As the candidates waited anxiously to see who would return from the boardroom, Stacy R. and Maria walked into the suite. Everyone erupted with cheers as they realized that Pamela was gone. There were hugs and handshakes all around. Wes told the women that by getting rid of Pamela, "You did yourselves a favor; you did us a favor." In an interview, Raj said that there was a "general sense of victory" in the suite. While the mood of Apex was certainly lifted, the team was not without its tensions. In an interview, Maria complained that Elizabeth had a constant need to talk ideas to death. She said her team was "burned out with Elizabeth wasting their time." Finally, Maria warned that the team's Project Manager would have a real problem on their hands if they couldn't control Elizabeth. The next day, the teams met Donald at Trump Model Management, where they learned that they would have to produce a new line of clothing for their next task. Each team would pick an emerging designer and would work with him or her to create their new fashions. Then, the teams would debut their new line with the models from Trump Model Management at the Avon Fall Fashion Show to buyers from some of the country's largest department stores. The team with the highest sales would win. George and Carolyn would be along to observe. As always, the winning team would earn an extravagant reward while the other team would go to the boardroom where someone would be fired. Maria, Project Manager of Apex, had a minor in Home Economics and said that the women's team was the one to bet on. And while Kevin admitted that none of the men of Apex had experience in the fashion industry, he was confident that they would meet the challenge. The women met with designers assembled by Gen Art, specialists in emerging young fashion talent. Next, the team discussed who their choice would be. Maria took a bit of her own advice and cut off Elizabeth, who wanted to continue to discuss the decision. Maria simply said that they were going with a designer they'd met named Darren, from the Stella Verde design studio. Next, Maria sent Elizabeth and Jennifer M. to meet with the buyers from the department stores. In an interview, Maria said that Elizabeth loves to take the team's time and overanalyze things. Maria plainly admitted that her goal was to get Elizabeth away from the rest of the group. Next, Maria, Ivana, Sandy and Stacy R. met with Darren - and in less than an hour, they had all of their designs completed. In an interview, Ivana said, "It was really a smart move on Maria's part to get Elizabeth out of our hair." The men also met with designers assembled by Gen Art. As Project Manager, John said the important decision of choosing a designer ultimately rested with him. John said he liked a designer named Ilse, from the Mel en Stel design studio, who described her work as elegant with an edge. Next, John sent Kevin, Wes and Andy to talk with the buyers. John, Raj, Chris and Kelly worked with Ilse on their designs. But the men didn't seem to move as quickly as the women. Surprising everyone, Kelly, the former U.S. Military Intelligence Officer, sketched out a design on his own that the professional designer said was going to look great. John, Raj, Kelly and Chris went with Ilse to buy all of the fabric for their clothing. Stuck in a store with aisles and aisles of fabric rolls, the guys seemed a bit out of place. Chris said, "I'm having like this reoccurring nightmare that I'm at the mall with my mother as a child again - just dying to go home." Even the unbiased observer Carolyn couldn't help but stifle her laughs. In fact, Carolyn laughed so hard that her eyes began to fill with tears. Carolyn said, "All the men are clearly out of their element." In an interview, Kelly complained that the situation was "extremely chaotic" and lacked "organization." Kelly also thought that Raj wasn't helping matters by going off on tangents. So, Kelly stepped up and organized the effort. Kelly focused the team by concentrating on one specific outfit at a time. In an interview, Kelly said, "I felt I was doing the Project Manager's work." This was all in great contrast to the women's efforts. Maria, Ivana, Sandy and Stacy R. worked with Darren and bought all of their fabric. They seemed to have fun during the process - until Elizabeth and Jennifer M. returned. Elizabeth had some issues with what her team had done. She thought some of the fabrics they had chosen weren't "rich enough." There was also a disagreement about whether a capelet was big enough to be the team's signature piece. In an interview, Ivana said that Elizabeth was frustrating her. Finally, Ivana ended the discussion by telling Elizabeth, "This is what we're going with." Next, Apex went to the Parsons School of Design to meet with the seamstresses who would be sewing the clothes. The women went over the designs with the seamstresses and left. When the men arrived at Parsons, they felt it was necessary to meet with the models, so they called them in. The models arrived and in John's words, the place became like a "beehive," with the men swarming around the women. In an interview, Raj said that he couldn't remember much from that part of the evening because he had been in some sort of chemical haze. However, Raj did manage to chat up a few of the German models by speaking their native tongue. More >>