From aboard his private jet, Donald Trump welcomed us all back to New York City. Trump provided a quick update on Bill Rancic - the candidate who fought his way to become The Apprentice last season. Bill is now hard at work overseeing the construction of Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago. Donald also laid out the ground rules, which will work much like the previous season. Eighteen candidates will battle over fifteen grueling weeks for the chance to work for Trump as the head of one of his many companies. Each week, the candidates will compete in a business task, working with some of the largest companies in the world. And at the end of each task (you know it), someone will be fired. After the dust clears, only one candidate will survive the ultimate job interview to become The Apprentice! All eighteen candidates arrived at Trump Tower and went to the waiting room, just outside of the infamous boardroom. The candidates form a diverse group. Some have Ivy League degrees while a few have only a high school diploma. What they all have in common is success and drive. (Click here to meet the candidates.) But in a room packed full of highly qualified business people, Raj, in his red pants, two-toned leather shoes and bow tie, stood out. And as far as personality, Raj was certainly full of... confidence. Once the candidates entered the boardroom, Trump welcomed them to New York, "the meanest city in the world" and "the greatest place in the world." Trump introduced his trusted associates, Carolyn Kepcher and George Ross. As before, the two would act as Trump's eyes and ears during the tasks. Trump said that the candidates would be broken up into two teams and, like last time, it would be the men versus the women. For each task, the teams would elect a Project Manager to lead them. Trump then revealed a twist. He said that the Project Manager of the winning team could not be fired the following week, no matter how his or her team performed. The group headed upstairs and entered their lavishly appointed suite (complete with a three-hole putting green, a $100,000+ kitchen, and a basketball court). Next, the group introduced themselves to each other and took a taste of the good life, sampling champagne and caviar. Wes toasted to the men defeating the women. In an interview, Ivana said that she thought Wes was too sarcastic and asked, "Who wants to work with a guy like that?" Then, the two teams split off and read their first assignment. Each team would have to permanently give up one member to the opposition - and that person would become the Project Manager for the first task. Just when it looked like the reluctant men would have to draw a name from a hat, Bradford volunteered to switch sides. On the other team, Pamela volunteered to lead the men. Next, it was time for the teams to pick their names - something that would represent them and convey their strength and power. The women's team, led by Bradford, voted for the masculine "Apex," while the men's team, with Pamela at the helm, voted for the somewhat feminine "Mosaic." Several of the men weren't happy with the name and Raj was particularly vocal. In an interview, he called "Mosaic" a "fruity-toot name" that said "nothing." Jennifer C. also thought that "Mosaic" wasn't very masculine and she couldn't wait for the men to tell Trump that it was their team name. The following day, everyone met Trump at the Toys R Us in Times Square. As the first order of business, Trump asked each group for their team name. Bradford announced, "Apex." Trump said, "Good name." Then Pamela declared her team's name, "Mosaic." Trump asked incredulously, "Mosaic?" - which drew laughs from the other team. Trump minced no words and said, "Wow, that's awful." Before getting down to business, Trump commented on the cane Raj was wielding because Raj looked like he had two perfectly good legs (yes, added to the red pants ensemble, Raj was sporting a decorative cane). Trump then described the first task. Each team would have to develop a brand-new toy for Mattel - the largest toy manufacturer in the world. The teams would work with designers to produce a prototype, which would then be playtested by an unforgiving focus group composed of kids. Mattel executives would then decide which team had created the best toy. More >>