EPISODE NINE

The five surviving team members of Apex returned to the suite and delivered the news that there had been no second boardroom meeting - Elizabeth had been fired on the spot by Trump. The members of Mosaic were stunned. Maria said that every time people enter the boardroom something "insane" happens.

The next day, both teams met Donald at Trump Park Avenue - a development of apartments where the penthouse would cost over $30 million dollars. Trump told the candidates that they would also get a chance to work in real estate. Each team would be charged with renovating a house in desperate need of repair. The teams would get $20,000 each and just a few days to complete the task. At the end of their time period, professional appraisers would reassess the value of the homes. The team that increased their home's value by the highest percentage would win. The other team would lose a member as they faced The Donald in the boardroom. Carolyn would observe along with Matthew Calamari, who replaced George while he was away on business. Then, Trump revealed the big twist: He was bringing back the first four candidates that he'd fired for this task only. Right on cue, Rob and Jennifer C. entered and joined Mosaic, followed by Bradford and Stacie J., who joined Apex. There were no hugs, high-fives or even handshakes for the returning candidates. The other candidates seemed subdued.

Back at the suite, the reunion did not go well. Jennifer C. told Ivana, "Mr. Trump gave me your head on a platter… and I didn't take it." Stacie J. wanted to take the opportunity, as she said, to set the record straight about her. Stacie J. then confronted Ivana and said she misrepresented the truth. The two clashed and Ivana eventually left the room with Stacie J. calling after her.

Later, the teams got down to business. Apex visited their house and took the grand tour. Kevin said that the place was "in shambles." Raj, the team's Project Manager, declared that their top priority would be adding a bathroom to the second floor. In addition, Raj said that they would remove one of the walls separating two of the bedrooms, creating a larger room. But both Kevin and Jennifer M. spoke up, saying they thought that it would be a mistake. In an interview, Chris said he thought that the team had no chemistry and that Jennifer M. thrived on confrontation. Chris said he worried that these things would keep the team from winning the task. Next, Raj hired a contractor on Kevin's recommendation. But Raj worried that the contractor might not be able to get everything done in the short time they had. Raj said, "I'm sure this is going to be a squeaker." Not wasting any time, Raj put his body into his work and slammed himself into the wall that he wanted to bring down. Ivana and Kevin joined him in the demolition and soon, the wall was history.

As the Project Manager for Mosaic, Sandy said she felt an extra incentive to do well on the task since real estate is near and dear to Trump's heart. Rob also felt an extra incentive to do well. As the first candidate to be fired, Rob said that he had something to prove. He worked hard, getting only two hours of sleep in the first thirty-six hours of the task. Later, Sandy also worried about running out of time. Then it began to rain. Sandy admitted she hit a low. In an interview, she said: "I felt like the team was slowly losing track and they were just… they were starting to smell defeat." Andy said he realized that their contractor was in serious trouble, overwhelmed by all the work that had to be done. But another contractor was in the neighborhood. Andy talked to the new contractor and that contractor was eventually hired. The new contractor made the renovation a family affair as many of his relatives showed up to work and observe.

At the Apex house, Raj worried as it came down to the wire. He asked the contractor, who was busy taking his lunch, if the new bathroom would be done in time. The contractor said, "Let us eat our tacos and we'll get back in there." Jennifer M. thought the situation was "ridiculous." She said, "I think the contractor was definitely screwing around with Raj a lot of the time. He was not taking the job very seriously." In the last twenty minutes, the Apex team rushed to clean up. Bradford called it "complete chaos" with people knocking things over and spilling paint in the front yard. Raj asked his contractor if the bathroom had been completed and he said yes. But when Raj went upstairs to check, he found a different story. Raj said that the contractor, "…had all of the appliances, the shower, the toilet, the vanity ready to be set, but it looked like nothing."

The day of reckoning came and the appraisers showed up to Mosaic's renovated home for the final walkthrough. Sandy gave them the tour and she showed off the full bathroom they had added to the upstairs. Later, Raj gave the appraisers a tour of the Apex property. However, on the way up the stairs, it was hard to ignore the new carpet, ruined by mud and paint. Once the appraisers got to the second floor, they were met with another surprise - the unfinished bathroom. Raj did his best to sell the new bathroom, saying that it might not look great, but that everything was in place. However, in an interview, Matthew said that it looked "terrible." Then Raj told everyone that he had knocked down a wall to turn the four bedroom home into a three bedroom place. Raj said, "I wished visually it looked as close as it really is." "Me too," said an appraiser.

Still in their work clothes, the candidates assembled in the boardroom to learn the results of their efforts. Matthew announced that Apex had increased the value of their house by 7.14%. But Carolyn said that Mosaic had increased the value of their property by 10.26%. For their reward, the Mosaic team went, via helicopter, to the Hamptons for a visit to an incredible home on the beach. Wes said of the experience: "It really gives you a taste for what it would be like to be Donald Trump. It's a taste of greatness. It's a taste of power." Back at the suite, the pre-boardroom strategizing was underway. Jennifer M. told Raj that he needed to go after Ivana because she doesn't contribute to the team. Jennifer M. told Raj: "You need me to go after Ivana. I'll do it."

Apex again assembled in the boardroom, this time in their business best. Trump asked Raj what went wrong. Raj said that they had a contractor that over-promised and under-delivered. Trump asked who picked the contractor and Raj said that, ultimately, as Project Manager, it was his responsibility. Bradford chimed in and said that it was Kevin who pushed for the contractor. Kevin said that he backed the contractor one hundred percent. Trump asked Kevin if he should be fired and Kevin responded, "Absolutely not." Trump said that Raj had made a big mistake by turning the four bedroom house into a three bedroom home. But Trump also had some words of praise. He said that he had heard that Stacie J. had done a great job and he acknowledged her for that. But Ivana jumped in and said: "Although Jen did come up to me at one point and she asked that Stacie be taken off the windows because she thought that Stacie was not doing a good job." Trump shot back to Ivana: "Why are you so nasty?" Bradford said that if he had to fire someone, it would be Ivana. Trump then thanked Bradford and Stacie J. for their help and they left. Raj decided to take Kevin and Ivana back into the boardroom with him to face the firing. But before the team left the room, Chris said he had an important point to make. He said that the chemistry on the team was horrible and had been for the past three tasks. He said that if the team stayed as it was, they would lose again on the next task. Carolyn scolded Chris: "Don't tell us about it, fix it. I don't want to hear how bad your team is. Fix it." Trump then made a decree. Chris would be Project Manager of his team for the next task. Trump told Chris: "And I will be watching you very closely." Finally, all of the candidates left.

Trump conferred with his advisors. Carolyn said she appreciated that Raj took responsibility when things went wrong. She thought that while Kevin picked a poor contractor, he worked hard. And she said she saw Ivana work hard too. Matthew thought that Raj had a plan, but just didn't execute it. The three candidates returned to the boardroom. Trump again said that Kevin picked a poor contractor. Ivana and Raj clashed. Trump said that while he didn't think Ivana was great, she didn't belong in the boardroom on this particular task. Trump said the problem was that Raj made a lot of mistakes, including turning a four bedroom house into a three bedroom home. As Raj pleaded his case, accepting responsibility for his mistakes, Trump interrupted him to say, "Raj, you're fired."

Team Apex Team Mosaic