Challenge 7 - The Kids Challenge
I think the kids at Bourke Street Primary were tougher judges than I am. In this challenge, the teams had two tasks - entertaining the children and working with their new teammates to deliver a result. Team Ignite did a great job - they played to their strengths and got plenty of laughs from the audience. Team Unity had a more concrete storyline and delivered it well, but I thought it was a little complex for the children to understand. I see where they were going with it and it was a good idea, but the message was a tough one to convey.
When we got into the Boardroom, it was obvious that both teams put in a fantastic effort. The win for Team Unity saw Shane raise nearly $50,000 for his charity, The Breast Cancer Network. It was fantastic to see his pride and the genuine admiration from his teammates.
On the other side, I was a little worried putting Jason and Pauline together but I was pleasantly surprised at how well they worked together and the respect they showed for each other in the boardroom.
I think a lot of people might have been surprised by my decision this time around, but irrespective of Jason's flaws, he has put his blood, sweat and tears into every challenge.He works hard to deliver for his charity and he's not afraid to take risks. With regards to Pauline's performance, I have to say that I've been incredibly impressed the whole way through. She's such a strong person who showed time and time again that she's not afraid to roll up her sleeves and do the dirty work. She goes above and beyond and she was a real asset to her team in every challenge. I really respect Pauline and I think she taught all of Australia a lot of lessons along the way. It was a real pleasure to have her on the show.
Congrats to the final four, we'll see you in the boardroom soon.
Challenge 6 - Living Billboard Challenge
What I can't help but notice is that when pressure runs high, emotions run even higher. With so many big personalities in these challenges, I am looking for people who can keep their cool and focus on the end result. It's absolutely vital coming into the final stretch of the competition.
In this challenge, the teams were tasked with creating a living billboard that depicted the concept of a short break cruise. Team Ignite took home the win, despite some distracting confrontation between Pauline, Julia and Jesinta at the beginning. Like I've said before, sometimes you have to put your creative differences behind you and focus at the task at hand. In this challenge, Team Ignite was able to rise above. Team Unity wasn't so lucky.
In the Boardroom, Shane showed me that he was a team player and was good at avoiding unnecessary conflict by focusing on the assignment. What I worried about though was whether his passive nature was beginning to overshadow his ability to be a leader. In my business, I look for people who aren't afraid to rise above and assert their opinions.
Jason is so passionate, but his intensity in this challenge polarised his teammates. He's a very smart guy and I would have like to see him put his talents to more constructive use. I hope he can learn from this challenge and change his approach for the next one.
In the end, it all came down to leadership. Lisa was the Project Manager and as a former spokesperson for the client, she knew their brand and vision better than any other contestant. Lisa is a brilliant woman and a real inspiration to Australians everywhere, but in this instance she let her emotions overpower her business insight. I wish Lisa the best of luck - she's a real star and an ambassador for smart, strong women everywhere.
Challenge 5 - The Fashion Challenge
Business is all about delivering results. The fashion challenge wasn't about calling contacts or gathering a big a crowd, it was about listening to a brief and creating a concept that achieved the client's bottom line.
As we get closer to the final challenge, I'm expecting to see the contestants really ramp it up. Being good in business is about adapting to different situations and I think this challenge took the contestants right out of their comfort zone. Many of the celebrities have worked in fashion, so I think they thought it would be a walk in the park. But the difficulty with a creative challenge is that you have to put the client's vision first, even if their vision clashes with your own. It's not easy to do and I think that this challenge delivered a real ego check for the celebrities. I have to offer my congratulations to the women's team who took home the win on this challenge. It's wasn't an easy task.
With the boys in the Boardroom, there was no doubt that Jason took hold of the challenge and was responsible for the result. As a team, they missed the mark when it came to delivering what the client asked for. As the Project Manager, Jason delegated well and used his talents to his advantage, however, Didier and Max fell short. Didier got caught in his comfort zone and wasn't able to see the bigger picture. Max held back and didn't show me the personality and business acumen I was expecting. The closer we get to the end, the harder the decisions are getting so kudos to both teams and their performances. Now it's getting down to the real deal.
Challenge 4 - The Photo Challenge
This was probably one of the most difficult challenges because the celebrities were tasked with turning a very small and simple offering into big dollars. That can be a tough task, but in business it's a common one. One of the most frustrating parts of selling is looking at something you've seen a million times, identifying its point of differentiation and getting people interested.
