Episode Recap: Week Eight (November 11)
Clay was not happy as he barged back into the suite. For that matter, the others didn’t seem too thrilled to see him, either. Adam was met with a much-warmer reception when he returned. The teams arrived at the boardroom bright and early to receive their next task. They were joined by Bill Rancic, who was replacing George for the week. The meeting got off with a whiz and a bang when Trump played them clips from “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.” For the next task, each team was to create an interactive display at a Best Buy store for the “Revenge of the Sith” DVD and the Star Wars video game “Battlefront II.” The one that did the best display, as judged by Best Buy and Lucasfilm executives, would win the task. “Good luck,” said the Donald, “and may the force be with you.” Because of the way he felt he was treated during the last task, Clay believed he was entitled to be project manager. Though no one wanted him in that role, they decided to give him a chance, but only with the caveat that he would respect everyone on the team and put any bitter feelings behind them. Excel was at a loss. Randal was the only one who was familiar with the Star Wars franchise, but because he was project manager the previous week – and had boardroom exemption – they had to choose someone else. Brian volunteered to lead but asked for everyone’s help, especially Randal’s, in winning the task. Capital Edge visited Boylan Studios in New York to meet with Jim Ward of LucasArts and Gary Arnold of Best Buy. The team was bowled over by the depth of their knowledge and insight, and felt that they had everything they needed to be successful. Randal made a 10:15 a.m. appointment to meet with Jim and Gary. Brian, a New Yorker, said they could leave at 10 and be there on time. Outside, the team had trouble getting a cab and then got stuck in brutal traffic, making them late for their meeting. Excel didn’t arrive until after 10:45. They were so late that Gary and Jim had to cancel to attend another meeting. The team knew that this was not good. “We’re screwed,” Brian said. Capital Edge met with Darth Vader and Chewbacca for a photo shoot. Since Clay felt that Alla had “a vision,” he left her to direct the shoot on her own. Because Excel missed their meeting, the team relied on Randal to summarize the plots of every Star Wars movie. Apparently, he was the only one on the team who had ever seen one. Or rather… the other team members were the only ones in the galaxy to never see one. Felisha watched as Clay took a backseat and as Alla worked with the creative designers to develop their display: a room a customer could step inside to play the game and experience a sense of the movie. Clay continually deferred to Alla’s judgment and wasn’t very involved. Carolyn stopped by the store to check out Excel’s display, which was split into two sections: good and evil. She felt their display was “just average” and that if they were to win, a lot of it would have to do with their presentation, a duty that fell on Marshawn’s shoulders. Marshawn was not comfortable with doing the presentation and tried to push it off onto Brian, who also didn’t want to do it. Rebecca finally stepped in and volunteered for the job. Jim and Gary showed up to inspect the displays, starting with Capital Edge. Clay gave his team’s presentation, which irritated both Alla and Felisha since Clay was taking credit for Alla’s work. Alla jumped in a couple of times to point out additional features, but Clay cut her off. The two execs looked on as Rebecca gave Excel’s presentation. Jim questioned their decisions not to prominently feature Darth Vader and on how they decided to merchandise the display. Not that long ago, in a boardroom not that far away, two teams arrived to meet their fates. The executives felt that Capital Edge nailed their tag line and merchandised the product effectively. However, they felt that Excel’s display had many problems, especially the fact that they hardly showed Darth Vader. In the end, Capital Edge won the task. When Trump asked Capital Edge if they wanted to grant Clay exemption from next week’s boardroom, they all said, “no.” For their reward, Capital Edge took a limo up to White Plains to inspect the new Trump Tower with Apprentice winner Bill Rancic and to hear first-hand the strategies he employed to get his position. The limo ride was uncomfortable, with Clay sitting off to the side by himself as the others laughed and had a good time. Excel returned to the boardroom to meet with Carolyn, Bill, and Trump, who began the session by asking Brian to explain their display concept. After he and Randal weighed in, Trump focused in on their missed meeting with Jim and Gary and asked Randal what happened. Randal explained that Brian made the decision not to leave until 10. Trump couldn’t believe that a New Yorker would allow only 15 minutes for the trip to the Chelsea area. Brian continued to get pummeled with questions until attention turned to Marshawn’s failure to give the presentation. Marshawn explained that she felt Brian would have been the best person to present that particular display. Marshawn tried to defend her position, but she only succeeded in putting her foot in her mouth… numerous times. Trump hated the fact that Marshawn shirked her responsibility to present. He also told Brian, point blank, that he was a "terrible leader," and he just couldn’t believe that Brian made the team late to an important meeting. "Brian… you're fired. And Marshawn… you're fired."Source: http://www.nbc.com/The_Apprentice_4/recaps/week8_p1.shtml
