Wow, let me just say, this season is shaping up to be amazing television. But my first question is: why does Brian like being a negotiator? That translates into he likes to be a push-people-arounder. Needless to say Brian was the project manager (Jeremy should’ve read my blog before the show aired tonight) and was a pretty shoddy one at that. But we all saw that coming right?
The episode began in front of Trump International. Yeah, that one successful hotel you’ve heard about. What surprised me? Danny had a nice suit. Good for him, he’s an episode behind the rest of the world though. Anyway, the challenge was announced. Renovate a Jersey motel and impress your customers. All they had was $20,000 and 48 hours.
As mentioned, Brian was the only one who stepped up for networth. Sure, he’s in Real Estate, from Jersey, but he just wanted to toot his own horn. So, whats wrong with the motel? Among many things there was terrible mildew, mold, water damage, carpet, etc. So, Brian decides get a dumpster in there and do it now. Wow, way to get started on a plan. His accountant, Kristin, said it was necessary to make a budget. He said no. Take note, this becomes a recurring theme.
Know who interrupts a lot? Michael. Know who doesn’t like that? Verna. Michael knows best.. so does Brian.. bad plan, Team Leaders.
Brian is such a pompous ______(insert one of his own colorful nouns here). He states that his ability to negotiate is a lesson for the whole team to learn. Way to go, moron, you negotiated 14 toilets that you don’t need. I’m surprised he didn’t get a “steal” on pet rocks to go in every room!
Verna had a “cushy” job according to everyone. Michael made her paint. Oh well, big deal right?..
We go back to badass Brian who claims that “Mr. Trump is just like me…” Haha no Brian, Mr. Trump is successful. You’re not allowed to be full of yourself until you’ve got some credentials. So far you’ve got a broom and no team, buddy. Brian claims that he “reads” people and doesn’t need help from anyone. Yeah, no, you’re right, it’s not called a team… So, he tries to correct his upcoming budget problem (he knows he screwed up… a day later) by commanding Kristin to sit down. That’s a macho guy’s way of saying “I screwed up but let’s save face?” It didn’t work.
Back at team success..err..Magna, Danny and Verna are doing a great job at the front desk. Danny even comes up with the idea for a ‘get together’ out on the veranda that evening. Man, it kicked ass. It was like one big party. Danny, that was well done. Spur of the moment, put emphasis on entertaining the customer, keep them happy. Oh they did. Verna didn’t. She was tired and upset and hungry and.. the list goes on.
Kristin and Danny are still arguing. Now there are customers around them though. Angie and Audrie try to shut them up but that doesn’t work. In fact it backfires and they lose their temper at Kristin who storms off. Excellent.
Back to Verna. Yeah, she ran away that morning. Woke up, and just left. The team had no donuts nor coffee and customers were already trying to check out. That hurt Magna a little. People claim she was only thinking about herself. Carolyn found her (such a cool lady) and brought her back. Verna learned she can’t always be in control and was very sorry it all happened. That’s hard. Coming back and admitting you screwed up. The team was gracious… to her face. Erin was featured ranting about Verna at least 3 times in a 30 second span.
Now we go to the boardroom. Mr. Trump tells Verna there’s nothing like a good comeback. Nice guy, that Donald. The results are in. Networth did well with the paper in the morning, but the members were loud and the rooms were a disaster. On a scale of 1-5 their average rating was a 2.92.
Magna turned it around and the customers said they had a lot of fun, the fresh paint smell sucked, but overall their score was a 3.96. Wow. Scoreboard, Networth.
The reward? A ride on the Highlander. It’s Mr. Forbe’s Yacht. It was fun, they all had a chat with him. He left in a helicopter. You know, any other day.
Back to the boardroom. Trump straight up asks Brian: should I fire you now? His reply: yes you should. Wow. Ballsy, but not going to make you look much better. Especially when your behavior in the boardroom prompts Carolyn to tell you to stop (cursing). Again, Carolyn, you’re awesome. The fact of the matter was, there was no timeline, no budget, no team. Not to mention the team fell apart in the boardroom pointing fingers left and right.
Oh well, we all know who got fired. Our excellent leam leader of the week: Brian.
My Apprentice Fantasy scores are pretty decent. I predicted 1) the team leaders 2) the challenge winner and 3) Brian is an idiot. Final results tomorrow. Next week looks exciting. First five minutes and someone already quits. This season is shaping up for excitement and lessons learned by all.
I wonder if anyone will even read this. If you’re reading a business blog you probably watched, anyway. If you didn’t you probably didn’t come here for a recap. So, maybe I need to rethink how I do this next week…