EPISODE ONE

BURGER WARS

A new season of The Apprentice brings with it new faces, new challenges and a surprising new twist that reshapes the competitive landscape. The eighteen fresh candidates arrived at Trump Tower and waited outside the infamous boardroom - a place they would surely try to avoid in the future. The group stood in silence, sizing each other up. (Click here to meet the candidates!) Tana, a sales executive, said in an interview that there were a few people that looked like they might not be "Mr. Trump material." She may have been talking about Danny, who entered wearing a red suit with a guitar slung over his shoulder. John described Danny by saying: "The guy in the leisure suit obviously dances to the beat of a different drummer. And apparently that drummer loves polyester." In her own interview, Erin said she was out to prove that women can be sexy, powerful and smart.

After letting the group stew, Trump had them enter the boardroom. There, The Donald welcomed the candidates to their sixteen week job interview and warned them it was going to be rough. He also introduced two people who needed no introduction: George and Carolyn. Only minutes into the competition, Trump revealed the big twist that would change the game. He said that this time he wasn't going to split the group into men versus women; instead it was going to be college grads versus high school grads. Of the eighteen men and women assembled, nine had college degrees while the other nine had entered the workforce right after high school. The thing they had in common was that they were all very successful. Trumped dubbed the new competition Book Smarts versus Street Smarts. Trump also pointed out one other major difference between the two groups - those with only a high school diploma earn three times as much as the college grads! Next, Trump laid out the familiar ground rules. The two teams would compete in weekly business tasks. The winning team would get a reward and the Project Manager would be exempt from firing on the following task. The losing team would meet back in the boardroom where someone would be fired.

After Trump dismissed the candidates, they went up to the suite where they would (hopefully) be spending many weeks to come. The reaction was unanimous. People were impressed with their luxurious new home. The group found a bottle of champagne on ice and toasted each other. Next, the teams split into their separate groups and were charged with their first order of business: to name their team. John was the first to take a shot across team lines when he said that he wanted his side not to be known as the high school team, but the wealthier team. The comment drew whoops and hollers from his team, but the other group seemed subdued.

When the team of college graduates met, Danny asked for the title of Chief Morale Officer. Danny certainly broke the ice with the group and also started what was to become the team cheer of "Unbelievable!" The group batted ideas around and Danny tested names by grabbing his guitar and singing songs about them. While some team members appreciated Danny's enthusiasm, Verna said that Danny needed to focus. But when Danny played the graduation march, Stephanie suggested Magna for the team name. It was short for magna cum laude, which means "with distinction" and is often used as a title for high achieving graduates. Everyone got behind the name and Magna was born. Then, led by Danny, the group yelled another "Unbelievable!" for good measure. The high school (or wealthier) group threw a few names around. Brian suggested Brass Balls Inc., but not everyone warmed to the idea. Tara suggested Net Worth and the name stuck.

The next morning, the teams gathered on the rooftop of Trump Tower, with its incredible view of the city. The teams presented their new names and Trump approved of both. Then Trump laid out the first task. Teams would work with Burger King, the fast food giant with over 11,000 restaurants worldwide. Each team would choose one of six new burgers that Burger King had developed to market and sell. Then each group would operate a Burger King franchise for the day and offer their new burger to the public. The team that earned the most revenue from sales of their new burger would win. The losing team would meet Trump back in the boardroom where someone would be fired. George and Carolyn would be along to observe and to report back to The Donald.

Net Worth had a team meeting to pick a Project Manager. John stepped up and said that he had restaurant experience, so the group elected him. On Magna, Todd said that he had run his own restaurant - and that was enough for his teammates, who agreed that Todd should lead for this task. Danny chimed in, saying his forte was marketing. Stephanie also said she had marketing experience and so she and Danny became the group's marketing team.

Net Worth met their Burger King chef down at the franchise that the team was set to run. The group carefully examined and sampled the six new burgers that the fast food chain had developed. Although there were some unique choices (including one with jalapeno) they selected the burger they thought they would have the easiest time selling: the Western Angus Burger. Magna met at their franchise and scrutinized the six new burgers as well. Verna declared herself a fast food expert, admitting that it was her favorite food, and said that the Triple Cheeseburger was the winner. The team went with Verna's taste buds and the Triple Cheeseburger.

With their product selected, Todd sent Danny and Stephanie off to Burger King's headquarters to meet with the company about the team's marketing plan. Next, Todd made Alex the restaurant manager. Alex split up the duties and selected Verna and Erin to work the cash registers. The rest of the group would work other areas, including the kitchen. Then the Book Smarts group got a crash course in making Whoppers and taking customer orders. Erin seemed to have some trouble operating the cash register. Verna speculated that Erin had never been to a fast food restaurant, let alone had any experience in how to take fast food orders. In an interview, Alex said that he noticed that Todd didn't get trained on any station in the restaurant. Alex added that he felt Todd wasn't in it together with the rest of the team.

