Classic New York
The teams were given the 'simple' task of selling hot dogs.
Selling the Product Versus Selling the Celebrity
Omarosa nixed any idea about selling their celebrity or sex appeal, declaring that it would come down to effective sales techniques and the product. The men, meanwhile, decided that their best asset wasn’t the hot dogs, but themselves and devised a plan that centered around selling their celebrity, with the hot dogs as a bonus. For instance, for $100, you can get your picture taken with Lennox Lewis (boxer), and get a hot dog as well.
Who's in That Rolodex?
Gene Simmons take the 'selling celebrity' plan one step further and began calling people in his address book, asking them to come down and give him $5,000 for a hot dog. We must admit, as obscure as some of these celebrities are, they must all have some pretty amazing contacts, especially if those contacts are willing to shell out thousands of dollars for a plain old hot dog!
Yet Even More Celebrities
A few more notable folks make guest appearances during the episode. Mayor Bloomberg joined the Trump entourage (Trump and his kids) to visit the competing teams. Adult film star, Jenna Jameson, who apparently is dating Tito Ortiz (UFC fighter) came out in support of her man, and paid $200 for her hot dog. And David Wright, third baseman for the New York Mets, came out in support of his friend, Jennie Finch (Olympic gold medalist in softball).
Deviating from the Plan
Despite Omarosa's declaration that they focus on good sales tactics and the product, a few of the women celebrities decide to cash in on their status. The aforementioned David Wright bought out the hot dog cart with 10 minutes left in the competition. And Marilu Henner (actress) pulled a Gene Simmons move of her own, calling in some contacts and getting $10,000 for two bottles of water. Yes, you read that right. 10,000 big ones for 2 bottles of water.
The Back-Up Plan
Piers Morgan (judge on 'America's Got Talent') didn't seem that confident that Gene Simmons's contacts would show up, and as a back-up, he became the salesman from hell. Insisting on only making big money sales, he flat out refused to sell hot dogs to people who couldn't fork over more than 10 dollars. Piers, let us explain to you some basic math. With or without Gene Simmons's promised big donations, a 5 dollar hot dog sale is still 5 dollars more than you had at the start, right? Turning down money, however little, just isn't good business any way you look at it.
An Apprentice Record
Empresario made approximately $17,000, which is extremely impressive for one day of selling hot dogs. And yet, Hydra's numbers were a mind-boggling, $52,000. Combined, that was $69,000 earned for a single task, which Trump pointed out was a record for The Apprentice.
Reaping the Rewards
Stephen Baldwin, as winning PM, got to take the entire $69,000 raised and donate it to his charity - a breast cancer research fund founded in honor of his mother.
You’re More Obscure Than I Am!
Trump managed to incite a pathetically hilarious argument between Omarosa and Piers Morgan where they exchanged barbs on who was the more obscure celebrity. We’re gonna give the edge to Piers as he pointed out that he had the ‘number one show during the summer’ while Omarosa was just some ‘reality TV contestant.’
Location and Hugh Hefner
Omarosa, as the losing PM, was automatically called into the Boardroom. She decided to bring Carol Alt (model/actress) with her because it was Carol who suggested the Penn Station location and Trump deemed that locale, 'terrible.' Omarosa also singled out Tiffany Fallon for her poor sales skills, and her failure to call in any of her contacts, especially Hugh Hefner, for the big money donation.
Nice Girls Finish Last
Carol Alt showed surprising tenacity and went head-to-head with Omarosa remarkably well in the Boardroom, pointing out that she may have suggested a bad location, but Omarosa as PM, made the ultimate decision to go with it. Tiffany Fallon, however, didn't fare quite as well. When pressed for why she didn't call up Hugh Hefner for a donation, instead of pointing out that Omarosa had nixed that idea, and that no one else on the team except Marilu Henner, had called in big donations either, she instead said that she was 'saving' the call to Hugh Hefner for a 'bigger task.' Trump and his kids, Ivanka and Don, Jr., found this argument weak, and it was no surprise that even though Trump found Tiffany to be 'nice,' she was 'fired.'
