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Offline puddin

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The Apprentice 3 Recaps
« on: January 23, 2005, 12:43:25 AM »
College Kids Flame-Broiled in 'Apprentice 3' Opener

By Rick Porter
Zap2it
You know, if shows like "The Apprentice" insist on taking only a few weeks off between cycles, it's going to be really hard to miss them while they're gone. Or at least let the levels of bile return to normal after watching 16 weeks of boardroom boneheadedness.

These were my thoughts as the third edition of "The Apprentice" began Thursday (Jan. 20) with Donald Trump dividing the 18 players into "book smarts" -- those with at least a bachelor's degree -- and "street smarts" -- those who have succeeded in business without a college degree.

Imagine my (mildly pleasant) surprise, then, to find out that a decent number of these folks might actually be tolerable to watch over the next few months.

A couple of them look to be reliable comic relief as well.
   
Just who belongs on which team, Trump leaves to the players to figure out. He does drop one little tidbit, though: The street-smarts team has a collective net worth triple that of the book-learnin' group.

Seizing on that fact, the no-degree-having team decides to call itself Net Worth Corp. The college boys and girls go with Magna (as in cum laude), and I'm just happy that both have names because it would have gotten really tiresome to find a bunch of different ways to say one team's been to college and one hasn't (or at least didn't finish). And, by the way, those are easily the best team names in "Apprentice" history -- no Mosaic or Versacorp nonsense this time.

As the Magna folks come up with their name, casual-dressing, guitar-playing marketing dude Danny gets his teammates to punctuate every decision with a group yelling of "Unbelievable!," which makes you wonder if Danny once worked as a guide on Disney's Jungle Cruise ride. The Net Worthers get a good chuckle at this early camaraderie, rightly so.

The first task is to manage a Burger King and pimp one of six new sandwiches the fast-food chain is offering, because New Yorkers move fast and time is money and blah blah blah (Trump, it seems, is his same old aggrandizing self). Magna's Alex makes the requisite if-you-don't-go-to-college-you'll-end-up-flipping-burgers reference.

Net Worth, led by restaurant-experienced John as project manager, decides to promote a Western burger, which in fast-food parlance means it has barbecue sauce, bacon and a couple of onion rings on it. Magna goes with a triple-cheese burger because Verna, a self-described veteran burger eater, would buy it in real life.

With burgers selected, the teams set about figuring out how to sell them. Magna project manager Todd sends Danny and Stephanie, one of two "supply chain consultants" on the team, to BK HQ to discuss marketing strategy. Lawyer Alex is put in charge of the restaurant, deciding which team members get assigned to which tasks.

All except Todd, that is, who sits in a booth at Magna's restaurant, making notes and spouting platitudes.

Net Worth, meanwhile, is off and running to capitalize on its western theme, printing up fake "Wanted" posters and organizing a giveaway of two plane tickets to Vegas from a travel agent -- who turns out to be a guy working out of his apartment. Hope the winner made it.

They also head to a novelty store to pick up some cowboy costumes to help sell the product. Boisterous Brian gets the store to throw in, for no reason at all, a plastic Viking helmet. Sure.

After pooh-poohing several of Stephanie's ideas, Danny hits on a "triple play" idea, using a baseball theme to lure customers. That's fine, except "baseball" somehow ends up translating to "wearing little Styrofoam ball-topped antennae on your heads and setting up a seriously weak carny game outside the store while Danny plays his guitar." Seriously, Morgan Spurlock could have sold fast food better.

An amused Carolyn sums Magna's efforts, which also include serious bottlenecks during the lunchtime rush, thusly: "Sad, very sad."

Okay, so I know Mark Burnett and Co. are absolutely tilting the premiere in favor of Net Worth; hooray for the little guy and all that. Based on what we do see, though, Net Worth absolutely deserves its victory, selling 40-some more units of its burger than the Magna folks do of theirs.

As a reward, the team gets dinner with The Donald and the soon-to-be Mrs. The Donald at '21,' where Brian lets fly a couple of bleeped-out curses that probably will come back to haunt him in a future boardroom. The project manager exemption from last season is in place, meaning John is safe next week if his team loses.

Todd tells Alex and Danny before the boardroom that he's taking them to the firing line with him. After everyone makes fun of the way Danny dresses, Todd follows through on his pledge -- something he didn't do much of while running his team.

Trump looks pretty disgusted will all three. Danny's a loose cannon with no sense of direction, and Alex badly botched his restaurant-manager duties by not training enough people to work the registers.

But for showing "zero, zero leadership," Todd is the first one fired, securing his place with all those other people you can't quite remember as reality-show footnotes.

source~
http://entertainment.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=179288
« Last Edit: February 04, 2005, 10:47:07 AM by puddin »

Offline puddin

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Ep 2 recap ~Book Smarts Check In a Win! Brian Fired!
« Reply #1 on: January 28, 2005, 06:15:06 PM »
Book Smarts Check In a Win! Brian Fired!

January 27, 2005
Up in the suite, the candidates wondered who would return from the boardroom. Bren was sure that Danny would be fired, calling him a "loose cannon." But then the front door opened to reveal Danny and Alex. Danny's team reacted surprised but happy as the man in the leisure suit strode back in. Danny and Alex were welcomed back with plenty of hugs. In an interview, Danny admitted that Trump called him a "disaster," but he felt that Trump saw the similarities between the two - that they were both brash individuals. But Danny admitted that he would have to prove himself going forward.