Clay was not happy as he barged back into the suite. For that matter, the others didn’t seem too thrilled to see him, either. Adam was met with a much-warmer reception when he returned. The teams arrived at the boardroom bright and early to receive their next task. They were joined by Bill Rancic, who was replacing George for the week. The meeting got off with a whiz and a bang when Trump played them clips from “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.” For the next task, each team was to create an interactive display at a Best Buy store for the “Revenge of the Sith” DVD and the Star Wars video game “Battlefront II.” The one that did the best display, as judged by Best Buy and Lucasfilm executives, would win the task. “Good luck,” said the Donald, “and may the force be with you.” Because of the way he felt he was treated during the last task, Clay believed he was entitled to be project manager. Though no one wanted him in that role, they decided to give him a chance, but only with the caveat that he would respect everyone on the team and put any bitter feelings behind them. Excel was at a loss. Randal was the only one who was familiar with the Star Wars franchise, but because he was project manager the previous week – and had boardroom exemption – they had to choose someone else. Brian volunteered to lead but asked for everyone’s help, especially Randal’s, in winning the task. Capital Edge visited Boylan Studios in New York to meet with Jim Ward of LucasArts and Gary Arnold of Best Buy. The team was bowled over by the depth of their knowledge and insight, and felt that they had everything they needed to be successful. Randal made a 10:15 a.m. appointment to meet with Jim and Gary. Brian, a New Yorker, said they could leave at 10 and be there on time. Outside, the team had trouble getting a cab and then got stuck in brutal traffic, making them late for their meeting. Excel didn’t arrive until after 10:45. They were so late that Gary and Jim had to cancel to attend another meeting. The team knew that this was not good. “We’re screwed,” Brian said. Capital Edge met with Darth Vader and Chewbacca for a photo shoot. Since Clay felt that Alla had “a vision,” he left her to direct the shoot on her own. Because Excel missed their meeting, the team relied on Randal to summarize the plots of every Star Wars movie. Apparently, he was the only one on the team who had ever seen one. Or rather… the other team members were the only ones in the galaxy to never see one. Felisha watched as Clay took a backseat and as Alla worked with the creative designers to develop their display: a room a customer could step inside to play the game and experience a sense of the movie. Clay continually deferred to Alla’s judgment and wasn’t very involved. Carolyn stopped by the store to check out Excel’s display, which was split into two sections: good and evil. She felt their display was “just average” and that if they were to win, a lot of it would have to do with their presentation, a duty that fell on Marshawn’s shoulders. Marshawn was not comfortable with doing the presentation and tried to push it off onto Brian, who also didn’t want to do it. Rebecca finally stepped in and volunteered for the job. Jim and Gary showed up to inspect the displays, starting with Capital Edge. Clay gave his team’s presentation, which irritated both Alla and Felisha since Clay was taking credit for Alla’s work. Alla jumped in a couple of times to point out additional features, but Clay cut her off. The two execs looked on as Rebecca gave Excel’s presentation. Jim questioned their decisions not to prominently feature Darth Vader and on how they decided to merchandise the display. Not that long ago, in a boardroom not that far away, two teams arrived to meet their fates. The executives felt that Capital Edge nailed their tag line and merchandised the product effectively. However, they felt that Excel’s display had many problems, especially the fact that they hardly showed Darth Vader. In the end, Capital Edge won the task. When Trump asked Capital Edge if they wanted to grant Clay exemption from next week’s boardroom, they all said, “no.” For their reward, Capital Edge took a limo up to White Plains to inspect the new Trump Tower with Apprentice winner Bill Rancic and to hear first-hand the strategies he employed to get his position. The limo ride was uncomfortable, with Clay sitting off to the side by himself as the others laughed and had a good time. Excel returned to the boardroom to meet with Carolyn, Bill, and Trump, who began the session by asking Brian to explain their display concept. After he and Randal weighed in, Trump focused in on their missed meeting with Jim and Gary and asked Randal what happened. Randal explained that Brian made the decision not to leave until 10. Trump couldn’t believe that a New Yorker would allow only 15 minutes for the trip to the Chelsea area. Brian continued to get pummeled with questions until attention turned to Marshawn’s failure to give the presentation. Marshawn explained that she felt Brian would have been the best person to present that particular display. Marshawn tried to defend her position, but she only succeeded in putting her foot in her mouth… numerous times. Trump hated the fact that Marshawn shirked her responsibility to present. He also told Brian, point blank, that he was a "terrible leader," and he just couldn’t believe that Brian made the team late to an important meeting. "Brian… you're fired. And Marshawn… you're fired."