The Apprentice 3, Episode 5: Trailer Trashed

Back in the suite, Michael puts a frozen pizza in the oven as Erin asks him if he called the printers. Stephanie wanders into the kitchen and says it’s filthy. Bren calls to tell them the name, and Michael doesn’t think it’s a good idea. They’re not selling spa services, they’re selling massages. The word “massage” should be in the name. He’d be right but for the fact that the team did decide to offer services other than massages. Erin says Michael threw “a five-year-old tantrum.” As Michael takes the burned pizza from the oven, Erin orders vinyl wraps for the outside of the trailer. She says in an interview that Michael needs constant supervision, or he’ll just wander aimlessly. Michael wanders aimlessly in the kitchen.

Bren figures that since the rest of the team is at Kinko’s ordering signs, when they’re done, they can come out and bring everyone dinner. He calls Michael to tell him that, and Michael is not pleased. For one, he seems offended to do a task as mundane as delivering food. He says Bren is not an effective leader. Erin and Stephanie are also mad at the idea.

Angie is still calling casting directors, and things are tense at Net Worth. Finally, John says, after three and a half hours of her spinning her wheels, they have Tara get on the phone as John and Chris coach her. Tara calls a casting director and finds she’s reluctant to come out. John tells Tara to ask her how much money it would take to make it worth her while. She says at least $500. John has Tara offer her $1,000, and the woman immediately agrees. Tana is excited – this woman is well known. She did casting for Sex and the City and a movie with “Uma Thurma.” Tana also loves the way they’re decorating the trailer, sort of a retro look to go with the silver.

At Magna, Stephanie is still livid about having to deliver food from Manhattan to Queens. She says, “Bren sucks as a leader.” Michael thinks that Bren is “not all there.” When they arrive, Stephanie tells Bren how angry she is that they had to deliver food. Bren gives a sarcastic apology that she had to go out of her way, but “it had to be done.” He also asks why she’s complaining about it after the fact. In an interview, he says that Stephanie demoralizes all of them and that she is “a swimming pool with an inch full of water - shallow.” Stephanie continues to complain, saying they should have had the food delivered. Bren says if that’s the case, then she should have taken care of having that done.

They both kind of have a point. Having three people deliver food from Manhattan to Queens was a poor use of team resources. I’ve heard they have restaurants in Queens now that serve food and everything. Bren would have been better off calling one of them instead of having his teammates go all the way out there. On the other hand, if Stephanie thought of that idea, she should have suggested it to Bren instead of allowing him to fail and then complaining about it.

The next morning, Net Worth sets up their Actor Factor Casting business. Tana is pleased with their location on a busy street. Meredith, the casting director arrives, and they make her comfortable in the trailer. Then, Tana directs her team to spread the word. The trouble is, it doesn’t seem to be working. John says that the “droves” Angie promised have been more like “a trickle.” People are reluctant to pay $25 to meet with Meredith, and John says you can see the sweat on Angie’s brow. Craig reports that many actors have learned to never pay money to meet a casting director. Uh-oh.

Magna’s spa is up and running, and the room fills up quickly. Erin is outside, finding customers, and seems to be doing a really good job. Michael wanders the streets, muttering an offering of a massage that sounds really creepy. Just as I note that he sounds creepy, Michael tells the rest of the team that it comes across oddly for a man to offer you a massage. I don’t think it’s so much that he’s a man as it is the strange, downcast “you want a massage” way he approaches people. Erin, who clearly really hates Michael, says that he spent too much time complaining and not enough time solving his problem. Michael finds George and tells him that it’s creepy for a man to sell a massage. George disagrees, which should have been Michael’s first clue to get over it and get to work.

Meanwhile, Tana says that things were slow at first, but she tried to stay positive. Tara is outside looking for clients and does a very good job of explaining what they’re doing to a prospect. But by afternoon, the place is hopping. John says that most of the team would be outside, talking things up, then they’d send them in to pay Tana. He adds that it’s exciting to realize that they’re actually getting people work. Tana says she overheard that the jobs pay $75 an hour and thinks she’s in the wrong business. As the day ends, Tana is cautiously optimistic that they won.

Magna ends their day as well. Everyone applauds. Bren says that if they win, he’ll feel like he’s proven himself.

The teams gather in the boardroom, and Trump says he hopes that they did better this time than last time. Jill reports that Magna’s spa brought in $918.50. Trump says, “That’s sort of interesting.” George tells him that Net Worth took a risk with their casting idea, but it paid off – they brought in $991. Net Worth wins. As their reward, they’ll go on a $20,000 shopping spree at Mikimoto for pearls and will meet Miss USA and Miss Universe. Trump tells Tana that she is exempt next week. She tells him that she wanted to prove that she’s a good leader, and he congratulates her. Then, Tana hugs Angie and squeals, “Let’s go buy pearls!”

Magna glumly heads back to the suite. Kendra thinks they did the best they could. Bren thanks his team for their hard work and says he’s happy with himself. Stephanie hates losing. She thinks her team is smart, but that they lack street smarts. Did Stephanie just get here? I think that was kind of the point.

Net Worth goes shopping at Mikimoto. Everyone drools over the beautiful jewelry, and the beauty queens put the Miss Teen USA crown on Craig’s afro, which looks awesome. Tana says that the other women got jewelry for themselves, the men bought necklaces for their wives and girlfriends, and she bought a pair of cuff links for her husband.