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puddin:
Teams say "I DO" to Bridal Industry ..Chris Fired

When Ivana and Kevin entered the suite, everyone knew that Raj had been fired. After absorbing the news, the teams got down to business. Because Chris had complained the previous week that Apex wasn't a cohesive team, Trump decreed that Chris would be Project Manager for this task. In an interview, Chris admitted that he put himself on "the chopping block." Chris' first order of business was to gather his team. With "colorful" language as his aid, Chris laid out his philosophy. He told the group that no one was there to be friends. He said that what they were doing was simply business. In an interview, Jennifer M. privately worried about whether Chris could be an effective Project Manager when he felt so negatively about the team. On Mosaic, Kelly offered to be Project Manager and Maria liked the idea. It looked like Kelly might land the position without objection, but then Andy jumped in. He said that he wanted to be Project Manager too. In an interview, Andy said, "They tried to push me out and I'm not going to have that." So, the team drew a name at random and Kelly won the job.

The next day, the candidates met with Donald and learned that they would work in the $30 billion dollar a year wedding industry. Each team would have to transform an empty space into its own bridal shop and then hold an exclusive sale. The team with the greatest profit would win. The other team would meet back in the boardroom for the ultimate divorce, where one person would be fired. Trump told Sandy, a bridal salon owner, that she had a big advantage. But he also warned, "If you lose this time, it would not be good." Trump joked that he knew a little something about weddings and got the teams to lighten up with a laugh. As usual, George and Carolyn would be around to observe everyone's progress - or lack thereof.

After The Donald left, Mosaic was all grins. Smiling, Sandy said, "You have got to be kidding me." In an interview, Kelly said, "We've got a ringer on the team." The mood on the Apex team wasn't nearly as jubilant. But Chris tried to spin the situation as best he could. He said that the team had an opportunity to create a great victory with the deck stacked against them.

Mosaic met back at the suite where Sandy said she needed to make appointments with bridal salon owners to talk with them in person. Kelly put Wes and Maria in charge of the marketing. Their goal was to get as many brides into Apex's new store as possible. Sandy directed Wes and Maria to a bridal website that they could work with to send an email out to thousands of engaged women in the New York area. Sandy outlined the email and told Maria and Wes to put the team's phone number in the message.

Apex visited their empty store space and liked what they saw. Chris said that the first plan of attack was to contact bridal vendors and offer them rent-free spots in the location to sell their wares. Apex and the vendors would split the profits on all that was sold. Chris got on the phone and called bridal vendors. But after many conversations, Chris came up empty. He couldn't convince a single vendor to come down to Apex's space to sell their products. In an interview, Ivana said, "Chris is supposedly the guy who can sell ice to Eskimos. Why couldn't he get anywhere with these vendors?" After enduring rejection after rejection, Chris finally declared the task to be "impossible." In fact, he said he wouldn't be surprised if both teams lost money. This attitude of defeat didn't rally the troops. In fact, Ivana said, "To throw up your hands that early in the game is pathetic."

On Mosaic, Sandy, Kelly and Andy visited bridal shops. Sandy had the idea of asking for discontinued wedding gowns. The owners really liked the prospect of unloading their old merchandise. By the end of the day, the trio had managed to get over 300 wedding dresses promised to them. Back at the suite, Wes and Maria worked on the team's marketing campaign. Wes didn't think it was an accident that their Project Manager wasn't part of the effort. Wes said that Kelly left himself out of the "mission critical" aspect of the task so that if it "…goes wrong, he has someone to point to." For a thousand dollars, Wes and Maria were able to send out an email to 23,000 brides-to-be. Wes admitted that marketing was a "huge" component of the task; he said that if no one showed up to their bridal shop, the team wouldn't sell any dresses.
At Apex's bridal shop space, Chris sat on the floor and complained how frustrating the whole experience was. Jennifer M. suggested they try to meet with vendors. She thought that they might be more receptive in person. So Chris and Jennifer M. visited bridal salons. Jennifer M. did most of the talking while Chris stayed in the background. In an interview, Jennifer M. called Chris, "very, very lackadaisical." But by the end of the meetings, Apex had secured six vendors. At the same time, Kevin and Ivana met Bernadette, a bridal salon owner, who offered some of her inventory for Apex's sale. But Ivana and Kevin didn't stop with just merchandise. They picked Bernadette's brain to get some insight into the industry. Not only did Bernadette offer marketing hints, but she went to the team's bridal shop location and provided an entire plan for how Apex could best organize their space. Ivana said, "Bernadette was sort of like our Sandy, like our ace in the hole." Bernadette suggested where to put dresses, accessories and lights. She even coached the candidates on sales techniques. Chris called Bernadette "a tremendous help" and said that she helped the team "turn a corner."

