Alliances And Accusations: ‘Apprentice’ Episode 6 Recap
We’re just about halfway through “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition,” and the drama and excitement both continue to unfold as the remaining global candidates battle for a shot at business greatness.
Episode 6 saw another candidate go home, the formation of new alliances, and the leadership skills of new Project Managers.
Here’s what went down on the latest episode of the toughest “Apprentice” in television history.
C’mon Down To… ‘The Apprentice’
The physical challenge was a bit different in Episode 6, as both teams had to flex their brains over their brawn.
In place of the usual corporeal task, Team Valor and Team Conquest competed in a game show that tested how much they knew about the history of ONE Championship and ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
Each correct answer would earn one point for the answering candidate’s team. The first team that scored five points would win the round, and the first team to win three rounds would be declared the victor.
Also, whenever a team lost a round, its captain – guest athletes ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera and former ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben “Funky” Askren – would spin a wheel and perform a consequence, which ranged from pushups to eating a century-old egg.
Ultimately, Team Valor were declared the winners and earned an all-expenses-paid shopping spree at the TUMI store in Mandarin Gallery.
Reimagining The Future Of Travel
The business challenge for Episode 6 asked each team to revolutionize customer experiences in the travel industry.
Unlike in previous episodes, the candidates got to meet the guest advisor before the challenge began.
That advisor was Sudhir Agarwal, CEO of Everise, a leading customer experience solutions and technology company.
Sudhir also made himself available to both teams so that they could pick his brain during the business challenge.
Niraj Puran Rao Leads Team Conquest
This time around, Niraj Puran Rao volunteered to be the Project Manager for Team Conquest because he hadn’t yet led the group.
Jessica Ramella also wanted to act as PM for the first time, but in the end, she let Niraj take the position because she suspected her team was trying to get rid of her.
Team Conquest decided to focus on the car rental industry, but as soon as Niraj started to lead the brainstorming session, Clinton Tudor intervened.
Niraj shot him down instantly, and the New Zealander stormed out of the office, knocking over a chair in the process. The Indian candidate then had some words with Clinton in the hallway, and the two settled their beef.
Louie Sangalang Leads Team Valor
For Team Valor, Louie Sangalang volunteered to act as Project Manager, and everyone agreed to let him lead.
Louie and the rest of his team went straight to work on their project, which they decided would focus on travel insurance. They also met with Sudhir to come up with some problems that travelers usually face.
The CEO gave them solid advice, and it seemed Team Valor was off to a good start.
However, Monica Millington felt Eugene Chung wasn’t communicating the team’s unique selling point in the pitch deck, and the others started to feel like they had to carry Eugene’s weight.
While this was going on, Monica and Irina Chadsey met and formed a secret alliance.
Once both teams put their pitch decks together, it was time to present them to the three advisors.
The Pitch Room
First, Team Conquest pitched their rental car service solution called “Car Rentals From Down Under,” which saw Clinton acting as someone who couldn’t check in to get his rental vehicle.
They overcame the problem through an AI bot – played by Jessica – which Team Conquest claimed could get him checked in within a minute.
Sudhir liked the delivery, but he was confused about the problem Team Conquest was trying to solve, as they never implicitly stated it.
However, Chatri didn’t mince words. After looking at the financial report and reviewing the numbers, he called it “junk.”
Team Valor presented their travel insurance solution, called “Xpedition,” and seemed to get off to a good start as Monica pretended to try and get help for her mock broken arm.
Paulina Purnomowati played a doctor, Eugene played the AI chatbot, and the team knocked the pitch out of the park.
Even Sudhir said he would definitely evaluate Team Valor’s product.
The Boardroom
Once the global candidates delivered their pitches, the teams returned to the boardroom to meet with Chatri and Advisor Niharika Singh.
Chatri asked Team Valor how Louie performed as acting Project Manager, and they all agreed that he was organized. They also said that Eugene contributed little to this business task, but Louie did praise his willingness to learn.
The ONE Chairman and CEO then revealed that Sudhir wanted to use their pitch at Everise, which made the team members glow with excitement.
When Chatri asked Team Conquest how they did with the challenge, Niraj immediately recapped his issue with Clinton. The New Zealander defended himself, while Nazee Sajedi jumped in to say how poorly of a job Niraj did with the financial report.
The ONE Chairman and CEO looked heated, turned back to Team Valor, and declared them the winners.
One More Goes Home
As the acting Project Manager for Team Conquest, Niraj took Nazee and Clinton to the chopping block with him.
Niraj told Chatri that although the business challenge was tough, he wanted the chance to show what he could do. Nazee chimed in to say that Niraj is a good storyteller, but aside from that, he has few leadership skills. The two then clashed, albeit briefly.
Clinton, on the other hand, rated himself a four to five when Chatri asked him where he stood on the scale of self-awareness.
The ONE Chairman and CEO reminded Clinton that he’s been on the chopping block almost every week, and with that, he let the man from New Zealand go.
Chatri then turned to Niraj and told him, “Today’s your lucky day.”
Both he and Nazee are safe – for now.
Tune in to AXN next Thursday, 29 April, to catch all the drama on Episode 7 of “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.”