Jan 8 2007
Quick Links: The Contestants | The Apprentice 101
New Digs
This season, the show relocates from the Big Apple to the City of Angels, as the wannabes travel to Los Angeles to vie for the title of Donald Trump's 6th Apprentice.
Bonding, Trump-Style
After the wannabes introduce themselves to Trump, at 'his mansion' in LA, he tells them that their first task is to pitch a tent in the backyard, as a way to get to know each other.
Heidi, the sales manager from Santa Monica and
Frank, the CEO of a contracting company from Bronx, NY, emerge as 'leaders.' Heidi, because she seemed to know about setting up a tent and Frank, because he was hyper and loud. He is so loud that Trump had to tell him to keep his voice down.
First Leaders
Frank and Heidi are chosen, based upon the 'leadership' they had displayed during the tent pitching task, to become the first Project Managers (PM). They select their team members and then given their first task.
At the Car Wash
The first 'official' task is for each team to run a car wash. The team that makes the most money wins.
Back to Basics
Heidi's team focuses on generating lots of volume, creating signs out of cardboard boxes to attract potential customers. They focus on selling the basic car wash, with no detailing. Their simple, no-frills strategy works as they get a big influx of customers immediately, but that presents a problem as they don't have the manpower to handle that kind of volume, resulting in delays, and some unsatisfied customers.
Marketing and Sales
Frank's team takes a two part approach. Marketing the car wash, which Frank decides should be done by printing up flyers, which they quickly learn does not generate volume as handing out flyers to moving cars can be tricky. The second part of their strategy is to 'upsell' (meaning they wanted to convince the customers to buy more than the basic car wash) as many customers as possible, hoping the higher prices would offset their low volume.
To the Victors, the Spoils!
Heidi's team wins by less than one hundred dollars, but it's a very costly loss for Frank's team because this season, the losing team does not get to stay in cushy accommodations like Trump Tower. Instead, the losing team gets to 'camp out' in that tent they had pitched earlier in the backyard of the mansion, while the winning team gets to live it up in style, inside. The winning team also earns themselves a trip to the famed restaurant, Spago's, for dinner with Trump and chef/owner, Wolfgang Puck.
Like a Third World Country?
One of the wannabes on Frank's team likens the camping to being in a Third World country, which we very much doubt, since in addition to the tents (the losing team had to pitch a second tent as well) they also had crude, but working showers, sinks, and a makeshift 'kitchen' set up for them outside. Sure, it's hard when compared to the mansion a few steps away, but definitely a lot better than the living conditions in many Third World countries.
It's Good to be the Winning PM
In addition to enjoying the spoils of victory with their team, this season, the winning PM, gets to remain PM as long as their team continues winning. Further, the winning PM earns the right to become Trump's second advisor in the Boardroom, along with daughter, Ivanka.
Sales v. Marketing
Almost immediately, Frank's team starts trying to decide who's to blame for their loss (in between complaining about how horrible it is to be camping out in the backyard of an LA mansion). The main argument boils down to whether it was the lack of sales (getting the customer to buy pricier washes) or the misstep in marketing (the lack of signs to draw in more customers) that led to their loss.
On the Chopping Block
After the usual back and forth in the general Boardroom meeting with the losing team, Frank, as PM is automatically called in and he decides to take Martin, an attorney from Atlanta, GA and Tim, a LA business owner to the Boardroom with him.
Martin, because of his poor performance as a salesman, and Tim because he was in charge of the sales team during the car wash.
There's a Saying. . .
'You're fired!' It was very fitting when Trump said it to Martin, who came across as, in Trump's words, 'a pompous ass.' Martin spent much of the episode spouting incomprehensible rhetoric like, 'there's a saying, a new broom sweeps clean, but an old broom knows the corners.' Frank, who acted like he could use a tranquilizer (or two), almost talked himself into getting fired but in the end, Ivanka summed it up best - Martin's personality wouldn't have meshed well with Trump or his company, which is vital if you want to be The Apprentice (#6).