When Kelly checked in with Wes and Maria, he noticed that the email they had sent to over 23,000 engaged women did not include a phone number to call for appointments. Sandy called that oversight "a big mistake." However, Maria said that the final version of the email she sent to the website did include a phone number. Maria blamed the wedding website for removing the phone number without her approval. That night, there were more problems for Mosaic. When Wes and Kelly transported the team's wedding gowns in a rented truck, Wes hit a parked car. In an interview, Kelly worried that the team could outsell their competition but lose the task because they had to pay damages caused by Wes' driving. Later that night, at the team's bridal shop space, Sandy pulled Kelly aside. She told him that she felt like the team was putting all of the weight of the task on her and that they weren't hustling like they had on other tasks. Sandy was also not happy that Wes and Maria hadn't done any additional marketing beyond the email. Kelly agreed and went back into their storefront to get the troops in gear.

The next morning, Apex put its marketing plan into action. Kevin and Chris went to Grand Central Station to hand out fliers. Ivana and Jennifer M. did the same at Penn Station. Chris said he thought they had a good marketing plan and that the fliers would definitely get people to their store. On Mosaic, Maria, Sandy and Andy met with a representative from the bridal website that sent out their bulk email message. Andy expressed disappointment that the email hadn't included the team's phone number. Sandy asked if the website could send out another email. The representative said she could send another email out, but she also said that she had gotten approval on the original message. In an interview, Sandy said, "Maria was caught in a boldface lie." Sandy continued, "I just hate it when people don't take accountability."

When both new bridal shops opened, Mosaic had a line of over forty women waiting to look at dresses. On the other hand, Apex opened their doors to just two women. Each team jumped into action and tried to sell as many dresses as they could.

Later, everyone arrived at the boardroom to hear how they had done. Carolyn said Mosaic had great teamwork and had produced a beautiful bridal shop. But even more beautiful was their final tally. The team turned a profit of $12,788.94. George reported that Apex did far less business and brought in a profit of just $1,060.47. Trump called Mosaic's win "impressive." For their victory, the members of Mosaic would be rewarded with $50,000 of merchandise from Graff Jewelers - the same jeweler that Trump used to purchase Melania's engagement ring.

Back at the suite, Kevin, Ivana and Jennifer M. commiserated. Kevin called their loss "an old-fashioned butt-kicking" and reminded everyone that they had lost three tasks in a row. Ivana said they got "spanked" in every aspect of the task. Kevin felt that Chris should be fired, but he kept open the possibility that Trump could fire them all for their incredibly poor performance. At Graff, Melania met the members of Mosaic and acted as their diamond emissary. Giddy, Sandy and Maria tried on literally millions of dollars worth of diamonds. However, each team member took home a more modest piece.

After Apex arrived at the boardroom, Chris admitted that his team took a "beating," but he thought that they had gelled. Trump shot back that the team couldn't have gelled that well because they lost by so much. With some prompting from Ivana, Chris admitted that at the beginning of the task, he thought the job would be impossible. Chris said he felt the other team had an advantage with Sandy in their corner, but Carolyn disagreed. George focused in on one aspect of the task: marketing. He said that Apex had no marketing plan. Jennifer M. agreed that Mosaic got onto their marketing quickly and sent out an effective email. Carolyn thought the Apex marketing plan of handing out fliers at train stations was a "terrible idea." And Trump said that he didn't see Penn Station as a place where people thought about marriage. Kevin said that Chris didn't have a plan. Jennifer M. thought that Chris lacked energy and focus. Finally, Chris decided to bring Kevin and Ivana into the boardroom and to send Jennifer M. back up to the safety of the suite.

