Sixteen hours of camping out won Chicagoan Je Wesley, 27, the coveted first spot in line.
Nearby, the intrepid Erin Daley, 24, waited in the cold after traveling from Naples, Fla.
But perhaps the most ambitious, entrepreneurial-minded among the hundreds who lined up Saturday morning outside NBC Tower to try out for a spot on “The Apprentice” was Carmen Lumpkin.
The Bronzeville woman showed up to drop off a friend, saw the long line and seized the chance to capitalize on the situation. Zipping to a nearby grocery store, she grabbed some breakfast bars, fresh fruit and juice and sold the snacks.
“Instead of sitting here and waiting, I figured I might as well make some money,” she said. “… I made a small profit.”
Donald Trump and Martha Stewart would be impressed.
And that’s what all the people in line were hoping to accomplish. Many saw the interview as the first part of the competition and went all out–toting boxes full of certificates, awards, items documenting their accomplishments and props to grab attention.
Wesley propped up a portrait of himself declaring he is Trump’s next apprentice. He also made T-shirts for the show’s casting directors. “I want to stand out and be different,” he said. “I wanted to intimidate the others and let them know who they are going against.”
Daley flew in hoping she’d be able to get a spot on the show with help from her “personal connections,” she said. Before she showed up in Chicago, she called friends until she got a link to an NBC executive who she hoped would open a door. “I believe in doing the best job I can do,” she said.
Many of the businessmen and women, who stood in line for hours, said they just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to compete for a job on television.
Wrapped in blankets, wearing their very best business suits and carrying briefcases and portfolios, more than 500 showed up for a shot at being Trump’s or Stewart’s apprentice. The line for one of several 10-minute group interviews with casting directors stretched far down Columbus Drive.
