Here's my analysis of each of The Apprentice candidates so far. I've broken them down into three groups: positive, neutral, and negative. Of course, this is all my opinion, so feel free to feel differently.
Positive - these are the candidates who have stepped up (so far) and look to be strong contenders for the top prize. In descending order...
Kelly - Kelly's earned major karma points so far by leading the men to their first ever victory - even going back to last season! Plus, he's only been shown in a "positive" light. He and Raj appear right now to be the top contenders (which could be on purpose to allow for an underdog story to emerge). One note: he is the oldest candidate and if you go back to Ep 1, Trump asserted that you could tell if someone is a star by age 22. Is Kelly too old to win? Hmmm.
Raj - while Raj looked to be a little whacko in Ep 1, everyone on his team likes him. Even when pressed by Trump to come up with dirt on Raj, the worst they could say about him was: "He's brilliant." He does come across as a little pompous, though. With Trump, that might come back to bite him.
Maria - has been shown in mostly positive light. During Ep 1, she was up with the whiteboard, facilitating brainstorming. Also, as shown in the extended version of Ep 1, she helped develop the winning toy idea. And in Ep 2 we see her orchestrating behind the scenes. Burnett cuts to Maria when he wants the rational view of what's really going on. To top it off, she appears to be well-liked by the women on the team because she's been involved in all the major discussions.
Neutral - these are candidates who either have not stood out yet, or have had both positive and negative exposures. In descending order...
Andy - he's "young and inexperienced," but he's doing well so far. Even if he were to make it all the way, I don't think Trump would hire him. If we see a couple more positive instances, I might move him up.
Kevin - while he hasn't gotten much airtime, his brother's cancer surviving story plays into the sympathy vote.
Jenn C - hard to say; she's done some good stuff and Trump said positive things about her. However, she got slammed in the boardroom for not knowing when to shut her trap. She's also the loser who aped Trump during the reward in Ep 1. I'll call her chances even. The fact that she's gotten so much airtime could mean she makes an early exit.
Jenn M - haven't seen enough of her yet to get a fix.
Sandy - another average blonde who hasn't really impressed us, but it could be they're saving her for the latter episodes.
Chris - one of the unremarkable guys on the team. We haven't seen him do too much so far, except gripe about Pam's interrogation of the ice cream guy.
John - another one of the unremarkable guys.
Negative - these are candidates about whom I would be shocked if they made it to the final four. In descending order...
Stacy - she's too short, and there is some negative stuff on the web videos, even though we haven't seen any of it yet on TV. Could easily move to neutral or positive though if gets more airtime.
Liz - her blathering in Ep 2 during the boardroom typified the ditzy, but attractive, stereotype. Otherise, not enough evidence.
Pam - Pam's "very, very hard edge," her snooty attitude, numerous questions at the ice cream plant, and her lethargic sales technique make her an unlikable character. Since I know her, I know she's better than that (although it's a fair assessment as is), but they're casting her in a bad light for a reason. She has the ability to go far, but she'll be a target the next time the team loses.
Wes - I view him as the weakest of the men. While some of them have not shown themselves yet, he's clearly failed already. His performance as Kelly's sales manager was abysmal. Not only did he not get any sales, but his approach in being the only one on the phone limited their chances.
Ivana - clearly gone as fast as Trump runs out of personal reasons for firing people. "You're a lousy leader," is pretty hard to come back from. Also, don't forget how she misrepresented StacieJ's effort during Ep 2: "I gave you busywork."
StacieJ - hated by everyone on her team, she's not getting much sympathy from Trump, either. If her team loses again, she could easily get fired right away. I personally think she's as capable as most of the other women, and she's articulate in the boardroom, but she's had too many major negatives to get hired now.
