The Apprentice 3 is the third season of The Apprentice. It premiered January 20, 2005 on NBC. This was the last season to land in the Top 20 Nielsen ratings, ranking at #15, with an average of 13.96 million viewers.

Season changes

In this season, two groups of nine were divided into book smarts (who took the name Magna Corp) and street smarts (called Net Worth) referring to those with and without a completed college education. This replaced the Battle of the Sexes concept used on The Apprentice 1 and The Apprentice 2.

Trump continued the twist introduced in the previous season that allowed the winning project manager to be exempt from firing should their team lose the next task. However, he discontinued the Season 2 option that allowed the losing project manager to bring three people into the boardroom as opposed to two, after it was only used twice during the season. Trump did make one exception to this rule and allowed Audrey to bring three people into the Boardroom when she lost a challenge, but she ended up being fired anyway.

Candidates

The Net Worth team contained four men and five women, and the Magna Corp team contained five men and four women. Trump stated that "You just have to be business-smart", no matter what kind of smarts you have. See the candidates page for specific details on the candidates. Trump also pointed out one other major difference between the two groups – those with only a high school diploma earn three times as much as the college grads. Stephanie suggested Magna for the team name. It was short for magna cum laude, which means "with great distinction" and is often used as a title for high achieving graduates. Tara suggested Net Worth. Book SmartsStreet SmartsMagnaNet Worth

CandidateBackgroundOriginal teamAgeHometownResultKendra ToddReal estate brokerMagna 25Boynton Beach, FloridaHired by Trump(5–19–2005)Tana GoertzSales executiveNet Worth 37Des Moines, IowaFired in the season finale(5–19–2005)Craig WilliamsShoeshine business ownerNet Worth 37Conley, GeorgiaFired in week 15(5–5–2005)Alex ThomasonAttorneyMagna 29Brewster, WashingtonFired in week 14(4–28–2005)Bren OlswangerProsecutorMagna 32Memphis, TennesseeFired in week 13(4–21–2005)Chris SheltonReal estate investorNet Worth 21Las Vegas, NevadaFired in week 12(4–14–2005)Angie McKnightGym franchise ownerNet Worth 41Lake Balboa, CaliforniaFired in week 11(4–7–2005)Stephanie MyersSupply chain consultantMagna 29San Diego, CaliforniaFired in week 10(3–31–2005)Erin ElmoreAttorneyMagna26Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaFired in week 9(3–24–2005)John GaffordTechnology firm ownerNet Worth 32Tampa, FloridaFired in week 8(3–10–2005)Audrey EvansReal estate agentNet Worth 22Salt Lake City, UtahFired in week 7(3–3–2005)Tara DowdellSenior governor managerNet Worth 28New York City, New YorkFired in week 6(2–24–2005)Michael TarshiReal estate developerMagna 25Boston, MassachusettsFired in week 5(2–17–2005)Kristen KirchnerReal estate financierNet Worth 31Los Angeles, CaliforniaFired in week 4(2–10–2005)Danny KastnerMarketing technology firm ownerMagna 39Boston, MassachusettsFired in week 3(2–3–2005)Verna FeltonBusiness managerMagna 31Seattle, WashingtonQuit in week 3(2–3–2005)Brian McDowellReal estate brokerNet Worth 29Wildwood, New JerseyFired in week 2(1–27–2005)Todd EverettSales managerMagna 34Carlsbad, CaliforniaFired in week 1(1–20–2005)