The next day, The Donald met the two teams at Trump International Hotel and Tower. Before he got down to business, Trump noticed that Danny had ditched his more unique business wear for a traditional suit. Trump complimented Danny on the new look. Then The Donald laid out the task. Each team would be given $20,000 to renovate a motel on the New Jersey shore on a very tight schedule. The teams would then welcome paying guests, who would rate the motel and the customer service they received through Yahoo! Local. The team with the highest rating from the guests would win. George and Carolyn would be along to keep a watchful eye on things. As always, the losers would return to the boardroom where someone would be fired.

Up in the suite, the candidates wondered who would return from the boardroom. Bren was sure that Danny would be fired, calling him a "loose cannon." But then the front door opened to reveal Danny and Alex. Danny's team reacted surprised but happy as the man in the leisure suit strode back in. Danny and Alex were welcomed back with plenty of hugs. In an interview, Danny admitted that Trump called him a "disaster," but he felt that Trump saw the similarities between the two - that they were both brash individuals. But Danny admitted that he would have to prove himself going forward.
The next day, The Donald met the two teams at Trump International Hotel and Tower. Before he got down to business, Trump noticed that Danny had ditched his more unique business wear for a traditional suit. Trump complimented Danny on the new look. Then The Donald laid out the task. Each team would be given $20,000 to renovate a motel on the New Jersey shore on a very tight schedule. The teams would then welcome paying guests, who would rate the motel and the customer service they received through Yahoo! Local. The team with the highest rating from the guests would win. George and Carolyn would be along to keep a watchful eye on things. As always, the losers would return to the boardroom where someone would be fired.

Brian, of Net Worth (Street Smarts), volunteered to be Project Manager and no one on the team objected - at least out loud. Not everyone thought Brian was the man for the job. Although she was quiet in the group, in an interview, Kristen had much to say. She warned that with Brian as Project Manager, the team was doomed to chaos.

When Net Worth arrived at the Surfside Motel, the team was excited. Angie said that the place looked great. But when she walked into one of the rooms, her opinion quickly changed. Tara said that people on her team were shocked at seeing the rooms, which were filled with mildew, broken walls and horrible smells. While things were ugly on the inside of the motel, they started to get ugly on the outside when Kristen, who was in charge of the team's budget, clashed with Brian. Brian ordered a dumpster so that the team could begin their renovations, but Kristen felt that they really needed a budget before they started spending any money. In spite of this, Brian said to go ahead and order the dumpster. Frustrated, Kristen voiced her dissent. In an interview, Brian said of Kristen, "I think she forgets I'm the Project Manager."

Magna (Book Smarts) arrived at their motel, the Sea Garden. They too loved the outside of the place. And they too discovered a motel of horrors on the inside. There was everything from water damage to families of bugs thriving in the bathtubs.

Michael, the Project Manager, and Verna, whose responsibilities included customer service, didn't see eye to eye. The two argued over what to focus on. Michael's top priority was renovating the motel; for him, that took precedence over everything. He said that if you don't have rooms, you can't have customers - and without customers, customer service wouldn't matter. But Verna felt that the physical motel was only half of the job they had before them. She thought that Michael was ignoring this fact. Michael eventually walked away from Verna, saying he didn't have time to waste on the conversation. Verna didn't seem too happy either.

Back at the Surfside Motel, Net Worth divided the work between the men and the women. The men stayed at the motel, taking inventory of the rooms and deciding what renovations were needed while the women went shopping for furnishings. Brian made the executive decision to get all new toilets - fourteen of them. Craig was stunned when he heard the news. He felt that only one or two actually needed to be replaced; the others just needed a modest investment, like a new toilet seat. Craig wasn't the only one who had a problem with replacing all of the toilets. When Audrey heard the news, she held her head in her hands in disbelief... and then said some things you just can't say on TV.

As Magna worked into the wee hours of the morning, Michael and Verna had another run-in. Michael asked Verna to paint a room, but Verna said that she still had logistical duties to take care of. In an interview, Michael said that he felt Verna took the job of managing the budget because it required the least physical labor. After some discussion, Verna agreed to paint, but that didn't end the conflict. The two exchanged words again. In the end, Verna asked Mike, "Why don't you go somewhere and do nothing like you've been doing all day?"
Net Worth had its own personality conflicts. While John was trying to counsel Brian on his use of tact, the two ended up in a tactless argument. By the end, John told Brian that he was a "silly little man" who "botched" the task - and he added that no one liked him. John warned that Brian would not win the task with his attitude. But there was more discord to come. After sunrise, Kristen laid into Brian in front of other team members. She was upset because the team didn't have enough money to buy beds - and she blamed Brian for wasting money on toilets they didn't need. When Brian said he finally wanted to review the budget, Kristen responded that she'd been asking for that since the day before and now it was too late. She called Brian a terrible leader and said that if the team loses, she would lobby for Brian to be fired - and she promised that the rest of the team would back her up on it. Kristen finally walked away, refusing to sit down with her Project Manager and go over the budget.
As the renovations came down to the wire, Magna was scheduled to receive guests, but weren't done with their work. There was trash everywhere and the rooms stunk of fresh paint. In an interview, Alex said he was convinced that his team was going to lose and that someone on Magna would be fired. At the Surfside Motel, George worried about Net Worth and was surprised that the team had not replaced the old carpeting.

