The Apprentice: Martha Stewart Finale: Sweet Dreams

Martha, Alexis, and Charles all get ready for the finale. Wow, Alexis looks good. Makeup is an amazing thing. Martha says it’s good to have had time to think about this hire. Charles wonders aloud who Martha will choose. Alexis says that one is creative, but the other is business oriented. They arrive at the studio where Martha’s daytime show is filmed, and for the first time I noticed that with her striking orange jacket, Martha is sporting some rather ill-advised sparkly pants. Martha welcomes us to the show and assures us that she has taken this challenge very seriously. Bethenny, she reminds us, was in charge of running a circus event, while Dawna was challenged with a fashion show. Let’s see how they did.

We begin with the fashion show. Amanda Liz executive Linda that the outfits aren’t all set yet, but she’ll have the run of show for her at 8:00. Linda is not happy. In an interview, Dawna says that Linda is really tough. She’s going to do her best to please her, but she’s not sure if that’s even possible. Why do I get the feeling that everyone who currently works for Linda watched that and collectively said, “Word”? Linda asks Amanda about hair and makeup, then corrects her when she says “Liz Clay-burn” instead of “Liz Clay-born.” Oops. What would Omarosa’s favorite designer Isaac Mizharhee think? In an interview, Sarah says that Linda doesn’t have much sympathy for their tight deadline. Well, I can’t really blame her for that – it is her business up on the stage, and she probably really doesn’t care whether or not Dawna gets a job working for Martha Stewart. Dawna and Sarah go to the event venue and leave Amanda in charge.

At the circus, Bethenny greets the performers and tells them that there’s pizza if anyone is hungry. That seems to go a long way towards making everyone feel better. Circus Jim, who two seconds ago was about to burst a vein, rolls his eyes at first, but then says that they’ll pull through.

Dawna calls Amanda and is nervous because they need to get the programs to print. Dawna thinks the whole team should be together, because they’re wasting too much time on the phone. Amanda promises her she’ll get it done and clearly does not want to leave Liz Claiborne. In an interview, Amanda says she feels frustrated – Dawna needs to trust her to get the job done. Dawna tells her that after they finish the gift bags (always a critical part of an Apprentice final task) that they’ll come help her.

Meanwhile, Jim says hello to Carrie and enjoys a dinner of Pringles. Carrie asks if Bethenny has given him a job to do, and Jim immediately says that she hasn’t, and that Bethenny is a complete mess. Considering that Jim has been the most loyal to Bethenny, ouch. They’re worried about the VIP event. Carrie complains that Dawna has spent so much time working on the silent auction that she hasn’t done anything else. She holds up a scrawled piece of paper and says those are the notes she has to work from. In an interview, Carrie says that at this point, they can either take over and pull out a win or sit back and watch Bethenny fail. Because their names are attached to this event, she wants to win. Carrie finds Bethenny and asks her about the VIP event. Bethenny assures her that she’s on top of it, and I believe her. In an interview, Bethenny says her team should have some faith in her – she didn’t get as far as she did without knowing a thing or two. She’s sitting back now, but she’ll grab the reigns later. Not good, Bethenny – there’s work to be done now.

Over at Liz Claiborne, Amanda is still accessorizing the outfits, saying that it’s a harder job than it looks like it would be. I’ve worked with fashion stylists, and I can vouch for this. There’s a lot more to it than picking out a cute pair of shoes. Dawna asks how they can help with the run of show for Linda. Amanda offers to take care of it so they can all get some rest. I think Amanda is used to being in charge of most things and isn’t good at letting people help her. Dawna is determined to stay and help Amanda out. In an interview, Amanda dramatically says that if she chooses the wrong outfit, “The entire Liz Claiborne line will be in jeopardy.” Next to me on the couch, my mom says, “I know my friends and I will stop buying it.” The pressure’s on, Amanda!

We get a quick visit after the commercial from Martha, who says the teams were off to a rocky start.

Dawna feels like she’s at the end of a race. She and Sarah arrive at Capitale as Amanda finshes reviewing the run of show with Linda. Dawna says that she feels calm, but she suspects it’s the calm before the storm. Dawna pulls out an elaborate typed list. She admits that it’s a lot written down, but she prefers to work that way. I think her list is absolutely beautiful. She hopes that Linda won’t have very many changes to the run of show.

Will you look at that? Dawna jinxed herself. Linda is not happy with what Amanda has so far. There are, she says, “glaring mistakes.” One is listing a skirt as a jacket, a mistake that Amanda immediately blames on Sarah. Thanks, Amanda. What a pal. Linda then lectures Amanda on how there is a big difference between a sweater and a cardigan (my guess: buttons). She tells Amanda she’ll trust her to make those changes. Amanda is incredibly stressed because she doesn’t think she’ll have time for the programs. They were her responsibility, and she’s upset.

At the circus, Jim is setting things up. Bethenny works with the caterer and says that they need “more décor.” It’s hard to make a “gritty nightclub” into a circus, and she has to get creative with what she has. At the same time, she has to give all of the sponsors equal exposure. Bethenny tells the caterer, “I love you. You’re like me.” Jim gives the highest praise he can muster, which is that if the place looks acceptable, they might be able to pull this off. Bethenny looks pleased with how things are coming together.