On Friday, November 19, we spoke to Stephanie Castagnier, who was the twelfth contestant fired by Donald Trump on the reality television series, The Apprentice.  Stephanie was fired on last night's episode after she and her teammate, Liza, lost to Steuart, Clint, and Brandy on the task of creating a 30-second commercial for AT&T Mobile TV and FLOTV.  Despite Stephanie delivering a good presentation, the executives judging the commercials did not like her concept which featured people watching television on their mobile devices while at work and did not put the product brand name front and center.

Here are the facts about Stephanie Castagnier from her NBC Apprentice bio: Stephanie Castagnier, 34 (Chicago, IL), born and raised in Montreal, has been a fighter since a very young age. Having both her parents pass away from AIDS when she was only a teenager, Castagnier started her career by putting herself through college at McGill University while working full time. Since then, she has worked as a commercial banker, at which she found success at a young age and was ranked among the top commercial lenders in the country several years running. After being directly impacted by the effects of the recession in the financial sector, she is looking to take control of her life and be proactive in her career. Additionally, Castagnier founded Child Cause/Fear to Fire, a non-profit organization that provides a peer network to teens affected by AIDS and substance abuse by inspiring through the arts and has authored a book titled "Fear to Fire." Castagnier is very athletic, a national speaker and continues to write.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO STEPHANIE CASTAGNIER OF THE APPRENTICE 10:

USTH: It was very interesting at the end of the show, during the Rockport "Next Steps" segment, where it was revealed that you now work in one of Mr. Trump's companies. How did it all come about that you were fired by Donald Trump and then hired by his company? What exactly do you do there, and are you still working for them?

STEPHANIE CASTAGNIER: I'm actually working with the Trump Network, and I was approached by them during the show, at the beginning of the show, and what I work on with them is [with the] Executive Director of the Trump Network, which is the multilevel marketing organization that Trump started. It's Trump products, and they range from beauty and health to wellness. I'm working with them in that organization with regards to sales and marketing.

USTH: To clarify, you were approached by them when the show started filming at the beginning?

STEPHANIE CASTAGNIER: No, at the beginning when the show started airing.

USTH: Oh, okay.

STEPHANIE CASTAGNIER: So maybe about September.

USTH: In the boardroom segment, were you surprised by Steuart's comment that you should be the one fired and that Donald should not let you escape from the boardroom? Very dramatic.

STEPHANIE CASTAGNIER: No, I was not surprised by Steuart's comments because, of course, you always want to get rid of the competition, and Steuart knew that I was a true competitor. And actually, Steuart sent me an email this morning, wanting to add his comments. So no, I wasn't surprised. That's the name of the game – always get rid of your strongest competition first and so now, Steuart is probably glad that I'm gone because he's vying for that position.

USTH: Were you surprised that Brandy and Liza are the last two women standing?

STEPHANIE CASTAGNIER: I'm not surprised that Brandy's the last – one of the last two remaining standing. I think Brandy's a very strong competitor, and she was from the beginning of the competition. I respect her because she always had a lot to contribute. I think she was very intelligent; she's very hands-on, she's not afraid to make decisions when she has to. But I am surprised that Liza's one of the final two remaining women because she's the complete opposite and did not contribute as much as everyone else did.

USTH: Have you become friends with any of the other contestants since filming wrapped on the show?

STEPHANIE CASTAGNIER: Yes, I actually have become great friends with Brandy. I'm also good friends with Steuart and Clint and Anand and Gene and Mahsa, Tyana. So, there's a little group of us [who] are still good friends.

USTH: What do you take away from this experience overall, and would you do it all over again?

STEPHANIE CASTAGNIER: It was a great experience, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. It was a good learning experience. I'm very rejuvenated and I'm very motivated. I'm excited to get to work and build my own brand now.

USTH: And what brand would that be?

STEPHANIE CASTAGNIER: The Stephanie Castagnier brand. I'm obviously now a very popular banker here in Chicago, and I'm going to continue working in the banking arena, and I'm a mortgage lender, and so I'm going to continue doing that. I'm also going to continue to empower women in going on – I'm speaking across the country on women and financial freedom as a female and not relying on a man to build your own financial freedom.

USTH: You also have a foundation about teens coping with AIDS and substance abuse. Is that something you can talk to us a little bit about?

STEPHANIE CASTAGNIER: Yes, definitely. A big part of my life is the Child Cause/Fear to Fire nonprofit, which is a nonprofit I founded in 2007 and what we do is we inspire teens through the arts. So in 2011, I'm producing 120 music concerts across the U.S., and it's all about positive inspiration and raising teen drug [abuse prevention] awareness. So, I'm a very big teen drug [abuse prevention] advocate, and I definitely travel across the U.S. We have done this for many years, talking about my life and my experiences [both of Ms. Castagnier's parents passed away from AIDS when she was a teenager], and the importance of keeping teens inspired.

