As usual, Brent had lots to say to us about the whole situation: "I don't think Andrea's an expert in graphics design. The only thing I think Andrea's an expert in is being an asshole, and Andrea, you might be joining Tammy in a taxi cab, and I hope you both have a good time smelling each other's crap because you both stink!" Wow, sounds like somebody didn't get to eat four bagels today.

Well, Brent may have been pissed, but the girls didn't care. They were just thrilled that their design had turned out so well. "Do you guys think we nailed it?" Tammy asked -- a question that always leads to a team's downfall. Nevertheless, Andrea said yes, causing Tammy to coo, "I love you!"

"I love you too!" Andrea responded.

"I love you also!" Brent added, but to be fair, he was addressing a jelly donut.

The illl-fated excitement at Synergy extended across town at the photo studio where Sean, Allie, and Roxanne were shooting their models. "It looks fantastic!" Sean gushed. "It's really captured the old and the new!" Actually, it looked more like two random people holding bowls of cereal, but that's just me. Everything seemed to be just dandy until Andrea sent over a jpeg of her graphic design masterwork. Turns out that the models didn't quite fit into image so well. Also turns out that the image looked like a cereal box, not a billboard. Also turns out that these people were all idiots. This was such a poorly conceived idea, I didn't know how any of them could even be optimistic.

Meanwhile, at Gold Rush, the team gathered with the graphic designer to choose which pictures of their model they wanted. Unfortunately, they only had about five shots to choose from, which really didn't make much sense. Any seasoned viewer of America's Next Top Model knows that any photo shoot requires at least 100 frames. How did this team only wind up with five shots? Anyway, turns out that none of the pics were that great, but Charmaine kept a healthy outlook and powered on. Bryce, on the other hand, felt some cold feet about his idea. What if it didn't work? What if it failed? Would the blame fall on his shoulders? Fearing that his whole concept might backfire, Bryce then proposed an image of just empty boxes instead, causing Charmaine to bristle at his unwillingness to take ownership of his idea. Luckily, she kept on the straight and narrow and worked with what she had. "Pretty simple," she said. Just give them their reward now.

The next morning, Gold Rush was out the door by 6:30 AM. Synergy, on the other hand, was lagging behind, in no small part due to Brent, who was still lumbering around in his underwear by 7:01 AM. This understandably drove his teammates crazy, and while Brent brushed his coif into the messy bird's nest that we know and love, Andrea harassed him for being slow and late and worthless and fat and whatnot. This led to a feisty sparring match between the two, with Brent saying that Andrea did a terrible job as Project Manager and that she took all the credit for her team's hard work. "You unappreciative you-know-what!" he seethed at her. (That had better not have been the big blow up).

Well, Andrea proved that she was indeed far superior to Brent by rebutting, "All right. You pulled it out. That's why I'm a multi-millionaire and you make $50,000 a year?" Ouch. The super bitch has arrived! Of course, the glaring question is if Andrea is a multi-millionaire, why the hell does she need to be Trump's Apprentice? Why even bother with this show? Oh, that's right. It's that undying quest for fame and recognition (and perhaps a decent dye job).

Anyway, despite Brent's state of undress, Synergy made it out the door not too long after, and both teams showed up at Post where they waited for their billboards -- or banners, really -- to be unfurled. Trump arrived not long after, braving the rain like the champ that he is. "It's really raining out there!" he remarked upon entering, adding, "Rain is a THIRTY BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY! That's why I'm introducing TRUMP RAIN, the only rain that comes with the quality you expect from the Trump name. Don't let it land on your head unless you see my face on it!"

Well, the good people of Post unfurled the banners -- all to the sound of soaring fanfare. I half expected a royal procession to march through the corporate headquarters. Perhaps a coach and horses. Oooh! Somebody get Theresa!!!

Synergy (left) and Gold Rush (right)

The Gold Rush banner was simple, clear and active as it showed a girl just about to chug down some sweet, sweet Grapenut Trail Mix Crunch. There wasn't a lot of text, just a simple slogan ("It's that good!") and the image, but that was enough. Plus, the team had a nifty presentation for the execs that included a baby stroller full of cereal boxes. Just as I began to scratch my head, Charmaine explained that the baby carriage was to introduce the newest member of the Post family. Awwww. It's cute AND it makes me want to buy!

Posted by B-side on March 21, 2006 1:54 PM