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| Sugar, Spice & Everything Nice -- Shawn Eliminated; 10/05 recap | |
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| Topic Started: Oct 6 2005, 03:33 AM (1,335 Views) | |
| crpsaiyan | Oct 6 2005, 03:33 AM Post #1 |
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ART Appreciator
  ![]](http://209.85.48.14/static/1/pip_r.png)
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Last week, Chuck was fired from Team Matchstick for his inability to be a teamplayer, not to mention his incapability to lead his team with ease. Back in the loft, David had a hunch that Jim and Dawn would return, unless something seriously drastic happened. Both Bethenny and Marcela feel that it's embarrassing and disgusting to have their team constantly fight and argue, instead of pulling together. David's biggest concern is how Team Matchstick functions as a team because of the ongoing conflicts with Dawn, and considering that they had lost twice in a row. Marcela felt that Dawn needs to leave in order for her team to fixate. When Jim and Dawn returned to the loft, not a single word was spoken to greet either of the returning candidates. "I DO want to throw up," Bethenny said in a disgusted tone as she saw Dawn walk past her. Dawn is fully aware that her entire team is out to get her. However, she states that in the working world, you have to work with people that you don't like or get along with. She ended her statement by saying, "for the next task, I'm gonna basically shut up, and speak when spoken to." Meanwhile, Jim was on the phone with his wife, who is in her last weeks of pregnancy. Unfortunately, Jim stated that he wouldn't be home in time for the birth. The next morning, both teams received their third task -- to design and bake an original wedding cake. Each team will have it's own baker and will work in their own kitchen at the culinary arts institute. There they will bake and decorate the cakes. Afterwards, each team will go and sell their cakes at a bridal fair at Michael C. Fina -- the leading wedding registries and retail stores for brides. The cakes must be great in appearance and taste, and the team that makes the most money for the sale of their wedding cakes wins. Martha warned Matchstick that she didn't want to see any of them in the conference this week. Shawn guaranteed that they wouldn't be in the conference room. Howie became project manager for Primarius, where his team thought it would be best to maximize on revenues, where they went to Martha Stewart's website, to see what was the most popular wedding cake being sold. Howie felt that it would be best not to limit themselves to one customer, and focus on marketing to a broad range of different brides. Carrie suggested for each tier to be shaped differently. The bottom would be round, while the other remaining layers would be in a different shape. Howie then sent Ryan, Sarah, and Jennifer to go to the New York Wedding Center Incorporated to get ideas for creating their cake display... only to find out that the shop was in the middle of Chinatown, and only supplied Chinese wedding dresses and gowns. Sarah is clearly upset thinking that if Howie didn't get it together, it will result in Primarius losing the task. David became the Project Manager for Matchstick, where he asked Bethenny and Marcele to handle the design of the cake, since the two of them are cooks; Dawn tagged along with them. Jim, Shawn, and David focused on marketing and research. Shawn contacted Sylvia Weinstock to ask for a professional opinion on what cakes sell the best. Shawn had an idea of individual cupcakes that sat on tiers. Sylvia disagreed, and felt that the paper on the cupcakes weren't elegant for a wedding. David admitted that he didn't have any experience in wedding cakes, and relied on Shawn to do some research on the wedding cake industry. Shawn contacted Bethenny, and told her that she had just got off the phone with Sylvia Weinstock. Shawn told the women not to go with cupcakes on tiers, and that Sylvia suggested that the color "pink" would be ideal for the icing on a wedding cake. Bethenny thought it would be best for the cake to be oval shaped. Dawn disagreed, and felt that the cakes should be round and classic. Despite Dawn's honest opinion, Bethenny stuck to her original idea. Marcela sided with Bethenny to avoid any further conflicts with Dawn. The baker wasn't crazy about the oval shaped look, and asked Marcela if she was sure about the cake being staggered like that; she didn't back down. Dawn didn't like the idea of an oval shaped cake, and felt that if she challenged the decision made by Bethenny and Marcela, that she would be steamrolled by her team. Meanwhile, Shawn felt that her team would win the task for sure. As Charles came into the art institute to check on