USTH: It sounds like you're very busy. Thank you very much for talking to us and much success in the future. I have a feeling you don't need our good luck, but good luck to you.

STEPHANIE CASTAGNIER: Thank you.

The Apprentice airs each Thursday night at 10:00pm Eastern & Pacific / 9:00pm Central on NBC.

Use the image gallery below to read the other interviews in this series 

01/16 

 

On Thursday, November 18, we spoke to Anand Vasudev, the tenth contestant fired by Donald Trump on the reality television series, The Apprentice.  It happened at the beginning of the November 11 episode under quite unique circumstances.   Anand was not fired because he lost a task or caused his team to lose a task.  Rather, he became the first contestant to be fired for violating the rules of the show – specifically, the rule against having contact with the outside world during the course of the contest.  The producers discovered that Anand had sent text messages to some of his friends during the pedicab task asking them to come down to the site, pretend they didn't know him, and get cab rides from his team.  When confronted about this, Anand denied having sent the text messages even when Mr. Trump said he had copies of them in his hands.  After Mr. Trump read the texts, Anand admitted to sending them and that he lied to Mr. Trump about it.  Anand was then fired from the show before the next task – designing a display for Kim Kardashian's new fragrance – was even given to the teams.

Here are the facts about Anand Vasudev from his NBC Apprentice bio: Anand Vasudev, 31 (Tampa, Fla.), worked for a very lucrative private firm managing several large multi-million dollar real estate investments. The successful Emory University graduate, whose past career accomplishments also include being the youngest person to be promoted to a senior role at a Fortune 500 company, thought he was "indispensable" to his firm because of the high level of expertise he had developed over the years. His eventual layoff came to him as a huge shock, yet was very motivating. In the face of adversity, Anand followed his dream and moved to New York City, where today he is a struggling entrepreneur trying to launch an innovative new vitamin-infused wine company, while still also looking to get involved in media and entertainment business. He is finding it rather difficult amidst today's economic environment and hasn't taken a salary in over a year. An avid sports fan, Vasudev currently resides in New York City.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO ANAND VASUDEV OF THE APPRENTICE 10:

USTH: Thank you for doing this interview. I imagine it can't be easy, but I have to ask what I guess is the most obvious question right off the bat, which is when you were in the boardroom and Mr. Trump specifically said to you that he knew you had sent text messages in violation of the rules of the show, and he basically had them to read, you kept denying it and then really encouraged him to read them to everyone in the room. I'm just wondering why you did that? It sounded like you were trying to bluff him when you knew you had sent the text messages. So, I'm just trying to understand why you pushed it that far.

ANAND VASUDEV: That's a great question, Scott.  Basically, what people don't realize when we filmed that boardrom [sequence], it was very, very early in the morning. It was about 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning, and all of us – if you watch the episode, you can kind of see it on everyone's face. Everybody's exhausted. Everybody's worn out. When Mr. Trump turned to me and asked me if I had sent any text messages, I honestly – my mind had just not registered – at that point in time that early in the morning – I hadn't had my coffee yet. You know, when he asked me – obviously, the task [when the text messages were sent] was several episodes prior, and I had moved on. And, I obviously had been working on so many other tasks. I had so many other things going on in my mind that it didn't even occur to me. When I asked him – when he said, "Would you like me to read it," and then he read it, that's when the light bulb went off, and that's when I realized, "Oh, yes. You know what, I did send that text message." So you know, it wasn't so much that I was trying to bluff him; it was just one of those things that I just didn't realize until – it just hadn't registered for me. And then, once he read it, that's when I realized the mistake that I had made.

USTH: Do you know how the producers got ahold of those text messages? Did the person you sent them to betray you to the producers of the show?

ANAND VASUDEV: No. I don't think it was anything like that. Mr. Trump has eyes and ears everywhere, obviously. The production staff – they have all their bases covered. They somehow got ahold of it, and the rest is history.

USTH: When you initially did make the text messages, I guess it was during the pedicab task, did you confide to any of the other cast member? He asked a couple of them if they knew about it and they said no, but we didn't see him ask everybody. So, I'm just wondering, either the people that were in the boardroom or the people had gotten fired before you, did you tell anybody that you had made those text messages?

ANAND VASUDEV: No. I had not mentioned it to anybody because I really didn't think much of it. Rather than publicize the fact that I had sent a text message to one or two friends, I really didn't think that it was that big of a deal. I mean obviously in today's business world, if you're running a business, you're going to contact your friends, your family, all your colleagues, and you're going to try and drum up business.