Weekly results Candidate Original team Week 8 team Week 10 team Week 12 team Week 14 team Final Task Team Application result Record as project managerKendra ToddMagnaMagnaMagnaMagnaMagnaMagnaHired by Trump3–0 (win in weeks 8, 12, & 14)Tana GoertzNet WorthMagnaMagnaMagnaNet WorthNet WorthFired in the Season Finale2–1 (win in weeks 5 & 11, loss in week 14)Craig WilliamsNet WorthMagnaMagnaMagnaMagnaFired in week 152–0 (win in weeks 9 & 13)Alex ThomasonMagnaMagnaNet WorthNet WorthNet WorthFired in week 141–2 (win in week 6, loss in weeks 11 & 13)Bren OlswangerMagnaMagnaMagnaNet WorthFired in week 131–1 (win in week 10, loss in week 5)Chris SheltonNet WorthNet WorthNet WorthNet WorthNet WorthFired in week 120–2 (loss in weeks 8 & 12)Angie McKnightNet WorthNet WorthNet WorthFired in week 111–1 (win in week 3, loss in week 9)Stephanie MyersMagnaNet WorthNet WorthFired in week 101–1 (win in week 7, loss in week 10)Erin ElmoreMagnaNet WorthMagnaFired in week 90–1 (loss in week 4)John GaffordNet WorthNet WorthFired in week 81–0 (win in week 1)Audrey EvansNet WorthFired in week 70–1 (loss in week 7)Tara DowdellNet WorthFired in week 60–1 (loss in week 6)Michael TarshiMagnaMagnaFired in week 51–0 (win in week 2)Kristen KirchnerNet WorthNet WorthFired in week 40–1 (loss in week 4)Danny KastnerMagnaMagnaFired in week 30–1 (loss in week 3)Verna FeltonMagnaQuit in week 3Brian McDowellNet WorthNet WorthFired in week 20–1 (loss in week 2)Todd EverettMagnaFired in week 10–1 (loss in week 1) Elimination chartNo.Candidate123456789101112131415161 Kendra IN IN IN IN IN IN IN WIN IN IN IN WIN IN WIN ADV HIRED 2 Tana IN IN IN BR WIN IN IN IN IN IN WIN IN IN LOSE ADV FIRED3 Craig IN IN IN IN IN BR BR IN WIN IN IN IN WIN INFIRED4 Alex BR IN IN IN IN WIN IN IN IN BR LOSE BR LOSEFIRED5 Bren IN IN IN BR LOSE IN IN IN IN WIN IN BRFIRED6 Chris IN IN IN IN IN IN IN LOSE BR BR BRFIRED7 Angie IN IN WIN ININ IN BR IN LOSE INFIRED8 Stephanie IN IN BR IN BR IN WIN IN INFIRED9 Erin IN IN IN LOSE IN IN IN BRFIRED10 John WIN IN IN IN IN IN BRFIRED11 Audrey IN ININ BR IN BRFIRED12 Tara IN ININ IN INFIRED13 Michael IN WIN BR BRFIRED14 Kristen IN IN INFIRED15 Danny BR INFIRED16 Verna IN INQUIT 17 Brian INFIRED18 ToddFIRED The candidate was on the losing team. The candidate was hired and won the competition. The candidate won as project manager on his/her team. The candidate lost as project manager on his/her team. The candidate was brought to the final boardroom. The candidate was fired. The candidate lost as project manager and was fired. The candidate quit the competition.

