The Apprentice, Episode 12: Mile-High Club

It’s quiet in the suite as the candidates wait to see who will return from the boardroom. Nick is sure Amy will prevail as long as she stays calm. And he’s right – she’s back, and is a little surprised that no one is there to greet her at the door. Unlike Sam, though, she doesn’t camp out in the hallway waiting for it to happen. In an interview, Amy says that she was confident going into the boardroom. She thought Katrina was ready to go and that she would be the last woman standing.

Amy tells the men how she saved herself. She says that she reminded Trump of her winning record. As she talks, Bill says in an interview that Amy’s ego is growing and that she’s developing a bit of a God complex. Just as he finishes trash talking her in his interview, we go back to Amy, who tells Bill that she tooted his horn while she was there and said what a great player he is. She reports that Trump asked if he should just end the contest and give Bill the job. Bill says that would be fine with him.

Amy wonders in an interview if Nick was offended that she said that Bill, not Nick, was her toughest competition. But, she figures Bill really is a better competitor, and if Nick can’t see that, he’s not as sharp as she thought he was. Ouch. Nick isn’t too thrilled about Amy’s praise of Bill. In an interview, he says, “She didn’t have to say that.” He wonders what her angle is – does she really mean it, or is it some kind of strategy on her part? The two of them say good night, and there is definitely no romance in the air as they part.

The next morning, Amy answers the Trump phone. The candidates are to meet Trump at the penthouse at the Trump World Tower at 8:15. Kwame and Troy hang out together, and Troy asks Kwame what he’s wearing. The two of them talk about fashion (no, really), and Troy says in an interview that the two of them have bonded. He thinks that the toughest competition is also one of his closest friends. Kwame agrees, and says in an interview that they’re friends, but they also look out for each other. Bill, the other member of their team, says that he feels like an outsider. They’ve been together for twelve weeks, so a lot of bonding has been going on. Wow, twelve weeks? That’s a long time. That’s longer than it takes to play Survivor!

Trump, Carolyn, and Bernie (filling in for George) meet the candidates outside the penthouse of the Trump World Tower. Trump opens the doors and says, “This is Trump luxury.” The space is just stunning, with high ceilings and walls covered in windows. You can see Central Park, the river, and the ocean. Trump says that he rents the penthouse for special events only. The teams are challenged to rent it for one night for a minimum of $20,000. They have ten hours. The team that rents it for the most money wins. The winning team will take a jet to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, for lunch. Trump says that it would be very romantic if lovebirds Nick and Amy won it. He asks Nick the nature of their relationship. Nick says, “We have a good business relationship and sometimes we engage in meaningful conversation.” Sexy! Trump laughs and says that it was a good, diplomatic answer.

Troy is the project manager for Protégé. He says that because he only has a high school diploma, other people might not take him seriously. As a result, he has to make a good impression whenever he has a chance. He tells Kwame and Bill that they need to be sure to offer top service to their potential renters. He’s determined to win.

Both teams go downstairs to the lobby and start making calls. Troy says that they’re setting appointments with event planners. Kwame says that they need to know how best to make the sales pitch. They meet with Elaine, the director of sales. She says that the penthouse usually rents for $40,000. Bill says in an interview that the key is to find the right person at the right time.

Over at Versacorp, Amy and Nick are hard at work as well. Amy says that the best way to rent a place like that is to just open the door and let the client come up with his or her own vision for the place. But Nick does just the opposite. As he leads people through the space, he suggests how the place would be set up – where the band would be, where you could set up couches, and so forth. Amy thinks that spelling it out like that hinders the imagination of these creative people. In the lobby Amy asks Nick if it might not be better to just “shut up and listen.” Nick says, “Trust me. That’s the way you operate.” Amy just says, “If you say so.”

I think that they’re both right; it depends entirely on the customer. Some people can walk into an empty space and immediately figure out how they’d set it up. I knew the first time I walked into my house where I’d set up the Christmas tree every year. But other people have a harder time visualizing and would find Nick’s cues helpful. The best thing to do is to quickly ascertain what kind of person you’re working with. There’s my lesson for the week.

And with that, it’s time for Trump’s lesson of the week. This one is called “Passion.” Trump says that if you don’t love what you’re doing, you won’t be successful. Quit and find something that you’re passionate about.