The Apprentice: Los Angeles, Episode 3 - Take This Job and Shove It

Aaron’s team sends James to take a tour for himself to find out what people like and don’t like about the tour. Man, this is a lot of set-up for the task. James says that they need to avoid unfunny jokes, which is certainly a good plan. He talks to the other people on the bus, and they agree that it would be great to have refreshments. Water, candy, something like that. Aaron loves the idea, and plans on Perrier and popcorn.

Back at the hotel, everyone is downing mojitos and giggling. Muna basks in the pool while other team members get poolside massages. Marisa thinks that the rest will restore them. They’ll be even more positive going into the next task.

Michelle’s team scopes out potential landmarks. Michelle tells Tim to write down what he sees. Tim dutifully notes a strip club. They pass cheesy gift shops and massage parlors. Michelle realizes that Hollywood isn’t the right place for this kind of tour. Right, Beverly Hills would be more apt. She asks if it’s okay to be second-guessing. Tim agrees, and Michelle says they should do Beverly Hills. But a two-hour drive through there is “boring.” Tim says they need to make a decision. Michelle continues to hem and haw.

Meanwhile, Frank tells Nicole that if he needs to be “a solider,” he’s glad to do it. Maybe instead of being a soldier, he could drop the corporate babble and just do some work. Dial it down several notches. I know we viewers would appreciate it. Frank is frustrated because they’re not getting things done. Nicole says that the two of them took over and started solving things. They get some tuxedos to add an ambiance of class. They then create banners for the bus with the name of the tour. Nicole and Frank say they’re doing whatever they can to win.

Michelle, meanwhile, is still trying to decide if the tour should be in Hollywood or Beverly Hills. This has been going on for so long that it’s dark outside. Tim says that if she wants him to make the decision, he will, but he thinks she should be the one to do it. Michelle finally decides on Hollywood. Tim says in an interview that they wasted a lot of time. They’re going to have to pull an all-nighter.

Kinetic snores away, a long day of relaxing behind them. Aaron’s team returns to camp and creates an office to plan their route. Stefani says that the three of them just kept their mouths shut and got to work. They finally reluctantly get some rest.

Michelle’s team debates whether or not they should sleep. Tim is just thinking an hour or so, but Michelle says it’s a mistake. Nicole is furious that they wasted so much time during the day and now have to lose sleep. Michelle goes into Nicole’s tent and asks her to rally. Michelle says that they are going to “create a process” and get something done. They shouldn’t just give up. Nicole protests that she hasn’t given up, and Michelle makes the obvious point that she’s lying in bed, which doesn’t exactly project a feeling of confidence. Nicole gets mad and says that’s not the point. Michelle says that if they lose, she’ll recommend Nicole be fired. She can’t believe Nicole doesn’t want to work.

The next morning, Aaron’s team gets ready. Aaron and the cheerleaders arrive and get the crowd excited. Aaron says that it’s “almost a mob scene,” and that they want to make their focus group happy. Stefani passes out snacks and drinks. Ivanka arrives and James ushers her onto the bus. James has a microphone and talks up the crowd. Aaron says in an interview that James is a loud and exciting personality, which has its good and bad points. He says that James needs to tone it down just a little bit. Stefani says he’s got a lot of energy, and she wanted to wring his neck. If they lose, she says, he is gone.

Michelle’s team creates a much more subdued atmosphere. She thinks that once they get started, things will be great. Michelle welcomes everyone and stammers out the theme. James might be nutty, but at least he’s a clear speaker. Nicole says in an interview that Michelle is so discombobulated that it seems like she could have used that sleep! Tim tries to talk to the crowd, and his microphone has horrible feedback. Everyone cringes and grabs their ears. Tim shows everyone the Chateau Marmont and explains that it’s famous because it’s where John Belushi died of a drug overdose. We cut to several young children in the audience, which is supposed to indicate to us that this was a bad story to tell. Yep, should have focused on the teen friendly substance abuse of Lindsay Lohan, right? Okay, maybe not. Tim says that he regrets telling the children about the heroin.

Meanwhile, Aaron’s team rolls by the Hollywood walk of fame. Stefani grabs the microphone and teases James about being “a shy guy,” working on “only two cups of caffeine.” The crowd laughs. Stefani is an outstanding public speaker and gives an interesting and professional tour. Aaron is impressed. Stefani feels like she bailed them, especially James, out. She wouldn’t think that if she knew how bad the other team was doing.

Tim decides to switch off the microphone and just yell. He realizes that he started talking about the stars on Hollywood Boulevard way too early, leaving him no choice but to focus on minutia to fill time. He thinks if Michelle had let them sleep, they’d all be a lot sharper. Michelle wraps things up and says that the people on the bus “felt for us,” and had some sympathy. Wow, that’s bad if that’s the best thing she could say. That maybe they’d get some pity votes.

The two Arrow teams head to the Boardroom. Stefani says she thinks their team won. Michelle says that her group had heart, which might have helped them out. The microphone was a problem, but the team stepped up. Trump asks Tim what he thought of Michelle as project manager. Tim tries not to answer, saying she had her moments. He asks Nicole the same question. Nicole again tries to hedge, saying that Michelle is a good person. But when Trump asks her directly, she says that Michelle was not a good project manager. It was hard for them to pull together as a team. Ivanka says they don’t have a lot of confidence. Frank thinks they might have won based on their creativity. But based on the project manager? Frank, bless him, decides not to trash Michelle and says he thinks they won. Good for you, Frankie. Frank says Michelle had trouble making decisions.