At the Sea Garden, Danny and Verna worked the front desk, greeting guests and checking them in. According to Danny, they "rocked it." As Danny showed people to their rooms, he decided to tell them all that the motel would be having a get-together at 8pm that night. Well, the invitations worked. People came out of their rooms that evening for an impromptu party. The party got hopping and guests even jumped into the pool for a midnight swim. In an interview, Danny said that having college degrees really paid off in the task because he and his teammates had spent plenty of time blowing off class and partying in school. Everyone at the Sea Garden seemed to be having a great time - everyone but Verna, who kept her distance from the festivities. Verna complained that she was mentally and physically exhausted.

Back at Net Worth's motel, another argument erupted between Kristen and Brian. It was 11pm and the two argued in the courtyard, bringing guests out of their rooms to see what was going on. Angie and Audrey finally separated them. But when Angie and Audrey ended up in a van with Kristen, she was still venting about Brian. They asked Kristen to be quiet, but when she wouldn't, Angie finally exploded and said a few things that you can't say on TV. Kristen left the van and Angie was thankful that at least it was quiet.

While others on her team passed out from exhaustion, Verna said she spent most of the night pacing and worrying that she hadn't been taking care of herself. Verna wondered if she'd be able to continue. After sunrise, Bren woke up as guests were checking out. So, he went to find Verna, who was in bed. When Bren asked Verna if they had any coffee for their guests, she told him that she was no longer playing the game. Bren didn't seem to comprehend what Verna was saying, but eventually he understood that she wasn't going to be of any help. Verna closed her bedroom door, shutting out the rest of the world. Bren was worried about the team's satisfaction surveys. He said that, even though the guests had partied the night before, they were now about to fill out a survey just before missing their morning coffee. As Bren was being interviewed, Verna left the premises, wheeling her suitcase behind her. The only problem was that she didn't seem to be heading anywhere in particular. Verna seemed to wander aimlessly with her suitcase in tow.

When Carolyn heard about Verna's departure, she got in her car and drove around the neighborhood looking for her. Carolyn finally spotted Verna and jumped out of her car to talk with the wandering candidate. But Verna said nothing and she just kept on walking. When Carolyn asked Verna how she was doing, Verna remained silent and never let up her pace. Carolyn finally coaxed Verna into the car, got her talking and brought her back to the motel. On the edge of tears, Verna told Michael that she needed an attitude adjustment and said that, if the team loses, she would volunteer to be fired. While the team accepted Verna back with hugs, some team members were unhappy with her. In an interview, Erin said that Verna was in charge of customer service and blew it. She said, "Verna essentially sabotaged our blood, sweat and tears." Erin said that she wanted Verna to go home and called her "dead weight."

After all of the hard work (and after all of the surveys had been filled out), the two teams reunited back in the boardroom to learn their fate. Trump first addressed Verna. He said he heard that she had a hard time but was back. Trump said there's nothing better than a comeback in his book. Then Trump got down to the matter at hand. George reported that Net Worth received an average survey score, on a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 being best, of 2.92. But Carolyn said that Magna received a score of 3.96. Magna cheered in victory! As their reward, the group sailed aboard a magnificent yacht with well-known businessman Steve Forbes, Editor-in-Chief of Forbes magazine. The group had dinner, drinks and cigars. Then Forbes took off from the deck in his private helicopter. Magna ended the night with their signature cheer of "Unbelievable!" Back at the suite, there were more arguments as Brian and John got into it. John thought Brian was abrasive and a terrible leader. Brian felt that he was abandoned by his team and that he had to hire contractors to do all the work.

Net Worth took another trip back to the boardroom and Trump opened by asking the Project Manager what went wrong. Brian said there was no cooperation. Trump asked Brian if that was his fault. Brian said yes, it was. Then Trump asked Brian if he should just fire him - and Brian said yes! Trump seemed caught off guard by the answer, but he continued by getting opinions from the others on the team. Kristen thought that Brian should be fired. Audrey said that Brian was not a good leader. This set Brian off, who then quoted Kristen's foul language and Carolyn suggested that he never use that type of language in the boardroom again. John said that Brian was abrasive. Craig said Brian's leadership was lacking. Angie, however, said Chris should be fired instead of Brian, which drew a passionate response from Chris. Under questioning from George, Brian admitted that he never had a budget or a timeline for the massive renovation project. Trump said that Brian wasted money on toilets and didn't have the funds to buy new carpet, which was a major mistake. Trump wondered aloud what he was doing in the boardroom if Brian already admitted that he deserved to be fired. A bit exasperated, Trump turned to him and said, "Brian, you're fired."

http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Apprentice_3/index.shtml


Offline puddin

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Re: The Apprentice 3 Recaps
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2005, 10:48:21 AM »
Recap EP 3~
When the entire Magna group (Books Smarts) returned to the suite without Brian, the rest of the candidates were stunned. The members of Net Worth (Street Smarts) couldn't believe that Brian had told Trump that he should be fired. In an interview, Michael said the fact that Brian went home without a second boardroom put everyone on notice - Trump makes the rules and he can break them too.
Danny hoped that a day of rest would help Verna; but Verna said that she still wasn't well. Danny vowed that the team could win even if Verna wasn't up to the next task and had to sit it out. Danny got the group together to rally behind the cause and was sure the rest of the team would be "cool" with the idea. But Erin wasn't cool with it. Erin spoke up and asked what would happen if the team lost while Verna was back at the suite resting? Would Verna volunteer to be fired? Danny seemed caught off guard and the questions hung in the air. Finally, Verna broke the tension and said that she'd been resting all day and still didn't feel well. Therefore, Verna said, she should just go. So, for the second time in as many days, Verna voluntarily packed her bags and left her team. This time though, it was for good. As the other candidates made dinner and new battle plans, Verna headed out of the suite with luggage in tow.

