The Apprentice 2012: a special challenge
It was a very special episode if the apprentice. The ladies were going to compete in a very special task. They were divided into two teams with three women on each team. Team one consisted of Gabrielle, Jenna and Jade. Team two was made up of Jane, Katie and Laura. The two teams were going to be pitted against one another in one of the usual Apprentice tasks. This time, however, there was going to be real consequences for the losers and it would be much more than just being eliminated from the show. The six businesswomen were summoned to Allan Sugar’s office early in the morning. They thought it was just going to be a normal task like any other day on the Apprentice. The ladies entered the boardroom and took places sat around the table. All of them were dressed in skirt suits except for Jenna who had trousers on. Katie, Jade and Laura wore their hair down. The other team wore their hair back. They all were a bit anxious, as always, worried about what Lord Sugar had in store for them today. He entered the boardroom and greeted them. They responded with a polite hello back. He sat down in his place.
“Ok,” He said,” I have gathered you today for a special challenge. There will be two teams competing against each other today. You all will be relieved to know that today is not a part of the normal challenge. No one will be sent home.” The ladies smiled at each other and celebrated. “However,” the punishment for losing may be viewed as worse than being sent home. Let’s just say, that you do not want to lose this task. The stakes are as high as ever here. The task itself is simple. You will be given a stall out in a public market and will be selling food. You will have all day to sell as much food as you can. The team that sells the most food will be the winners. The team that sells the least amount of food will be the losers and will have to face the consequences. The consequences will come in the form of the leftover food that is not sold at the stalls. More specifically, whatever food is left unsold will be put to good use. There will be no waist. You see, the winning team will be dumping the leftover food all over the losing team.” Both teams looked at each other their eyes widened and their mouths hung open in shock. Lord Sugar had been right, they really did not want to lose this task.
“The teams today will be competing today will be Jade, Jenna and Gabrielle on one team and Katie, Laura and Jane on the other team. You ladies will be going out to the market in one hour. Good luck,” he said. “Thank you Lord Sugar,” they replied. He stood up and left the room, leaving them there to ponder their situation together. The well dressed women looked at their team mates for the day wide eyed and shocked. They were soon escorted from the room and taken away in separate cars. They were not going to be allowed to choose what they were selling on this day. They were both going to be given the same food to sell. They would be in the same market, but on opposite sides of it. It was a large outdoor market that was big enough to have quite a few food stalls in it. Things were done this way so the playing field would be totally equal. Their product and their locations would be pretty much identical, so the results would be down to their selling abilities alone. The stakes were certainly high. These six were very competitive anyway, but none of them wanted to get covered in mess.
During the ride over to the market he discussions were intense. None of them could believe that they were in this situation. All of them wanted to win the show desperately though and they were all pretty much willing to do absolutely anything if it meant being successful on the show. Losing this challenge was something that none of them wanted. Of course, they were all too aware that this whole thing was going to air on television as well, so the whole country would be tuning in. Losing would men total embarrassment in front of the nation for the losing team. They were all very aware as well that a part of the results was out of their control. All they could do was sell as much as they possibly could. If the other team sold even one pound more worth of food they would lose the task. They could, in theory, do amazingly well and make a ton of money and still end up losing the task and getting the mess. They also were going to be motivated to sell lots of food, because whatever was left over was going to be used on the losers. If there was less left , there would be less to pour on them if they lost. Of course, sales technique was going to be very important here. The strategy used by the team would be paramount and would, probably, be the difference between winning and losing. They were going to try to not think about losing as a possibility. They were going to do their best all day to not think about the fact that the food that they were serving might end up being poured over their head later that day.
The two teams arrived at the market at the same time and were shown to their respective stalls. They would be selling a variety of foods. They, basically, would be warming up precooked food. Everything was already set up for them. They arrived before the market opened to set up and get everything ready. All was set to go when the market opened. The day got under way and the two teams of businesswomen began their best to sell as much of the food that they could. There would be the inevitable consequence for one of the teams that they all wanted to avoid at any cost. The sales started off very slow, because it was the morning and no one was wanting to eat lunch type items that early in the day. Both teams struggled with their sales at the beginning of the day. They began to worry quite a bit that they were not going to be able to sell much of anything. The team of Katie, Jane and Laura decided that Katie should go around the market and try to talk people into coming to buy food. Katie went and walked around, but did not find people that receptive to what she was saying. She was trying to approach random strangers and convince them to come and buy food. It worked ok, but did not go brilliantly. In the meantime, Gabrielle and Jade were sent around with some samples to do the same for their team. This worked slightly better, but it did not work as they would have hoped either.
