Teams were assigned the task of creating a 3-D display to promote Universal Orlando’s new Harry Potter attraction.
The Project Manager (PM) for the men’s team was former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, while the women’s PM was Victoria’s Secret model Selita Ebanks.
The show introduced a new twist this week: the PM’s started the task by being separated from their teammates, as Rod and Selita were flown to Orlando for a first-hand look at Universal’s plans. The separation meant the PMs were the front-line, fact-finders for the project, while the team was left waiting for instructions from their leaders.
I’m not sure if it’s really hard to fathom how incompetent Blagojevich really is, or if he really is a stereotype of a do-nothing, say-nothing politician: beyond technically impaired (can’t even turn on a computer, let alone write an email or send a text), the guy just can’t answer a question directly – he’s always left grasping for words because he knows he needs to speak, but the disconnect between his lips and his brain is so great that he just can’t finish a sentence or make a decision on anything.
Blagojevich “delegated” the on-site leadership of the task to Poison’s Bret Michaels, who was left to his own devices to try and make something out of the nothing Rod was feeding him. All in all, Bret delivered large for the team, as the 3-D display was well laid-out. The men’s weakness was that the team hadn’t been debriefed by their PM on the Universal attraction and, as a result, erred in many of the details they were providing to the clients and kids brought in to test (and, ultimately, vote on) the display.
The women’s team started with a bit of a carry-over from last week, as Cyndi Lauper and Holly Robinson Peete had a somewhat confusing exchange about the duties of a ‘creative director’ and Cyndi’s considerable experience in this area. Ebanks got the team off to a strong start by providing them with a quick overview and some images sent via email so that they could physically begin to put the pieces together in their New York City workspace.
Cyndi’s role in the presentation was strong, as she delivered a wacky performance for the visitors/judges touring the women’s display; Sharon Osbourne also delivered a strong start to the presentation.
In the end, the men’s team lost, and Blagojevich brought chef Curtis Stone and runner Michael Johnson into the boardroom, despite pleas from Trump to include Michaels. Interestingly, Trump seemed dead-set on convincing the Governor to bring the rock star in for the final session, but Blagojevich stuck to his guns and wouldn’t hold Bret responsible for the team’s loss: I think it was the only decision he made during his four weeks on the show.
The Governor was sent packing, and – in typical politician fashion – even started working on winning over the elevator operator with a wink and a smile on the way out the door; good thing he didn’t have to send it by email or text…
Poison - The Best of Poison - 20 Years of Rock - Nothin' But a Good Time Poison – Nothin’ But A Good Time (1988)