At the Net Worth franchise, John summarized the team's marketing plan. To promote their Western burger they would make "Wanted: Dead or Alive" posters and have someone dressed as a cowboy outside the restaurant. Tana suggested that they give away a trip to the West - two tickets to Las Vegas. Next, Brian, who had owned a dollar store, led a group to get inexpensive decorations for their promotion. Brian used his negotiating prowess to get a free Viking hat thrown in with the deal. Kristen, however, was not impressed. In an interview, she said that a Viking hat had nothing to do with their task: "What are we, in Romper Room? You know, we're here to do a job, we're not here to negotiate a freaking plastic Viking hat."

Danny and Stephanie, the marketing team for Magna, met with Russ Klein, President of Burger King Brands, Inc. to discuss their marketing ideas for the Triple Cheeseburger. In an interview, Stephanie admitted that they were not prepared for the meeting. When Russ asked what new name the team had for the product, they didn't have one. When Russ asked who their customers were Danny responded with, "Good question." Danny admitted that they didn't have time to do as much research as they would have liked. Finally, when Danny pitched their Just Say Cheese campaign, Russ politely said that the concept was "okay" and "straight ahead." After the meeting, Danny wanted to ditch their campaign and come up with a new one. So, he and Stephanie sat around and brainstormed again. In an interview, Stephanie said that she felt Danny was shooting down all of her ideas. Back at the Burger King restaurant, Todd worried that he wouldn't have a marketing plan in time. Finally, Danny suggested "Triple Play" as an ad slogan and said that their campaign would have a baseball theme. Todd was glad to hear a decision had been reached and he said that he "loved" the idea.

Net Worth also met with Russ Klein. John pitched their Dead or Alive campaign and Russ approved. Kristen and Tana went to pick up the airline tickets to Las Vegas that the team was raffling off, but when the two women got to the location, they discovered their travel agent was a guy working out of his apartment - along with his two bulldogs. Kristen worried about the transaction, but it was Tana who should have been concerned. One of the dogs got a little too excited and relieved himself all over Tana's leg. Fortunately, the two women got the tickets and got out of the apartment.

The day of the competition arrived. Alex, the restaurant manager for Magna, said he was confident... until he saw the promotion that Danny and Stephanie had created. Alex said that he was "horrified" by what he saw. The team's marketing campaign consisted of several cardboard boxes with pictures of burgers on them. In the center box a hole was cut where passersby could attempt to toss in a ball. Alex said it looked like drunk hippies threw some stuff together to make a little raft to float on. Even the neutral Carolyn called the display "sad." Danny also attempted to serenade people while wearing a pair of antennae to draw customers inside the restaurant. But Magna had another problem. During the lunch rush, the two candidates on cash registers couldn't keep up with the hungry customers. Alex said that Todd was floating around, but couldn't be of much help because he wasn't trained on anything in the restaurant. The wait got so bad that some customers left without ordering - and potential sales of the Triple Cheeseburger walked out with them. By contrast, Net Worth had adorned their restaurant's front with professionally printed signs that went along with their Dead or Alive theme. Tara and Brian dressed as a cowgirl and cowboy to lure people in. The team also promoted their trip giveaway. On the inside of the restaurant, the other women of Net Worth were working hard, pushing their Western burger and convincing those on the fence to give one a try.

After all of the hard work of selling their specialty burgers, the two teams met with Trump, Carolyn and George in the boardroom. George announced that Magna sold 139 units for a total of $553.22. But Carolyn said that Net Worth had sold 182 of their burgers for a total of $596.96. Net Worth, the "high school" team, had won! Trump said that he's a great believer in education, but that he may have to start reassessing his position. As the victors, Net Worth won the reward of a fine dinner with The Donald at the 21 Club, one of the most celebrated restaurants in New York. Magna would see Trump again too - back in the boardroom where someone would be fired.

At the 21 Club, Trump and Melania met the winning team. They were all escorted to a secret basement room, which was used to store liquor during Prohibition. While Net Worth was dining in style with The Donald, Magna had a team meeting at the suite. Todd announced that all of the team's frustration stemmed from the marketing and advertising. Danny, who was in charge of marketing and advertising, disagreed and pointed out that some customers left the restaurant without ordering because they weren't being served fast enough. Later, Todd told Alex privately that he would be bringing both Alex and Danny into the boardroom with him to face the firing. Alex told Todd that Todd should have controlled Danny. In an interview, Alex was even harsher: "Todd is a terrible leader. Danny is a steamroller with a drunk driver at the helm." Danny and Stephanie said they would protect each other in the boardroom. While Erin, who seemed upset that the group would have to say negative things about each other, cried on Todd's bed.