The Apprentice 2, Episode 7: Dog Eat Dog

The candidates hang out in the suite, wondering what’s happening to their collegues in the boardroom. Everyone knows that John brought Kevin and Andy into the boardroom and wonder what will happen. Kelly says that Andy is at risk because he asks too many questions. Wes, however, thinks Andy is creative, and that he contributed more to the fashion task than John did. Sure enough, Andy and Kevin return – John was fired. Wes says people should think twice before taking Andy to the boardroom, as obviously Trump sees something in him that he likes. Everyone sits down to dinner when the Trump Phone rings. Everyone is surprised to learn that they need to report back to the boardroom immediately. In my favorite line of the night, Andy says he doesn’t want to go to the boardroom again – “I just got back. I wanted to eat my taco.”

Everyone files in to the boardroom, and Trump notes that some of them are not as well dressed as he’s used to seeing them. He’s surprised they weren’t prepared. Right, like they should be sitting around the suite in their suits at all times. Trump tells the teams to pick project managers right away. After some huddling, the men choose Wes and the women choose Jennifer. Trump tells them that it’s time for a corporate reshuffle. But in a cruel twist to the always cruel practice of picking teams, the project managers must choose three people that they don’t want on their teams. Jennifer gets rid of Sandy, Maria, and Stacy. Good choices all – Sandy doesn’t seem to contribute much, Maria hasn’t done anything too impressive yet, and Lil Stacy seems to be an annoying mosquito that everyone just wants to swat away. Wes sends Raj to the women, then Chris and a surprised looking Kevin. I’m not sure why Wes chose as he did, but I think it was a smart move to hang on to Kelly, who has done really well in several tasks.

Trump tells the candidates that Jennifer’s team will be Apex, and Wes’s team will be Mosaic. He wonders aloud if the players will be happy to be where they are, or annoyed to have been traded. Sandy obviously has the latter attitude, and says in an interview that she’s determined to make Jennifer regret sending her to the other team.

Back in the suite, Wes gathers new Mosaic together so that he can learn more about his new teammates. He says that he already knows that Lil Stacy is good at “arguing and asking questions.” Obviously, her reputation has preceded her. Stacy tells him that her questions helped the team. Yes, that must be why she went to the boardroom so very many times. Then, in an interview, she says that the guys have the perception that she’s very opinionated, and she proudly says it’s true. Then, we see her blathering a million miles a minute, asking rapid-fire questions about how the men operate. In an interview, Wes says Lil Stacy never shuts up, and that her constant second guessing wastes a lot of time.

Meanwhile, Jennifer asks her new team members to discuss their strengths and weaknesses, but she’d like to hear the answers from their teammates. Kevin says that Raj has great ideas, but can be long-winded at times, and can also be a little too creative. Jennifer promises to stifle that creativity. Hee! In an interview, Raj wonders how Jennifer will be as a project manager. He says that she’s analytical and calculating, as well as beautiful, an especially dangerous combination. Laws, does Raj love the ladies. I have a feeling that if Trump fires him later, on his way out of the boardroom, he’ll ask the beautiful Carolyn what she’s doing after.

The next morning, the Trump Phone rings, and the candidates learn they need to meet in Central Park. There, Trump gives them their latest challenge: they must create a dog service business of some kind. Whichever team has the most money at the end wins. George is away on business, so Allen, who you might remember from last season’s interview episode, will be taking his place. As the candidates get ready for the task, Lil Stacy says in an interview that she’s not really a dog person, but she’ll do whatever it takes to win.

It’s time for the Trump Lesson of the Week! This week: “Sell your ideas.” Trump tells us that if you have a good idea, keep selling it. Some of the best ideas were initially met with resistance.

The new Apex team is made up of Chris, Jennifer, Raj, Kevin, Ivana, and Elizabeth. Chris says that he doesn’t have the education his teammates have, but that he’s been an entrepreneur since he was 11 and makes more money than the rest of them do. I didn’t hear anyone ask, Chris, but okay. Jennifer quickly decides that they will start a pet grooming business. They have $1,000 seed money, so she sends a delegation to a pet supplier for shampoo, dog biscuits, and so forth.

The team gets to work right away. Elizabeth promotes the service as “doggie makeovers,” which is a cute gimmick. Their price is $20, prompting one potential customer to say, “You just lost me.” Raj is worried that their plan isn’t working. The dogs either hate baths or their owners don’t have any cash on them. They’ve only washed 10 dogs so far, and Raj is concerned. He suggests to Jennifer that they send some people to the other side of the park to set up a second location. She says no, that she needs him there to sell. Raj thinks it’s a mistake, saying, “I think we’re moving down a path towards defeat and doom.”

Wes, Andy, Sandy, Maria, Kelly, and Lil Stacy are the new Mosaic team. Kelly is worried about how to work with Lil Stacy. She can be really annoying, and the pitch of her questions gets on his nerves. Wes says that they’ve decided to do a dog wash, and to give the proceeds to charity. They’d like to work with the Fire Department of New York, but soon discover that plan won’t work. Lil Stacy is frustrated because they wasted a lot of time pursuing that idea. I didn’t hear her come up with another one, but no matter. In an interview, she says, “But that was not my responsibility. Our failure was attributed solely to Wes.” Ever notice how nothing is ever Stacy’s fault?