Kendra Todd is hired; former Utahn is fired

Published: Friday, May 20 2005 9:19 a.m. MDT

"You're hired," entrepreneur Donald Trump told contestant Kendra Todd during Thursday night's live finale to the third season of TV's "The Apprentice," making her the first woman to win NBC's boardroom competition.

Todd, a real estate broker from Florida, was praised by Trump for coming on strong in the past few weeks. By winning, she aced out former Utahn Tana Goertz, 37, now a mom and successful cosmetics saleswoman from Des Moines, Iowa. Goertz lived briefly in Utah a few years ago, and her parents still live here.

Todd's win earns her a job with The Trump Organization and a $250,000 salary. Trump is already in search of a fourth apprentice, and a spin-off "Apprentice" starring Martha Stewart is in production.