[Erika]

The Apprentice 5 ? Episode 14 ? Who?s That Guy?

You know what stinks about the end of any reality show season? I am here to tell you ? it?s the final recaps! I must sincerely apologize for my tardiness, but once all the hoopla is over what is left to the good old recapper? No fame, no glory, just more writing ? shew let?s try to get through this!

As this precursor episode to the grand finale begins, we see a replay of the nastiness that happened in the boardroom from the previous week. I loved every second of it, so it was great the second time around too. Trump fires Allie and Roxanne again! YES! But, back at the suite we see that Sean and Lee are anxiously awaiting the return of one of them, but finally Sean gives up the wait and starts to eat. He says he doesn?t care about them anyway and he is just near the end of his rope with the both of them. Little does he know, he?s not the only one?.hehehe. Lee already started eating and is getting a good laugh at Sean and how he has been debating eating or not.

As they eat, the phone in the Suite rings and Robin summons both Sean and Lee in the boardroom. As the guys scurry around to get dressed, Lee thinks that they are being called in so that Trump can ask them who they think should be fired. Both guys emerge dressed in suits and head to the boardroom. Once seated, Trump explains that the boardroom isn?t usually a great place to be, but tonight, it?s different because he has already fired the girls and they are the last two candidates that remain. Trump then tells them that they need to go over all the fired candidates and decide on three people they would like to help them on their last and final task. He warns them that their final task will be the biggest of them all. He congratulates them and dismisses them. As Lee is walking out he says, ?I?m up for the challenge Mr. Trump.? And Trump tells him to get out and after he leaves calls him a ?freakin? politician?.

Out in the hall Sean and Lee share a congratulatory hand shake and get on the elevator back to the suite. Just as the elevator door begins to close, we see Sean do his well know freak out dance. Sean tells us that the next few days will be the most important of his life and that if everything goes as planned, he will be the next Apprentice. As Lee and Sean arrive back at the suite, they are greeted by the other 16 fired candidates who politely clap as they enter. Sean tells us that it was nice to see everyone, but he was really happy to see Tammy. Lee tells us that he knows that being in the final two is very prestigious and he never doubted himself for a minute. He says that he needs to choose a good team and he will definitely be the next Apprentice.
Inside the suite, Sean offers up a toast to Lee and says that he is honored to go up against a guy as great as Lee. Everyone toasts to the both of them and it looks like it?s a happy night.

Everyone is bantering about the suite, but when we get back from commercial we see that Sean is already staking out members for his team. He immediately speaks to Tammy and Andrea and gets them onboard. Sean admits he is already in project mode and he knows that whoever he picks for the final task could make or break him. A parade of past candidates sit down with him and pitch themselves. Brent is eager to get Sean?s eye and tells him that he is going to work 110% for him. The rest of group does much the same. Allie sits with Sean and she confesses to him that she wants to be his life-long friend. Sean replies that there are a few others he needs to speak to and he gives her a hug. I am ready to puke, as the patronizing is getting to be a bit much.

Sean tells us that his strategy is to choose three strong people that work well together, which I guess means that Allie need not apply. Next we see Tarek in a bedroom chatting it up with Andrea and Tammy. He tells them that he has a very strong work ethic and points to the time he worked at McDonalds and another time he worked at a sewage treatment plant. I don?t know what either have to do with the final task, but in Mr. Mensa fashion, he easily makes the conversation one about philosophies and draws the weird analogies, like he has so many times before. Andrea tells us that she believes she and Tarek are the brightest in the group and she knows that once she gets Sean?s ear, Mr. Mensa will be joining forces with team Sean. Sean finds the trio and it looks as if he is ready to choose Tarek as well.

Out in the kitchen, Allie admires Lee?s tie and tells him that he should probably start interviewing. Lee replies that he is going to, but first he wants to talk to his old buddy Lenny. So Lee and Lenny retire to the living room and begin strategy talk. Lee asks Lenny who he thinks he should pick and instantly Lenny throws out Pepe?s name. At first Lee seems hesitant because he?s never worked with him and he also feels he might be rusty. Lenny insists that Pepe is perfect because he is smart and he is ready to work as hard as he can for Lee to win. Lenny tells us that he wants Lee to win very badly. Lee then proceeds to speak to remaining candidates and talks to them about loyalty. He tells them that he wants people with him that really want him to win.

