The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, Episode 4: Unfinished Business

A lot has been going on in the land of The Apprentice: Martha Stewart since the last episode. I got emails from a record number of readers. Thanks to everyone who emailed me their two cents on the show. At the same time, debate about the Conference Room raged among RNO writers. The results? Shawn’s comment to Charles that if they lost, he could fire her earned her a Reality TV Hall of Shame moment. And although discussion was heated about whether or not Martha herself should join her there for bypassing the picks of the project manager, we ultimately decided that she did not deserve a Moment of her own. You can read all about why right here. Now on with this week’s show!

While Matchstick is in the Conference Room, Primarius is celebrating another win with a rooftop picnic that looks like a lot of fun. They toast their victory and are ready for the next challenge. When they come downstairs (presumably on a booze run), they notice that some of Matchstick’s suitcases are back, but that there are no team members in the loft. Where could they be? Did they all quit? Did Martha fire all of them? The speculation ends when the remaining members of Matchstick return to the suite.

Carrie is shocked that Shawn was fired, and considered her one of the stronger members of the team. Jim tells everyone about Shawn’s infamous “fake it ‘til you make it” comment. David says that one thing he’s learned is that absolutely nothing is clear cut. Not even that the project manager’s picks are the ones who might get fired, apparently! The members of Primarius find Shawn’s “fake it” comment just as objectionable as Martha did. There is no faking it, they say. There are no cheesy salesmen. And bless the fabulous editor who then cut to a shot of Jim. It’s a good thing.

And speaking of Jim, he’s sick and tired of losing, but he knows that Primarius is going down, and when they do, all of their weaknesses will be exposed. And when that happens, he vows to “drink in their tears like the nectar of the gods.” So for those of you keeping score at home, Jim? Still nutty.

The candidates gather the next day in the Conference Room for their next task. Martha talks to them via satellite from her house on Turkey Hill Road. She shows off her house, which she remodeled to its current splendor. The candidates will face a similar challenge. Each team will get an empty two bedroom suite at the Westin Hotel. The hotel is undergoing a renewal campaign, and Martha wants the teams to remodel their rooms in accordance with that theme. The suite should be a “lifestyle” suite, and whether that lifestyle is fitness, love, or something else entirely is totally up to the teams. Martha tells them, “You have to have a vision,” in order to win. They’ll be judged by a focus group of Westin executives and preferred guests. Matchstick, Martha reminds us, has had three losses in a row, so she will leave Alexis and Charles to handle a change.

Alexis and Charles ask the members of Primarius which of them thinks they could lead their team to victory. All of them raise their hands. Okay, then who could lead Matchstick to victory? Those hands all go down, until Leslie finally raises her hand. Charles says he admires her confidence and sends her to lead Matchstick.

Leslie goes over to join her team. In an interview, she says that she really believes she can make the team win. Amanda from Primarius isn’t so sure. In an interview, she says she was surprised that Leslie volunteered, but not upset. Leslie, she says, was one of their weaker players, so it’s no loss. Ouch.

Primarius starts by going to see their suite. Jennifer is really excited about the task and admires the huge rooms and the view. The floors and walls are stripped, there are no lights, no window treatments, nothing. She feels a bit daunted by the enormity of the task. Amanda volunteers to be project manager. She wants something that meets a niche, but she doesn’t want anything too specialized. Obviously, Amanda was paying attention to why Matchstick lost their last task. They toss out some ideas – a gym? A spa? Sarah suggests entertaining, and everyone loves the idea. Amanda says she wants gays all over the suite – or she does until I rewind my Tivo and hear her right – she wants games all around the suite. Oh. Well, I guess that’ll be entertaining, too.

Carrie says that she works a lot with color in her job, and as soon as she heard what the task was, she had some ideas. She pulls out some color swatches. Amanda says that she really wants to hire a designer to make those decisions. Carrie says that’s fine, but she’s clearly offended.

Leslie starts things off at Matchstick with a vow to get them organized. Lack of organization, Leslie thinks, is the reason they keep losing. She kicks things off with a two-hour brainstorming session to come up with a concept. Yikes, two hours is a long time to sit around and throw out ideas. After a while, that kind of meeting just isn’t productive. The team members start brainstorming. Bethenny says that the concept needs to appeal to corporate clients. David runs with that and suggests setting up the room for strong presentations. In an interview, Dawn says that they are spending way too much time on this part of the task. Their ideas are all over the place, and there doesn’t seem to be much focus from what I can see. As they continue to talk, Jim looks at his watch. In an interview, he says that Leslie is wasting time. Wow, did Jim and Dawn just agree on something?