EPISODE SIX

As the candidates waited anxiously to see who would return from the boardroom, Stacy R. and Maria walked into the suite. Everyone erupted with cheers as they realized that Pamela was gone. There were hugs and handshakes all around. Wes told the women that by getting rid of Pamela, "You did yourselves a favor; you did us a favor." In an interview, Raj said that there was a "general sense of victory" in the suite. While the mood of Apex was certainly lifted, the team was not without its tensions. In an interview, Maria complained that Elizabeth had a constant need to talk ideas to death. She said her team was "burned out with Elizabeth wasting their time." Finally, Maria warned that the team's Project Manager would have a real problem on their hands if they couldn't control Elizabeth.

The next day, the teams met Donald at Trump Model Management, where they learned that they would have to produce a new line of clothing for their next task. Each team would pick an emerging designer and would work with him or her to create their new fashions. Then, the teams would debut their new line with the models from Trump Model Management at the Avon Fall Fashion Show to buyers from some of the country's largest department stores. The team with the highest sales would win. George and Carolyn would be along to observe. As always, the winning team would earn an extravagant reward while the other team would go to the boardroom where someone would be fired. Maria, Project Manager of Apex, had a minor in Home Economics and said that the women's team was the one to bet on. And while Kevin admitted that none of the men of Apex had experience in the fashion industry, he was confident that they would meet the challenge.

The women met with designers assembled by Gen Art, specialists in emerging young fashion talent. Next, the team discussed who their choice would be. Maria took a bit of her own advice and cut off Elizabeth, who wanted to continue to discuss the decision. Maria simply said that they were going with a designer they'd met named Darren, from the Stella Verde design studio. Next, Maria sent Elizabeth and Jennifer M. to meet with the buyers from the department stores. In an interview, Maria said that Elizabeth loves to take the team's time and overanalyze things. Maria plainly admitted that her goal was to get Elizabeth away from the rest of the group. Next, Maria, Ivana, Sandy and Stacy R. met with Darren - and in less than an hour, they had all of their designs completed. In an interview, Ivana said, "It was really a smart move on Maria's part to get Elizabeth out of our hair."

The men also met with designers assembled by Gen Art. As Project Manager, John said the important decision of choosing a designer ultimately rested with him. John said he liked a designer named Ilse, from the Mel en Stel design studio, who described her work as elegant with an edge. Next, John sent Kevin, Wes and Andy to talk with the buyers. John, Raj, Chris and Kelly worked with Ilse on their designs. But the men didn't seem to move as quickly as the women. Surprising everyone, Kelly, the former U.S. Military Intelligence Officer, sketched out a design on his own that the professional designer said was going to look great.

John, Raj, Kelly and Chris went with Ilse to buy all of the fabric for their clothing. Stuck in a store with aisles and aisles of fabric rolls, the guys seemed a bit out of place. Chris said, "I'm having like this reoccurring nightmare that I'm at the mall with my mother as a child again - just dying to go home." Even the unbiased observer Carolyn couldn't help but stifle her laughs. In fact, Carolyn laughed so hard that her eyes began to fill with tears. Carolyn said, "All the men are clearly out of their element." In an interview, Kelly complained that the situation was "extremely chaotic" and lacked "organization." Kelly also thought that Raj wasn't helping matters by going off on tangents. So, Kelly stepped up and organized the effort. Kelly focused the team by concentrating on one specific outfit at a time. In an interview, Kelly said, "I felt I was doing the Project Manager's work." This was all in great contrast to the women's efforts. Maria, Ivana, Sandy and Stacy R. worked with Darren and bought all of their fabric. They seemed to have fun during the process - until Elizabeth and Jennifer M. returned. Elizabeth had some issues with what her team had done. She thought some of the fabrics they had chosen weren't "rich enough." There was also a disagreement about whether a capelet was big enough to be the team's signature piece. In an interview, Ivana said that Elizabeth was frustrating her. Finally, Ivana ended the discussion by telling Elizabeth, "This is what we're going with."

Next, Apex went to the Parsons School of Design to meet with the seamstresses who would be sewing the clothes. The women went over the designs with the seamstresses and left. When the men arrived at Parsons, they felt it was necessary to meet with the models, so they called them in. The models arrived and in John's words, the place became like a "beehive," with the men swarming around the women. In an interview, Raj said that he couldn't remember much from that part of the evening because he had been in some sort of chemical haze. However, Raj did manage to chat up a few of the German models by speaking their native tongue.

