The Apprentice, Episode 14: You’re Hired!

What problems did Bill have? Amy says that he was frenzied and not as good as usual. Trump says that he looked cool enough, and Amy explains that usually Bill is better than most people but that he wasn’t up to his own standards. Trump breaks it down as, “good by other standards, but not great by his own.” That is actually a compliment. It reminds me of George Huff on this week’s episode of American Idol. George was very good, but he’s usually phenomenal.

Nick says that Bill could have been calmer and that he didn’t always trust his team to do the tasks assigned to them. He does think that Trump should hire Bill. Trump wants to know what ruffled Bill. Someone mentions the lost posters. Katrina thinks Bill just needs more confidence.

Omarosa chimes in with, “We’ve had quite the opposite experience with Kwame.” She says that he was cool and aloof, not intense enough, and too hands off. Heidi says that he does have intensity, but, “I do like to be micromanaged.” So she’s the one who actually likes it! Heidi should go work for my old boss. She’d be in heaven. Omarosa says that when Jessica was lost, Kwame was too calm. Troy says that Kwame did a great job and has the formula for success. Carolyn asks if his feathers should have been ruffled more, and Troy says yes. George asks if they can imagine how Trump must feel, with the weight of this decision. Who is the best prospect for a long-term career? Omarosa, Heidi, and Troy choose Kwame, and Nick, Amy, and Katrina choose Bill. Trump says, “Get out of here! You haven’t helped me at all!”

Trump sends for Kwame and Bill. Trump says that they are both outstanding, but have different styles. Which task do they think was the easier of the two? They both think the other’s task was easier. Trump asks Kwame about his laid-back demeanor. Kwame says that’s the way he is – he’s calm and doesn’t get frazzled easily. He says that Omarosa was hard to manage. Trump says that it’s because she wanted his job, and Kwame agrees. Trump is surprised he picked her. Does he regret it? Kwame straddles the fence and says, “In some ways yes, in some ways no.” Trump is especially surprised that Kwame chose Omarosa second and not third. Carolyn thinks it was a risky move considering this was his last shot at the win. George says that Kwame’s team wanted to be managed more closely, and that Kwame needed to watch them more attentively to be an effective leader.

As for Bill, Carolyn says that the event was an overall success, but that Bill’s team found him tense. Bill says that he was intense, but because he realized the importance of the task. Good answer. He says that he had a plan and covered all of the bases. He was not out of control, and he’s used to working in high-pressure environments.

Trump asks Bill if he’s better than Kwame. Bill hedges, saying they have different skills. Trump repeats the question. Bill says yes, for this job – he has great experience, has proven himself, has an intense desire to win, and a good track record. Kwame says that their actual performances haven’t been that different, and that Bill is only a few wins ahead. Trump says that’s a lot. Kwame says that he has performed well and that Trump can be confident that he’ll do a good job. Trump asks, in thirty years, which one will be ahead. Kwame thinks they’ll be neck and neck. Bill says he thinks he’ll have a leg up. He’s versatile, has the entrepreneurial spirit, and that his experience is more valuable than Kwame’s education. Wow, that was a good answer. Kwame says that he really wants the job and gave up a lot to pursue it. Trump agrees that they both did, and kicks them out of the boardroom so he can deliberate.

The two guys head to the yellow couch for the last time, and they’re both nervous. They shake hands and neither of them has any hard feelings towards the other for anything that they said in the boardroom. That’s so cool. Both of them knew that they did what they needed to do to impress Trump. Plus, neither of them put the other down. Bill and Kwame are class acts.

Trump asks George what he thinks. George votes for Kwame. He’s good under pressure, he’s adaptable, and his win-loss record is, at this point, irrelevant. He’d be a good fit for the Trump organization in the long run. Carolyn agrees on Kwame’s good points, but thinks Bill would be a better hire. Kwame is textbook, but Bill is practical. He had a few hiccups in the last challenge, but they were minor. Kwame is too laid-back, which might make his staff uncomfortable. Bill, on the other hand, managed his unpaid and newly-fired staff well. George says that since he and Carolyn don’t agree Trump must make the choice. Trump sends for Bill and Kwame.

Trump congratulates both men on making it so far. He tells Kwame that he has concerns about him. Omarosa lied to him and deceived him on more than one occasion. Why didn’t he fire her? Kwame says, “I didn’t know it was an option at the time.” He also had a job to do and was afraid to so drastically reduce his staff. Why, then, didn’t he move her to a minor task? Again, he felt like he needed another person to get the job done. Trump says, “You should have fired her.” I wish he had – that would have been awesome. As for Bill, he did the job well. He was a little nervous, but he came through. Trump says that Kwame is outstanding and has a bright future ahead of him. But, “Bill, you’re hired!”