The Apprentice: Los Angeles, Episode 2 - Making a Splash

Heidi wonders if Nicole approved the designs. If she did, she’s responsible. Ivanka agrees. Both are likeable and smart. The candidates return. Carey says that Trump is a businessman who takes risks, and that’s what he did. Trump says there’s a difference between a risk and a risk that can’t work. Carey says that the rest of the team approved the design. Trump asks Michelle if that’s true. Michelle says it’s not. She objected to several of Carey’s ideas. Why was the bikini pink? Trump is wearing a pink tie, but he’d never wear a pink bathing suit. Nicole says that pink is the new black, so they tried it. Trump says that a tie or shirt is different.

Why is Michelle there? Carey says that Michelle refused to have input in the price point. You can’t be indecisive. Trump says they didn’t lose this time because of price point. They might have last time, but not this time. Carey agrees, and says that’s all the more reason to stay off the fence. Nicole says they didn’t lose because of that, but that it was frustrating. Carey says that if you want to be a leader, you need to be decisive.

Michelle says she wasn’t being indecisive, she was being smart. She didn’t have any research, so she didn’t feel comfortable giving an answer. Heidi agrees with her. One group should be delegated for pricing, not everybody. She doesn’t think Michelle should be there. Michelle would fire Carey. Carey adds that his designs were approved by the rest of the team. Trump holds the suit gingerly and says it’s not for men. Be careful not to touch them, Trump, or you might accidentally turn gay! Carey says there is a marketplace for it. Ivanka thinks that it’s too narrow. If they only have three suits, they should do something more universal. She’s right. There is definitely a market for suits like that, and there are definitely guys who’d wear it, but if you’re not selling specifically to that audience, it’s just too small a group. Trump says he’s “a pretty wild guy” but he’d never wear a pink suit. The suit wouldn’t sell. Carey says that if the team had said no, he’d have designed something else.

Michelle says Carey ramrodded his designs down everybody’s throats. We will avoid any gay jokes and just let that one stand, shall we? Trump can’t believe Carey is still trying to convince him it would work. Trump then fires Carey, but says he can keep the suit.

Carey thanks Trump graciously, and the candidates leave. Trump says it was a tough call and that Carey is a great guy. Heidi says Trump made the right choice. Michelle and Nicole wish him luck. “This sucks,” sighs Michelle. The two watch him drive off.

In his final interview, Carey says he’s disappointed. He never ramrodded anything, and he thinks Michelle will continue to be a hindrance.

Despite what Trump said, this was not a tough call at all. Carey may be a nice guy and all, but the team lost because of men’s wear – in fact given that they only sold $300 some dollars in men’s wear, they must have done very well with the women’s. Carey designed the men’s suits, and he targeted too narrow an audience. It was his fault that they lost. As for the other two, I’ll be interested to see if Michelle tries to make nice in upcoming tasks. Nicole wasn’t great as a project manager and should have nixed Carey’s idea, but given the success of the women’s line and the support her team gave her, she must have done something right.

I am really fairly disgusted with the turn that this season has taken. This show is supposed to be about business. Trump says repeatedly that it is a job interview. Since when is it appropriate to take job candidates – especially a primarily female group – to the freaking Playboy mansion for a pool party? Since when is it appropriate for there to be a swimsuit portion to a job interview for something other than Miss America (or Trump’s own Miss USA)? And now, next week the task somehow relates to the LA Laker cheerleaders. Our female candidates, who are smart and have amazing resumes in business, are forced yet again to hang around women in skimpy outfits who are marginalized to entertaining men by being sexy. The lack of respect this show is giving to women in business is absolutely appalling. Why any of these women would want to work for someone like Donald Trump is beyond me.

Betsy Wasser is the Associate Editor of Reality News Online. She can be reached with any comments at betsywasser@gmail.com

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