Matchstick's status, Shawn had stated that she got some professional advice from Sylvia Weinstock and were ready to go with the project. However, Shawn shot herself in the foot, when she told Charles, "if we don't win this one, you have my word, you can fire me personally." Charles is stunned by her retort, and stated that sometimes you get what you wish for. Team Primarius decided on creating a traditional five tier wedding cake, and also decided to make five different cakes, so their customers will have a chance to taste each flavor. Jennifer, Ryan, and Sarah entered the kitchen, where Sarah had stated that the three of them had spent the entire day to pick out the supplies needed for their cake. When Ryan got on the phone, and asked a retailer if they carried any cake stands, Howie hit the roof and felt that the cake stand is part of the presentation. Sarah disagrees with Howie, and angrily says, "I don't appreciate you telling me that that was our fault." Sarah is clearly upset that she wasted the whole day at an Asian wedding center with Jennifer and Ryan. Howie furiously denies ever sending his team anywhere. The two of them end up in a horrible argument, while the rest of team Primarius tries to beark up the fight. A couple of hours later, Sarah and Howie reconciled, and apologized and made up. Moments later, Alexis comes in to check on Primarius's progress. She had even confessed to making a birthday cake for her mother... only to have Martha yell at her for making such a mess in the kitchen. The tension from Primarius was gone once they all started to become familiar with Alexis. As Marcela was working on Team Matchstick's wedding cake(with supervision from David), Jim received the most wonderful news from his wife -- his daughter was born. The next day, the rest of Matchstick arrived at the culinary art school to see their cake for the first time. Both Bethenny and Jim loved the way the cake looked. However, Shawn criticized the appearance of the cake -- she didn't like the bows that were created, nor did she like the oval shape. Marcela, being the one who was up at all hours working on the cake, felt that Shawn was disrespectful into telling her that she didn't like the cake. Regardless, Matchstick had to head over to bridal fair at Michael C. Fina to sell their cake. Jim and Bethenny carried their cake over to the van as carefully as possible. As they loaded their cake into the van, however, Bethenny thought she had her hand on the seat, but in actuality it was right in the cake. Fortunately, it's a sheet cake, and that there was no serious damage to it. Primarius carefully placed their cake in a box, and cautiously loaded their cake into their van. However, Howie was driving at a very slow pace, for he was concerned that their cake would be ruined if he were to drive any faster, at the same time, he had to keep up with the New York traffic. The two teams had their cakes on display, and did their best to focus on sales. For Team Primarius, Project Manager Howie appointed Ryan to work in the sales department, while Project Manager David of Matchstick appointed Jim, Bethenny, and Shawn to work in the sales department. He appointed Dawn as the accountant, and gave Marcela a break since she stayed up all night to work on the cake. Although, Matchstick had a hard time marketing their cake with absurd phrases and the sort, Primarius managed to sell one cake, thanks to Ryan's effective way of connecting with his customers. In the end, both teams met Martha Stewart and her associates back in the conference room. Before Charles and Alexis read the results, Martha proudly announced the birth of Jim's daughter. The conference room roared with applause from both Matchstick and Primarius. Afterwards, Martha tasted both cakes from each team. Both of the cakes were good, but she liked the homemade taste to cakes. Shortly after the taste test, Martha looked at the pictures of both cakes, and found both of them interesting. Charles stated that Primarius focused on a mass market, and sold 5 cakes, for a total of $3,658.00. Alexis stated that Matchstick focused on a niche market, and didn't sell a single cake. In the end, it was Primarius that had the icing on the cake, and as a reward they would be having dinner with Donald and Melania Trump at the Jean Georges Restaurant. Unfortunately for Matchstick, they received their just desserts -- a trip to the conference room for the 3rd consecutive time. Team Primarius dined with Donald and Melania Trump, where Martha Stewart phoned The Donald regarding her candidates. The Donald was impressed, and as Primarius was being served dessert, he asked all of them if they would want to work for him. All of them jumped at the opportunity. Back in the loft, Jim advised David to take whoever was responsible for the "pink" cake, should take the fall. Jim