After talking to Theresa, Roxanne the dynamic duo of Lee and Lenny unite again to talk it over. It appears as if Lee wants to take Theresa as well and Lenny quickly dismisses her and tells Lee he doesn?t need any problems. Then Lee offers either Allie or Roxanne and Lenny says that Allie is fake and Roxanne is not strong enough. Finally, after Lenny bashes everyone left, Lee concludes that the least offensive person to join the team would be Roxanne. Lee tells us that Sean doesn?t have the great support that Lenny has offered him and he feels very confident about his team.

The entire cast meets up in the kitchen again and both Sean and Lee announce their selections. Sean has selected Andrea, Tammy and Tarek. Lee selects Lenny, Pepe and Roxanne. Everyone wishes the two guys good luck. Lee then tells us that he has chosen three people that genuinely care about him winning. I don?t know when in the process Pepe or Roxanne came to feel so deeply that Lee should be the next Apprentice, but what do I know? Sean then tells us that he believes he has assembled the dream team and he is totally confused by Lee?s selections. He tells us that he finds it totally odd that Lee would select Pepe, since he was fired the second week and he is surprised that he even knows his name. Sean has a point.

The next morning arrives and the teams get ready to meet the Trumpster to be given the final tasks. Sean gets a head start and decides to set out breakfast for his team and makes them coffee. He tells us that if everything goes according to plan he?ll get ?the job, the girl and a brand new life.? The teams head off and go to meet the Trumpster.

Trump gives all the candidates a warm welcome and goes through a ?you?re all winners? speech. Then he asks Lee why he chose the people he did and Lee replies that they all feel very passionately about him becoming the next apprentice. Trump asks Lenny how he feels about Lee and in true Lenny fashion he expresses how much he wants him to win and how deeply they are going to bury the other team. Trump asks Sean why he chose his team and Sean explains that he wanted to cover all the bases for a task and he picked the best in each area; sales, marketing, planning and operations. Both guys tell Trump that they are pleased as can be with their respective teams.

Trump then moves onto the tasks. He explains that there will be two separate charity events. The first is the Pontiac sponsored Bare Naked Ladies Concert at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City which will benefit the World Wildlife Fund. The second task is to manage the Pontiac Celebrity Hockey Game for America?s Bravest will all the proceeds to benefit the Dennis Leary Firefighters Foundation. Trump asks the guys which task they would like after he jokes about the double entendre in ?Bare Naked Ladies? and both guys agree that?s the event they would like to take on. Lee gives in and says that he will take the Hockey event and with that the teams are given their instructions and are sent on their way.

After the teams leave the boardroom Carolyn bursts out in laughter. She turns to Trump and asks him, ?Who?s the guy on the far right?? Trump looks a bit perplexed and looks to his notes. Finally, the two come up with the answer, Pepe. Trump then asks if he was the first one out. Carolyn still laughing shrugs and George goes onto repeat Pepe?s name. Trump mutters a little under his breath and asks his sidekicks whether or not he said, ?Pepe your fired.? Carolyn is laughing still and George doesn?t seem to know either. Finally Trump says that he hopes Lee knows what he?s doing by picking ?that guy.?

Back from the commercial we see that Sean?s team has arrived at the Taj Mahal. Tarek tells us the will be hosting a fundraising concert for the World Wildlife Federation that is sponsored by Pontiac and SLS. He explains that in addition to the concert that need to prepare a pre-party VIP party. Sean then explains that there are a lot of ?moving parts? to the whole thing and they needed to plan and they did plan, for hours. Then they met with a executive for the World Wildlife Federation to get an idea about the charity. The executive explains that they would like to raise six figures. After this meeting, Sean arranges a tour for all the people that are involved in the event, including the sponsors and hotel employees. Sean goes onto tell us that he is in charge of every minute detail of this event. (duh).

Next we see that Lee?s team is off to Chelsea Piers to plan the Celebrity Hockey game. In the car ride over, Roxanne gets in some patronizing and remarks to Lee, ?Dude, you?re going to be the next Apprentice.? I don?t think so, but like I have said so many times before, I am no mensa member. Before arriving at Chelsea Piers though, the team stops for a meeting with the executive director of the Dennis Leary Firefighter?s Foundation at Dennis Leary?s production company, Apostle. The team gets some information about the foundation and then the tables are turned. Liz, the executive director of the foundation is quite a piece of work. She asks the team what their ideas for fundraising are. Lee tells Liz that they were thinking of a date auction and Liz quickly boots that idea, as she explains that mostly families will be attending this event. Liz also says that they are aiming much higher in terms of dollars. Lee then tells her that they may want to raffle off a yacht ride with one of the VIP guests. Liz shoots him down again. Roxanne then tells us that Lee?s group went into the meeting totally unprepared and she explains that Liz was totally unimpressed with them. Lee then tells us, in true political fashion, that although the meeting didn?t run smoothly, he wasn?t there to make meetings go well, he was there to pull off a great event. Incidentally I remember the last time he was the PM on an event, maybe you remember Lee?s Circus Bonaza at the Rutger?s Homecoming Game. Finally, at the end of the meeting Liz tells them that she wants them to get back to her with some other ideas.