After the candidates left the room, Trump said he thought that all members of Apex were "terrible" and he called their performance "ridiculous." George said that he didn't see any fire in the candidates and Trump agreed. Once Chris, Ivana and Kevin returned, Trump said that Jennifer M. was just as guilty as the others. He asked Chris why he let her go. Chris explained that Jennifer M. was a good salesperson on the task. But Carolyn countered that the team only sold two dresses, so Jennifer M. couldn't have been that good. Ivana said, "Chris is really good at identifying problems. And when I say that, I mean he's really good at complaining." Trump told Ivana that she is capable of the most unbelievable backhanded slaps he has ever seen. Kevin said that he would fire Chris. Ivana said she would fire Chris as well. Trump said the team didn't have any spark and that's why they lost. Trump reminded Chris that the previous week, he complained that his team was a mess, so Trump gave him the chance to be Project Manager. Not only did his team lose, but Trump complained that Chris let Jennifer M. go when she didn't deserve it. Trump was on a roll and finished it off with: "I can't believe that you led the team so badly -- and Chris, you're fired."

puddin:
Donald Trump fired both as Andy and Sandy
down to six left! Never Mind..Bad info  8-)'

RudyRules:
Uh...puddin, Wes & Maria were fired.  Or do you mean Andy & Sandy were the two left?  ?:)?
I'm happy Maria was fired and her plan to get Wes fired backfired...on HER!! :)() 
Sorry Wes got fired even tho he deserved it for not asserting himself as the PM and TAKING CHARGE of Maria!!  Wow...I just kept yelling...C'MON WES...get your act together!! Oy! He didn't listen to me. 
8-)'

Ruday :-*

puddin:
Butt Shots and The Piano Man - The Apprentice 2, Episode 11
  Posted on Thu 18 Nov 2004 (227 reads) 
by aurora

Last week on The Apprentice, the teams had to take an empty storefront property and transform it into a bridal shop. Mosaic, with the help of bridal salon owner Sandy, trounced Apex, making 12 times more in profit. Chris, project manager for Apex, failed to bring his team together and was ultimately fired. Eight contestants are left - who will be fired tonight?

In the suite, Jennifer says that Chris had been lackluster in the task, and that they all knew he would be going at some point soon anyway. Indeed, Ivana and Kevin return to the suite confirming Jen's observation. Ivana is still confused as to why Chris let Jen off the hook, and Wes says that maybe Jen's getting by each week because she knows how to dog somebody out in a really nice way. In what might have been some creative editing, Jen doesn't reply and instead takes a deep sip of her wine.

The next morning, as usual, the phone rings. Wes answers and Rona tells him to meet with Mr. Trump at 9am at the Levi showroom.

At Levi's, Trump asks each team who their project managers are, and the answers are Kevin and Wes. Since the teams are somewhat uneven now, Trump asks Mosaic to pick one person to send over to Apex. Wes wants Kelly, but Maria disagrees. Kelly ends up being the chosen one however, and joins Apex. Jen says that she's very happy.

Now it's on to the task. After hearing that Levi's has been around for 150 years and that they're worth $4 billion, the teams find out that they are required to create an instore catalog for Levi's. They will have access to world renowned photographers, and experts at Yellowfin graphics. The team to deliver the most exciting and innovative catalog based solely on the opinion of Robert Hanson, President of Levi Strauss, wins the task. One more thing to note; George is away again, so Bill Rancic is back to take his place this week.

Kelly says privately that Wes pushed him away because he is stronger than Wes is. Indeed, Apex seems very enthusiastic to have Kelly among them, and they immediately pull together and brainstorm. Ivana comes up with a "fit wheel" tool, which will help people figure out which style of jean they want. Jen has no idea what Ivana is talking about, but the men catch on immediately. Even after having it explained a couple of times, Jen just cannot get her head around how the thing works.

Over at Mosaic, Wes is giving them all a pep-talk after having lost Kelly. Maria jumps in with her ideas for the task, singing her own praises about her business experience in advertising. Hold on there just a minute - hasn't Maria already blown it twice after stepping up based on her "experience"? When will these project managers ever learn? Sandy is quick to point out that Maria was all over everything and wanted to control the entire project.

