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Addressing the candidates via plasma
screen, Martha Stewart gave the candidates their new task: come up with a
concept for a beautiful "lifestyle suite" and apply that vision to a two
bedroom suite at Westin New York Times Square Hotel. Martha instructed the
candidates to create an extraordinary environment that fit with Westin's
mission to care for the body, mind, and spirit of their guests. A panel of
Westin executives, along with platinum members of their preferred guest
program, would judge the suites and declare a winner. The losers would check
in to the conference room, where one candidate would check out for good.
Martha and her trusted associates had a plan to shake up the three-time
turkeys of Matchstick. Charles asked Primarius who among them considered
themselves the corporation's strongest leader. Every candidate raised their
hand. However, when Alexis asked who among them felt they could lead
Matchstick to victory, only one courageous candidate raised her hand:
Leslie. Confident in her ability to turn Matchstick around, she joined the
troubled corporation as their project manager. Primarius, less one candidate
for the first time, agreed their project manager should be Amanda.
ROOM SERVICE
To describe the suites as blank slates would be an understatement - from
floor to ceiling, the rooms were completely stripped of all finishes,
fixtures, and furnishings. Primarius realized they had a monumental
undertaking ahead of them and quickly went to work on their vision. Carrie
suggested a variety of color schemes, but Amanda preferred to trust the
advice of a professional interior designer. When the contractors began to
put everything together, the candidates openly disparaged the "prison gray"
wallpaper chosen for the bathroom. Many of the candidates in Primarius began
to doubt Amanda's ability to lead them to victory. The project manager
responded by using her superior people skills to soothe their qualms and
reestablish the corporation's vital team unity. Primarius reacted
positively, and rallied hard to bring their five-star creation to life.
Leslie sought to turn Matchstick around by keeping a tight reign on
organization, but promptly led the beleaguered corporation down a dangerous
path. Despite a brutally short time table, precious hours were wasted on a
meandering brainstorming session. Thanks to the late start, Matchstick was
forced to accelerate every step of their plan. Bethenny had mere minutes to
select all the furnishings, and the members of Matchstick had to pull an
all-nighter to paint the walls of the suite. Frustrated, Dawn haughtily
excused herself from paint duty. The next morning, while the rest of her
exhausted colleagues roused themselves to an early start, Dawn stayed in bed
until David woke her up.
Both corporations entered a frantic final dash to complete their suites
before the judges arrived. Primarius' vision was realized in "Westin
Entertains," the ultimate party suite complete with a game cabinet,
entertainment system, cocktail area, and themed decorations. Matchstick's
concept was called "F.L.O.W.: For Leisure Or Work," an elegant, zen-like
suite that encouraged guests to find a tranquil balance between their
vacation and their occupation. However, one crucial detail failed to fall
into place. Matchstick's couches were delayed, stuck in a truck somewhere in
Manhattan traffic. As the judging panel arrived, the corporation's oasis of
calm lacked any comfortable places to sit and relax.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?
Martha Stewart and the Westin executives assembled the candidates in a
meeting room to reveal the winning corporation. The Westin execs praised
Primarius' attention to detail, and said their suite clearly conveyed their
innovative concept. Matchstick's suite garnered tribute for its graceful
design, yet the executives lamented the lack of cozy sofas. Martha noticed
the conspicuous void as well and compared it to an "unfinished house." She
also had trouble understanding Matchstick's concept. Because of their bold
vision and comprehensive execution, the executives awarded victory to
Primarius.
Primarius, exhausted by the breakneck pace of the task, were given the
chance to relax in Manhattan's newest luxury residence: the "Westin
Entertains" suite they had just finished creating. As they celebrated and
savored their fourth victory, Martha stopped by to say hello. She took a
tour of the lavishly outfitted rooms, and enjoyed the spectacular views of
New York City with the candidates.
IT'S ALWAYS DARKEST
In the conference room, Martha Stewart stung Matchstick with the obvious
question: What happened to the couches? Fingers wagged in Bethenny's
direction, as she was in charge of the suite's furniture. However, the
besieged candidate struck back by diagnosing Leslie's faulty time management
as the underlying cause of the delay. Leslie passed the blame to Dawn by
accusing her of being lazy. Martha was shocked to hear that Dawn lounged in
bed while the rest of the corporation was ready to work. When Martha asked
the candidates who should go home, they were split between Leslie and Dawn.
As project manager, Leslie chose Bethenny and Dawn to return to the
conference room with her. The other candidates retired to the loft, and
Martha took a moment to consult privately with her trusted associates. They
laid out the cons for each member of the troublesome trio: Bethenny was
responsible for the couch catastrophe, Dawn's shoddy attitude was weighing
down the corporation, and, as project manager, Leslie was culpable for the
poor time management of the task. Alexis and Charles agreed that Martha
faced a difficult decision.
When the women returned to the conference room, they unleashed a torrent of
conflicting criticisms. Bethenny protested that Leslie kept her in the
conference room under false pretenses, Leslie proclaimed that Matchstick
cannot win with Dawn, and Dawn railed against accusations that she did not
work hard enough. As the three bickered about past performance and picked
apart minute details, Martha grew fed up. Leslie, she said, did a poor job
of managing the schedule but the candidate's gutsy decision to take over
Matchstick earned her a reprieve. Martha held Bethenny responsible for the
absent couches, but she approved of her overall design of the suite. Dawn's
performance, however, was inexcusable. Martha condemned her lack of
contributions, and her lack of teamwork. "You're just not effective," she
said to Dawn. And with that, Matchstick's problem child was dismissed.
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