The Apprentice 5 Extras, Episode 6: Jingle All the Way

Gold Rush returns to the suite after getting their assignment to write a jingle for Arby’s. Lenny asks Bryce what a jingle is and Bryce tries to explain. I think part of the reason Lenny doesn’t ever quite grasp the idea is because no one is able to explain it to him clearly. He interviews that a jingle is a foreign concept to him. It’s Chinese.

Gold Rush gathers and Bryce asks if anyone has a problem with him being the project manager (since he’s already assigned himself the position). The others are okay with it and Leslie thanks him for asking. I wish Lenny or Leslie had asked for the position and Bryce had started pouting. Bryce starts assigning various tasks to his teammates, specifically telling Charmaine to set up the meeting with the executives, then tell him how much time they need to get there and when they need to leave. Ha! So basically, she winds up doing her job and he’s not happy. Shut up, Bryce. He interviews that part of being a good leader is placing people where they’ll excel. He knows Lenny won’t excel in this task.

After we see Gold Rush arriving late to their meeting and hear the TLOTW again, we see part of Synergy’s recording session. Sean is trying to figure out the arrangement. Allie interviews that he’s too concerned about the details and potential mistakes. Tammy interviews that they’re all perfectionists, but Sean needs to stop tweaking things once they’re okay. Just ask Santino Rice. Tammy thinks that the team had a good idea from the beginning and she hopes Sean isn’t overthinking things. He is.

After Gold Rush’s recording session and Synergy’s performance, Synergy gets their reward. In the car on the way, they talk about how they feel like they haven’t seen each other much lately. Apparently they’ve spent some time bonding with Gold Rush. Now they’re happy to get to bond with each other. Andrea jokes that eating truffles and getting diamonds is a terrific way to bond. Hey, she finally said something that didn’t make me want to pull her hair! At the restaurant, Michael interviews that Sean deserves the reward because he made good decisions and stuck to them. I have to note that Michael looks a little jealous when the women start fawning over Sean. Sean interviews that he loved winning, but it was also humbling. It was definitely a relief. Everyone is happy for him.

Back at the suite, Gold Rush meets again before the boardroom. Charmaine interviews that she’s not sure what’s fair in the process anymore. You can always find a reason to bring someone to the boardroom. She can see where Bryce would take her, Tarek, and/or Leslie, but she can also understand why he would bring Lee and Lenny. Lee says that he doesn’t want a free pass. Interestingly, Lenny speaks up that no one is allowed to judge Lee. He’s also willing to go to the boardroom because he knows he didn’t contribute a lot to the task.

Bryce has nothing negative to say about Lenny on this task. He considers the loss his fault as much as the others’. He doesn’t want any catfights in the boardroom; if someone doesn’t know who should be fired, he or she should keep quiet. If he has to go, he’ll go with integrity and honor, the same way he came in. Ha! Bryce has a great family and was raised a certain way. He thinks people will remember him. Oh, they’ll remember him all right. He tells Charmaine not to change. Is he writing in her yearbook now? Bryce wants to see a united front in the boardroom.

Speaking of the boardroom, here we are. Bryce says that Gold Rush lost because their music wasn’t as appealing as Synergy’s. Everyone discusses who is to blame for the music and lyrics. Lee admits that Synergy’s music and melody were strong. Trump says that Gold Rush’s jingle was good, too. Charmaine asks why he liked Synergy’s better and Trump says it was just because of the music. Charmaine says that Gold Rush agrees.

Bryce says he only blames himself for the loss, but he shouldn’t be fired. That makes no sense to me. It’s his fault they lost, and though he’s taking responsibility, he… shouldn’t go home over it? No, instead, Lenny should be blamed because he contributed the least. Does that sound hypocritical to anyone else? Everyone discusses Lenny and his inability to understand or create jingles. Then they move on to Charmaine and her screw-up with the lyrics. She and Bryce don’t think she should be held responsible. Trump says that Gold Rush isn’t a bad team, and they did a good job. Bill brings up that they were late to their meeting and Bryce tries to pin the blame on Charmaine. Who was doing her job. As Bryce told her to. Shut up, Bryce.

Lenny thinks that Bryce should be fired because he made all of the decisions. Lenny couldn’t contribute more to the task, but Bryce was the one who must have overlooked something. Tarek agrees for pretty much the same reasons. Charmaine says it’s a tough decisions to make. Trump agrees, saying that it’s easier to fire someone when he or she has been a disaster. Don’t worry, Trump; Bryce will make it easier for you in a few minutes. Charmaine decides to base her decision on past performances and says that Tarek should go. Lee wasn’t there and doesn’t think he can make a decision. This leads to the discussion of whether it’s unfair that Lee basically gets a bye this week. Lee doesn’t want this bye and says that this is him.

Leslie would fire Lenny because he didn’t have as much input. Lee thinks that Lenny could be a huge asset, and Leslie agrees but says she based her decision on this task. Lee would like to see Lenny be the project manager next week. Trump says he’s kind of a jerk, but also smart. Lee agrees, saying that anyone who came to this country 14 years ago and is on the show with them has to be very smart. Charmaine says that in the beginning, they weren’t really sure how to take Lenny, but over the weeks he’s transformed and adapted to the group. Bryce agrees that Lenny is good at a lot of things. However, he’s bringing Lee and Lenny to the boardroom. He likes Lee and could have used him on this task. Lenny contributed the least, and it’s a hard decision to make, but he has to make one.