We’re reminded of Bryce’s firing last week where he was criticized for bringing Lee into the boardroom instead of Charmaine. Charmaine, we learn, was in the suite with Leslie having a cry over how hard it is for their friends to leave. What show did these two sign up for? We’re also reminded that Lenny was told that he’s “on thin ice”. Lee and Lenny return to the suite to a lukewarm but positive response and Lenny says that he’ll step up as the next Project Manager.
Trump has his weekly awkward moment with his employees while talking about how much they work with Ace Hardware. Trump says that they have to treat Ace good. Please, Mr. Trump, treat them well instead! The teams arrive and yay! It’s hardhat day! :lol:
Plug for Ace Hardware, blah, blah, blah … and we’re introduced to the task. Ace Hardware partners with Boys and Girls Club of America in the New Faces for Helpful Places program. For this task, teams will be responsible for renovating an area for one of the clubs. Their work will be judged on creativity, functionality, and appeal to the execs.
Gold Rush
Lenny knows that he needs to deliver, so he’s ready to be PM. He starts off by asking his team to focus on the theme. They come up with music, and discuss it a little, but Charmaine tries to re-direct them to thinking about their upcoming meeting with the execs. She’s largely ignored, and the meeting starts without any real game plan. They start out by sitting around and looking at each other for a little bit, until Charmaine tries to save the day by asking some questions. Instead, she doesn’t even get the name of the program right. They look at each other a little more. Lenny inexplicably states that Ace Hardware is just a small town sort of store. Way to impress the people that will be judging you, Len! They sit around and look at each other a little more. :S:
Trump’s Tip of the Week: Be Decisive!
Trump looks at pictures of a model. He tells us to be decisive, but not too decisive – you shouldn’t make a mistake. He looks at more pictures of the pretty, pretty girl. Wisely, he makes the decision for the girl to become part of the agency. Way to think on your feet, Donald!
Synergy
Michael is Project Manager for team Synergy and he gets some early points because he actually knows the name of the program they’re working for and started off the meeting with the execs strongly by asking some pointed questions. And then he keeps talking. The meeting seems to be over, and Michael talks some more. I’m scared of what Andrea’s going to do to this guy! The execs look like they’re in pain, and the meeting finally ends.
Synergy decides to split their room into four areas: TV, gaming, girls, and music. At this point, I’m kind of confused as to what the “girl” area means, but at the same time I’m in a trance because Michael is still talking. Several of the team members try to point out that Ace Hardware will not be open all night, but Michael really wants everyone to know what they’re doing before they leave.
As time passes, we see a split screen so that we can know what each team is doing. For example, Gold Rush goes to Ace Hardware, Synergy talks. Gold Rush picks out their paint, Synergy talks. Gold Rush starts painting while Michael finally lets his people go.
Over at Gold Rush, they’re making some progress, but they have a talker of their own. Charmaine is starting to drive the boys nuts. Tarek seems to confine his complaining to his confessional, but Lenny is pretty close to going toe to toe. Charmaine is concerned about getting all of the painting done, so she wants to hire professional painters. Lenny points out that if she would spend less time talking, they would be further on their way.
Synergy
Their theme is now explained as “The Lounge” as Allie, Sean, and Roxanne go shopping for electronics while the rest of the team goes to Ace. Buying the electronics seems to take about the same amount of time that Michael spends talking to Andrea about which fake trees they should buy. Michael moves on to the paint section when he gets really hung up – he just can’t pick a color. In the meantime, the cashier has already announced that the store is closing in ten minutes, and the staff at Ace looks as though they’re rethinking how cool it was going to be to get on The Apprentice. Michael goes so far as to call Allie, Roxanne, and Sean to ask them what to do about the paint, which puts them over the edge. The three of them roll around in their van laughing while Sean declares that Michael is a wanker.:bounce
Bill stops by Synergy and asks them what they’ve been doing all day – it’s almost twelve hours since their meeting with the execs and it doesn’t look like they’ve started. Michael says they were taking time to make plans, but he seems to have forgotten that they’re supposed to renovate the room. Bill asks Andrea how Michael’s doing as PM – yes, right in front of Michael – to which she replies “he’s fine” and then changes the subject as quickly as possible. Allie can barely contain her laughter. Finally, Synergy starts working on their task after Andrea starts calling some shots. They finish their room, and Sean feels good about it but thinks that if Gold Rush had a better PM than they did, Synergy could lose.
Gold Rush
Bill stops by to check on their progress and Lenny is off with Lee shopping. Team Gold Rush doesn’t give Lenny even the modicum of respect that Andrea tried to give Michael when she called him “fine” and they quickly tell Bill that Lenny has pretty much disappeared while they’re doing all the work. We then see Lenny and his sidekick Lee in the van getting lost on their way back from shopping. Hey, maybe when they both get fired, they can go on the road as a comedy team. They return 20 minutes before the execs get there and Lenny spends the majority of that time arguing with Charmaine. Somehow, though, their room gets done.
Synergy
The judges arrive and Michael starts talking. This time, though, he does a good job. He shows the execs the signage that includes the names of both Ace Hardware and New Faces for Helpful Places and explains how they have incorporated the values of the Boys and Girls Club into their room. Teamwork factors prominently in the activities they’ve provided, and the girls get a little corner to just hang out in. The room is brightly colored and the “girls corner” looks especially inviting. The execs bring in some kids to get an expert opinion, and they seem pretty pleased.
