The Apprentice, Episode 13: The Firing Squad

Trump turns to Amy and says that up until that day, she was considered a superstar, but he heard a lot of negative feedback about her. What should he do? Amy throws it back to him and says it’s up to him. Way to waste an opportunity to make a case for yourself, Amy. Trump says that Amy did the best in terms of action, but that his advisors said there was little substance behind her words. If she’s going to be successful working for him, people must be inspired by her and respect her. Because she seems incapable of that, she’s fired.

Amy’s final interview is upbeat. She says that she knows there are good things in store for her, and she thinks the challenges were like an accelerated MBA program. She is grateful for all she’s learned.

Trump congratulates Kwame and Bill – they impressed everyone. But how well can they perform as executives and managers? They will meet Trump back in the boardroom for their biggest challenge yet.

The two guys go to the roof to celebrate making the final two. They pour champagne and Kwame toasts, “To opportunity.” Bill says that he has presented himself honestly, and he’s proud of it. Kwame says that his mother was the first person in his family to finish college, and that his grandfather signed his name with an x. He believes that his accomplishments are the American dream. I think that’s a far better example of the American dream than Sam’s claim that buying a thousand dollar glass of lemonade is living the American dream. Kwame says to Bill, “May the best man win.” Bill says, “I think we already have.”

It’s time for our penultimate Trump lesson, “Dog Does Not Eat Dog.” Trump says that it is very important to surround yourself with loyal and talented people. If a person is disloyal to you once he probably will be again.

Kwame and Bill meet Trump in the boardroom. Trump says that people might have thought he’d choose two beautiful women, but he’s certain these two guys are the best. Their final challenges are to oversee major events. Bill will be in charge of the Chrysler Trump golf tournament at the Trump National. Kwame will tackle the Jessica Simpson concert at the Trump Taj Mahal. And since they’re going to be executives, they’ll need employees. Trump has Robin send in the staff.

Working for Bill and Kwame will be none other than Amy, Heidi, Katrina, Nick, Omarosa, and Troy. The two candidates will choose their employees. Bill picks Amy, Katrina, and Nick. Kwame selects Troy, Omarosa, and Heidi. Trump says that Bill and Kwame will take private limos to the tasks and will meet their staffs there.

Kwame has the unfortunate situation of bringing Heidi and Omarosa back on the same team. The two of them hate each other. But Bill has Katrina on his team, and Katrina isn’t exactly a Bill fan. It’s going to be tough for both of them.

Kwame notes that he has basically reunited his old Protégé team. From the backseat of the limo, he calls his team in their SUV. My husband imagines Heidi and Omarosa in the backseat bickering. “She’s on my side! Troy! Make her stop!” Kwame says that Heidi will meet and greet people, Troy will be in charge of promotions, and Omarosa will handle logistics. Omarosa says, “We’ve got to make sure that you shine.” Kwame explains again that his management style is to hire good people and to let them do their jobs, not to micromanage.

Bill’s team meets in Briarcliff Manor at the golf course. He’s eager to start planning right away. He starts by meeting Leslie, the director of sales and events. He and his team start dividing up tasks. Nick will place cars along the course and handle signage. Katrina will pull together gift packages for the players, and Amy will handle Donald Trump. Bill then tries to get his rather lethargic looking team on board. Amy blandly agrees that the ideas are good. Nick yawns, and Katrina says they’re a team… after Bill prompts her. That’s not a good sign.

At the Taj Mahal, Kwame and his team meet with, among other people, Mark, the guy we met in the Atlantic City challenge. Kwame asks him what he considers a successful event. Mark says that he’s happy if the entertainer has been taken care of. Huh – not a happy audience or good ticket sales? That’s odd.

The team goes out for dinner. Omarosa gets a phone call from Diane in the transportation office and leaves the table to take it. Diane tells her that she needs to make sure all of the arrivals are coordinated so that Jessica and her band will make it to the hotel on time. Omarosa tells Diane that she’s having dinner and asks her to take care of it. Diane says that she’s worried about potential problems.

Omarosa returns to the table, and Troy, very naturally, asks what the call was about. Instead of just answering his question or saying it was no big deal, she says snootily, “I’m not going to have that conversation.” Troy, who can’t believe she won’t tell them, asks again, and gets no answer. In an interview, he says that because she won’t say what the call was about, “I raise an eyebrow.”