In last week’s episode of “The Apprentice,” Verna skipped her second cup of coffee because 10 minutes into the show she quit. Magna’s weakest link just packed up and walked out. Her breakdown one task earlier was the foreshadowing of what was to come.

And, even after “The Apprentice” teams were treated to a day of rest, Verna knew she was done. Stressed out by the thought of more sleepless nights and nutrition-challenged meals, Verna gave herself the Trump-A-Dump. Then it was 8 on 7.And by the end of episode three, team NetWorth, made up of high school graduates, would have an 8 to 6 advantage after trouncing the college graduates of Magna.

In a public relations contest to generate buzz around Nescafe coffee, the entrepreneurs spent less time thinking than the collegians, and more time getting stuff done.

The coffee task seemed perfectly suited for a Magna victory. After all, the college grads had their very own creative guru: guitar-playing leisure-suit-wearing Danny. He came from the world-famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, known as the world’s most creative workplace. But as team leader, Danny suffered from analysis paralysis and the episode turned into his very own Nescafe nightmare.

Apparently, decision-making was not one of the creative skills they taught Danny at MIT. He suffered a brain freeze, and his team’s $75,000 coffee promo was far from espresso.

By contrast, the NetWorth kids, led by the ever-passionate Angie, put on a heavily caffeinated event with their $75,000 budget. NetWorth’s jumped-up java campaign had all the passion, pomp, and circumstance of a well-run political convention, and the high schoolers easily scored a victory.

Episode Three Turning Points

Fresh from their hotel renovation win the previous week, Magna was distracted by their obsession with playing Sigmund Freud to their wounded teammate Verna. Danny held a group-hug session for Verna, which led to her quitting on the spot, bringing the team’s mood to an all-time low.

When Michael, the previous week’s team leader who was exempt from firing, sensed team leader Danny was leading Magna absolutely nowhere, Michael went into a nonstop profanity filled rage.

In the end, while Michael’s sniping was ugly and distracted his team, he was right about Danny’s amazingly lame iPod giveaway coffee tasting event.

NetWorth, by contrast, focused on winning. They staged a mock campaign rally in NYC’s Union Square which pitted the “hot coffee” candidate in a staged debate event versus the “cold coffee” candidate. They also gave away a $10,000 cash prize, which helped to attract a crowd to sample the coffees.

The Nestle executives in charge of judging the winners were clearly impressed by NetWorth’s concept, execution, and buzz value.

The winners were rewarded with a memorable helicopter ride over Manhattan in Donald Trump’s helicopter.

In the board room, Danny tried in vain to have Mr. Trump waive Michael’s firing exemption and send Magna’s king complainer packing. But Mr. Trump held firm to his exemption rule and swiftly sent Danny from the suite to the street for his utter lack of leadership and attempts to break the rules.

Lessons Learned

LESSON ONE Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection is alive and well and living in Trumpland. Verna knew she was not a species worthy of being The Apprentice. She short-circuited the evolutionary process and self-selected herself for extinction. When it’s over, own it, embrace it, and move on.

LESSON TWO Everything has a beginning, middle, and an end – Networth identified their theme, the props, the action, and how to tie it all in to win. Magna – by contrast – spent hours circling, voting, and arguing the value of each other’s contributions. Angie led her team to victory step by step, while Danny’s lack of structure and inability to make decisions created a crowd without a purpose for the product.

His overall lack of leadership and mismanagement of getting his team focused on the task led to his death-by-Donald.

LESSON THREE In Mr. Trump’s world, you may not like the rules, but when they exist you abide by them. Danny entered the board room questioning the “firing exemption” of Michael. Even though Mr. Trump agreed Michael may have been awful, he was still exempt.

When Danny was so insistent that his rule be broken he brought Michael back into the board room as one of the final three – Mr. Trump knew Danny would go from the suite to the street. Rules keep us civilized, and without them business becomes utter chaos.

The split of the street smarts against the book smarts remains intriguing – with 14 Apprentices left for next week’s contest, team Magna is now down two players to NetWorth. With the musician pushed overboard, we will have to find our amusement elsewhere. Stay tuned.

Mr. Whitehead is an author specializing in workstyles and careers. Please email your questions and comments to trumponomics@aol.com.