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EPISODE TWO

FUSION RAZOR

 

Text Maniacs

Trump set the corporations to promoting the Gillette Fusion Razor via text-messaging technology. 
Trump joked to the assembled candidates, "What the hell do I know about text messaging?" But the mogul clearly understood that texting is a vital new marketing tool. Savvy Trump assigned the corporations a suitable task: "To generate the greatest number of text messages via a guerrilla marketing campaign to promote the Gillette Fusion Razor."

Miami attorney Pepi assumed the role of project manager for Synergy, which was riding high on the momentum of last week's win. Meanwhile, members of Gold Rush pushed Lee to the head of the corporation. Tarek, however, who had clashed with Lee in the previous boardroom, was skeptical of the 22-year-old recent Cornell grad's aptitude, "I think he is going to be overwhelmed in this task."

The Razor's Edge of Competition

Lee eagerly led Gold Rush's brainstorming session to choose a keyword for their Gillette Fusion promotion. But Lenny quickly grew tired of the meeting and hit the streets with Charmaine and Leslie to scout locations and start earning texts ASAP.

But Lenny's impatience was a picnic compared to the turmoil Brent stirred up in Synergy. Brent monopolized his corporation's brainstorming session and clashed with Stacy, among others. Stacy told the group Brent had threatened her, prompting Pepi to intervene. Brent's endless suggestions and unfocused energy were relentless. It was Michael, however, who suggested the offbeat idea of wearing bathrobes to attract attention.

After a day of interpersonal strife, Pepi allowed Synergy to sleep in, while Gold Rush hit Times Square at the crack of dawn. When Synergy finally made their way to Times Square in their bathrobes, Gold Rush had already scouted the best locations and had induced a steady stream of text messages. With little or nothing to lose, Brent decided to make a spectacle of himself on the street by doing the Robot dance, which generated a spike of late interest. But would Brent's antics save the day?

Suitable Rewards, Appropriate Punishment

Filling in for Carolyn this week, Ivanka Trump called Gold Rush "a very impressive group" as she announced their final tally of 683 texts. In contrast, Bill Rancic (subbing for George) said Synergy got a late start and never really got rolling. They totaled only 458 texts, which Bill called "a pretty rough beating."

For their reward, Gold Rush was given a chance to help three down-on-their-luck businessmen put their best face forward with a brand new wardrobe, courtesy of the non-profit organization, Career Gear. Gold Rush met with Trump Menswear President John Brody at the Trump Suit Showroom, where one and all assisted in the wardrobe revamp. Mr. Trump even dropped by to meet makeover recipients John, Robert and Vaughn and wish them well. "Sometimes in business," said Trump, "you just need a hand, and that's what I was doing for these three wonderful guys."

Terrible Two-Fer

Asked point-blank by Trump what went wrong, PM Pepi claimed that a disruptive Brent had dragged the corporation down. Brent, however, maintained that he was the star of the task (though Stacy later clarified that, "He was the star in the clown role"). Trump said Synergy's lopsided defeat made his job easier: "The loss was so bad that I think I'm going to fire two people."

For the final boardroom Pepi chose to bring back Brent, Stacy (who was in charge of location) and Michael (who suggested wearing bathrobes). When the corporation emptied the boardroom, Trump asked for input from his associates. "Stacy's got to go," said Bill. "I think this falls on Pepi," countered Ivanka.

Once the remaining four were back in the room, the action heated up. Defense attorney Stacy said Brent had threatened her, but Trump was skeptical. "You've seen the toughest people on earth," said Trump, "and Brent is going to scare you?" Moving on, Trump told Michael he'd done a terrible job, but let him off the hook and returned to Stacy, "If you can't handle Brent, you can't handle my business. Therefore Stacy, you're fired." Trump told Brent that he probably wouldn't last long, but abruptly turned to Pepi, and said, "The team leader didn't lead... Pepi, I have to say, you also are fired."

 

LESSONS LEARNED