The Apprentice, Episode 7: Duped!

It’s time for the Trump Lesson of the Week. This week, we learn that “God is in the Details.” Trump says that people notice details, and that if you’re going to offer a good product, you need to pay attention to the little things. For example, if you’re selling a used car, if you spend ten dollars to have your car washed, you might sell the car for two hundred dollars more than you otherwise would have. Or you could wash your car yourself for free, a possibility that probably never occurred to Trump. Thus endeth the lesson.

The next day, Versacorp meets to talk about how to market the apartment. Ereka is on the internet researching how much they might be able to rent the apartment for. Tammy thinks that it’s likely that neither team will rent their apartments in the time given because “there’s so much inventory out there.” Does anyone refer to apartments as “inventory”? Why is everyone calling Kwame “an MBA robot” when Tammy’s there saying freaky things like that?

Ereka says that she lives in the New York area, so she knows how hard it is to find a nice place, and how quickly they get rented. I don’t live in New York, but I have watched enough TV to know that what Ereka’s saying seems to be true. Besides, would Trump really set up a challenge that both teams were likely to fail? A frustrated Ereka tells Tammy, “You’re setting us up to lose, and I don’t get it.”

Protégé returns to their apartment to get back to work, except of course, for Omarosa, who comfortably sits down on the floor. Ahh! Heidi says in an interview that her mother is having surgery soon, and that working will help her focus on something else. Omarosa says that her head hurts from the plaster, so she goes outside to sit on the steps. Heidi and Amy can’t believe how little work she’s put in. Heidi says, “I think she’s worthless and useless.” Meanwhile, Omarosa joins a group of kids in a game of basketball. I guess her injury wasn’t quite so bad after all. Heidi tells Amy that she needs a break, so she’s going to go for a quick walk. I immediately get all geared up for a Mega Turbo-Bitch Screaming Match when an already emotionally edgy Heidi finds out that the woman who called her classless and unprofessional is blowing off work to play with a bunch of kids. Alas, we get no fight, so we can only assume that Heidi’s walk took her in a different direction.

At Versacorp, Katrina is excited because she was able to hire a general contractor to do some of the work in the apartment. For the bargain price of $1,500, he’ll install new kitchen cabinets and do some work in the bathroom. Nick and Bill can’t believe the great deal Katrina got. “It’s a woman’s world we’re living in,” Bill says wistfully.

As the rest of Versacorp works, Tammy is underfoot. She pesters Bill about how the paint will dry on the wall and seems to somehow start a dispute with the contractor about how much the job will cost. Katrina asks Tammy not to talk to the contractor because she’s afraid Tammy will say something to offend him. Katrina then directs the workers to avoid Tammy because, “she’s the craziest of us all.”

The renovations are done, and it’s time to rent the apartments. We get before and after shots of both apartments, and the changes are impressive. Protégé has helium balloons on the railing leading to the apartment, a festive touch. Kwame gives a tour of the house. A prospective renter touches the curtains under the sink and they immediately fall down. Oops. Troy says that the key at this point is simply to rent the apartment.

Versacorp arranges a welcome mat outside the door. Katrina thinks it would be overwhelming and inefficient if the entire team was there to show the apartment, so she puts Bill in charge. Outside, Ereka passes out flyers inviting people to the open house. Ereka comes back inside for a quick break and ends up arguing with Bill. He says that they need more prospective customers and she should be outside looking for them. She says that she just came in for five minutes. Bill is worried that they won’t find a renter.

A few hours later, Bill’s mood turns around. A potential tenant offers $1,600 a month; Bill talks her up to $1,650, and she signs a lease. That’s a ten percent markup from the original assessed value of the apartment, so Bill is confident that Versacorp will win.

Nine minutes before time runs out, Protégé is ready to admit defeat. Just then, a tenant comes in and signs a lease. Amy is thrilled, saying, “She was meant to be the person who occupied the apartment. Heidi is happy that the task is over and says that she is always thinking about her family and what they’d think of her work. Troy congratulates her on a job well done and gives her a hug.