Gold Rush
Lenny starts off the presentation by saying that they have a music room. It’s decorated in black and white, and while there’s a small stage area, most of the musical instruments are facing the wall. He and Lee then awkwardly trade off making comments like pointing out that there’s plenty of space in the room to dance. Lee also adds that there are headphones for the instruments so that the kids wouldn’t give the adults a headache. The kids are brought in, and they’re very excited. Naturally, they don’t use the headphones, and the room is full of musical wonder. The execs don’t seem to be quite as happy as the kids are.:S
The execs gather everyone together and call The Donald on speakerphone. They say that Synergy really understood the program as well as Boys and Girls Club. Their room offered flexibility, provided comfort for the kids, and gave the kids an opportunity to learn about teamwork. Gold Rush’s room, however, had a single focus. The execs pointed out that Gold Rush’s room would only be appealing for someone that likes music and that the room would basically be either chaos or a place for individual activity. Synergy is the clear winner.
For their reward, Synergy goes on a shopping spree with Dasheaira, a young girl with a rare form of cancer. The trip to Toys R Us is her wish from the Make a Wish Foundation. Dasheaira arrives with her mom and they start shopping with the team, but Trump makes an appearance too. The girl is adorable and Trump treats her well, looking at her pile of toys and saying, “Is that all? Pick some more!” Dasheaira, her mom, the team, and The Donald all have a wonderful day.
Back to team Gold Rush, where things aren’t nearly as rosy. Lenny immediately starts defending himself, saying that he did nothing wrong and blaming Charmaine. In the next room, you guessed it; Charmaine is talking to Tarek about how badly Lenny performed. Lee sits down in the kitchen to help Lenny prepare for the boardroom.
Lee’s Tips of the Week, or
“How to be a Politician”
Lee starts by asking Lenny some questions that he may need to know the answers for in the boardroom. He starts with what the teams were judged on in the task. Lenny’s answer is sustainability. Lee tries and tries to steer him towards creativity, then switches gears to words that Trump likes to hear. The boy is good. He shares his list of buzzwords, then asks Lenny why he chose to give a presentation in a language that he’s not comfortable with. Lenny’s response is that “his mind was off” and Lee emphasizes that those words should not come out of Lenny’s mouth in front of Trump. Lee really is standing by his friend, to the point that Lenny asks him if he’s ready to go into the boardroom with him. Lee agrees to it. :confused
Boardroom
Charmaine gets right to the point by blaming Lenny for the loss, saying that he was an ineffective leader and made bad decisions. Lenny, of course, disagrees, and says that Charmaine was hard to manage and that she didn’t listen. No one else on the team backs him up, even when he points out how negative she was.
Charmaine describes the meeting with the execs, saying that she tried to get Lenny to prepare for it more, but was dismissed. We learn that Gold Rush’s meeting lasted only 10 minutes (and much of it was silence) while Synergy’s meeting lasted 45 minutes. This is where they really could have learned what their room should have focused on and where Lenny is most against the wall.
Lee is asked his opinion, and he backs Lenny up 100 percent – a little too enthusiastically. Lenny and Lee try to save our dear Russian by trying to focus on what they perceive the kids as wanting rather than what the judges would want, but let’s not be silly – this is a business competition. Carolyn stomps on their line of thinking further when she points out that they filled their room with expensive equipment that could easily break, but that Boys and Girls Club would never have the money to replace it.
Bill asks why Lee keeps speaking for Lenny, and the conversation quickly turns to the poor presentation. Lee supports Lenny’s decision to do the presentation, saying that it would have looked bad if the PM didn’t do it. Once again, Carolyn shuts him down by saying that the PM would have looked better if he had picked the perfect person for the job. However, as Bill points out, the presentation wasn’t really why they lost, and the discussion moves on.
Trump starts to ask who should be fired, and Charmaine answers that it should be Lenny. She’s diplomatic, though, saying that Lenny is probably a good businessman that failed at this task, but Lenny doesn’t act as professional. He says that Charmaine did nothing, apparently forgetting that Bill was there when Charmaine, Leslie, and Tarek were laying tile and Lenny was nowhere to be found. Trump starts to ask Leslie her opinion, but digresses a bit to ask Leslie about her athletic skills. Leslie tells Trump that she could beat him at swimming, tennis, or volleyball, and Trump really has no plausible argument. But anyway … Leslie also thinks that Lenny should be fired. Tarek, after yet another of Trump’s jealous references to Mensa, agrees. He, like Charmaine, is pretty diplomatic, calling their theme good but underdeveloped. Lenny starts talking conspiracy while Lee jumps in for his friend, telling Trump to fire Charmaine.
Trump asks Lenny who he wants to bring back and Lenny’s answer is Charmaine and, as an advocate, Lee. This causes quite a stir, especially when Lee confirms that he had already told Lenny this was okay. By this time, it would just waste everyone’s time to leave and come back, so Lenny is fired. On their way out, Trump tells Lee that he appreciates his loyalty.
Outside the boardroom, as the team waits for the elevators, Charmaine suddenly doesn’t want her friendship with Lenny to end just because she had to tell the truth about his leadership. She’s shocked when Lenny doesn’t feel the same way and says that she has always stood by his side. Back inside the boardroom, we learn that Trump was impressed with Charmaine and that firing Lenny was a no brainer.
In his taxi ride, Lenny skips the bitterness and instead gives us a sweet tribute to his pal Lee – good luck, buddy!
A second episode followed this one - I'll get that recap up tomorrow, guys!