The next day, the remaining candidates met Trump in the middle of Times Square. Trump reminded everyone that he had said this sixteen week job interview would be tough - maybe the toughest thing the candidates had ever done in their lives. Trump said that Verna couldn't hack it and quit. He asked if anyone else wanted to quit - all responded with a resounding "No!" Trump then laid out the next task. The candidates would work with Nestlé, the largest food and beverage company in the world. The teams would develop and execute a marketing campaign for the company's premium coffee brand, Nescafé Taster's Choice. Each team would get a big $75,000 budget and Trump challenged them to come up with a big idea to match. The team that created the greatest buzz, as judged by two Nescafe executives, would win. The losing team would return to the boardroom where someone would be fired. George and Carolyn would observe and report back to Trump, as always.

When Magna met, Bren nominated Danny to be their Project Manager. Bren said he had confidence in Danny and his creativity. Danny accepted the role and said that he was up to the task. During the team's brainstorming session, Michael, who had exemption on this task, found a particular theme he liked... and kept repeating it. Michael summed up his brainchild to sell coffee: sexy European models. Michael felt that attractive women were the key to java success. Erin thought Michael's strategy would alienate women. Stephanie said that Michael wasn't taking the task seriously: "He knew he was exempt, therefore he pretty much just sat back and enjoyed the ride." Even the ever-cheerful Danny was becoming short with Michael. For his part, Michael felt that his ideas weren't being given proper consideration. In an interview, Michael promised to "unleash a tirade" on Danny in the boardroom if the team lost.

Angie threw her hat into the ring to be Project Manager of Net Worth - and she got the job. Angie pitched her idea: an All-American Taster's Choice campaign where, "You have a choice." She saw a patriotic theme with an element of an election. This got the team buzzing with ideas. Chris suggested that they give away thousands of dollars to generate even more excitement.

According to Stephanie, Magna's problem was that no one knew exactly what their event was about. They had no "big idea". Stephanie called an event planner, who would help them with all of the logistics for the day. The planner gave a quote of $47,000 - nearly two thirds of the team's entire budget. Danny was unsure whether or not to hire the planner for that much money. Alex claimed that Danny was unable to make key decisions. Ultimately, Danny put the decision to a vote. Everyone voted to go with the event planner - except for Stephanie, who had gotten the initial quote. Stephanie worried that the team had no campaign and therefore couldn't give the event planner any direction. Danny accused Stephanie of not taking responsibility for her own job. As Project Manager, Danny said yes to the deal and signed the contract with the event planner.

The next challenge facing Danny was that the team still didn't have their big marketing idea. Then Bren suggested giving away iPods. He said as a newcomer to New York, the thing that stood out to him was how many people were on the go in the city with their coffee and their iPods. Danny said that everyone was onboard with the giveaway, except Michael. When asked for another idea, Michael repeated his original brainstorm that everyone had dismissed: beautiful women giving away coffee. In an interview, Stephanie said Michael was acting like a child who didn't get his way. She said she felt that someone who wins exemption shouldn't just skate by and not perform to the best of their abilities. Later, Michael balanced a platter on his head while others worked. Annoyed, Danny said, "Mike, if you need a timeout in the corner, let me know." Michael complained: "We're going to have a nice, high school production tomorrow." At that point, Danny told Michael to stop talking. They exchanged a few words and then Michael warned Danny, "The last person you want to fluster is me - and I promise you that."
The next day, some of the candidates from Magna were moving product from Nestlé offices for their event. In an interview, Bren said that he and Danny were working hard, but Michael was just sitting around. Bren continued that Danny used some colorful language and told Michael to get up and help. Michael told Danny that if he yelled at him one more time, he was going to throw Danny out of the window. Bren thought Michael completely overreacted.
On event day, the members of Net Worth were working hard. Chris, Audrey and others handed out flyers and touted the team's big $10,000 giveaway. The team followed through on their patriotic theme of choice. The event was like a giant political rally in Union Square. There was red, white and blue everywhere and Uncle Sam roamed around greeting the public. Of course, there was plenty of coffee being given away. The team even had two actors portraying politicians, who debated the merits of hot versus cold coffee drinks. In fact, the public had a choice as Net Worth gave away hot and cold coffee drinks. The group also generated excitement from their $10,000 giveaway. Angie said her team was passionate about the campaign idea and that's what helped them make their event a success.

At Magna's event, they gave away free iPods throughout the day in order to keep fresh people coming to the event and sampling the coffee. In addition to the giveaway, the event also sported a mime, a guy dressed as a cup of coffee and balloons. In an interview, Danny said that he was giving Michael menial tasks to keep him busy and out of the way. But in his own interview, Michael said he was doing his job well.

After the events, it was time for the results. Trump and the two teams met with the Nescafe executives to hear their final verdict. The executives said that Magna did a good job delivering the message of "premium brand," but they said that there was no big idea that made sense thematically. Then the executives turned to Net Worth and said that not only had the team gotten people to sample the product, but they took it to another level by offering hot and cold coffee options. The executives said that best of all, Net Worth tied the event together with the memorable theme of "choice." The executives declared Net Worth the winner! As their reward, the group went on a helicopter ride and got a rare glimpse of New York City at night as they toasted champagne.