I know you're asking yourself, "But what about Trump's lesson of the week?" Well, I'm glad you asked! This week we learn "Never Lose Your Cool". The footage doesn't go along with the lesson at all. We're shown footage of the reveal of the cover of Trump's newest book, and he doesn't like the photo on the cover. He says that you should never lose your cool unless you're doing it intentionally to scare your employees or get them to work harder. Okee dokee.

Apex arrives at the photo studio, and they decide to be the models themselves. Kevin says they didn't want 110-pound models, they wanted real people, and there is a lot of diversity on their team. Ivana adds that their focus is on making the butt look good. Jen comes out with model-like hair and makeup, with tight jeans and a little tank top, and Kelly looks like one of those cartoon characters whose tongue rolls out and across the floor.

Meanwhile, Mosiac is working their own photography with a group of four models. Wes is directing them, but Maria doesn't like the way things are going. She takes over completely, telling the models and the photographer what to do. Privately she says that no one is stepping up to take the lead on this task. Wes comments that when Maria flew in on her broomstick, the entire mood of the room changed. Maria wants to take dozens of shots of each person, but they're running out of time. Andy reminds Maria that they have a deadline, and Maria shuts him up. Wes finally steps in and tells Maria that they need to get things done, but Maria shoves him and tells him to back off. He does, and lets Maria continue. Bad move Wes, bad move.

At Yellowfin, Maria once again takes over the design of the catalog. She also comments privately that someone needs to take the reigns of this task. She shoos everyone else out of the room and won't let anyone else see what's going on with the editors. As Sandy complains to Wes, Maria walks into the room and a fight between Sandy and Maria gets heated. Of course this is when Bill decides to pay a visit and witnesses the whole battle. Andy comments that Wes should have stepped in and not let the fight escalate, while Maria says that she hates being labelled a control freak because she's not. Mmm-kay. Maria finally apologizes to Sandy, but then gets passive-aggresive and begins to cry, eventually walking out of the room. She tells the camera that she's constantly reminded that she has no friends here.

Apex is also at Yellowfin, and Ivana is checking out the fit wheel. She comes up with another great idea - to put the wheel in a "pocket", since their focus is on the butt. I'm really impressed with Ivana on this task, I have to admit. Jen is doing what Kevin calls "busy work" - writing text for their catalog. Jen knows that she's been marginalized on this task, but she thinks that it's because Ivana wants to get her fired. She tells Kevin that once she sees the fit wheel, she'll understand what they've been talking about all along.

It's time to get ready for the presentations, and Andy tells Wes that if they are going into the room dressed casual but not completely in Levi's, then they should go all out and wear suits. Maria says it's cool like it is, and Wes agrees.

Mosaic is presenting first, and their campaign is based on "if jeans could talk". Wes starts off the speech, but Maria soon jumps in with arms flailing and lashes batting. They have an average-looking catalog and a giant poster of a girl wearing a bandana as a halter top and a pair of men's jeans cut into a mini-skirt. When Robert asks Maria why they used men's products on a woman, she says "Why not? If being sexy is wrong, then I don't want to be right." Andy looks away, clearly embarassed. When Robert asks why there aren't any butt shots, Maria says that the jeans fit too loosely for a good butt shot. Oops, insulting the product? Wes says privately that Maria didn't like the butt shots, and that's why they weren't included. Robert asks them why they aren't in Levi's, and Maria says they didn't have time to buy them.

Apex is up next, and they walk in fully decked out in Levi's products. Kevin starts things off, and he's wired. He's sweaty and talking fast, but at least he seems enthusiastic. Ivana carries on with their idea of making the seat of the pants the focus of their promotion. She shows them the fit guide, and when Robert asks how they came up with the idea, Jen jumps in and talks all about the ideas behind it. Ivana is clearly angry, but waits for Jen to stop talking before jumping in again. Even Kevin is annoyed that Jen was trying to take credit for an idea that she didn't even understand until the last minute.

Trump shows up with Melania, who is wearing Levi's. The teams are both called back in to meet with everyone, and Robert delivers his judgement. He loves Apex's presentation and their focus on the butt. He likes the fit wheel, which he says is clever, but thinks the whole thing lacks a bit of a wow-factor. On the other hand, Mosaic nailed the sex appeal factor, but missed out on everything else. Robert hands the win to Apex, and tells Trump that he thinks that Jen did the best job overall. Ivana simmers while Trump congratulates Jen and tells her that her education is finally paying off for her.