Episodes

Week 1: Whopper 101 Airdate: January 20, 2005 Hosting Company: Burger King Magna project manager: Todd Net Worth project manager: John Project: Both teams have to promote new hamburger product from Burger King and then sell it. Judges: Donald Trump; Carolyn Kepcher; George H. Ross Trump Monologue: Perseverance – The best people are the ones that don't stop until the sale is made, they never give up, they have "no quit". Results: Magna chosen Triple Cheese Angus Steak Burger while Net Worth chosen Western Angus Burger. Winning team: Net Worth Reasons for Victory:The team of "street smarts" specifically picked a burger that they would be able to make an effective marketing campaign out of. They were able to incorporate a Western theme in their restaurant, along with a contest for two round-trip tickets to Las Vegas, that encouraged customers to buy their burger. Net Worth also had three cashiers and eight members trained for the restaurant, and were able to successfully upsell their burger. They sold 182 units of their specialty item for a total of $596.96. Reward: Dinner with Trump at the famed Club 21 restaurant. Losing team: Magna Reasons for loss: Magna had trained six people and only had two cashiers in their restaurant, which led to a bad point of sale and long lines. They also had an awful promotion scheme. They sold 139 units for a total of $553.22. Not only did they sell fewer units of their specialty burger, they ended up losing by $43.74. Sent to boardroom: Todd, Alex, Danny Firing Verdict: Danny was singled out by nearly the entire team for handling their marketing strategies. Kendra was the only one to blame Todd for his inability to control Danny, which impressed Carolyn. Alex pointed out that he was responsible for only training two cashiers at the restaurant, which bothered Trump and his advisors. Fired: Todd Everett – for no leadership ability, being unable to control his team, performing poorly throughout the task including sitting away from the team the day before the selling event, and for making poor delegations. While Alex doomed the team by training only two cashiers and Danny was considered a loose cannon, Trump felt they were capable of being led and that Todd's lack of leadership was the primary reason they failed. Notes: Trump was unimpressed that the college graduates were beaten by the high school graduates. He asked Magna if he wasted his time getting a college degree – Todd quickly assured him this was not the case. This is the first time in Apprentice history where the losing project manager is the first to be fired. Season 3 is the only season premiere where both project managers are the same sex. All other season premieres feature a man against a woman as project manager. Episode Recap on NBC.com

Week 2: Motel 666 Airdate: January 27, 2005 Hosting Company: Yahoo! Magna project manager: Michael Net Worth project manager: Brian Project: Each team has a budget of $20,000 to renovate a motel on the Jersey Shore, then the teams must welcome the paying guests, who will rate the motel and the customer service they receive through Yahoo! Local site. The winner will be determined by highest rating. Judges: Donald Trump; Carolyn Kepcher; George H. Ross Trump Monologue: Respect Comes From Winning – Trump gives the example of Vince Lombardi and explains that the only reason he got away with the things he did was because he won (over the monologue Trump is shown playing golf with Annika Sörenstam). Winning team: Magna Magna's score rating: 3.96 Reasons for victory: Magna's scores for the motel's rooms and facilities were only slightly better than Net Worth's, but Danny decided to throw a pool party, which created a good atmosphere among the guests and a fantastic customer service rating. Their plans for breakfast were nearly scuppered when Verna (who was supposed to be in charge of looking after the guests) abruptly left the motel, claiming that she was too stressed to continue in the process, but Carolyn chased after her and persuaded her to return, while Bren helped to salvage the breakfast situation. Reward: An evening of dinner, drinks, and cigars with businessman Steve Forbes aboard his yacht. Losing team: Net Worth Net Worth's score rating: 2.92 Reasons for loss: Brian's decision to spend almost the entire budget on renovating the bathrooms and building full-length wardrobes did not improve the ratings by as much as he had hoped, and the dirty rooms with bad carpeting decimated their overall rating. Even more damaging was the argument between Brian and Kristen right in front of the motel and their guests; while Angie and Audrey attempted to diffuse it, Kristen refused to calm down and started yapping at the women as well. Sent to Boardroom: No final boardroom – Brian immediately admitted that the defeat was wholly his fault, and said that he should be fired. Firing verdict: Trump questioned other team members of Net Worth in order to determine whether Brian alone was at fault for the loss, and while several of them said that Kristen's attitude had exacerbated the problems, all agreed that Brian's decisions had doomed them from the start. Brian nonetheless argued the points against Kristen, and also Chris's lack of contribution to the task despite his background in home renovation, until Trump reminded Brian that he had said he should be fired, implicitly asking whether he wanted to retract that statement and hold a final boardroom with Chris and Kristen. Brian said that he was a fighter, but refused to withdraw his statement that he should be fired; after a confused Carolyn pointed out the contradiction in his words, Trump declared any further discussion a waste of time, before picking up the thread and telling Brian to "get lost".