Quite a few people excelled in this challenge and I think Julia was a real standout. As a Project Manager she did a good job keep her team motivated and in the boardroom, her teammates were first to give her a pat on the back. I was thrilled to give Julia the $50,000 prize for her charity; she worked hard for it and showed us all that she's a whole lot more than just a smart and funny comedienne.
The boardroom was hard because I had three people in front of me who did well, but didn't really bring their A-game. Pauline failed to use her negotiating skills to up-sell the product and she was easily distracted in the challenge. Jason was a huge asset but focused more on the logistics and less on taking in cash. Dell was a good delegator but he deferred to Jason too much. As a Project Manager you need to be able make decisions and stick to them. I have the utmost respect for Dell and I think he has a brilliant head on his shoulders and a huge heart. He did a fantastic job and I feel privileged to have had him on the show. Thanks Dell, you're a heck of a guy.
Challenge 3 - Art of the Deal
The art challenge was probably one of the most powerful because both teams took home great donations for their charity. Team Ignite brought it $55,250 and Team Unity raised $47,400, totalling $102,650 in donations on the night! Each team did a great job and I was especially impressed with Team Unity this was the challenge that the men really lived up to their team name.
Team Ignite is chock full of big personalities and this challenge all came down to the execution. Project Manager Deni brought in the most dollars for her team and used her contacts in the entertainment industry to deliver an exciting event. What the team forgot to do was listen to their client, understand the brief and deliver a result. Part of the issue with the execution was the process, and I think the women got so caught up in the creative that they forget to nail down a proper strategy. Deni was the Project Manager on this challenge, but she performed like a worker and didn't provide proper direction for the rest of her team. Deni's team gave her mediocre ratings as the leader, and it left me no choice but to fire Deni. With three challenges down and the men's team taking two big wins, I hope the women can find their unity and turn it around.
Challenge 2 - KFC
The most important aspect of Celebrity Apprentice is raising both money and profile for the celebrity's chosen charities. In this challenge that is exactly what Shane Crawford did for the Breast Cancer Network. He not only delivered an inspirational story to the audience, he motivated his team to work toward a common goal. Team Unity created an in-store experience that not only impressed customers; it inspired the head of KFC enough to bring in a further donation for the cause. The effort from Team Unity delivered a well deserved landslide victory and gave everyone involved a reason to commit. Unity used their assets to attract the people in the area and delivered smart messaging to the right market.
In the boardroom,
it was a tough decision from the start. Pauline and Team Ignite failed on two fronts: they didn't create the right environment to attract consumers and the corporate donations they needed to compete didn't come through. Whilst the effort from the team on the day was strong by most, if you don't have the traffic, you'll never get the outcome. Pauline was responsible for the result as the Project Manager, and I could see that Deni wasn't 100% committed due to personal feelings. But when it comes to charity you have to rise above. As for Polly, I think she’s a great woman with real passion and dedication. But where she lost me was when she told us that we weren’t seeing the real her. Her teammates had lost confidence in her and in a team environment, that’s a huge issue. Polly was by far one of the most experienced contestants and she had a massive advantage in that she had a real connection with real people. But where she failed was that she didn’t use that advantage, and she didn’t up-sell when it was critical. Polly was in the game for all the right reasons but at the end of the day, it came down to delivering results.
Challenge 1 - Car Wash
First I want to say congratulations to the ladies team and even bigger congratulations to Reach Australia. Jesinta and the women did a magnificent job operating their car wash. What the girls did exceedingly well was that they treated each and every of their clients as equals and with respect. They put their pride and joy into every car they washed and were prepared to go all out, no matter if it was for $5 or $50,000. The women's team had a better business momentum, as they not only raised money - they raised spirits. The ladies put all of themselves into what they were doing and weren't afraid to get down and dirty to get the job done. The results spoke for themselves.
The boys however, were not so lucky. The spread within the men's team was pretty surprising with Max and Shane bringing in over $30,000 each and Warwick bringing in, well, a donut. Celebrity Apprentice is about charity and I think in this first challenge, Team Unity lost sight of that. The boys make a critical error in being selective in their customers, and that decision lost them $50,000. In my business and in this challenge, one customer can make or break you. Max's decision to be so fastidious in his clientele was the downfall of the team, but Warwick's inability to raise the cash couldn't be excused.