At the suite, the mood was anything but celebratory. Michael pinned the loss squarely on Danny. In an interview he said, "Danny was supposed to be the mastermind behind advertising. And he was the mastermind behind nothing." Danny whispered to Erin that Michael didn't contribute. In an interview, Erin said that Michael sat back on a golden bed of exemption and did nothing. She went so far as to call him "dead weight." The team, minus Michael, got together and agreed to try to get Michael fired, in spite of the exemption he had earned.

With Magna back in the boardroom, Trump asked what went wrong. Danny admitted that the loss was tough, but before talking about it, he said he wanted to discuss something serious. He felt that Michael abused his exemption. Erin agreed and said that Michael should be fired: "He quite possibly did nothing on this task." But Trump said that in business, you have to live by the rules. Trump then turned to Danny's performance as Project Manager. He said that Danny's campaign was flat. In addition, the team gave nearly $50,000 right off the bat to one company. Stephanie complained that the team had no theme to communicate to their event planner. Bren conceded that while Danny was responsible for the loss, Bren would fire Michael for his utter lack of integrity. Michael accused Danny of being totally lost as a leader. Finally, Danny chose to bring Stephanie and Michael back into the boardroom - in spite of Michael's exempt status.

With just his advisors around him, Trump asked for input. Carolyn said that Danny couldn't make decisions. She also felt he made a bad decision by saying he would bring an exempt candidate, Michael, back into the boardroom with him. George agreed with Carolyn. Trump then called the three candidates back in. Michael denied doing badly on the task and he denied slacking off because he had exemption. Trump thought it was a poor display of leadership for Danny to take a vote about whether or not to hire the event planner. Michael said Danny wasn't a great advertising person or a good leader. Stephanie didn't think much of either Danny or Michael. Trump said Michael did a terrible job. But Trump didn't blame Stephanie. He said that she found the event planner - the problem was the team didn't have a good idea for the event. Trump said that both Danny and Michael should be ashamed of themselves. But Trump said that what he hated more than anything else was that Danny chose to bring an exempt candidate back into the boardroom. Trump said that the action showed that Danny either had a lot of imagination or was someone who won't play by the rules. So, Trump pointed and said, "Danny, you're fired."

Offline puddin

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Re: The Apprentice 3 Recaps
« Reply #3 on: February 04, 2005, 04:24:19 PM »
thanks banzai  :<(

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Re: The Apprentice 3 Recaps
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2005, 04:36:23 AM »
Thanks to both of you!  |#'

I'm sorry Verna quit, but it was probably best.  She wasn't up to the pressures, obviously.
Danny?  I'm sooo glad he's gone.  Didn't like him from the start.  Just seemed too cocky & unbusinesslike.  Loved his singing tho...and his song at the end. He should  perhaps get into a singing/songwriter career.  }} 
He needs a haircut &/or a more becoming hair style! He looks grubby!  |(



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Re: The Apprentice 3 Recaps
« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2005, 09:00:15 PM »
  *%#  (%# I'm listening banzai ...all ears baby

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Re: The Apprentice 3 Recaps
« Reply #6 on: February 09, 2005, 03:53:22 PM »
hmmm I am all ears on that one ]#[


Stephanie + Michael in episode 3; romance?

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Re: The Apprentice 3 Recaps
« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2005, 04:12:38 PM »
EP 4 Recap~

 Up in the suite, the candidates carried on the great tradition of speculating about who would be fired. The big question was: Would Michael get the axe dispite his exemption? Angie thought it was crazy to bring a candidate with exemption back into the boardroom. But Erin saw it differently. She believed that Trump would fire Michael because he abused his free pass. But Michael walked into the suite and Erin was proven wrong. Now, if Michael thought he was done getting a stern talking to because he had survived the boardroom, he was mistaken. Bren told Michael, in front of everyone, that he had disappointed them all and that he needed to be a man and step up from this point forward. After Bren finished, Michael apologized to his team. But in an interview, Alex warned that, unless Michael made a complete 180 degree turn, the guillotine would drop right on his neck.
Trump was heading out on a business trip, so the candidates gathered around their plasma screen and Donald called them from his limousine. He told the group that they would work with Donny Deutsch on their next task to create an ad campaign for a new product: Dove Cool Moisture Body Wash. Each team would attempt to wow Donny - and he would pick the winner. George and Carolyn would observe the teams and report back to Trump. As always, the losers would face Donald in the boardroom where someone would be fired.

Both groups arrived at Deutsch Inc., Donny's advertising agency. The teams were each charged with making a 30-second commercial. But Donny had a little surprise for them - he was pulling out all the stops. Each team would have access to a state-of-the art sound stage, in addition to professional actors, crew and equipment. They would have everything they would need to make an industry-level ad. Donny dared them to be creative and different. Donny told them to make 30-second movies - and he challenged them to blow him away.

Erin volunteered to be Project Manager of Magna (Book Smarts) and led the group in a brainstorming session. Bren pitched his vision for the commercial: A female chef helps her male protégé wash a cucumber, with all the innuendo the two can muster. She pulls him aside and gives him the Dove body wash. He kisses her on the cheek but then walks out with a near-by male waiter. While many people laughed, some didn't think the commercial was right for the task. Michael raised objections, saying he didn't think Dove would like it. Bren countered that they had to take the risk. Privately, Michael said he didn't like the idea but that he would help his team make the best cucumber porno that he possibly could.

