The Apprentice 3, Episode 11: Get Me to the Presentation On Time

Previously on The Apprentice: Alex joined Net Worth, so that the teams would each have four members. The teams made pizza (both with meatballs). Craig didn’t listen to Kendra. Tana and Kendra “came up with an out of the box marketing idea” (grrrr) and Stephanie delivered pizzas to Brooklyn. Alex and Chris faced off, leading to the most misleading preview in the show’s history. Net Worth won for the fifth time in a row and Stephanie was fired for being a weak leader. Seven candidates remain.

Alex and Chris return from the boardroom. Interestingly, no one was sitting around, wondering who would come back. Alex tells everyone that Trump reminded him he’s on the losing team. Chris says that Trump called him a mess. He notes that he needs to stay more in control of himself if he wants to stick around.

The next morning, the candidates head to a place called MAG. Wait a second. No Rhona phone call? No speculation about who would be fired? Is this bizarro world? Trump introduces the candidates to Michelle Scarborough, this week’s George substitute. So, for you analogy buffs, Michelle : George :: me : Betsy. Trump tells us that Michelle is an in-house attorney, and though she’s pretty, she’s also tough. Because we were all under the impression that pretty women can’t be tough. Also, that it’s 1910.

Anyway, we’re in the studios of “the Trump collection” of high-end, luxury clothing. I was unaware that clothing could be luxury. The task this week is to create a clothing line for American Eagle. These clothes will be “wearable technology” – clothes combined with that technology the young whippersnappers are into these days. Each team gets a Visa card and $5,000. They will be provided with seamstresses and models. The team whose presentation is the most compelling (as judged by executives) wins.

Bren was the project manager last week, so he’s exempt this week. Trump adds that if the teams had done market research, they would have known that people want cheeseburger pizza, not meatball pizza. Still no criticism for making pizza that Trump suggested. Instead, he advises the candidates to know their customers.

Net Worth meets in the suite, where Alex announces that he’s “feeling this.” Chris says that Alex is a self-proclaimed metrosexual and has volunteered to be the project manager. Chris decides to describe a metrosexual as someone who embraces his feminine side more than other males do. Chris obviously does not feel comfortable discussing this. Alex asks who wants to be the accountant; Angie wants to focus on the presentation, but Chris would like to be in charge of the money.

Magna heads out in cabs. Tana is the project manager, since she’s run a clothing store and an eBay business. Tana and Kendra go to a clothing store and ask some teenagers about technology. As if I needed more items on my list of reasons why I love Kendra and Tana. A boy tells them that the most important piece of technology to people his age is the cell phone. A girl tells them that a belt clip would be good to hold an iPod. Tana wonders if Net Worth is doing this kind of market research. It doesn’t look like they are.

Chris spends $3,936.58 at Best Buy, then picks up dinner for the team. The three meet up at American Eagle, where Chris realizes that he doesn’t have the credit card. Alex is surprised to hear this, but, you know, I’m really not. It’s Chris. Chris tries calling Best Buy, but they’re closed. He says that they’re probably going to automatically lose, since he just lost $5,000.

This week’s Trump Lesson of the Week: “Let Nothing Get In Your Way.” He says that failure is never an option for him. If you have to go through a wall, you go through, or find another way to get past it. In a limo, Trump yells at someone and threatens not to pay him. Ouch. Since Betsy isn’t here, there’s no Betsy Lesson of the Week, but she encouraged me to include a Jenn Lesson of the Week: If you want to cover The Apprentice, infect Betsy’s computer with a virus.

In the morning, Chris heads back to Best Buy. He says that this is a high-pressure situation, and he was craving his dip, but he didn’t indulge. He adds that he’s less aggressive without it. The editors giggle, then put in a scene where Chris tells an employee that he hopes someone finds the credit card, or he’ll be breaking some kneecaps.

At American Eagle, Bren talks about clipping a Game Boy to a belt or pouch so that it’s in front of the person and can be accessed easily. Tana has designed a few possible logos for the line, Wearable Tech. She wants it to be recognizable. Craig says that he and Bren churned out some designs quickly, and when it was Kendra’s turn, he was willing to let her go and move on to something else. However, Kendra pulls an Erin and says that this isn’t her thing. Craig interviews that she should just shut up. Kendra says that Craig being annoying is the last thing she needs. Tana steps into the project manager role and tells everyone to just get to work already.

Sewing montage. Angie says that the design is a lot more detailed than she expected. The team has to make all of the decisions, which is difficult. Alex has made a list for everyone, but Angie has more assignments than anyone. Alex only has one. Angie acknowledges that she’s taken on more responsibility than she should have.