Next Lee?s group meets with the sponsor for the event, Pontiac and the Chelsea Piers manager takes all of them on a tour of the facilities that they would be using. The group then sits to discuss the fundraising opportunities that Pontiac may be able to offer. Pepe speaks up and asks the Pontiac executives if they have ever done any sort of matching type sponsorship, where they would match, dollar for dollar the money that is raised. Before the executives can comment, Lee jumps in to ask if Pontiac would be willing to donate two cars to auction off during the intermission of the hockey game. The executives agree and it looks like finally Lee is going to bring in some money. The meeting ends and one of the Pontiac executives tells us that Lee has a lot of work to do and she also comments that it was great that they want to auction off two cars, but she was expecting more talk of matching donations. Finally she tells us that they missed a big opportunity, suggesting that Pontiac would have done a matching process for them. Seems Pepe is not entirely worthless, but Lee is getting in the way of progress here.

Back with Sean?s group, it appears that Tarek and Andrea have been asked to meet with the Pontiac executives, in order to procure some fundraising items. Sean decides that he needs to stay with Tammy and pick out the catering menu for the VIP party. Sean and Tammy go to meet with the hotel?s event specialist and the entire time Tammy is looking over the menu, Sean is making goo-goo eyes at her. I think Sean?s head is somewhere other than on his task at the moment. In fact Sean tells us that he is pretty confident that something will blossom between he and Tammy at the Taj Mahal. He further explains that Tammy is a lady, but if he had the opportunity he would ?be in there, like swimwear.?

Over with Tarek and Andrea, another budding romance is developing. Just kidding, actually they are working on the task. At their meeting they get a look at the Pontiac G6 that they will be displaying at the event. Andrea explains to us that Pontiac is the biggest sponsor, so they need to make sure that they do everything they can to keep them happy. Andrea pitches the idea of auctioning off two of their cars for the event and the executive seems a bit hesitant, but in the end says sure. Andrea seems overjoyed, probably because this is the first time she sold anything, p?eatzza, brochure or idea to anyone during her time on the show. Mr. Mensa, the resident genius then shares some information with us. He seems to think that the Pontiac executive probably believes that either he or Andrea are the PM on this task He explains that he doesn?t want to say whether Tammy is the reason that Sean missed this critical meeting, but he does emphasize the importance of the Pontiac meeting, as compared to picking out finger food for a pre-party.

Next we head back to get a look at Lee?s progress one last time. The program for the show has been completed by Roxanne and Pepe. Carolyn shows up to see the progress and Lee instantly grabs her ear and explains that he is in charge of everything. Gee Lee, I bet she had no idea that the Trumpster would ever let you handle all this grown-up stuff! Carolyn then tells us that Lee is taking a very laidback approach to this event and in her opinion he?s not showing great leadership. She also remarks that Lee thinks the event is going to run itself. As if things weren?t back enough, Lee receives a call from his favorite foundation executive and she tells him that she is going to make an impromptu visit because it is 24 hours before the game and she?s still in the dark. Carolyn witnesses the entire conversation and does not seem surprised one bit by the mess that Lee has gotten himself into.

We head back to the Taj Mahal and we see that Andrea is sick. She approaches Tammy and explains that she is coughing up blood. She tells her that she has to go and see a doctor. Tammy doesn?t look concerned, instead she asks Andrea if she can pick up some items from the grocery store on her way back. She even provides a map for her. Andrea then approaches Sean and tells him what?s going on and she begins to cry. Sean comforts her and explains that it?s ok and she needs to take care of herself. Sean tells us that he is certainly concerned for her and Tarek then explains that losing Andrea this early would be a huge obstacle for them. As the show closes we see a weepy Andrea as she leaves the Taj Mahal.

So there you have it folks. Everything that has happen up until the finale. Lee?s team is spelling disaster pretty quickly and it seems as if nothing good is going to come of his event. And for Sean, he is concentrating a bit too much on Tammy and not enough on the task. But his real problem is the possibility that Andrea might not return. I am pretty sure I know how this one will pan out and I remember a while back, the camera crew tipped us off on the winner, so I don?t think I?ll be surprised at all. The question is will you be? Stay tuned for the final recap this season to find out who the next Apprentice will be.


Thanks for reading!
Erika

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