The Apprentice 3, Episode 13 Extras: No Risk

Kendra, Tana, and Craig wait for Net Worth’s return from the boardroom. Alex and Bren come back and everyone hugs. They tell Magna about the boardroom experience, including the part about Chris crying, because how can they not mention that? Alex admits that he thought he would be going home. Bren thought he would be going home. Alex changes his story and says that he thought Bren would be going home.

Tana interviews that she thought Kendra was the most excited to see Bren and Alex back. As Alex tells Magna that they had a great brochure, Kendra interviews that Bren and Alex are great people and she’s had most of her experiences with them. Craig thinks that Kendra is loyal to the original Magna, which might be a problem in the future.

Alex and Bren try to get a focus group together. They fail miserably. I’m still not sure why Alex thinks that Bren should call real estate companies.

Bren says that Net Worth’s product needs to be as simple as possible, but also creative. He and Alex brainstorm. Bren says that it’s easy to work with only one other person. The two come up with their table and are visited by their designers. One of the designers asks about the purpose of the little shelves in the table. Alex hasn’t figured that out yet. Oh, yes, I can see that this is off to a brilliant start. Bren says that on the last task, he got in trouble for being boring and conservative, so this time around, he’s working with “wild” Alex. If I were to put Alex’s name in a sentence with an adjective, I wouldn’t choose “wild.” Bren admits that the only things he usually creates are coloring book pictures with his three-year-old. Nothing wrong with that.

Magna tries to figure out what to make. Kendra brings up stackables, but Craig wants to do something with a smaller desk calendar. Kendra tries to tell him that the people they talked to mentioned stackables, but Craig isn’t sure about that. He eventually decides that it’s a good idea after all. The three head to a design workshop and get to see a 3-D computer image of their four-sided stackable.

Alex and Bren work. Bren says that this is the first task he’s thought has gone really well. Alex interviews that he and Bren have gotten to talk a lot while they work, and the atmosphere has been a lot more relaxed than on past tasks. During lunch, Bren talks about matzo balls, and apparently, Alex has never had them. Didn’t he study in Israel? That’s weird.

Kendra, Tana, and Craig go to Staples for their supplies. They get into the folder discussion, in which Craig is, as usual, a condescending jerk. Tana says that their argument is about power and control. Craig interviews that Kendra is trying to get him to put gas in his fire truck when it takes diesel. Interesting analogy. He says that he’ll buy the folders, but he won’t use them in the presentation. Now that’s condescending.

After Magna wins the task, Bren and Alex chat outside. Alex says that the world is unjust. Bren says that he saw Craig’s brochure about their product and he can’t believe Magna won. Alex feels indignant for the first time during the interview process. In the cab, Bren says again that he can’t believe they lost. He won’t apologize in the boardroom. Alex says he’ll be belligerent. Alex interviews that he and Bren won’t duel in the boardroom - it’ll be the two of them against Trump, Carolyn, and George. Alex jokes about seeking revenge for the rest of their lives.

Tana, Kendra, and Craig go to the Rainbow Room for their reward. Tana admires the view. Craig says that he thinks the Rat Pack hung out at the Rainbow Room, and he can sense the stories there. He feels like he’s a part of history. He adds that spending time with George and Carolyn like this reminds them that they’re human.

Alex and Bren head to the boardroom. They love their table. Alex says that it’s unique because it’s never been done before. Yes, Alex, that’s pretty much the definition of unique. Unique does not equal good. Trump points out the flaws in the design. He and Carolyn don’t get the table. George points out that you can’t put legal-sized paper in the desk. Bren starts to say something about the Supreme Court and George tells him to forget that. He says that if Bren wants to argue in front of the Supreme Court, he can go. He reiterates his point that not all offices use small paper.

Bren and Alex still love their table. Carolyn tells them that Staples doesn’t. She talks about storage problems, noting that Staples probably wouldn’t be able to keep many of the tables in the store because they would take up too much room. The conversation turns to the focus group (or lack thereof, in this case).

Trump says that by not meeting with the executives, Alex and Bren didn’t give them a chance to like them. George says that they performed the task backwards. He wants to know who set that schedule; Alex takes responsibility, but Bren says it was both of them.

Trump notes that Bren and Alex are both lawyers, but that doesn’t necessarily make them smart. Most of the problems were Alex’s fault. He says that Alex started out strong but is finishing weak. Daddy’s disappointed. Alex says that he put Bren in charge of marketing and he “dropped the ball.” Trump thinks that Alex relied on Bren too much, but Alex points out that there were only two people on their team. Trump says that Bren and Alex were both lousy, but he has to do something with someone.

Bren talks about his trouble with taking risks. He should have kept quiet. Alex and Bren talk about their various risks. Carolyn asks Bren why he wants to work for Trump. Bren says that the organization is the best and he wants to be the best. Carolyn replies that that was the right answer and she’ll accept it, but I think she really means that he gave the answer everyone gives.

Bren says that he tends to go with what he knows over what he feels. George wonders if he thinks that’s what they’re looking for at the Trump Organization. Bren says he’s learning how to take risks. He’s fallen, but he’s also picked himself up.

Trump asks why he should fire Alex. Bren points out that Alex decided not to go to Staples or meet with the executives. Trump asks why he should fire Bren. Alex repeats Bren’s own point about not taking risks.

Trump notes that Bren isn’t going after Alex. Bren says that it boils down to who Trump wants. Alex says he wants the job more, but Bren thinks that his actions have shown that he wants it. Carolyn notes that this is it - someone’s leaving, so it comes down to who wants this more.

Trump talks about risks again. He says that he doesn’t mind teaching Bren to take risks, but he wants to start with him at a high school level, not kindergarten. Therefore, Bren is fired.

In the cab, Bren gives what’s possibly the shortest and definitely the sweetest speech ever. He says that things went differently than he and Alex thought they would - Alex wanted to lash out at Trump, Carolyn, and George, but he didn’t. Bren adds that he didn’t fight as hard as he could have, but he was tired. He doesn’t think that he has the same hunger that Alex does. He’s made some good friends and learned about what he wanted. He came here wanting one thing, but learned along the way that what he really wants is what he has back home. Aww!

Next week: come on, Kendra! Hang in there!

Jenn Brasler is an aspiring writer from Falls Church, VA. You can e-mail her at luckyjenn@hotmail.com. She's trying to decide whether to use her powers for good…or evil. She will write for money. Or candy. Or clothes from Old Navy.

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