On Net Worth (Street Smarts), Kristen volunteered to be Project Manager. She said that she was qualified because her boyfriend was a director and she had spent a lot of time on real sets. In an interview, Audrey said that having a boyfriend who was a director doesn't make you a director. John pitched an idea: A group of marathon runners grab cups of water as they pass a line of spectators. The runners all throw the water on their faces in an attempt to cool down. But then one runner grabs a bottle of Dove Cool Moisture from a spectator, lathers up his wet face and uses another cup of water to rinse. The runner towels off, and newly re-energized, wins the race. Kristen and others liked the idea. John said his goal for the commercial was to make Donny laugh.

After Bren, Erin and Alex enjoyed the perks of casting, the rest of Magna went to their sound stage. But the team ran into a problem even before they arrived. Their actors had been told to be at the stage by 4pm, but the team didn't get there until almost 6pm. One actress was so upset about being stranded at the cold soundstage that she was ready to quit. Stephanie apologized, but that didn't help. The actress wanted to talk to the person in charge. Erin couldn't pacify her either and the actress warned that she would probably walk off the job. But at the last minute, Bren swooped in with his Southern charm and talked her into staying.

At Net Worth's sound stage, Kristen said that she would direct the commercial. John wanted to stay and help direct so that the joke would be presented just right, but Kristen sent John and Craig to do the music instead. In at least one way, Kristen deviated from John's original pitch - she didn't have the runners throw the water on their faces. This meant that the runner put the body wash directly on his sweaty face and then wiped off the lather with a towel. During the shoot, Kristen told Audrey to work with Tana, who was in charge of the models. In an interview, Kristen admitted that she told Audrey to go with Tana to keep Audrey out of her hair. In her own interview, Audrey said she thought the commercial was stupid and one of the cheesiest things she'd ever seen. Audrey wasn't alone. In another interview, Angie said the commercial wasn't funny or
 
During the filming on the Magna set, the actor and actress suggestively washed a cucumber and team members couldn't help but giggle. Carolyn, however, was not amused. Privately, Michael said the only way his team would win would be if Net Worth were to come up with a more idiotic concept for the ad than his team had.
Once the film was shot, Net Worth went into the editing rooms, where everyone saw the footage for the first time. Tara said that it looked like the commercial lost the humor of the original idea. John agreed, saying that it wasn't funny at all. Kristen defended the work saying that she was never going for funny. Her logic was that she didn't try to put comedy into the idea because the idea itself was funny. John simply said he thought the original idea he and Craig had come up with was lost - and he called the commercial a mess.

For the presentation of their commercial to Donny and two of his top executives, Erin had the members of Magna dress up as chefs. In an interview, Michael said this made no sense - and he thought that his team was oblivious to the fact that they looked like morons. The first thing out of Donny's mouth was the team can't wear goofy outfits and be taken seriously. So Donny made them take off their hats. Then Donny and the two managing partners watched Magna's commercial. Donny shook his head, but made no comment. He thanked the team and sent them out. Next, Net Worth presented their commercial. Donny thanked the group and sent them out. Donny started the discussion with his two managing partners by saying that he was really disappointed. He thought that both commercials were "silly", "stupid" and "off". Both executives agreed. One said that the choice was between a disgusting commercial where a sweaty runner rubs on body wash without using any water and a semi-porn piece. Donny brought both teams back into the conference room and got Trump on the line. Donny pulled no punches and said that both teams "missed big." He had to tell Trump that there was no winner - an Apprentice first! So, Trump responded with his own first and said that both teams would return to the boardroom to face him and someone would be fired.

Erin said that the mood in the suite was horrible. Kristen admitted that she didn't talk with anyone and went to lie down in bed. Bren worried that he would be in the "hot seat" since the commercial idea with the cucumber was his. Privately, he admitted that he was "terrified". Later, Kristen chatted up both John and Tana as she tried to lay blame on Audrey. But in an interview, John said Kristen was the one who should be fired.

It was standing room only when both teams arrived in the infamous boardroom. Trump watched Magna's commercial and said that the team had to be crazy to think that the cucumber idea wouldn't offend anyone. Next, Trump screened Net Worth's commercial with the runners and called it terrible. Trump asked Audrey for her input and she said that Kristen had botched the joke that John and Craig had come up with. Kristen shot back that she had to baby-sit Audrey during the task. Carolyn said Net Worth's commercial was disgusting - the runner applied the body wash directly to his sweaty face and didn't use any water. Finally, Trump asked each Project Manager to bring in two people to face the firing with them. Erin chose Bren and Michael while Kristen chose Audrey and Tana.

With just his advisors, Trump asked for their insight. George said that Kristen had failed as a team leader. Carolyn wasn't a big fan of Michael and she repeated that Bren had come up with the ridiculous cucumber idea. The six candidates then returned to the boardroom. Kristen said that she did her job well but others had fallen down on their individual tasks. When Audrey was given the choice of firing someone from the opposing team or firing Kristen, she chose Kristen. Trump asked Erin who he should fire. Erin said she wouldn't fire anyone from her team. As for herself, Erin said she held her team together. Both Tana and Audrey placed the blame for failing to execute the joke of the marathon commercial squarely on Kristen's shoulders. They said that everyone had agreed that the runner needed to throw water on his face, before and after using the body wash, but Kristen failed to portray that. Trump didn't like Magna's commercial, but he recognized that at least Erin kept her team together - so they were safe for another week. Trump then turned to the members of Net Worth. He said the leadership on the team was a mess. Kristen tried to counter by saying her team members were hard to lead. But Trump said that a good leader can lead difficult people. Trump said that Kristen had no control over her team and had produced a bad product as well. As Kristen tried to argue for her survival, Trump simply cut her off with, "Kristen, you're fired."