As lunchtime approached, the sales for both teams were meagre. The teams were also finding out that the reaction to the food that they did sell was not that positive either. A lot of the people who did purchase the food did not like what they tasted. It was not the best quality of food and it showed. Around lunchtime the sales for both teams began to improve. More people started to fill the market and the food began to sell more and more. For both teams, it was going ok. Jenna was proving her selling skills once again. Her sales technique was excellent and Gabrielle and Jade were beginning to really draw people into the stall. Katie was doing her best to use her charm to get people over to the stall. The results were mixed. At least, they were starting to make some sales now.
After lunch things slowed down a lot for both teams. Jane suggested that they lower the price for the food to try to sell more. There was a huge risk though, the challenge was to make the most money. If the price was dropped, they would need to sell a lot more in order to make the same amount of money. Of course, if the price was lowered it might encourage more people to purchase food. They decided to drop the price, but would this pay off for them? They decided that selling as much as possible would be the best strategy. Dropping the price did not really work out as well as it had been hoped that it would. Sales still continued to be sluggish. Sales for the other team in the afternoon were also not that great. Jenna, however, was able to somehow draw in a number of customers using her selling techniques. As the market closed and the sellers started to pack everything away, both teams were hoping that they had done enough to win the task. No one wanted to face the consequences if they had lost. All they could do now is head back to the boardroom and wait to hear the results.
The two teams found themselves in the waiting room, waiting to be called into the boardroom for the results. The room was filled with tension, even more than usual. Eventually, they were told that Lord Sugar would see them now. They stood up and nervously entered the board room. They each took their seats. Lord Sugar was waiting to see them. He greeted them and they all greeted him back in unison. They all looked at him. Their eyes were wide. It was clear that they were all very nervous about this. “So,” Allen Sugar said,” Let’s talk a bit about how the task went. I hear that the sales were quite sluggish to start off with,” he said. “Yean, in the morning, it was very difficult to sell very much we found,” Laura said. “Other team how did you find it?,” he asked. “About the same really,” Jenna said, “ We came up with idea to go out and to try to sort out some business by offering free samples.” “How did that go, then?,” Lord Sugar ask. “Pretty well,” Gabrielle said,” Jade and I handled that part and we seemed to attract a scent number of customers back to the stall. They stayed and bought more food, most of them,” she said. “Excellent. Did the other team try anything like that?,” he asked. “Yes, we id,” Katie replied,” I went out and tried to get some advertise the stall.” “How did that go?,” he asked. “It went ok,” Katie said,” We still didn’t have the best of luck, but I managed to pull a few in.” “I then see that things picked up at lunch, but calmed down after that. How did you handle that?,” he asked. “Well,” Jane said in her sexy Irish accent,” Towards the end of the day, when sales slowed down, I came up with the thought of lowering the prices, so that we could sell more.” “Jane, that was very risky, it is a good strategy in order to shift the units, but you need to be careful not to jeopardize your profit. Especially, seeing as the goal of this task was to earn as much as possible.” “I recognize that Lord Sugar, but at that point, we were not selling anything at all, so we had to do something, otherwise we would have been in serious trouble,” Jane replied. “I know what you are saying, Jane, but we will see if that gamble paid off. What about the other team, how did you find the afternoon?” “Well, it did slow down after lunch, but it wasn’t that bad. Somehow we managed to keep a steady flow of customers, although it was much slower after lunch,” Jenna replied. “From what I heard, Jenna, your sales techniques were put to good use today.” ”Thank you, Lord Sugar,” she replied.
“Well, I am sure you are all dying to hear the results. A lot is riding on this one today ladies.” The camera panned around the room showing close ups of the nervous women. Jane took a deep breath as did Laura. Katie closed her eyes. Jenna inhaled. Jade bit her lip. Gabrielle scrunched up her face. The tension in the room was at an all time high. You could cut it with a knife. These businesswomen were now sweating it out, literally. It was the moment of truth. It was all out of their hands at this point. “Ok, here we go,” Lord Sugar said,” The team of Jenna, Jade and Gabrielle made a total of £835 today.” The ladies on that team said,” Yes,” and smiled, although they had no clue what the other team made. “the team of Katie, Jade and Laura made…,” the pause was long and agonizing. Everyone held their breath. It was finally the moment of truth. “£496.” Gabrielle, Jenna and Jade celebrated. They had never been so relieved in all of their lives. They won and would avoid the leftovers. It was a different story for Jane, Katie and Laura, however. Jane’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened. She took a deep breath and turned to the others. Katie bit her lip. Her eyes were wide, her forehead was crinkled. She was sweating heavily now. She was blushing bright red. Laura took a deep breath and puffed out her cheeks. The three losers looked at each other. They could imagine how embarrassing this was going to be. The winning team could not help but look at the losing team and laugh with satisfaction.
