The Apprentice

Week five brought with it big changes as Donald Trump reshuffled the teams. Prior to their meeting with Trump, the candidates, who didn't know the teams were going to change, were told that the two project managers should sit directly in front of him. At the meeting, Trump told each of those project managers, Kristi and Nick, to choose new team members so that each team would consist of two men and four women. Kristi chose (in order) Troy, Jessie, Kwame, Heidi, and Omarosa to be on her team, Protégé. Nick chose Amy, Bill, Katrina, Ereka, and Tammy to be on his team, Versacorp.

With the new teams in place, Trump gave them their next assignment. Each team was given $1000 to buy items that they would then have to sell at a flea market. The team with the most profit would win. Versacorp decided to sell women's clothing that they would make. They headed off to buy their supplies -- t-shirts and ribbons.

Protégé couldn't figure out what to sell. They visited a flea market to see what vendors were selling. Half the team wound up in Chinatown where they purchased their merchandise. The next morning when Heidi, Omarosa, Kristi, and Troy went to the flea market to set up, they picked an indoor booth because it was raining.

In spite of the rain, Versacorp picked an outdoor booth. This paid off later when the weather cleared up and they were able to take advantage of the pedestrian traffic, ultimately selling all their inventory. Protégé eventually moved outside but they couldn't recoup the time they lost while indoors. Not only did they not make as much money as they had hoped to, they also couldn't account for $186 that was missing. Omarosa, who was financial manager and Kristi, project manager, blamed each other for the lost money.

Both teams met with Trump, Carolyn, and Bernie Diamond, who was filling in for George. Carolyn announced that Versacorp made a profit of $600, while Protégé had a loss of over $75. Versacorp was rewarded with a trip to Yankee Stadium to meet George Steinbrenner while Protégé, of course, was asked to return to the boardroom the following morning. Back at the suite Kristi broke down in tears and blamed herself for the loss, explaining that as a restaurant owner she expects her managers to take the blame for their own failures.

At Yankee Stadium, Versacorp received business advice from Steinbrenner. In the boardroom, Protégé discussed their loss with Trump who was surprised at Kristi's failure. He said she was "a star" during the first four weeks of the competition. Kristi chose Omarosa and Heidi to return to the boardroom with her. Kristi excepted blame for her team's failure and that is why Trump said he would have to fire her: "She didn't stand up for herself," he told Carolyn and Bernie after Kristi, Omarosa, and Heidi left the room.