robotic, as his new "Apprentice."
Perdew was given the choice of a job in Las Vegas or New York, and chose to help Trump on his massive development on Manhattan's West Side.
"I am a machine when it comes to business," Perdew deadpanned when asked about his mechanical mannerisms.
The 37-year-old successfully navigated the interview by winning 12 tasks, taking calculated risks and "giving it 100 percent." His secret weapon, which was left on the cutting room floor, was a standard operating procedures manual he created, continually used by the Mosaic team after each task. Perdew said the document consisted of "20 things the project manager needed to do so they didn't run around like a chicken with their head cut off."
"It's basically straight out of Ranger School," he said.
Despite his education and computer savvy in creating several e-businesses, attention throughout the second season and last week's finale - when he was selected over lawyer Jennifer Massey - was given to Perdew's time spent in the U.S. Army.
"I'm proud of it. It's helped shape who I am," he told the AP. "But the reality is I was in the Army for three years after West Point. I haven't been in the Army for almost 12 years."
Now Perdew will report to Gen. Trump for a year, earning a six-figure salary - and a yearlong supply of Wisk. When asked about his sudsy prize, Perdew replied not with a robotic response but with giggling. He hadn't been told about the detergent treat.
"Well, I do like to stay clean," he told the AP.
On the Net:
http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The-Apprentice-2/index.shtml
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