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At Apex's bridal shop space, Chris sat on the floor and complained how frustrating the whole experience was. Jennifer M. suggested they try to meet with vendors. She thought that they might be more receptive in person. So Chris and Jennifer M. visited bridal salons. Jennifer M. did most of the talking while Chris stayed in the background. In an interview, Jennifer M. called Chris, "very, very lackadaisical." But by the end of the meetings, Apex had secured six vendors. At the same time, Kevin and Ivana met Bernadette, a bridal salon owner, who offered some of her inventory for Apex's sale. But Ivana and Kevin didn't stop with just merchandise. They picked Bernadette's brain to get some insight into the industry. Not only did Bernadette offer marketing hints, but she went to the team's bridal shop location and provided an entire plan for how Apex could best organize their space. Ivana said, "Bernadette was sort of like our Sandy, like our ace in the hole." Bernadette suggested where to put dresses, accessories and lights. She even coached the candidates on sales techniques. Chris called Bernadette "a tremendous help" and said that she helped the team "turn a corner."
When Kelly checked in with Wes and Maria, he noticed that the email they had sent to over 23,000 engaged women did not include a phone number to call for appointments. Sandy called that oversight "a big mistake." However, Maria said that the final version of the email she sent to the website did include a phone number. Maria blamed the wedding website for removing the phone number without her approval. That night, there were more problems for Mosaic. When Wes and Kelly transported the team's wedding gowns in a rented truck, Wes hit a parked car. In an interview, Kelly worried that the team could outsell their competition but lose the task because they had to pay damages caused by Wes' driving. Later that night, at the team's bridal shop space, Sandy pulled Kelly aside. She told him that she felt like the team was putting all of the weight of the task on her and that they weren't hustling like they had on other tasks. Sandy was also not happy that Wes and Maria hadn't done any additional marketing beyond the email. Kelly agreed and went back into their storefront to get the troops in gear.
The next morning, Apex put its marketing plan into action. Kevin and Chris went to Grand Central Station to hand out fliers. Ivana and Jennifer M. did the same at Penn Station. Chris said he thought they had a good marketing plan and that the fliers would definitely get people to their store. On Mosaic, Maria, Sandy and Andy met with a representative from the bridal website that sent out their bulk email message. Andy expressed disappointment that the email hadn't included the team's phone number. Sandy asked if the website could send out another email. The representative said she could send another email out, but she also said that she had gotten approval on the original message. In an interview, Sandy said, "Maria was caught in a boldface lie." Sandy continued, "I just hate it when people don't take accountability."
When both new bridal shops opened, Mosaic had a line of over forty women waiting to look at dresses. On the other hand, Apex opened their doors to just two women. Each team jumped into action and tried to sell as many dresses as they could.
Later, everyone arrived at the boardroom to hear how they had done. Carolyn said Mosaic had great teamwork and had produced a beautiful bridal shop. But even more beautiful was their final tally. The team turned a profit of $12,788.94. George reported that Apex did far less business and brought in a profit of just $1,060.47. Trump called Mosaic's win "impressive." For their victory, the members of Mosaic would be rewarded with $50,000 of merchandise from Graff Jewelers - the same jeweler that Trump used to purchase Melania's engagement ring.
Back at the suite, Kevin, Ivana and Jennifer M. commiserated. Kevin called their loss "an old-fashioned butt-kicking" and reminded everyone that they had lost three tasks in a row. Ivana said they got "spanked" in every aspect of the task. Kevin felt that Chris should be fired, but he kept open the possibility that Trump could fire them all for their incredibly poor performance. At Graff, Melania met the members of Mosaic and acted as their diamond emissary. Giddy, Sandy and Maria tried on literally millions of dollars worth of diamonds. However, each team member took home a more modest piece.
After Apex arrived at the boardroom, Chris admitted that his team took a "beating," but he thought that they had gelled. Trump shot back that the team couldn't have gelled that well because they lost by so much. With some prompting from Ivana, Chris admitted that at the beginning of the task, he thought the job would be impossible. Chris said he felt the other team had an advantage with Sandy in their corner, but Carolyn disagreed. George focused in on one aspect of the task: marketing. He said that Apex had no marketing plan. Jennifer M. agreed that Mosaic got onto their marketing quickly and sent out an effective email. Carolyn thought the Apex marketing plan of handing out fliers at train stations was a "terrible idea." And Trump said that he didn't see Penn Station as a place where people thought about marriage. Kevin said that Chris didn't have a plan. Jennifer M. thought that Chris lacked energy and focus. Finally, Chris decided to bring Kevin and Ivana into the boardroom and to send Jennifer M. back up to the safety of the suite.
After the candidates left the room, Trump said he thought that all members of Apex were "terrible" and he called their performance "ridiculous." George said that he didn't see any fire in the candidates and Trump agreed. Once Chris, Ivana and Kevin returned, Trump said that Jennifer M. was just as guilty as the others. He asked Chris why he let her go. Chris explained that Jennifer M. was a good salesperson on the task. But Carolyn countered that the team only sold two dresses, so Jennifer M. couldn't have been that good. Ivana said, "Chris is really good at identifying problems. And when I say that, I mean he's really good at complaining." Trump told Ivana that she is capable of the most unbelievable backhanded slaps he has ever seen. Kevin said that he would fire Chris. Ivana said she would fire Chris as well. Trump said the team didn't have any spark and that's why they lost. Trump reminded Chris that the previous week, he complained that his team was a mess, so Trump gave him the chance to be Project Manager. Not only did his team lose, but Trump complained that Chris let Jennifer M. go when she didn't deserve it. Trump was on a roll and finished it off with: "I can't believe that you led the team so badly -- and Chris, you're fired."
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