The Apprentice 4, Episode 9: Hitting a Sour Note

Capital Edge introduces Levi to the executives. Felisha says that they loved Levi’s passion and organic roots. Adam says that it was easy to tell Levi’s story. Levi says that the team really worked with him, and he appreciates their efforts. I wonder how much the two teams actually wrote the songs, and how much they got help from the producers and singers, because I know I wouldn’t have the first clue how to write a song. They play the song on XM, and Trump, in his limo, tunes in. Listeners call in with their comments, and across the board, it’s a hit. Felisha is thrilled, because she felt personally invested in this song. She applauds Levi and tells him it’s all because of him, which is cool.

Now it’s Excel’s turn. Rebecca starts to introduce Jide, but Clay misses his cue and lets Jide in too early, pretty much ankling Rebecca’s presentation. Did I say ankle? Oops, sorry. In an interview, Rebecca says that Clay consistently moves off course.

Randal shows a promotional poster they designed to showcase new artist Jide on the Café. The executives immediately notice that the channel number is wrong. Ooh, that’s not good. However, I am grateful that Randal made the poster so that I could spell Jide’s name right.

They play the song, and while it’s good, it’s totally wrong for the “soft alternative” format of the Café. The executives are not happy, and one asks, “Seriously, I mean, can you hear this on the Café?” They agree that it’s not a good match. The listeners call in, and they’re overwhelmingly negative. One says it had too much of a beat to it, another calls it formulaic. Rebecca can’t believe the reaction and thought these sophisticated listeners would like the song better.

Trump arrives, and the executives report that although the teams made two good records, there was a clear winner. Capital Edge really knew Levi, and they felt his song fit well with the station. Excel had a great story to tell, but they didn’t hear it in the song. It wasn’t right for the Café. Capital Edge wins. Everyone hugs, and Clay doesn’t look happy. For their reward, they’ll take a helicopter tour of New York.

I was feeling sorry for Jide, who was excellent, getting such harsh criticism. But on the other hand, he was exposed not only to listeners on XM, but also to all of us who watched us on TV, so I hope he’s feeling good about that.

Capital Edge climbs into Trump’s helicopter. Felisha is thrilled to spend some time with Donald Trump. Alla says that Trump is the king of New York, no doubt about it. As the team flies by the Statue of Liberty, Adam is reminded of his dad, who immigrated to the United States.

Back in the suite, Randal says that this was the hardest loss yet. It was subjective, so it was disappointing. I think he and Rebecca are also disappointed because they really liked Jide’s music and believed in it. Randal says that the channel number was his mistake, and he’ll own up to it. They agree that the song itself was hot. Rebecca thinks they would have done better without the distraction of Clay on their team.

The candidates head to the boardroom. Rebecca says that writing the song was a group effort, but Clay quickly says that Rebecca took away his concept. Rebecca maintains that “What About Me” was the wrong direction to take. A twenty-four year old man wouldn’t say that; it sounds weak and whiny. Trump reminds Rebecca that they wanted Clay on their team because he is creative. Rebecca says that he wasn’t as good as she thought he’d be. She does think, though, that Clay is more creative than Randal. Well, sure. This coffee mug on my desk is more creative than Randal, but I don’t think that matters since Trump isn’t hiring an artist.

Trump points out that Clay had problems with his previous team. Really, at this point, Rebecca and Randal need to just not screw up, and they’re home free. Rebecca says that Clay was difficult to work with, but she’s not sure if the other project managers had the same problem. Trump says that she’s very honest. Clay says he is honest too. Trump counters that he doesn’t know about that, but he does know that Clay is difficult. Randal and Rebecca, Trump says, were two stars and are now “reduced to nothing” after a task with Clay.

Carolyn asks about the presentation. Rebecca says that she wanted to tell the story, but Clay encouraged her not to with the productive use of violin gestures. Clay says that Rebecca was going in the wrong direction and needed to focus differently. How, we don’t know. Carolyn is surprised that Jide didn’t speak. Rebecca wanted him to, but Clay did not. Clay says he wanted his voice to be heard in the music. Carolyn thinks that was a mistake. Clay says that if it was, it was one of only a few small ones that he made. Carolyn, bless her, disagrees.

Randal admits that the wrong channel number in the poster was his fault. Trump thinks it might be a firing-type offense. Randal agrees evenly that his mistake was “not small.” Rebecca adds that it was huge. She says that Randal missed some main points. Randal disagrees. He adds that he was the one who came up with the idea of making a marketing poster. George says that with the wrong number on it, they might have been better off without it.

George goes on to say that the reason they lost was that they got the format wrong. Word, George. Randal says that they took a risk. George responds that it wasn’t a risk, it was suicide.

Trump says that all of them made mistakes. Clay has been considered hard to work with – does he have a negative effect on his team? Rebecca, Trump says, has been great, but not this week. But he’s most disappointed with Randal. Trump says he’s too good for a mistake like that, and Randal agrees. Trump says that none of them should be proud of how they did, so in a task like this, he has to go by past history. Rebecca, Trump says, couldn’t work with Clay. Alla and Adam said the same. Clay creates problems. Clay is fired.

As Clay walks to the elevator, he winks at the camera. Trump says to George and Carolyn that he had to rely on past performances. In his cab home, Clay says that Rebecca and Randal are not creative at all. He predicts they’ll lose the next task. As for Capital Edge, he feels sorry for them. With him gone, Alla will have no one to pick on.

Next week, we have two episodes back to back, so here’s hoping I can get out of my Thanksgiving-induced food coma in order to write them. One of the teams will resort to sabotage. And, the final four will be revealed. Why not predict them: Randal, Rebecca, Alla, and Felisha are my picks.

Betsy Wasser is the Associate Editor of Reality News Online. Her favorite XM channel is Ethel. She can be reached with any comments at sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! For more news about this show, be sure to check out SirLinksALot’s Apprentice page!