Offline RudyRules

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Re: The Apprentice 3 Recaps
« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2005, 04:45:42 AM »
I can't believe both teams messed up so horribly w/ the commercial project!!  )_^>  |(
 But, it certainly made for good drama.  Hope they do LOTS better this week!   ]][

Offline puddin

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Re: The Apprentice 3 Recaps
« Reply #9 on: February 23, 2005, 09:25:48 PM »
The candidates in the suite anxiously waited as their six teammates fought it out in the boardroom. With candidates from both teams in front of The Donald, the group wondered who would be fired and which team would lose yet another member. The five boardroom survivors entered the suite to screams and hugs as the others realized that Kristen was gone. In an interview, Angie said she was surprised but thrilled that Audrey had taken Kristen down in the boardroom. Audrey recounted the meeting with a variety of words that can't be broadcast on TV. In an interview, Audrey said that although she was a nice person, the minute someone crossed her, they were done.
Magna (Book Smarts) got together to celebrate the fact that their team hadn't lost a member. The group promised an end to the in-fighting. The mood was upbeat until Michael started comparing himself to Trump, saying that the two were the same. Michael went so far as to call himself a "mini Trump." In an interview, Erin said that Michael lived in a fantasyland: "Michael's a jackass and he's nothing like Donald Trump."

The next day, Trump met with the teams to reveal the upcoming task. But before he began, Trump repeated that he was quite disappointed with everyone's performance in the previous week. Trump said that this time around he wanted to see creativity coupled with solid business sense. For their task, each team would be given a 28-foot Airstream trailer, access to Airstream technicians and a $5,000 budget to create their own mobile service business. The team that made the most money would win. The losing team would be back in the boardroom where someone would be fired. With Carolyn away on business, Jill Cremer, part of The Trump Organization's marketing team, would observe, along with the faithful George.

On Net Worth (Street Smarts),Tana stepped up by volunteering to be Project Manager and the rest of the team was behind her. The group then took off to check out their Airstream trailer to see what they had to work with. When Net Worth arrived at the warehouse and saw their shinny silver trailer, everyone was impressed. The sleek vehicle was empty and ready for the team to customize it - all they needed was an idea for a mobile business. The group brainstormed, trying to be open to new and creative ideas. Tara suggested an open casting workshop service where actors (or aspiring actors) could get a few minutes with a professional casting director. Angie, who said she had been an actress, thought it was a great idea and was sure the team could get a line of actors ready to pay for the service. Tana admitted that the idea was risky, but said she wanted an "outside of the box" venture - so mobile casting it was. The essential element of the business was of course a casting director. Angie, with her showbiz background, got on the phone and called casting directors - the only problem was, she couldn't get any to agree to participate.

As Project Manager for Magna, Bren led a brainstorming session that seemed to be going nowhere fast. In an interview, Bren admitted that there was an apparent lack of creativity on his team. Michael liked the idea of a mobile massage business, but Stephanie thought it wouldn't be successful. In an interview, Alex said that Stephanie's negative attitude was a detriment to team morale. In spite of Stephanie's objections, the team went with the idea and hired all of the necessary massage therapists with one phone call to a local spa. Next, Alex, Kendra and Bren went to the warehouse with their Airstream trailer while Erin, Stephanie and Michael stayed behind to come up with a marketing plan. But Michael's marketing ideas seemed only to annoy the two women. In an interview, Erin complained that all Michael did was open his mouth and shout out the stupidest ideas of no significance. Later, when Michael's suggestion for the business name - Massage a-Go-Go - was rejected, Erin said that Michael threw a temper tantrum. She likened him to a little kid and said that he constantly needed supervision. Erin claimed that if it hadn't been for her, nothing would have gotten done.

Back at Net Worth's warehouse, Angie had spent three and a half hours on the phone and hadn't been able to land a casting director. John and others were worried as this was the linchpin of their business. So, Tara got on the phone and with support from John and Chris, got ahold of a casting director, whose credits included Sex and The City and a new Uma Thurman film. Tara offered the woman the right amount of cash and got her to commit to the team. Next, the team worked with the Airstream crew to outfit and decorate their mobile casting space.

Erin, Michael and Stephanie were at Kinkos getting their marketing materials made when Bren called and told them that they needed to pick up dinner and deliver it to the group working at the warehouse. Michael was not happy about the request, saying it reduced the three of them to a food delivery service. He felt that this was a completely ineffective use of the team's resources. For once, Erin and Stephanie seemed to be in agreement with Michael as neither woman was thrilled with the idea of delivering dinner. Stephanie didn't mince words. She said that the team had never been more disorganized: "Bren sucks as a leader". When the three arrived at the warehouse with the food, Stephanie got into it with Bren. She said it was a waste of time for half of their team to be delivering food - especially when Bren could have had it delivered. Bren asked why Stephanie was bringing this up after the fact if it bothered her so much. He added that if having the food delivered was such a great solution, then Stephanie and the others should have handled Bren's request that way. In an interview, Bren said that when Stephanie argued and complained in front of the entire group, it demoralized the team
The next day, Net Worth parked their newly redesigned Airstream trailer and set up their mobile casting workshop business. Their casting director got comfortable and… waited. Although the team members hit the street handing out flyers and talking up their service, no one seemed willing to pay the twenty-five dollar consultation fee. Things were not looking good for Net Worth. In an interview, John said, "You could see the sweat on Angie's brow from half a block away."

