The Apprentice 4, Episode 6: Friggin’ Slaughter

Previously on The Apprentice, I went on vacation and Jenn Brasler stepped in for me as the Bill to my George. Thanks, Jenn! I did, of course, watch the show last week. Jennifer should feel incredibly lucky that she botched the task so badly and still didn’t get fired. It amuses me that each and every week, Capital Edge claims to have one team member who is hurting them, and if that one person would just go away, they’d all be okay. Last week it was Kristi, but before that they just needed to get rid of Toral, and before her, Melissa. Funny how the problems continue.

The candidates are waiting in the suite to find out the results of the Boardroom. Felisha and Alla hope that Jennifer will be the one fired. Alla says that she needs to be project manager next, and she knows how to use Kristi. Felisha says that if Kristi doesn’t walk through the door, she will be devastated. Well, prepare to be devastated, Felisha, because here comes Jennifer. When she walks into the suite, candidates welcome her back with wildly varying degrees of enthusiasm.

Jennifer says in an interview that she made mistakes in that task. She was genuinely worried going into the Boardroom, but at the same time, she was confident. She knew she was better than Kristi. She talks to her team and says that they are starting this task with a clean slate, and that now that Kristi is gone, they will be “unstoppable.” Huh, that sounds familiar. Could it be because they said the same thing last week? Alla says in an interview that she has not led the team yet, but she will in the next task. She’s confident that she has what it takes to make the team finally gel.

The Trump Phone rings, and Clay gets it. Rhona tells him to have the teams choose project managers and meet in the Boardroom the next morning. Clay thinks the choice of the Boardroom is “interesting.” In an interview, my boyfriend Josh agrees. He thinks that “something funky” is about to happen. Oooh, maybe George Clinton will be there! That would be funky.

The candidates gather in the Boardroom, and we’re treated to a long, lingering shot of Trump’s door. Carolyn finally breaks the silence, telling the candidates that Trump and George are away on business, so she and Bill will be in charge. She moves over to Trump’s chair and says it feels good. Carolyn reports that Capital Edge has been decimated, and in the Trump organization, when something doesn’t work, “we fix it.” Project manager Alla must choose the three members of her team who have contributed the least and send them over to Excel. Alla hesitates only briefly before sending away Jennifer, Rebecca, and Marshawn. Marshawn? Marshawn is one of the best ones!

My boyfriend Josh is the project manager of Excel. Carolyn says that although he has a successful team, surely there are weak links. He’s to choose three people to go over to Capital Edge. I go ahead and write down “Markus” as one of the people he’ll choose. Naturally, he does, along with Clay and Adam. Since Josh is not a fan of Clay’s bitch coat, and because I keep forgetting there’s a guy named Adam on this show, those seem like good choices.

Carolyn explains the task. The teams will go to Dick’s Sporting Goods, where they will create an interactive event based on the sport of their choice. They will have the services of contractors to help them build whatever they want. The team that creates the biggest increase in revenue in their given sport’s equipment wins. Because Brian was granted an exemption by his team last week, he is safe. She sends the teams on their way.

I have to say, Carolyn is a natural in Trump’s role. They could ditch The Apprentice: Martha Stewart and replace it with The Apprentice: Carolyn and probably do great. Carolyn rules.

Capital Edge (Alla, Randal, Felisha, Clay, Markus, and Adam) quickly learns that none of them really play any sports. Markus suggests that they go with golf, and the team quickly agrees to go for it. Golf is a great choice. Both men and women play the sport, there is tons of golf merchandise to sell, and people who play golf definitely spend money on their hobby. Clay says their concept will be a “golf makeover.” They’ll sell clothing, accessories, and equipment. Alla interrupts to ask what they are going to build. Clay says that Alla is demanding. In an interview, he says she’s not concerned with any of the logistics, just the big picture. Clay wants to build a big enclosed area, but Alla shuts that idea down. In an interview, she says that they shouldn’t close off access to the merchandise they’re trying to sell. The task, she reminds us, is all about sales. In an interview, Clay says that Alla ignores other people’s ideas. Gee, I think these two might not like each other very much.

Excel, now made up of my boyfriend Josh, Mark, James, Jennifer, Brian, Marshawn, and Rebecca, brainstorms about their sport. Rebecca suggests soccer, but James prefers baseball, and the team loves the idea of a day at the baseball field. Each base will be a selling station devoted to a different kind of merchandise. That’s a very clever idea – I love it. They’ll also have a batting cage, which sounds awesome. James loves baseball and says that he’s very passionate about this task. “It’s a homerun,” he says with a smile.

James, Mark, and Jen return to the suite, and Jen talks about her plans to sell lots of radar guns. She doesn’t think the eight they have in stock will be enough. James and Mark seem a bit dubious of her ability to sell such a big ticket item. I’m right there with them. She’d do better if she focused on selling, say, baseball gloves, which are a far easier sell. Who needs a radar gun? In an interview, Mark says that Jennifer believes in her selling skills, which is great, but now she has to prove herself or she will be very vulnerable if they lose. Jen says, “I love the radar gun. Is that what it’s called?” Oh, Jennifer.

It’s time for the Trump Lesson of the Week: Take it to the limit. Trump says that in business, you must all challenge each other to be better. And now for the Betsy Lesson of the Week. This week’s Betsy Lesson is that if at all possible, you should always have something to read with you. You never know when you’ll get stuck waiting in a long line. If you have a book or magazine with you, you’ve got built in entertainment.

It’s the morning of the task, and Josh is “fired up.” They go into the store, and the baseball diamond looks awesome. Regretfully, no one says “If you build it, they will come.” But before the event starts, they need to set up the batting cage. It needs to be big – 12 feet by 36 feet. Josh thinks the batting cage will be the centerpiece of the event and will drive sales. The problem, Marshawn quickly points out, is that the batting cage takes up a lot of space, so they can’t really set up the stations at each base like they’d planned. The product that they’re supposed to sell is hidden, a fact for which she blames Josh.