The Apprentice 3, Episode 1: Have it Your Way

The candidates return. Trump asks Todd why he chose Alex. Todd explains that Alex managed the point of sale. He agrees that it was a mistake not to train more people to work the registers. Alex takes responsibility for not training more people. This gets Trump’s attention, because he thought before that Alex was safe, but now he’s not so sure. Alex still thinks the problem is Todd’s fault. George seems to agree, saying that the leader shouldn’t have delegated such an important task. Todd says that Danny is “uncontrollable.” Trump says that Todd couldn’t control Danny.

Trump tells Alex that he did a lousy job by not training more people. Todd, on the other hand, didn’t lead and didn’t have the respect of his team. Danny is “a disaster.” Still, Todd is fired, for a total lack of leadership.

The three men leave, and Trump says again that Todd was a terrible leader. He was afraid of everyone, including Danny. Carolyn wisely notes, “Danny was a convenient scapegoat for everybody.”

I think Danny did a terrible job on this task, but I still think Trump made the right decision. The team’s two weaknesses were a weird, unfocused, weak marketing campaign and not having enough people who could sell the product. Of the two, having too few people working the registers was a bigger problem. Even if Danny had come up with an incredible promotion, the team still would have lost because no one wants to go into Burger King at lunch and wait in a long line, especially in New York where you could just walk a few blocks and go to another Burger King. Todd should have had a hand in both the point of sale side and the marketing side, but instead, he seemed to do neither.

In Todd’s final cab ride, he says he was “really, really bummed” that he lost. He says he delegated too much responsibility. He wishes the other candidates luck, and lets any prospective employers watching know that he needs a job!

Next week, the pressure is on as the candidates renovate motels. And for the first time, one of the candidates walks off. Intriguing! Plus, in the boardroom, something prompts Trump to say, “I’ve never been in this position before.” What’s going on? Well I for one am dying to know. This was a great episode. I love the dynamic between the two teams and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Betsy Wasser is the Associate Editor of Reality News Online. She can be reached with any comments at betsyw42@hotmail.com

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