The Apprentice: Los Angeles, Episode 10 – All’s Fair in Love and War

Previously on The Apprentice, Muna talked way too fast in Kinetic’s commercial, had the wrong impression of how highly Heidi regarded her and got fired. Who will it be tonight? I don’t know, but I do know that there are several candidates I wish I could see more from. Are Angela and Stefani, for example, any good? I have no idea. Maybe we’ll find out tonight!

In an interview, Kristine says that she was hoping she’d be one of the final players on Kinetic, but she didn’t think it would happen this way. She says that Arrow has basically disintegrated them. She and the rest of the team toast themselves with beers.

At the mansion, Nicole says she’s happy that she’s with Frank and Tim. She thinks the three of them are the strongest. She tells them she thinks they’d be a great final three. She thinks they’d trash talk each other, but “with respect,” because they’d know they were joking.

James answers the Trump Phone. Trump says that they need to send someone to Kinetic. James asks when he needs the decision done. Trump says to do it now. James asks for volunteers and gets nothing. Trump sighs, “James, I want it done,” and tells him to take care of it. James really doesn’t want to make the decision and tries his best to make Trump the bad guy, saying Trump was very adamant. He wants to keep Frank and Stefani, so it’s between Tim and Nicole. They’re both creative, but James says he is too, so it’s got to be one of them. Tim and Nicole look at him blankly, offering no help. James says he’s going to have to go with Nicole and that he’s sorry. Nicole shrugs and says okay.

James says it was a tough decision to separate Tim and Nicole, but he thinks it was the right thing to do. Business is more important than people’s feelings, and he’s got to take care of his team first. James offers Tim some “alone time” with Nicole. Oooh, hot! Oh, wait – not really. The two of them share a big hug. Tim tells her she’s going to be the last one standing over there, so it’ll still be the two of them in the end. In an interview, Tim says that it’s been a great experience having someone who he really loves spending time with. Most people don’t get that, so he’ll really miss having her around. Nicole tells him not to try to kiss her through the bushes.

James apologizes to Nicole, but she’s not having it. She tells him that harder things have happened to her, and she intends to be even stronger on Kinetic. Nicole is furious and tells him that she thinks it’s personal. He swears it was “the skill set,” but Nicole disagrees. In an interview, a fired up Nicole says that she’s going to kill herself winning this one, and furthermore, James will be fired next because, “You made a dumb mistake.”

I think Nicole is being a big baby. James had to pick somebody, and I think he gave a good reason for Nicole. I don’t think it was personal at all. Of course, I also think that he ultimately picked Nicole because she’s the weak link. Of all of the members of Arrow, she’s the one who has impressed me the least. That said, James was diplomatic about it, so Nicole should really stop being so huffy about it.

The next morning, the candidates meet for the next task. Trump asks why James picked Nicole. James says it was nothing personal, but of course Trump tries to make it that way. Nicole, naturally, agrees with Trump. Dude, he had to pick somebody. Tim says he’s sorry to see her go. Nicole giggles and says it’s “not ideal” being apart from Tim. Trump makes his usual blather about Hollywood, the task, blah, blah, blah, including that he has “the biggest show on television.” Trump is on American Idol? The candidates will be working with Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. They will sell passes using Ad Walker technology. The team that sells the most will win. Simple enough.

Nicole pretends to punch one of the Arrow guys as she walks out. Stay classy, Nicole!

Kinetic starts brainstorming. Angela is happy to finally be in charge. Heidi likes the idea of flyers, but is concerned that it’ll also help the other team. They agree that they should find a way to distinguish themselves.

Tim says that they need to find people who are coming to the park but don’t have tickets yet. He wants to create kiosks, since that’ll give them credibility. James likes the idea, and he thinks people will be drawn to them. The customers will come to them, rather than the other way around. What could be better?

Nicole says they need to be different, and she’s sure she knows what Arrow will do. She thinks they’ll have lots of signs and some kind of big impression. What can “four cute girls” do to be different? She’s thinking… roller skates. Angela says she’d do it, and the others agree. Nicole thinks that if they’re mobile, they can go wherever they need to be. Arrow won’t be able to do the same.