Magna set up their mobile spa and hit the ground running. People from off the street started filing in to get their massages, manicures and other treatments. Everyone on the team seemed to be selling the service well… except for Michael. Erin claimed that Michael didn't have the "hustle" to sell. Even Michael knew he had a problem and so he approached Bren and told him that it was a little creepy for a man to advertise massages on the street.

Back at Net Worth's mobile casting workshop, Tana said that the business finally started to pick up in the afternoon - and by 1:30pm, it was "pumping". John said the team had a great strategy for landing clients. He and Chris would get actors interested in the service and Tara would close the deal and collect the money. Angie said they had a line of people inside the trailer waiting to meet with the casting director.

Finally, it was reckoning time as the teams entered the boardroom to learn their fate. Jill reported that Magna had earned a total of $918.50 from their mobile spa business. George announced that Net Worth had taken a big risk by creating a mobile casting business. But, he said, the risk had paid off and the team had earned $991. The members of Net Worth erupted in cheers. Trump congratulated them and said that for their reward the group would go to Mikimoto, a Fifth Avenue shop known worldwide for its pearls. To top it off, the team would get $20,000 to spend on themselves!

When Net Worth arrived at Mikimoto, they were met by both Miss Universe and Miss USA (which was only fitting since Mikimoto provided the pearls for both the Miss Universe and Miss USA crowns). The two pageant winners, complete with their crowns and sashes, showed the candidates around. Everyone tried on different pieces - but it was Craig who donned the official crown from the Miss USA pageant. Everyone was thrilled with the reward, and by the end of the trip, each person had purchased something special.

Outside Trump Tower, rain came down from the gray sky. Inside the suite, Magna performed a postmortem on their task and wondered what they could have done differently. Bren admitted that he could certainly be on the chopping block. But he also said that he was proud of his team. In an interview, Stephanie admitted that Magna lacked some street smarts - they didn't know how to hustle like Net Worth did - and it was costing them the competition. Michael thought he might be brought into the boardroom to face the firing. In an interview, he said he felt like the scapegoat for Magna and called his teammates "evil". In his own interview, Bren said in no uncertain terms that he was ready to take someone else out to ensure his survival.

The next day, the members of Magna returned to the boardroom. Trump asked Bren what went wrong. Bren said that the product and location were good, but that the team fell short in marketing. Bren also confessed that his team had trouble when it came to creativity and cited that as the reason Net Worth was beating them. When Trump asked Bren if getting a few members of Net Worth on his team would help, Bren admitted that it would. In fact, Bren added that he'd be willing to trade away Stephanie and Michael for two members of Net Worth. Bren told Trump that Michael wasn't selling during the task. Bren said Michael even came up to him several times during the day and complained that as a man he couldn't sell massages. Next, Bren turned his attention to Stephanie and accused her of having a negative attitude. Stephanie shot back that Bren didn't have good time management skills. Alex defended Bren, calling him a great leader. Kendra said that Michael just didn't put in 110%. Jill chimed in and said that the team's marketing was weak. Erin said she would fire Michael. Finally, Bren chose to bring Stephanie and Michael back into the boardroom.

After sending out the candidates, Trump turned to his advisors. George thought that Stephanie brought her team down with a negative attitude. Jill thought Michael didn't get the word out about the spa offerings as well as he should have. When the candidates returned, Stephanie said it was too bad that some on her team had taken her honesty personally. Trump accused Michael of coming up short. Jill didn't let him off easy either. She said that Michael's excuse that a man can't sell a massage was a poor one. She said that Michael had other services to sell. He could have offered a manicure to a woman, for example. Bren then said he would fire Stephanie, if given the choice. But as Bren listed his reasons, Michael interrupted. Trump couldn't believe that Michael interrupted Bren as he was making a case for firing Stephanie. Trump asked Michael, "How stupid can you be?" Then Trump told Michael that he heard Michael claimed to be like him - but Trump said that Michael was nothing like him. Trump said he does the work. Finally, Trump lowered the boom and said, "Michael, you're fired."



Offline puddin

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Week 7 ..Fired.........
« Reply #10 on: March 03, 2005, 08:54:59 PM »
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Audrey



Offline amikino

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Re: The Apprentice 3 Recaps
« Reply #11 on: March 04, 2005, 06:41:17 PM »
But John's remark about Audrey being 22 years old and the accompanying smirk has done him in.  He won't get hired by Trump because that statement shows John has no knowlege of the employment discrimination laws.  You never, NEVER, say a thing like that.  Litigation would be right around the corner were this an actual job interview situation.  The interviewer is not allowed to ask or discuss a person's age.  It is not supposed to be a factor.  With John, he showed great stupidity and he would be a time-bomb in the Trump organization.  If he cares so little about something as basic as the employment laws, (and that one guy who took George's place picked up on this, too,)  then what other rules will he ignore and as a result expose the Trump organization to lawsuits.  What a twit!