“The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” returned on Thursday, 13 May, with Episode 9.

After Niraj exited the competition in the previous episode, only seven candidates remained. At this point, it was anybody’s game.

Physical Challenge: Trampoline Dodgeball

AMPED Trampoline Park Singapore served as the venue for a best-of-three series of dodgeball.

Twelve-time Flyweight World Champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson made his highly anticipated appearance as a special guest athlete. Together with Task Captain Dom Lau, the MMA legend joined the teams in the dodgeball game.

Action kicked off with both sides trading their best shots. Led by Dom, Team Valor took out Nazee, Jessica, and Irina, leaving “Mighty Mouse” to fend for himself. Shockingly, Paulina won the round for Team Valor by hitting DJ with a clean shot.

Determined to level the score, Irina and DJ systematically took out members of Team Valor until only Dom remained. DJ then scored the final blow to even the tally at 1-1.

In the final round, Monica took out two members of Team Conquest early. Dom and DJ found themselves eliminated soon thereafter. That left Irina all by herself for Team Conquest. She tried to get the comeback victory for her squad, but her friend, Monica, would eliminate her to break the tie and win the series.

As a reward for their efforts, Team Valor earned a dining experience at Ocean Restaurant Resorts World Sentosa.

Business Challenge: Changing the Game

Both teams had to create an energizing global launch campaign for Alpha Bravo, TUMI’s first-ever luxury gaming bag collection.

Given her strength in brand strategy, Monica stepped up as Project Manager for Team Valor. On Team Conquest, Kexin was named Project Manager after identifying herself as an avid gamer.

Adam Hershman, Vice President of TUMI Asia Pacific & Middle East, joined Chatri and Niharika as a guest judge to help guide the teams.

On Team Conquest, Kexin planned on hosting an amateur esports competition to launch the collection. Irina expressed concern over Kexin’s clouded judgment after recently breaking up with her boyfriend. Jessica feared being outhustled by Nazee when Kexin tried to decrease her workload.

Team Valor opted to shoot a hype video to promote the Alpha Bravo collection. After Monica forgot her laptop at the hotel, the team had to borrow Louie’s, and the latter was forced to work on his mobile phone. An irritated Louie questioned Monica’s leadership and professionalism.

The Pitches

Jessica and Irina carried the load for Team Conquest, pitching the idea of a 16-participant esports tournament supported by a social media campaign across several key platforms.

However, Niharika noted the lack of a solid launch plan, while Adam pointed out the sizable gap between idea and execution. Chatri called the presentation “complete crap” and the worst since the show started.

Team Valor also revealed plans to host a tournament but supported their pitch with a high-quality video presentation, which impressed Niharika. Adam liked the team’s idea to leverage TUMI store locations at Tanjong Pagar and Los Angeles as venues for the tournament. Chatri thought the team did a good job with the launch campaign.

The Boardroom

Chatri was impressed by the level of detail in Team Valor’s overall launch campaign but indicated that their concept missed the mark. Paulina said Monica improved her performance as Project Manager, and Chatri said she exhibited smart leadership. Monica called Louie the “Ice King” for keeping a cool head under pressure.

After a tough challenge, Team Valor ended up with a clear victory.

Chatri reiterated how disappointed he was in Team Conquest’s performance, calling it an “unmitigated disaster” before threatening to fire everyone on the team. Jessica and Nazee continued to bicker, elevating their conflict.

Following a thorough review, Kexin decided to bring Nazee and Irina with her to the chopping block. Nazee’s lingering productivity issues were a concern for Chatri, while Niharika wondered if Irina truly had enough to win the competition.

In the end, Nazee and Kexin were both eliminated from the show.

More information on “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” and How to Watch can be found at: https://www.onefc.com/the-apprentice