Frank says that since they’re on the same turf, “it’s all-out war.” James predicts it’ll get ugly. They agree that Nicole is ready to kill them. Tim thinks she’s getting the other team all riled up. Tim hates not having her on the team and misses being with her. That said, he knows how competitive she is, so he wants to beat her. “I am all about fighting dirty tomorrow,” he tells the rest of the team. He doesn’t care how they win, he just wants to win.

Arrow starts setting up, and James is wondering what the other team will be up to. James says that the product that sells them is cool – you can swipe a card right then and there. Frank says that if it comes to one on one sales, there’s no contest – Arrow is “the A-team.”

Meanwhile, Kinetic busts out their roller blades. They look vaguely menacing in their vests and skates. Nicole says that “sex sells” and they’re using their assets to win. She thinks that Trump would respect them less if they didn’t use their feminine wiles to sell. Let’s put aside the debate about whether or not it’s appropriate for women trying to gain executive positions to act sexy. Instead, how about the fact that they don’t look sexy? The members of Kinetic are wearing white t-shirts and denim shorts, neither of which are especially revealing. And over them are the “ad walker” vests, which pretty much look like flak jackets. Not hot.

Tim is afraid that Kinetic will swarm in front of them and take their customers. James thinks they should use their bullhorns. Tim suggests they use their tables to form a line so that people will think there is no other choice. He announces on the bullhorn that only the people at the station will give you free water bottles. Kristine offers to buy one of the customers a water. She thinks Arrow is “a little slimy.”

Nicole signs someone up for a pass, and Tim tries to steal her customer. He tells the guy that they have better prices. Nicole is furious in an interview, saying that he just lied. Then, she taunts Frank, saying that the customer went with her because Tim was obnoxious. “So, thank you for my thousand dollar deal,” she says.

Ivanka arrives and asks Angela what the dynamic has been like. Angela says she’s disappointed in the way the other team has been acting. She says that they’re not breaking the rules. Frank and Heidi argue over a customer. Frank says that they’re going to win because they’re not afraid to steal sales. Heidi says that Arrow has no shame. Nicole is still fired up, saying, “I’m going to smash their face in the dirt.”

She’s a classy one, that Nicole.

The candidates go to the Boardroom for the results. James says his team did an excellent job. Angela says she’s been a part of “many great teams,” but this is one of the strongest. Trump says he was surprised they got rid of Nicole. He says he hopes she wins so she can rub their noses in it. Ivanka says that it was an all-out sales war. Kinetic made $24,000 and change. Arrow didn’t use any gimmicks, just worked hard. They won, with over $31,000. Tim says that Trump needs to re-evaluate “who the stars are.” Trump agrees. Ivanka thinks Arrow was a little more ruthless. Angela agrees, but thinks that they didn’t represent Universal well. Had it been qualitative, it would have been a different result. Trump doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with being aggressive.

Arrow’s reward will be a helicopter ride around the city. Ah, a classic reality TV reward.

Nicole is disappointed to be back at camp. She says she’s in shock. She loved her old team, and she was hurt when Tim “didn’t stand up” when she was sent over.

Meanwhile, Tim sits sadly by the pool. He says it was hard seeing her go, but that the two of them have an understanding that they’ll get through this no matter what, that the two of them are stronger than any of it. He says he’s always been aware of the potential “very upsetting complications.” Frank sends Nicole over. Nicole says that she can’t believe Tim and Frank let her go, that they should have said something. Tim says he didn’t want to volunteer to go over. Kristine and Heidi think Tim should have objected. The ladies think he sold her out. Nicole says he should have said that the team needed her. She was mad that he didn’t get it.

Tim and Frank talk, and Tim thinks Nicole is being unfair. Someone had to go, and he wishes it hadn’t been her. Tim says, “that’s just how it goes.” James shrugs that he doesn’t understand women.

I guess I don’t either. Nicole seems to think that Tim should have told James that they couldn’t give her up, that Arrow needed her. But again, James had to pick somebody. What good would it have done if Tim had said, “No, we need Nicole”? James would have had to pick somebody else, and there would have been discord among the team. That would have made things even worse.