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STEAMING AND SCHEMING
Although Primarius lost the previous task, it was Matchstick that felt
adrift. As Amanda watched Jim and Bethenny return to the loft without Howie,
she admitted to her colleagues that she had no idea what Martha Stewart
wanted. Would the next task help the creme of the candidates rise to the
top?
The candidates' ninth task was to start up retail boutiques where they would
have one day to sell as many Tassimo hot beverage systems as possible. As
the corporations struggled to launch their boutiques, one rogue candidate
promised most of her corporation's budget to outsiders unbeknownst to her
project manager, while the competing project manager worried about sabotage
within her own ranks.
At the end of the business day, the receipts revealed Primarius had won. The
members of Matchstick prepared themselves for a conference room clash, where
Martha dismissed the candidate who was clearly not her cup of tea.
COFFEE ACHIEVERS
The candidates assembled in front of the loft's plasma screen TV as Martha
greeted them from MSLO headquarters. Martha extolled the joys of a perfect
cup of tea and informed the candidates that their next task would be to sell
Tassimo hot beverage systems.
Both corporations would receive $40,000 in seed money to decorate a
Manhattan retail boutique, and staff it for one day of busy selling. The
corporations could set their own prices, but since the stores would only be
open for one day, the challenge would be to attract the most paying
customers. In the end overall revenue would determine the winner, and the
losing corporation would face Martha in the conference room, where someone
would be sent home.
BOUTIQUES AND CRITIQUES
Fearing that Bethenny and Jim would plot against her if they faced another
conference room showdown, Dawna vowed to do everything possible to secure a
win, no matter who was project manager. So she struck out on her own and
committed a whopping 75% of Primarius' $40,000 budget to Lime PR to do the
heavy lifting of setting up and manning a retail boutique. When Dawna phoned
her project manager with the news, he was initially rendered speechless. Jim
worried that Dawna's rogue business dealings would leave them with little
options if they failed, but Bethenny reassured him that if Dawna's
overspending ruined them, they could use that against her in the conference
room.
At Matchstick's boutique, project manager Marcela fretted that Martha
wouldn't be forgiving if she lost a second time to Jim. But it was
immediately apparent that her greatest foe was actually her own corporation.
Amanda and Ryan mutually ignored Marcela's proposed strategy of bringing in
a pastry chef and decided they should spend $15,000 to hire a celebrity to
make an appearance at the store. But when Marcela found out that the
celebrity in question was Vincent Pastore, "Big Pussy" from "The Sopranos,"
she whacked the choice and insisted on her initial idea of hiring the chef.
Things came to a head that night when Amanda challenged Marcela, claiming
they still didn't have a marketing strategy.
As the boutiques opened for business the next day, Charles noted one
corporation appeared hungrier for success than the other. Already suspicious
of Dawna's hired gun, Jim insisted on getting his money's worth. When he and
Bethenny decided the Lime street team wasn't working hard enough, the two
wasted no time re-organizing and re-directing them. Soon customers were on
their doorstep, and machines were being bagged and sold. Meanwhile,
Matchstick's gourmet pastries also attracted a crowd -- a crowd of
freeloaders more interested in free food and coffee than expensive
appliances. Without the support of Ryan and Amanda, who were
uncharacteristically unmotivated, Marcela and Matchstick feared the worst.
THE MAINE THING
Back at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, the candidates entered the
conference room to learn the results of their one-day selling spree.
Matchstick sold nine Tassimo beverage systems for a total of $1,891, while
Primarius quadrupled Matchstick's sales, selling 36 systems for a total of
$6,621. Charles noted that even though Jim's corporation was shorthanded
compared to Marcela's, it executed the task with a passion that Matchstick
couldn't match.
Primarius was already flying high from its win when Martha announced the
three candidates would be rewarded with a trip to the coast of Maine on a
Jet Network private jet. Once there, Alexis welcomed them to Martha
Stewart's seaside retreat Skylands, a vacation home originally built for
automotive heir Edsel Ford. Later, Alexis took the winners on a boat ride
picnic around the rugged Maine coast, where Jim surmised that he finally had
an inkling of what it would be like to live in Martha's world.
ONE LUMP OR TWO
Unable to sit back while Marcela listlessly packed her bags to head to the
conference room, Jim pulled her aside for a pep talk and advised Marcela to
deflect any questions about her leadership flaws by raising doubts about
Amanda's and Ryan's lack of enthusiasm and teamwork. Buoyed by this plan,
Marcela summoned the courage to face Martha, who accused Matchstick of being
directionless. Asserting that she never had the support of Amanda and Ryan,
Marcela held firm even as they hostilely criticized her lack of business
sense. Marcela countered that no business plan would work when a project
manager was being sabotaged by her own subordinates.
Martha cut short Amanda and Ryan's criticisms, and required Marcela to pick
one candidate to return to the loft. Marcela chose Leslie to be spared, and
while awaiting their fate in the lobby, Amanda and Ryan continued to attack
Marcela. As they returned to the conference room, Ryan made a grandstanding
appeal to insist that his loyalty was above question, but it only served to
further demonstrate the discord within Matchstick and Martha asked Ryan to
return to his seat.
Martha asked Marcela why she was not able to inspire loyalty in her
corporation, and Marcela insisted that she had the required passion and
energy to lead. Amanda admitted that she couldn't support Marcela, but
claimed that she would nevertheless bite her lip and follow Marcela's
misguided orders. Martha pointed out that it's not good teamwork to sit back
and do nothing while a leader is floundering. Martha reminded the three
candidates that one of the pillars of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's
success was teamwork, and she believed that Amanda had no concept of how to
be team player, making Amanda the 10th candidate to leave the loft.
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