Episode Recap: Week Four (October 13)
Both teams looked surprised to see Rebecca hobbling back into the suite on her crutches. Later on, Rebecca sat down with her team to explain why she didn't bring Toral back to the boardroom. Kristi was particularly angry about that decision and told Toral point blank that she better step up her efforts for the next task. A call from Rona summoned the teams to the ice cream parlor located in the Trump Tower atrium. Joining Trump were two executives from Dairy Queen: Michael Keller, the Chief Brand Officer; and Aric Nissen, the Vice President of Product and Brand Marketing. For the next task, the teams would be working with costume designers to create a new character and promotional campaign for the Blizzard brand. Michael and Aric would decide the winner. Capital Edge met to choose a project manager. Toral said that she wanted to step up; however, she quickly added a number of other caveats, particularly that someone else could do the job if they felt strongly about it. Felisha eagerly jumped on this opportunity by asking for the chance to lead. The rest of the team unanimously agreed. Excel also gathered to choose a project manager. Clay volunteered his services but laid down some strict rules: if he told someone to do something, they would do it; and all scheduling would be done as a group, including meals. These rules went into effect immediately and became an issue almost as soon. Markus made an appointment with the graphic designer for 11:30, but Clay demanded that he reschedule it for 11 to save some time. At Dairy Queen HQ, Capital Edge brainstormed ideas for their new Blizzard character. Toral contributed feeble ideas – Blizzard Blister, Blizzard Bumblebee, Blizzamarole - but all of these were met by lots of rolled eyeballs. The end result of the meeting was a character called "Zip". Excel quickly arrived at a female character called "Ginny the Blizzard Genie" that they believed would have universal appeal. Mark and Clay arrived at Izquierdo Studio to meet with their costume designers. Clay explained that they wanted Ginny to look like a genie from Alaska or Antarctica, and that she had to look "almost edible" with lots of Dairy Queen bling. The designers asked who was going to portray the character, and Mark volunteered to dress in drag for this sweet role. Jennifer, Kristi, Alla, and Felisha also met with their costume designers. When asked who would portray Zip, Felisha called Toral and asked if she would do it. Toral immediately declined and made a big deal over it. Needless to say, Toral's decision and prickly attitude did not sit well with her teammates. Back at DQ headquarters, George sat and watched the other members of Excel develop their campaign. George was impressed by how well the men worked as a team as they threw various ideas around. Everyone was especially thrilled by Randal's contribution: I'm a genie in a blizzard, baby, and fun is what I'm about. If you want to taste delicious wishes just come and let me out." Adam made some tweaks to this, added a melody, and a new jingle was born. Jennifer, Kristi, Alla, and Felisha returned from their meeting ready to confront Toral. As project manager, Felisha was prepared to lay down the law and force Toral into the costume. Heated words flew back and forth with Toral stressing that it would embarrass her family if she wore the Zip outfit. Mark and Clay returned to hear what the rest of the team came up with. Randal pitched their ideas, and Clay shot them all down. Markus tried to jump in with an idea, but Clay told him not to speak unless he had permission. Clay, James, Brian, and Mark headed up to Izquierdo Studio so Mark could try on the genie costume. It was not a pretty sight, but everyone had a good laugh as Mark was fitted with various "accessories." An angry Kristi decided that since Toral wouldn't put on the Zip suit, she would wear it herself. Later on, Toral noted that the "suit was an absolute embarrassment, and Kristi just looked like a fool… Again, my judgment was 100 percent on target, and I don't regret it for a minute." Michael and Aric sat behind a table as the door opened and Zip bounced through. Felisha pitched them on the character and the campaign Capital Edge had developed. Aric questioned her about Zip's appeal to teenagers, one of DQ's primary audiences. Felisha had a ready answer, but the next question left her stymied: how will people who have never seen Zip associate him with Dairy Queen? Marshawn answered the question by pointing out some of Zip's features. Neither Aric nor Michael looked particularly enthusiastic about any of this. Excel entered the room and Clay began the presentation by building up anticipation for their "Ginny the Genie" character. They opened the door and Ginny the Genie appeared to lots of applause and smiles. Michael and Eric beamed at the Genie as Clay went over the character's features. Michael and Eric asked the teams to return to the room and got the Donald on the speakerphone to hear their final decision. They pointed out a number of flaws in the Zip character and then turned to their analysis of the Genie. Both felt that the Genie was a better character all around and had broader appeal to their target demographic. Excel was the winner, and everyone voted for Clay to be exempt from the following week's boardroom! For their reward, Excel got to play baseball with the New York Mets at Shea Stadium! Joining them was Donald Trump and the Met's mascot, Mr. Met. Toral was ready for a fight as she and the other women entered the boardroom. Trump began by pointing out that Zip had no Dairy Queen branding on it. Felisha tried to defend the character, but Carolyn jumped in, agreeing with Trump. Toral said that Capital Edge was very poor at thinking strategically and that she tried to get the group to put more effort into that. She then tried to get in front of the costume issue by saying that she couldn't wear it for cultural and professional reasons. Her plan backfired when Trump reminded her that he once wore a chicken suit on Saturday Night Live. Toral then changed her tune by saying that the reason was actually religious. Everyone was quick to point out that Toral never mentioned this and that they would have understood if she had actually told them this beforehand. Rebecca distanced herself from Toral by expressing disappointment over her performance and her decision not to become project manager. She also admitted to Trump that she would fire Toral if she were in his shoes. Trump was visibly angry over Capital Edge's losing streak and Toral's consistently poor performance. Even with her Wharton education, he told her, she was completely ineffective, did a terrible job, "and Toral… you're fired!"Source: http://www.nbc.com/The_Apprentice_4/recaps/week4_p1.shtml