The next morning, Apex arrived at Parsons to see all of their designs transformed into clothing. They were so excited that they tried on the outfits and did a little impromptu fashion show of their own. Maria said, "…we turned into little nine-year-old girls playing dress-up again." Mosaic also showed up to Parsons in the morning only to find that just one of their outfits was complete. Ilse said that they had encountered a lot of problems. In an interview, John said that they had a lot to do and not much time. One thing that the team had to do was write line sheets - descriptions of the clothing for the buyers. The task fell to Raj, who kept interrupting Ilse to ask for information. In an interview, Kelly said that Raj, "just doesn't shut up." Kelly said he'd had enough of Raj and told him not to talk to Ilse any more. The two men clashed. In an interview, Kevin said that John, the Project Manager, should have dealt with the issue of Raj interrupting Ilse. The women of Apex had their own problems. Maria again gave Elizabeth a task that kept her from the team - and Elizabeth was aware that something was going on. Elizabeth admitted, "I'm not the favorite of the group."

On the Mosaic team, John and a few others went to the hotel to deliver the clothing that was ready. John delegated pricing of the items to Kevin and Wes. In an interview, Kevin said that John should have had more control over the most important issues, like pricing. Kevin and Wes determined pricing by doubling the numbers that Ilse had given them. Kevin and Wes were confident about the final prices. Kevin said, "We felt we were in the range."

Both teams and The Donald showed up for the fashion show and the room buzzed with excitement. The teams sat in the front row - directly across from the buyers, who scrutinized everything. The Apex line was on display first and the models strutted down the runway wearing the clothing that the women had helped design. In an interview, Kelly said that once he saw the women's offerings, he knew his team would win. Next, the models came out and sported the designs of Mosaic. In an interview, Ivana said her reaction to the line was, "Oh my God, who raided my father's attic and who cut up my sofa?"

After the show, Donald, George and Carolyn met with the two teams. Carolyn announced that the men had sold $7,735 worth of merchandise. But George said that the women had done much better with $22,060. The women cheered and hugged. Finally, after four losses in a row, Apex had won. Trump called the victory a "big beating" and said that the men simply priced their line too high. As their reward, the women would attend a private, celebrity party. The men would face The Donald in the boardroom. However, Chris, as the Project Manager of the previous week's winning team, would be exempt. While the women enjoyed the extravagant party, the men ate sandwiches in the suite. But in an interview, Ivana said that the real reward wasn't the posh gathering; it was not having to face the boardroom again.

John talked with Raj and Chris about who he should bring into the boardroom. The consensus was that pricing was the critical flaw and that Kevin and Wes were responsible for it. But after talking with Kelly, John thought it might not be smart to bring in two strong people like Kevin and Wes - so he thought he might bring Andy in with Kevin, instead. John said that Andy didn't really do anything on the task anyway.

In the boardroom, the members of Mosaic assembled in front of Donald, George and Carolyn. John opened by saying that the critical error was pricing and that Kevin and Wes were responsible for it. John said he had delegated the task to them. Kevin shot back that John's decision on the designer is what doomed them - she used too many expensive raw materials. Raj tried to chime in, but Trump shut him down: "Hey Raj, what do you know? You just wanted the models… I heard you were totally a hound dog..." Raj thought that Andy, whom he said didn't have the respect of the team, should be fired. Andy thought John should go. Kelly said that Andy should be fired because he needed too much supervision. Chris said that John left too many loose ends and should be fired. John then picked Kevin and Andy to face the firing with him. With just George and Carolyn in the boardroom, Trump asked for their thoughts. George said he liked Andy and thought that with some work he could be excellent. Carolyn said she liked John, but that he made far too many mistakes on the task. After the three men returned, Trump asked John why he didn't bring Wes in as well, if pricing was the critical error. John had no answer and Kevin smiled. Then John admitted it was a mistake not to bring in Wes. Trump said that while Kevin did make a big mistake in pricing, John made the mistake of not bringing Wes back into the boardroom. But worse, Trump said, was that John -- the Project Manager -- had no involvement in the pricing of the clothing line. Trump called that decision "inexcusable" and fired John.

\ Team Apex Team Mosaic