Chris is still at Best Buy. Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t look happy. Bren and Craig head to Brooklyn to pick up silk-screened logos. Bren says that his Spidey Sense should have told him that something was wrong, since the place is a little run-down. Craig says that the guys working there are wearing Bob Marley shirts, so this is a “laid-back” environment. Also, a little lazy – some of the logos are backwards, and one of the garments has paint on it. There’s no time to get backups, so Magna is stuck with sub-par clothing.

Chris is… still at Best Buy. He says that he was probably there for an hour before the manager found the card and gave it to him. Bren and Craig bring in the clothes and show them to Tana. Tana wonders what she’s supposed to do with backwards logos. She says that the presentation will either be a third of the reason they win or a third of the reason they lose. “What was he smokin’?” she asks. Hee. She says that the guys were gone for five hours and brought back junk. Craig and Kendra consider covering up the paint, but Tana just wants them to keep moving.

Craig uses white-out to cover the paint on the white shirt. He says the executives will be looking at the model anyway. Actually, no, they’ll be looking at the clothes, since that’s the whole point of the task.

Net Worth does some finishing touches and Angie realizes that it’s 2:30. The presentation is at 3:00. Alex announces that they need to get the models and leave in no more than five minutes. Too bad the models, who were supposed to be there at 2:00, aren’t there yet. The models arrive and dress quickly. Chris arrives around this time, having no clue as to what’s been happening. He says that because they’re so focused on the presentation, they don’t think about everything. The camera guys would like us to notice a jean jacket hanging on a rack.

It’s 2:40, and Net Worth is just now leaving. To drive through traffic in New York for a meeting in 20 minutes. Yeah, good luck. In the cab, Angie says that they’re going to miss the presentation. She thinks she’s going to be sick.

Net Worth arrives on time and seems organized. Tana greets the executives and talks about the Wearable Tech line. The models line up and Bren talks about clipping the Game Boy to the kangaroo pocket of a sweatshirt so that it can be hidden in school. Bren, encouraging America’s youth to slack off. He talks about mesh pockets and clips that can be sewn onto jeans. One of the executives asks what Bren thinks is the most important piece of technology to this generation. He says it’s the cell phone, which means that he paid attention to what the teenager told Kendra and Tana. Smart people on this team.

Net Worth finally arrives. Angie asks Chris if he brought the jean jacket. Nope, it’s back on the rack. Angie says that if things weren’t bad enough, the first model doesn’t have his jean jacket. Angie starts off the presentation, but she’s a little shaky. The line is called Beach Tech, by the way. Alex notes that Angie isn’t focused; she freezes up and had to read from her notes. He thinks it’s like a high school communications class.

Angie starts showing the clothes. The executives look like they want it to be over right now. Angie shows a pocket in the back of a sweatshirt where a laptop can be stored. Who wants to carry a computer around on his or her back? That would be really uncomfortable. An executive asks Angie what the most important piece of technology is. Angie says it’s the iPod. Ehhh?! Thanks for playing. I can tell you that, as someone who hasn’t been out of college long, most college students can’t afford iPods (at least not at the school I went to). Cell phones are much more useful. Almost everyone has a cell phone, but iPods aren’t quite that popular yet.

The executives send Net Worth to the back of the store with Magna so that they can discuss them. As Trump arrives, the executives agree that both teams obviously put effort into the task, but Magna’s presentation skills were much better. The teams return and the execs tell Net Worth that their presentation wasn’t thrilling, though their effort is appreciated. Magna’s research is lauded, as is their knowledge that cell phones are important to teens. The execs announces that Magna is definitely the winner.

Trump tells Magna that since they spent two days designing clothes, they get a shopping spree. They’ll be going to Bergdorf Goodman, which has very classy clothes. Net Worth, however, will be heading to the boardroom again.

Bergdorf Goodman is open just for Magna. Craig calls it a “museum for fashion,” which seems to be right on target. Tana and Kendra are loving this. Kendra says that she thought she saw a price tag for $129, but it was really for $1,129, and it was on a tank top. This reminds me of the time a friend and I were in New York and went to a store (I think it was the Ralph Lauren store) just for fun. We saw a pajama tank top that cost about that much.

Bren and Craig try on the same suit. The man tending to them thinks it’s funny that out of everything in the store, they’re going to get the same suit. Craig says that Tana is great, and knows how to be a good leader. The team drinks champagne as Tana laughs about being a queen bee in an interview. She says that she’s just a hick from Iowa, but she’ll take people down.

Back in the suite, Chris notes that one of the three remaining Magna members is going home. Alex says that they did a good job, but things fell apart during the presentation. He interviews that he thinks it’s Angie’s fault, since she couldn’t handle the pressure. Angie acknowledges that she didn’t do that great, but she thinks that it’s Alex’s fault that they didn’t get to the presentation on time. She also thinks it’s “pathetic” that Chris did so poorly as the accountant.

