The Apprentice, Episode 3: Put up or Shut Up

The teams meet back at Trump Tower. George and Carolyn tally their receipts and count the leftover money. With the results tabulated, everyone heads for the boardroom. George and Carolyn tell us that the total retail value of the items was $1,379.33. The women saved 22%, and the men only saved 9%. Trump says, “I’m starting to think that I may never hire a man again.”

The women will be rewarded with dinner at the 21 Club at Donald Trump’s father’s favorite table. I’m sure that Sam, who seems to have researched Trump’s family, is incredibly jealous.

The men gather back at the apartment. Sam looks despondent. Nick says that he’s sick of losing. Sam says that they’ve lost the war, but that they’ve won some battles. That makes absolutely no sense. What battles, exactly, have the men won? They’ve lost every challenge so far. Sam has lost his ever lovin’ mind.

The women put on cocktail dresses and hit the 21 Club. There, they toast their victory. Jessie says that she’s starting to get used to this lavish lifestyle.

Before the men go to the boardroom, the mood in the apartment is somber. Sam commiserates with the women, saying that he doesn’t know what he’s going to say to Trump. Heidi says in an interview that she thinks Sam is going to make it. Nick agrees, saying that Sam is the one who knows Trump best, and that there must be something about Sam that the big man likes. Sam is confident that he’ll make it because it’s not his time yet. Kwame wonders if Sam will convince Trump to get rid of Nick, since Nick got the advice to buy the gold as soon as possible. All of the men are nervous.

The men sit down in the boardroom. Trump tells them that he’s disappointed in them and asks Sam what happened. Sam says that they had a good plan, but that it wasn’t executed well. Kwame thinks that their loss was Sam’s fault. They might have been able to negotiate more on the leg wax and golf club, but they spent too much time chasing after the gold, a product with less room to negotiate. Bill tells Trump that Sam only gave them two numbers to call to find golf clubs, and that one of them was a dud.

Trump asks the men how Sam was as a leader. Nick very diplomatically says that Sam displayed leadership qualities but might not have made good decisions. Bowie says that Sam is not effective because the other guys are constantly trying to calm him down. Kwame agrees that Sam is a terrible leader.

Sam argues that Kwame and Bowie didn’t respect him, and that you can’t lead without respect. Trump whole-heartedly agrees. Carolyn says, “You have to earn it, and if you can’t earn it, you have to demand it.” Sam says that he wishes he had demanded it better.

It’s time for Sam to choose two guys to join him in the boardroom. He selects Kwame and Bowie. Trump isn’t surprised, saying that those two guys were critical of Sam, while Nick was nice. They file out. Trump, George, and Carolyn don’t spent much time discussing their decision. Trump thinks that the entire team made mistakes. George says that Sam disrupts the rest of the team. Outside, Kwame makes it clear to Sam that his assessment that he doesn’t respect him is correct. Bowie, on the other hand, does respect Sam and resents that Sam suggested otherwise.

As the three guys head in to face their fates, Sam tells them that it will be a loss regardless of who goes. Trump asks each man why he should stay. Kwame says that he never made a critical judgment error, and that if Trump is looking to send someone home for not respecting Sam, he should go ahead and call him a cab. Bowie says that Sam is not successful as a leader or as a follower. Sam says that given another chance, he can earn the respect of his team. Trump appears to feel sorry for Sam as he says, “Isn’t it over?”

It’s certainly over for Sam. He’s fired. Sam looks stunned. Apparently he is the only person in America who didn’t see this coming. Kwame and Bowie are halfway out the door when Sam finally slowly and dramatically gets up out of his chair. After they leave, Trump, George, and Carolyn agree that this was their first easy decision.

Next week: Everyone cheers when Kwame and Bowie return without Sam. The two teams are challenged to manage a restaurant. The men imply that Kwame is a celebrity, and the women once again follow their “sex sells” theory. Carolyn is just as sick of it, as I am, and tells them that they will not succeed in the business world with that kind of behavior. I predict that the men will finally pull out a win, and the women will send Omarosa home. We’ll find out if I’m right next Wednesday night.

Betsy is the Assistant Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached with any comments at betsyw42@hotmail.com.

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