Both teams looked surprised to see Rebecca hobbling back into the suite on her crutches. Later on, Rebecca sat down with her team to explain why she didn't bring Toral back to the boardroom. Kristi was particularly angry about that decision and told Toral point blank that she better step up her efforts for the next task. A call from Rona summoned the teams to the ice cream parlor located in the Trump Tower atrium. Joining Trump were two executives from Dairy Queen: Michael Keller, the Chief Brand Officer; and Aric Nissen, the Vice President of Product and Brand Marketing. For the next task, the teams would be working with costume designers to create a new character and promotional campaign for the Blizzard brand. Michael and Aric would decide the winner. Capital Edge met to choose a project manager. Toral said that she wanted to step up; however, she quickly added a number of other caveats, particularly that someone else could do the job if they felt strongly about it. Felisha eagerly jumped on this opportunity by asking for the chance to lead. The rest of the team unanimously agreed. Excel also gathered to choose a project manager. Clay volunteered his services but laid down some strict rules: if he told someone to do something, they would do it; and all scheduling would be done as a group, including meals. These rules went into effect immediately and became an issue almost as soon. Markus made an appointment with the graphic designer for 11:30, but Clay demanded that he reschedule it for 11 to save some time. At Dairy Queen HQ, Capital Edge brainstormed ideas for their new Blizzard character. Toral contributed feeble ideas – Blizzard Blister, Blizzard Bumblebee, Blizzamarole - but all of these were met by lots of rolled eyeballs. The end result of the meeting was a character called "Zip". Excel quickly arrived at a female character called "Ginny the Blizzard Genie" that they believed would have universal appeal. Mark and Clay arrived at Izquierdo Studio to meet with their costume designers. Clay explained that they wanted Ginny to look like a genie from Alaska or Antarctica, and that she had to look "almost edible" with lots of Dairy Queen bling. The designers asked who was going to portray the character, and Mark volunteered to dress in drag for this sweet role. Jennifer, Kristi, Alla, and Felisha also met with their costume designers. When asked who would portray Zip, Felisha called Toral and asked if she would do it. Toral immediately declined and made a big deal over it. Needless to say, Toral's decision and prickly attitude did not sit well with her teammates. Back at DQ headquarters, George sat and watched the other members of Excel develop their campaign. George was impressed by how well the men worked as a team as they threw various ideas around. Everyone was especially thrilled by Randal's contribution: I'm a genie in a blizzard, baby, and fun is what I'm about. If you want to taste delicious wishes just come and let me out." Adam made some tweaks to this, added a melody, and a new jingle was born. Jennifer, Kristi, Alla, and Felisha returned from their meeting ready to confront Toral. As project manager, Felisha was prepared to lay down the law and force Toral into the costume. Heated words flew back and forth with Toral stressing that it would embarrass her family if she wore the Zip outfit. Mark and Clay returned to hear what the rest of the team came up with. Randal pitched their ideas, and Clay shot them all down. Markus tried to jump in with an idea, but Clay told him not to speak unless he had permission. Clay, James, Brian, and Mark headed up to Izquierdo Studio so Mark could try on the genie costume. It was not a pretty sight, but everyone had a good laugh as Mark was fitted with various "accessories." An angry Kristi decided that since Toral wouldn't put on the Zip suit, she would wear it herself. Later on, Toral noted that the "suit was an absolute embarrassment, and Kristi just looked like a fool… Again, my judgment was 100 percent on target, and I don't regret it for a minute." Michael and Aric sat behind a table as the door opened and Zip bounced through. Felisha pitched them on the character and the campaign Capital Edge had developed. Aric questioned her about Zip's appeal to teenagers, one of DQ's primary audiences. Felisha had a ready answer, but the next question left her stymied: how will people who have never seen Zip associate him with Dairy Queen? Marshawn answered the question by pointing out some of Zip's features. Neither Aric nor Michael looked particularly enthusiastic about any of this. Excel entered the room and Clay began the presentation by building up anticipation for their "Ginny the Genie" character. They opened the door and Ginny the Genie appeared to lots of applause and smiles. Michael and Eric beamed at the Genie as Clay went over the character's features. Michael and Eric asked the teams to return to the room and got the Donald on the speakerphone to hear their final decision. They pointed out a number of flaws in the Zip character and then turned to their analysis of the Genie. Both felt that the Genie was a better character all around and had broader appeal to their target demographic. Excel was the winner, and everyone voted for Clay to be exempt from the following week's boardroom! For their reward, Excel got to play baseball with the New York Mets at Shea Stadium! Joining them was Donald Trump and the Met's mascot, Mr. Met. Toral was ready for a fight as she and the other women entered the boardroom. Trump began by pointing out that Zip had no Dairy Queen branding on it. Felisha tried to defend the character, but Carolyn jumped in, agreeing with Trump. Toral said that Capital Edge was very poor at thinking strategically and that she tried to get the group to put more effort into that. She then tried to get in front of the costume issue by saying that she couldn't wear it for cultural and professional reasons. Her plan backfired when Trump reminded her that he once wore a chicken suit on Saturday Night Live. Toral then changed her tune by saying that the reason was actually religious. Everyone was quick to point out that Toral never mentioned this and that they would have understood if she had actually told them this beforehand. Rebecca distanced herself from Toral by expressing disappointment over her performance and her decision not to become project manager. She also admitted to Trump that she would fire Toral if she were in his shoes. Trump was visibly angry over Capital Edge's losing streak and Toral's consistently poor performance. Even with her Wharton education, he told her, she was completely ineffective, did a terrible job, "and Toral… you're fired!"