"The Apprentice" Returns, Along with the Drama and Bickering
NEW YORK (CBS) "The Apprentice" returned to its roots with a recession-focused twist Thursday night.
PICTURES: "The Apprentice" Season 10
On the premiere episode, we met 16 fresh-faced contestants who have lost their jobs or are struggling to keep their businesses alive because of the economic crisis.
As per usual, the teams were immediately created and split by gender. The gentlemen were grouped together under team Octane, and the ladies chose Fortitude for their team.Gene Folks, a 46 year-old unemployed financial advisor, and Nicole Chiu, 27, a onetime attorney and beauty queen, were the two project managers.
Their first task: to create a SoHo ultramodern office space in 24 hours.
Not surprisingly, the bickering and drama was prevalent within each team. While Nicole was eager and volunteered to be the leader of her team, she was too indecisive and failed to demonstrate her leadership. Gene held better control of his team, despite clashing with a few of his teammates.
When the task was complete, Donald Trump was not impressed with either team's design. But he ultimately picked Octane as the winner - giving the men their first victory.
While in the boardroom, two things were made clear. Nicole failed to delegate work and team Fortitude lacked any direction in itsr design.
In a desperate attempt, Nicole tried to blame Tyana Alvarado, who has a background in real estate and interior design, for not utilizing her skills. But in classic Trump style, he didn't buy it and ultimately branded her as the first contestant to get the boot.