didn't feel that David shouldn't be the one to blame for that, unless he suggested to make the cake pink. David said that he had two professional chefs who suggested that the cake should be pink and oval shaped, and that he wasn't going to go against the experts. Marcela stated that she's a chef who specializes in Mexican food, and not wedding cakes. Based on the opinions given by Sylvia Weinstock, she decided to go along with it. Shawn said that although she was trying to sell the cake, the customers didn't like the idea of having a pink wedding cake. Bethenny felt that Shawn wasn't committed to product, even though it was Shawn who had forgotten that she was the one who suggested that the cake should be pink. David, openly stated that he would select either Dawn, Marcela, and Bethenny into the conference room. When Dawn asked why David felt that she should be brought in, he stated that he didn't think that she would successfully lead Matchstick. Dawn didn't feel that she should be brought into the conference room all on account of David not likiing her, nor did she feel that she contributed in any way to Matchstick's failure of this task. David felt that everyone, except Shawn was positive that they would win, and had to decide whether it was the sales team, the baking team, or both teams that contributed to the loss. In the conference room, Martha stated that it was impossible to sell a cake that wasn't more universally acceptable, nor could they sell a cake that was all set to one side. When Martha asked what was the deal with the design, Marcela admitted that she wanted to think outside of the box. Martha Stewart then asked the team if they had done their research in the loft by reading her magazines. Shawn then spoke up and stated the opinions of Sylvia Weinstock. "She said that, 'at elegant weddings, no one wants to serve cupcakes, when you have to fool with the paper on the outside'." Martha stated that paper isn't necessary, and although she felt that Sylvia Weinstock made one of the most beautiful cakes, she has sold more cakes than her. Martha also said that although her cakes are wonderful, she targets a specific market. She was questionable as to who was in charge of the marketing. Shawn pointed out that she, Bethenny, and Jim were all in charge of sales. Jim defended his part by stating his sales pitch, asking the customers as to what color theme they wanted for their wedding. No one said pink, and Jim dismissed them. Charles was not impressed with the 36-year-old Ad Executive's sales pitch. Alexis stated that Jim could've found a way to convince his customers that pink would be a better option. Shawn then stated that she thought that her team had plenty of salespeople, but it was all a matter of whether you can really convince your customer that your product is good. Martha then went on the attack stating that Shawn had a very good way of verbalizing her team's failure. Charles then chimed in by pointing out that Shawn made a comment about being put in the hot seat, should her team lose. Shawn buckled at this remark, realizing that she had made a big mistake by saying that earlier in the game. Martha was curious as to why the TV Newscaster from Grosse Pointe would say such a thing. Shawn stated that in her business, she believed in "fake it, til you make it." Both Martha and her associates were not pleased by this remark. Shawn was overconfident that her team would win, which is why she made the comment, but now respectfully retracts it. Martha then turned to David and said that he needed to choose two people to return to the conference room. He chose Marcela and Dawn. With that said, Martha asked the remainding members of Matchstick (Bethenny, Shawbn, and Jim) to return to the loft. A few minutes later, Martha and her associates felt that neither David, Marcela, or Dawn should be accounted for the loss of the task. She felt that the sales team was responsible for the loss, not the baking team. With the said, she felt that Bethenny, Shawn, and Jim should return to the conference room, along with David, Marcela, and Dawn. With that said, Martha called Julia to have the three candidates return to the conference room, but at the same time, to contact the loft and have the remainding members of Matchstick return as well. While Martha and her associates waited for the rest of Matchstick to return to the conference room, they told David, Marcela, and Dawn that the failure of the task was due to the point of sale because they had not sold a single cake. As a result, she had told all three candidates that their teammates were called back in. Right after Shawn, Bethenny, and Jim walked in, Martha then pointed out all the weaknesses and flaws of each candidate. Martha felt that David was young and inexperienced, but felt that he had yet to prove himself. She felt the same