Angie, Chris, and Alex head to the boardroom. Trump asks Alex what went wrong. Alex asks if he wants the failures from the beginning. Angie says that the presentation went horribly, and she knows that she didn’t do well. She tells Trump about being late and forgetting the jacket. Alex thinks that that’s Angie’s fault, because she was responsible for the presentation. Angie thinks that she was given too much responsibility.

Carolyn asks Angie whose fault it is for leaving the jacket. She blames Alex. Trump notes that Angie has been in the boardroom six weeks in a row, and has escaped every time. Does she think that Trump might be getting tired of this? Carolyn wants to know what Chris was doing at this time. Chris says that he was in charge of buying the technology items. Trump asks whose fault it was for losing the credit card. Chris acknowledges that it was definitely his fault. Carolyn says that the team failed in many ways.

Alex thinks that being rushed didn’t help. Angie adds that the model didn’t notice that the jacket was missing until right before they started. Trump asks Angie if it’s her fault that the jacket wasn’t there; she says that’s true. She continues that the day of the presentation, Chris was at Best Buy for two-and-a-half to three hours. Chris says that it was two-and-a-half hours.

Trump asks Angie if she blames Chris for the loss; she does. Chris, who’s getting agitated (uh oh), says that Angie was in charge of the presentation, which is where they lost. Trump says that, in fairness to Alex, he was great before he joined a team of losers. He then kicks everyone out so he can talk to Carolyn and Michelle. In the lobby, Angie isn’t happy about the fact that Trump called them losers. Well, you and Chris have lost six weeks in a row, so what would you suggest he call you?

Carolyn wonders what Chris actually did on the task. Michelle thinks that Angie screwed up the presentation, especially when compared to Magna. Phew, Robin’s in the lobby. Some sense of normalcy! Chris, Angie, and Alex return to the boardroom. Trump asks Alex if they lost because Chris lost the card. Alex says they didn’t. Trump asks if they lost because of Angie, and Alex has to admit that they did.

Angie starts adamantly saying that she doesn’t think the blame should be placed completely on her. She tries to push the blame on Alex. Trump asks Chris for his opinion, and he says he shouldn’t be blamed. Michelle asks if he thinks he could have been helpful if he’d been with the rest of the team. Chris says that 45 minutes might have helped, but not enough.

Trump asks Chris if he’s responsible for the loss. Chris says he takes a little of the blame. Carolyn asks if Angie had enough time to prepare for the presentation. Alex says that she did, but she failed because she cracked under pressure. Carolyn notes that she’s never cracked before, then asks what Alex’s job was. He says that he was supposed to be in charge of everything, and Carolyn points out that he didn’t do that very well. He can’t deny that.

Trump asks Alex who’s better, Angie or Chris. Alex repeats what he said last week about Chris having talent. He adds that Chris handled his temper a lot better this week. This can’t be good for Angie. A guy who felt threatened by Chris last week is now defending him and supporting him. Trump says that when he hires someone, he’s not looking to work on the person’s temper. He asks Chris if he’s had problems with his temper all his life, and Chris says that he has. It’s time to get some help for that, my friend, because you wind up on the wrong side of a police line-up.

Trump gets down to it: Chris has a temper, and he doesn’t want to have to deal with it. Alex was good until he joined the disaster team. Angie was better than the other losers, but she’s been on the losing team for a long time. Plus, she choked during the presentation. She says that she could have done better and admits that she choked. Trump tells her that she’s fired.

Admittedly, though I’ve wanted Chris to go home for awhile because he’s basically a nut bar, Angie did horribly this week. The fact that she’s been good in the past indicates that she’s inconsistent, since she hasn’t kept up that level of work. I liked her a lot, but she wouldn’t have made it much further than this. I’m surprised she didn’t outlast Chris, though.

In the lobby, Angie hugs Chris and Alex, telling them that she can’t believe this. Alex and Chris head upstairs, and as she heads into the elevator, Angie says again that she can’t believe it. In the boardroom, Trump says that people who work for him have to be able to handle a lot of pressure, so there’s no room for chokers.

Next week: something with cars. Bren is in a car with Chris and Alex, so it looks like he’s heading over to Magna. Craig says something about not having a theme, and in an interview, Kendra says, “Shut up!” The reward has something to do with basketball. Something shocking happens after the firing. Ooh, maybe Chris finally loses it!

In the cab, Angie is still in shock. She scoffs at the idea of having choked. She doesn’t like that everything was on her head. She can’t believe she was fired over Chris. She thinks that the guys teamed up against her. She says that she had a good experience and gives Tana a cheer. However, she wants us all to know that she didn’t choke. If you say so, Angie.

Jenn Brasler is an aspiring writer from Falls Church, VA. You can e-mail her at 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.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of our recent articles on this show at our The Apprentice page and take a look at our sections on Survivor: All-Stars and Celebrity Mole. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about The Apprentice, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: The Apprentice!