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A new season of The
Apprentice brings with it new faces, new challenges and a surprising new
twist that reshapes the competitive landscape. (Click
here to meet the candidates!)
Sixteen Apprentice hopefuls arrive at
one of the headquarters of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in New York City.
Greeted warmly by the homemaking legend, style icon, and media magnate
Martha Stewart, they are escorted to the conference room, where Martha
properly introduces herself and her two associates, who are to serve as her
eyes and ears over the next thirteen weeks: trusted colleague, confidant,
and daughter Alexis Stewart; and former music industry titan, and current
Chairman of the Board of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. Charles
Koppleman.
At the Loft, and per Martha's instruction, the candidates divide themselves
into two groups of eight, a creative-oriented group forming Matchstick
Corporation, with Jeff as Project Manager, and a corporate-oriented group
forming Primarius Corporation, with Dawna as Project Manager. Immediately,
friction develops between the bold personalities during the brainstorming
process, with Jim reacting strongly to a reprimand from Dawn. "I've always
had a problem with people who try to control my actions. You don't control
my actions. I control your actions. Get it right," he said in an interview.
A CHILDREN'S STORY
Morning broke over Manhattan, and Martha welcomed the candidates to the
beautiful lobby of Random House. As project manager of the creative group,
Jeff stepped forward and declared the name of his corporation: Matchstick.
Not to be outdone, Dawna, the first project manager of the corporate group,
introduced her corporation with the name Primarius.
For the first task, the newly-formed corporations would adapt a well known
fairy tale and make it pertinent to today's children. After selecting and
writing their story, the candidates would collaborate with top Random House
designers and illustrators, and create a bound book containing their story.
The final test of their book would be to read it out loud to their target
audience: a group of first grade children.
Martha reminded the candidates of the importance of connecting with
consumers -- which in this case, not only included kids, but their parents
as well. The homemaking guru introduced the "bosses" of the task, Random
House executives Chip Gibson and Anne Schwartz. Their opinions would decide
the outcome of the task. The winning corporation would earn a reward, while
the members of the losing corporation would find themselves in the
conference room, where someone would be sent home.
FROM CANDIDATES TO STORY TELLERS
Primarius quickly sprung into action, and decided to create an underwater
version of "Jack and the Beanstalk." Their next move was to collect an
impromptu focus group of children, and their parents, from the streets of
New York City. Based on feedback from the kids, Primarius made adjustments
to the first draft of their book before sending it into production.
Meanwhile, Matchstick focused on a rhyming retelling of "Hansel & Gretel"
set in a modern-day city. Jeff ran a tight, decisive ship, and did not
hesitate to replace Dawn as the writer when she could not deliver in a
chaotic environment. When his team objected to the dark nature of the story,
the project manager made an executive decision to move ahead despite their
protests. When Jeff and Dawn butted heads over her technique of reading the
story out loud, he dismissed her once again, this time in favor of Shawn.
Finally, the time arrived to present to the children. As a television
newscaster, Shawn was confident in her abilities as a public speaker.
However, while the kids listened politely, they did not become engaged in
Matchstick's story. When Primarius had their turn, Howie delivered a warm
and enthusiastic performance, and the children were visibly enchanted by the
plight of Jack at the bottom of the ocean.
SUSHI AND SURVIVAL
Back at Random House, Martha asked the publishing executives how the
candidates fared at their first task. Chip Gibson said that while both
corporations did well, there was a clear victor. Anne Schwartz acclaimed
Matchstick's illustrations and the suspenseful "page-turning" aspects of the
story. However, she declared their rhyme scheme to be a misfire. On the
other hand, Primarius impressed the executives with their innovative
interpretation of a well known story, the immediacy of their first person
narration, and their attention to detail in the production of the book.
Without reservation, they declared Primarius the winner.
The victorious candidates returned to MSLO's headquarters where they
received their reward: a gourmet sushi dinner prepared by Tadashi Ono, head
chef and co-owner of Matsuri, a New York dining hotspot. Even better, the
dinner was a private affair between the candidates and Martha Stewart
herself. The accomplished mogul said that she was looking forward to the
match up between creative types and corporate types, but the ideal
apprentice for her company would have qualities of both. For their part, the
candidates enjoyed the valuable opportunity to get to know Martha on a more
intimate level.
Back in the Loft, the vanquished Matchstick prepared themselves for their
first trip to the conference room. In conspiring whispers, Jeff campaigned
against Dawn, while in an interview, Dawn singled out Jeff as the candidate
who would meet his fate in the conference room. As the candidates scurried
and schemed around the Loft, Jim clearly relished the intrigue. "It's kill
or be killed!" he crowed.
YOU JUST DON'T FIT IN
Wary and apprehensive, the candidates of Matchstick entered the conference
room. Martha criticized the "creative" corporation for failing at a task
built around imagination. She said the adaptation of "Hansel and Gretel" was
a major misfire, because the dark and confusing messages would not only
confuse children, but also turn off parents. "I don't like the story," she
said flatly. Although Dawn made a career as a writing teacher, Jeff had to
take responsibility as the primary author. As Martha asked each candidate
who among them did not pull their weight, opinion seemed to be evenly split
between Jeff and Dawn. Bethenny, in particular criticized Dawn's work ethic
- a move that touched off a shouting match between the two candidates.
Finally, Martha asked Jeff, as project manager, to choose the two candidates
he felt were responsible for the team's loss. These two, plus Jeff, would
wait in the lobby while Martha, Alexis, and Charles would determine their
fate. The remaining members would safely retreat to their loft. The creative
director selected Dawn as expected, and then chose Jim, who reacted with
disbelief. The rest of Matchstick returned to the Loft, while Martha
consulted in private with her trusted associates. Charles felt that Jeff, as
the leader of the corporation, was the clear choice, while Alexis identified
Dawn as a major problem. Still unsure who deserved to go home, Martha
summoned the remaining trio back to the table.
Jeff revealed that he chose Jim because of the disruptive effect he had on
the rest of the corporation. Jim and Dawn both blamed Jeff for the loss,
claiming they only followed his faulty leadership. Martha had heard enough.
She told Jeff he made a major mistake by ignoring her advice to connect with
his customers. As a result, Matchstick's book was a clear failure. With no
other option, Martha looked at Jeff and said, "You just don't fit in." And
with that, the first candidate had been sent home. Dawn and Jim, however,
were free to join their compatriots in the Loft -- perhaps to return to the
conference room another day.
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