“So, Katie, Jane and Laura,” Lord Sugar said,” You were beaten badly in this challenge. It was completely fair. Your team made some fatal errors. Only sending one person out to draw in business was one. Katie also did not do the best job of selling people and Jane’s idea of lowering the price at the end backfired. You are our losers. Instead of being fired you will follow to the designated local and receive your punishment at the hands of the winners.” The winners smiled at each other and celebrated. “Katie, Jane and Laura…your slopped,” he said. He stood up and walked out. Jane, Katie and Laura were left shaking their heads in embarrassment. “Sorry ladies,” Gabrielle said, wiggling her eyebrows. The three ladies were then asked to stand up and were lead out to the location where the messing was going to happen. The winners followed in an altogether better mood.
Katie, Jane and Laura were led, in silence down the stairs to the foyer of the building. Their heads were hung low, contemplating what was about to happen to them. They exited the building and were greeted by everything that was all set up for them. The two food stalls were set up in the lobby on either side. Three chairs were set up in the middle of the foyer. The food stalls had buckets of the leftovers set up for them. The three women were dressed as they usually did on these days. Jane wore her red dress with black tights. Katie wore her grey suit with pink shirt underneath and Laura were her darker grey suit. They walked into the foyer and were instructed that they were to sit on the seats in the middle. The three ladies walked to their seats and sat down. Jane sat in the middle, crossing her arms with a look of dread on her face. Katie blushed as she took her seat. Laura bit her lip as she positioned herself on her chair. Jade, Jenna and Gabrielle now entered with huge smiles beaming across their faces. The other three looked up with looks of trepidation across their faces. Lord Sugar then entered.
“Ok, Katie, Jane and Laura lost the task. They now have to pay the consequences. I now want each of the winners to pick one of the losers and to stand behind them,” Lord Sugar instructed. Gabrielle, Jenna and Jade tried their best to keep their composure and not start laughing. The three talked it over a bit and then walked over taking their places. Jenna walked over and stood behind Jane. Jade walked over and stood behind Katie. Gabrielle then walked over and stood behind Laura. It was obvious that the person that they had chosen would be the person that they would be pouring the leftovers over. The fact that it had been personalized in the way that it had made it even more embarrassing for the three sat in the chairs. The three looked visibly uncomfortable by this point. “Katie, Jane, Laura, you did not win the task… you’re slopped,” Lord Sugar said pointing at them. Jane took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. Katie furrowed her brow and scratched her forehead. Laura looked down at her feet and then flicked her hair back. The ladies then watched as all of the leftovers from both stalled were taken and poured into three enormous buckets. They had served a variety of foods. They sat and witnessed as bowls and containers for the refrigerators and cabinets were poured out into the buckets. Baked beans, spaghetti, peas, salad, bit of meat, soup, custard, potatoes and more scraped into each of the buckets. The three winners delighted at what they were witnessing. Jane, Katie and Laura cringed as they were forced to watch their slop buckets being made up right in front of them. They cringed and gave disgusted looks as they watched the leftovers being loaded into the three buckets.
Gabrielle, Jade and Jenna were then allowed to walk over and take a bucket each. They smiled as they walked over and each selected one of the disgusting buckets each filled with sloppy leftovers. They did their best to contain their laughter. They carried their buckets over and took their places again behind the woman of their choosing. Each one beamed with a smile from ear to ear. “Ok ladies, you lost the task and now it is time for you to pay the consequences. Ladies, when you are ready,” Lord Sugar said. It was finally time.
Gabrielle, Jenna and Jade looked at each other and grinned, giving a chuckle. Together they raised their buckets over Katie, Jane and Laura. Katie turned her head and looked at the others and gave a nervous laugh. Jane took a deep breath and whispered,” Oh my god,” to herself. Laura looked back at Katie. “I can’t believe this,“ she said sheepishly. Laura closed her eyes and raised her shoulders. Katie furrowed her brow. Jane closed her eyes tightly. The three buckets were raised over Jane, Katie and Laura’s heads. In unison they were tipped. The sloppy leftovers began to pour from the three buckets. Gabrielle, Jade and Jenna began to dump the conglomeration of unsold food over their competitors.
