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Crisis Mode
Upon
surveying the sloppy field at Keyspan Park,
Randal had no choice but to cancel the
softball game, and move the event inside.
Without a plan B, Excel was forced to scrap
the concept of the silent auction for a live format. They quickly made use
of the only appropriate indoor facility, the stadium's clubhouse, adorning
its limited space with Outback banners and Autism Speaks signage. Ideally,
the celebrities would mingle with the other attendees, competing with one
another to raise as much money as possible with help from veteran
commentator/auctioneer Jim Kerr.
Meanwhile, with the clock ticking and their star MC MIA,
Rebecca and Capital Edge scoured NYC for a
replacement host. They eventually secured
Pete Dominic of the Gotham Comedy Club. In
response to the Yahoo executives' adamant aversion to directly soliciting
guests for donations at the event, the group instead
stuffed 150 Yahoo! gift bags with
information about the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and a
donation envelope. While Capital Edge had effectively saturated the location
with Yahoo!'s signature colors of purple and white,
Carolyn was quick to point out that the
Pediatric AIDS Foundation's representation was only limited to one small,
rumpled banner above the bar.
Yahoo-tini's and
Teeny Donations
Under gunmetal skies, the attendees began arriving at Keyspan Park for
Randal's improvised charity event for
Autism Speaks. In attendance were celebrities such as boxing superstar Sugar
Ray Leonard, Crossing Jordan's
Jerry O'Connell, NY Knicks star forward
Jerome Williams, and
Carson Kressley and Thom Filicia from
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. When word came that
Mr. Trump would be arriving via helicopter,
Randal dropped everything and headed straight to the runway to greet his
prospective employer. Randal then proceeded to move the audience with an
unscripted, heartfelt speech about the autism epidemic, assuaging Autism
Speaks executive
Alison Singer's fears that the charity's
message would get lost. After Trump gave his blessing, the auction kicked
off to a frenzy of bidding, with Sugar Ray Leonard autographed boxing gloves
immediately drawing $3000.
Amidst Yahoo!-tinis,
Rebecca's event began flawlessly, at least
in the eyes of the Yahoo! executives. However, things began to disintegrate
when Rebecca
failed to greet Mr. Trump on his arrival.
Then, after giving an impromptu speech,
Trump kicked off the comedy show - unaware
it wasn't scheduled to begin for another 30 minutes. A mad scramble ensued
behind the scenes, and
James struggled to convince the
anxious comedians to perform earlier than
expected. Regardless, the comedians came out with guns blazing, and everyone
in attendance left the club smiling. As Rebecca put it, "It's funny, but
Trump turned out to be our biggest wild card."
At Odds, though
Even
The finalists waited patiently in the lobby as their employees filed into
the boardroom, where
Carolyn,
George, and
Donald Trump were waiting. After everyone
conveyed their respect and loyalty for his or her favorite Apprentice
hopeful, Mr. Trump revealed the results of the charity events. In the end,
Excel raised over $11,000 for Autism Speaks, while Capital Edge failed to
raise any money for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Both
sides fought hard to defend their project managers, and before they departed
Trump admitted, "Basically, I am stuck with two stars."
Finally,
Randal and
Rebecca were invited inside where Trump
wasted no time in asking the most important question of their careers: "Why
do you deserve to work for me?" Randal immediately cited his
perfect 3-0 record as project manager, as
well as his opponent's losing tally of
1-2. Rebecca responded that despite her
record, she had been praised by everyone from candidates to executives for
her tenacity. She went on to mention her dedication in the face of her
debilitating ankle injury. Carolyn commended Rebecca for her excellent
event, but asked Randal why he hadn't created a plan B in the event of rain.
The Rhodes Scholar admitted he had no excuse, but reinforced that he had
still managed to execute a very successful event in record time. George
summed up the situation best when he said "either one of them would be an
excellent choice for the organization."
All for One, Not
Two for One
"Everything changes in the boardroom," said
Trump, just before the final live showdown
began in front of a packed house at New York's Lincoln Center. His words
would soon prove prophetic. Excitement rose to a fever pitch as the crowd
wondered: Was highly educated
Randal tough enough? Was 23-year-old
Rebecca experienced enough? Trump unspooled
a
profile of Rebecca and one of
Randal that showed two worthy leaders
primed for the big time.
Both candidates had performed superbly under pressure and improvised
magnificently in trying circumstances during the charity events. Trump
praised them both profusely. "Randal, you're an amazing leader." Citing
Rebecca's badly broken ankle, the mogul marveled at her toughness and
tenacity: "Rebecca, I'm amazed at how you handle pressure."
Former colleague's of both candidates also weighed in, with
Marshawn and
Jennifer M. boosting Randal and
Toral doggedly touting Rebecca, which made
Trump sit up and take notice. "Toral, you took a lot of abuse and deservedly
so," he half-joked. "This is the first time I like you Toral." Not everyone
was so upbeat, however, with haughty
Alla blindsiding Rebecca: "I saw literally
nothing out of her. Nothing." Trump bluntly told Alla the criticism was way
too harsh.
On a happier note, Dan Rosensweig of Yahoo! graciously offered a $100,000
donation to be divided between the two charities. Rebecca and Randal also
happily split on which Trump job they would take should they become the
Apprentice. Randal favored revamping Trump's billion-dollar trio of
Atlantic City (link to Atlantic city reward
clip) casinos, while Rebecca was more inclined toward the $400 million
Jersey City (link to Jersey City reward
clip) luxury condo project.
Trump seemed to be feeling charitable when he made the final call, "Rebecca,
you're outstanding. Randal, you're hired." When Trump asked Randal if
perhaps he should also hire Rebecca, Randal nixed the idea of a two-fer, and
said there should be only one Apprentice. "It's not the Apprenti," noted
Randal, and Trump agreed.
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