about Dawn. For Bethenny and Jim, she felt that they lacked in sales ability, over the fact that neither one of them could sell a single cake. However, Martha was bothered by Shawn's comments. First of all, she didn't like Shawn's remark of "fake it, til you make it", which is something Martha never believed in doing for her business. Second, she stated that Shawn had put herself in the line of fire by stating that should her team lose, that she would volunteer herself to be sent home. As Charles said earlier, "sometimes you get what you wish for." Unfortunately for Shawn, her wish came true, for she was the third person to be sent home by Martha Stewart. Charles felt that Shawn wasn't really invested in becoming Martha Stewart's apprentice; Martha agreed and felt that Shawn has hopes of being a television personality of some sort, and that either she is young, inexperienced, or doesn't get what it means to be a newscaster. Martha's Letter Dear Shawn: Tonight, I know, was difficult for you. You have a career in television. You can develop your talent in the media very well. You look good, you speak well, and you certainly are talkative. The culture at MSLO is very complex. And I want to stress again that what we do here has to be thorough thru and thru -- "Beautiful from the Inside Out" -- just like the wedding cake. You, as you build your career, will find this business lesson to be valid and true. Best of Luck, Martha Stewart My Opinion: I didn't think Martha was going to ask everyone to come back into the room. Usually, by tradition, the PM of the losing team choses who goes into the conference room, and someone out of those selected will be sent home. In this case, Martha didn't feel any of them were accounted for. I don't know if I like that decision. However, this is her company, and if that's the way she feels, so be it. I will admit that I'm surprised that David chose Dawn over Shawn to be brought into the conference room. I think it's really convenient for everyone on Matchstick to choose Dawn all on account of them not liking her. But Dawn isn't the reason why she lost the task. I thought Shawn was more negative than Dawn in this task, not to mention foolish to even suggest that she should be fired should her team lose. I don't blame Martha for choosing Shawn, but at the same time, she was not asked to come into the conference room by David. In a way, I thought David should go because he was inexperienced, and the fact that as the PM, he chose the wrong person to go into the conference room with him. I mean, it's enough that you lost the task, but you shouldn't drag push yourself when it comes to the conference room. |
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| Squishybut | Oct 6 2005, 10:04 AM Post #2 |
ARTsy
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Wow, what an awesome recap. I agree with your opinion. I am glad that Shawn got fired because she deserved it. She was a hypocrite. I also see your point about David not bringing the right people into the conference room and so he should be fired. I never thought about the aspect of firing him because of his decision to not bring the right people with him into the room. As I was watching, I was just glad that Martha did what she did, but now that I have read your opinion, I don't know if it was the right thing for the game. Like you said, it is her company. My opinion is that I think a man will win. I don't see Martha sharing the spotlight with another woman. |
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| crpsaiyan | Oct 12 2005, 08:06 PM Post #3 |
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ART Appreciator
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RE: Oh, no question about it. Shawn dug her grave when she gave herself up to Charles before the task was done. What I didn't like was her, "fake it, till you make it" comment. I was like, "what?!" That's one of the worst things anyone could say when going into a job interview, regardless of the occupation. I'm not too crazy about her decision to ask everyone to come back into the boardroom... unless it was a very serious issue. However, I have to give Martha Stewart credit for being kind-hearted. Not many bosses will give you another chance like that. With that said, these candidates should consider themselves lucky -- every one of them. |
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| Dale | Sep 27 2006, 01:40 AM Post #4 |
ART Fixture
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It's been nearly a year, but . . . I think Martha made the right choice. She would ultimately be taking on the winner, so I think she had a lot of latitude as to whom she fires and hires. So I wasn't really bothered by her decision. Besides, it trumped anything Trump ever did. |
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