The slop poured from the buckets landing on the heads of Jane, Katie and Laura. The unsold food poured down onto Katie’s head. It was so thick and there was much of it that it instantly covered her entire head. Bits of spaghetti, meat, vegetables and sauce all mixed together engulfed Katie’s head. She made an unpleasant low pitched moan as the food poured on her. Piles of the food dumped down her front, trashing her light grey suit. It poured and poured all over her body. More food was dumped over Jane. Her hands were placed on her knees as the slop began to pour down her black hair and down over her face. She cringed as the cold clammy leftovers fell onto her face, down her cheeks and chin. Her face smeared in sauce. She could feel it falling over her lips and over her body. Jenna playfully moved the bucket backwards and forwards over Jane. She relished dumping the mess all over the Irish businesswoman. She moved the bucket back and forth making sure to get as much of the mess over as much of Jane’s body as she possibly could. Globs of the leftovers flowed down Jane’s red dress, onto her breasts and backside as well. Laura let out a screech when she felt the food being poured over the back of her head. It first covered her hair. The bucket was then moved slightly forward, causing the mess to slowly cover Laura’s face. Bits of the disgusting food slopped down over Laura’s beautiful face. She gave a pained expression as her opponent poured more of the food onto her. She wrapped her arms around her body as the disgusting, stinking leftovers rained down over her.
Gabrielle, Jade and Jenna laughed as they individually trashed their three opponents. The buckets held so much mess that they seemed to be able to pour for ages. The buckets seemed almost bottomless. There was nothing Laura, Jane and Katie could do but squirm in their seats as the winners poured the leftovers from the task all over them. When it was all over the three of them looked as if they had fallen into a compost heap or a skip. All three were covered in all manner of food waste. A variety of different foods stuck to them. Strands of spaghetti dangled from Katie’s head. Laura’s face was smeared with tomato sauce. Peas, carrots and what looked like meat balls stuck all over Jane’s face. Their bodies were covered from head to toe in all sorts of food. Their clothes covered in rotten mess that soaked right through. The smell coming from them was revolting. It literally smelled as though someone had been sick. The three of them looked at each other dejectedly. Katie gave a half smile. Jane and Laura looked defeated and annoyed. Gabrielle, Jenna and Jade high fived one another and celebrated. They were able to laugh openly now. They pointed at the leftover covered losers and laughed. Lord Sugar stood with his arms crossed, observing the whole thing. He shook his head. “I hope that this will be a lesson girls. Do not lose a task on my show, or you will pay the price.” He then walked off. Food still dripping everywhere off of Katie, Jane and Laura.
Gabrielle, Jenna and Jade had loved every moment of what they had just done to the three losers. They were allowed to leave. They walked out and waived to the losers, still sat in their chairs. “See you later, ladies,” they said as they exited. The three losers were left sitting where they were. They did their best to scrape off as much of the excess mess as the possibly could. Jane shook her head. There were really no words to express what had happened. They could not believe what had just happened. The word embarrassing did not do justice to the situation they were in. They were allowed to stand up. When they stood up, some of the leftovers fell from their bodies. They were made to take the walk of shame back to the car. They were not allowed to get cleaned up where they were. There were no facilities for that there. They were made to walk to the car. Inside, the car was covered in plastic. It was explained that they would have to ride home in the state that they were in. They got in the car and started out their journey back home. The three women were huddled into the car together. Their clothes and bodies were filthy. No one really spoke on the drive back. There was really nothing anyone could say. It is hard to speak to anyone seriously who has strands of spaghetti hanging from their fringe. They were all stunned from what had happened. They could not believe that it had really happened to them. It was very awkward to say the least.
When they arrived everyone was waiting for them. The rest of the candidates applauded as the three messy women exited the car. “Shut up, don’t say a word,” Jane said angrily, pointing her finger. The three ladies made the walk of shame a quickly as they could. They made their way to the bathrooms to get cleaned up. Everyone was interviewed afterwards. “We got to pour all of the leftovers over their heads, it was great,” Gabrielle said with a huge smile and a laugh. “Pouring the leftovers all over Jane was quite enjoyable, I have to say,” Jenna said. “We won they lost. As far as I am concerned the three losers got exactly what they deserved. I enjoyed it thoroughly,” Jade said. “We certainly paid the consequences. I never thought I would be in that situation. The leftovers were disgusting. I just sat there while it was poured all over me. She really let me have it. How embarrassing,” Katie said. “I was mortified. I am sure Jenna loved every minute of that. It absolutely stunk as well. It was totally gross,” Jane said. “Well, the other team beat us and they got to pour the leftovers over the three of us. They emptied all the food into three buckets. Gabrielle got to pour one of them all over me. I had food all over my body. They were having a great time. I am sure,” Laura said. Unfortunately, it was a day that the three ladies would never be able to live down. It was hard for anyone to take them that seriously after they had been seen covered in leftover food.
