Hey Apprentice fans! Hope you all enjoyed Part 1 of the Apprentice finale. This week began in the boardroom where Clint, Brandy and Liza all anxiously waited to find out who the final two would be. As my father called the remaining three into the boardroom and they sat down, it was clear that all of the finalists were extremely intelligent and had earned their right to be at the top. Both Clint and Brandy when asked by my father said that they thought Liza was the weaker player. Liza was a tough player but week after week she had issues when it came to getting along with her teammates. Although the person she got along with best was my father, he had no choice but to fire her as she was the weakest of the three. Liza should be very proud of herself as she worked hard and displayed great strength and perseverance.
The final two were chosen, and it was a well-deserved great job to Clint and Brandy. Usually we save the biggest task for last, so it was no surprise to me that Clint and Brandy would have something huge ahead of them. We met the finalists at our course in Briarcliff Manor, Trump National Golf Club Westchester. Realizing the task ahead could not be accomplished by one person alone, my father called in some backup. Clint and Brandy were surprised to see Team 1, Mahsa, Poppy and Steuart, and Team 2, Anand, Stephanie and Liza, show up to their final task delivery. Task or team? Personally I think Brandy made the right choice by choosing team. I believe it's crucial to always have a strong team behind you whether in a competition or in business.
Since Brandy chose her team, Clint was able to have first pick on the task. The options were a dinner gala followed by a Liza Minnelli concert, or a VIP golf tournament with Kathy Griffin, both great options with incredible talent. Clint surprisingly chose the Liza Minnelli concert, which was lucky for Brandy as she had Liza on her team and Liza is an all-star golfer. Since Brandy owned up to the fact that the only golf she ever played was on Nintendo, she could use all the help she could get. Team Clint now consisted of Mahsa, Poppy and Steuart. Brandy chose her team because in particular she did not want to work with Mahsa. My initial thoughts: good luck Clint. Mahsa however dramatically declared that while she did not agree with what happened in her final boardroom, once she shook Clint's hand, all of their issues were put aside. I respected that and was looking forward to seeing her performance on this task.
The teams were off and running with a lot of work ahead of them. Team Clint sat down and strategized how they would divide up the tasks. Steuart had experience in the hospitality industry so he stepped up and was put in charge of the catering. For a large gala that role is hugely important. Our members and guests come to Trump National expecting the highest level of service, so it's important that both teams uphold that during this task. Another element Clint's team would need to focus on was the talent, particularly making sure that Liza Minnelli had all of the items needed for her performance. Liza Minnelli's manager mentioned that she's very specific about her rider and pays close attention to detail. The teams should know by now that attention to detail is something the Trump Organization and my father consider to be a very important characteristic.
Brandy and her team were hard at work trying to plan a golf outing for 120-130 VIP golfers with Kathy Griffin as their host. I think Brandy was at a disadvantage having never attended a golf tournament or seen one in action. They always say that golf is a sport you can apply to all aspects of your life; here was a clear example of how golf could have helped Brandy in an important business situation. It seemed like Team Brandy was making good strides to hopefully a very successful VIP tournament, however Brandy was relying quite a bit on Liza. While Liza is a great golfer, she has also historically been a weak player. If I was Brandy I would have been keeping a close watch on all of the important tasks that were delegated out, because ultimately it was Brandy who would take responsibility in the boardroom.
When I visited Team Brandy I reminded them that it's our goal at Trump to always exceed expectations not just meet them. We have 10 golf courses, and at each one of them, it's our mission to provide members and guests with an incredible experience from the moment they drive up to the gatehouse to the time they tee off. I have planned and attended many golf tournaments, so I hoped Brandy's team was prepared for the challenge.
I was impressed when I visited Clint's team to hear his reasoning on picking the Liza Minnelli concert as his task. He said he wanted to show my father that he could be successful at something he wouldn't ordinarily expect. I believe that in business it's a valuable quality when one can work well in a variety of roles and adapt to change.
As the teams moved closer to the event they both found themselves hitting a few small roadblocks. First, Steuart was having some trouble finding a caterer. Once he had a commitment, they could breathe... although not for long. Team Clint's printed materials arrived for the event and "Minnelli" was spelled wrong. Mahsa and Poppy initially thought it was only spelled wrong on the signage, but it turned out that it was spelled incorrectly on all of the place cards - a careless mistake that would not only cost time, but money.
Team Brandy also found themselves facing obstacles as Brandy failed to tell the photographer which Trump National Golf Club they would be shooting at. Instead of arriving at Trump National Golf Club Westchester on time, the photographer called from Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, two hours away. In addition to not having a photographer, Brandy also had one less set of hands now that Liza was playing in my father's group for the event.
Both teams had just started their final task on The Apprentice and already they were on damage control. I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of the finale episode as much as I did. I'm looking forward to next week when we'll find out who our next Apprentice will be. Have a great week and thanks for all your comments here on the NBC blog and via Twitter (www.twitter.com/donaldjtrumpjr).