Apex's reward is to meet with Billy Joel, who is currently running a Broadway show called "Movin' Out". They will get to spend a lot of time with Joel, listening to his music and talking with him. Of course Mosaic's fate is the boardroom, where someone will be fired.

Apex arrives on Broadway and Billy Joel is there to meet them. I know in my mind that Billy is getting older, but when I think of him I still picture him with a full head of brown hair, so seeing him is a bit jarring. He's still the same guy though - wise, talented, and down-to-earth. He gives the team some advice on taking risks, and plays some of his favourite songs for them on his piano. Yeah, he's getting on in years, but he still sounds great. Apex is very impressed.

In the suite, Maria is talking a mile a minute, saying that for anyone to place the blame on her means that they themselves sat on their butts and did nothing. She says she's going after Wes, the "operational misfit", who is the only person to have been pm and lost his task twice. Wes knows he's on the hot seat, and tries to talk to Andy about it. Andy doesn't say much though, because he's smart and knows he's not in the line of fire this week.

In the boardroom, Trump addresses Maria first, asking her why they didn't show off "the ass". She says that they did, but Trump points out that they didn't use those photos. Wes says that Maria had problems with all the butt shots, and Maria starts talking over him. Bill asks Sandy why there was so much fighting, and she tells them about Maria shutting her out at the graphics office. Maria and Wes point fingers at each other - Wes says that Maria took over and promised things she couldn't deliver, while Maria says that Wes was a terrible leader because he didn't plan and execute.

Bill asks Andy why he hasn't said a thing so far, and Trump seconds the question. Andy says that he knows when to talk and when to listen, and he thinks that one of the problems with his team on this task was that no one was listening to each other.

Trump asks Wes who he's bringing back to the boardroom with him, and he decides to keep the whole team there.

Carolyn tells The Donald that she thinks Wes is a very sharp guy, but he can't delegate and is a bad leader. Bill says that Wes can't control the troops. Carolyn adds that Maria doesn't seem to work with anyone too well, and she'd like to see Sandy get her ideas across a bit more. Bill says that Sandy was underutilized, and that's partly her fault and partly Wes' fault.

The team is called back in, and Trump asks Maria and Andy if Wes is a lousy leader. They both say yes. Wes wants to defend himself, and tells them that when he asked Maria to speed things up, she yelled at him and told him to back off. Carolyn says that if any one of her employees spoke to her like that, they'd be fired. Bill asks why Wes didn't put Maria on the bench, and Wes says it would have been a reckless decision to cut his workforce by 25% when they had a deadline in 30 minutes.

Trump asks Wes if he would fire Maria, and he says he would because she is not able to work as a productive team member. Trump tells Maria that she was difficult to work with and lashed out at the project manager, which is unacceptable. To Wes, Trump says that he lost control of Maria and failed as a leader. "You both did a horrible job. Maria, you're fired." But Trump's not finished yet. He adds, "And I just have to do this. Wes, you're fired also."

We get a bit of after-dismissal boardroom chat this week, as Trump and Carolyn agree that this one was a no-brainer. Carolyn adds that this one was easy, and Trump says it wasn't pleasant. He also says that Andy better step up to the plate now.

Wes and Maria have to share a cab, which is actually quite funny to watch as they sit stiffly beside one another, obviously wanting to be anywhere but there. They both have no regrets and would do it all again in a heartbeat because they learned so much from the experience. Wes adds that it would have been nice to get his own cab though.

Well I knew it - as soon as I pegged Wes as the one to cheer for, he's fired. That happens a lot with my faves. So I won't say exactly who I'm rooting for now, except that she's blond and she's not Jen.

Comments are welcome! Contact me at carrie@realityshack.com and share your thoughts
 
http://www.realityshack.com/modules/articles/article.php?id=320

Bathfizzy:
Thanks for the recap.  I totally forgot to tape the show as I was watching CSI at the time.  I think the show replays on a different channel on sunday.  I am interested in the fit wheel that Apex created.  And I like to see Maria's face when she is fired--at least I don't have to hear her talk a mile a minute with her eyes blinking every second any longer.

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