In the real world, that's essentially what I was trying to do. Unfortunately, the fine print in all the rules state that you're not supposed to send any text messages. And when I did it, I really didn't think that it was going to be such a major deal that, I didn't really bother to tell anybody.

USTH: So when you were summoned to the boardroom, what did you think was going to happen – when it was that early in the morning, and you hadn't had your coffee, and you hadn't dressed properly – what did you guys think? You in particular, and the other contestants as you were talking to each other, what did you think was going to happen in the boardroom?

ANAND VASUDEV: Well, every time Mr. Trump calls us to speak to us early in the morning, it's usually to deliver a task, so we all thought that we were heading to Trump Tower and he was going to deliver our next task for the day. It wasn't until you know 15 to 20 minutes into the boardroom that we realized that it was something totally different.

USTH: When Poppy interviewed with us last week, she said that when you guys were waiting in the outer chamber, she heard Mr. Trump bellowing from the inside and she knew that something was up even before she walked in. Did you hear him yelling inside?

ANAND VASUDEV: I did not hear anything. I know that the two teams – we each have war rooms in Trump Tower, and the men's team and the women's team I believe, if I recall correctly, were separated at the time. I didn't hear anything, so I had no idea what was going on. Again, it was very early in the morning. I don't think I was clicking on all cylinders that early. I didn't hear anything. I had no idea what was going on when I – it wasn't until I was brought into the boardroom that it finally hit me.

USTH: Since you've done the show and filming has wrapped, have you reestablished relationships with any of the other cast members? Have you become friends with any of them outside the show?

ANAND VASUDEV: Yes. One of the beautiful things about this show is even though we're all competing against one another for the ultimate prize, it's such a unique experience that win or lose, you've developed a bond with the other 15 cast mates. I'm very proud to say that I'm very close with most of them. We all maintain contact almost daily whether it's through email or phone calls or even text messages, we all keep in touch, and we've all become good friends after it.

USTH: Now you know, I guess, that Poppy and David have established a relationship outside the show after filming. Obviously, her feelings about David have changed. Have your feelings about David changed, or do you still feel he's sort of a disruptive influence?

ANAND VASUDEV: I don't really have anything negative to say about anyone on the show. Obviously, with my experience with David working on the show – it was very difficult to work with David. I think David is a great guy. I think he's misunderstood a lot of times. I think the way he carries himself in his work environment is definitely different than the way I carry myself, so it would probably – it would be difficult if he and I were to ever try to work together. I just don't foresee it happening. But, if he ever wants to give me a call and hang out sometime, I'm always open to it. I wish him and Poppy the best.

USTH: Looking forward into the future, what are your career goals, and what are you working on right now that you could share with us?

ANAND VASUDEV: Well, obviously, after The Apprentice, my next – unfortunately, I didn't win The Apprentice, so my next career step is definitely going to be my biggest step in my career thus far. So for me, I'm really interviewing with a lot of companies right now. I was an ex-private equity finance guy, and since The Apprentice, I've developed a newfound interest in media and entertainment. I would love a job like yours Scott. Right now, I'm just interviewing around and definitely want to take my time and make the right decisions. In the meantime, I'm also working on – as an entrepreneur – I also have small business ideas that I've been working on as well. Hopefully, all goes well.

USTH: But you're staying in the New York area then?

ANAND VASUDEV: I am in the New York area. That's correct.

The Apprentice airs each Thursday night at 10:00pm Eastern & Pacific / 9:00pm Central on NBC.

Use the image gallery below to read the other interviews in this series

01/16 

 

On Saturday, December 18, NBC will broadcast the annual event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE Tribute to the Troops, which honors the men and women of the American military serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.  In addition to celebrity entertainment from such performers as Diddy Dirty Money, Cedric the Entertainer, and Ariel Winter among others, select wrestlers from WWE will engage each other in a special match in an outdoor arena. 

One of the star attractions will surely be Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, who became the current WWE Champion on the November 22 episode of WWE Raw.  Mizanin first gained public attention as a cast member of MTV's The Real World 10: Back to New York in 2001 followed by several appearances on The Real World/Road Rules Challenge.

This year's Tribute special will not be held in Iraq or Afghanistan as in years past.  For the first time, the WWE will travel to the Fort Hood military post, located outside of Killeen, Texas.  It is one of the largest United States military installations in the world and made headlines last year, when, on November 5, 2009, a gunman opened fire in the Soldier Readiness Center of Fort Hood, killing thirteen people, and wounding thirty-two others.  US Army Major and psychiatrist, Nidal Malik Hasan, is alleged to be the gunman and has been charged with thirteen counts of premeditated murder and thirty-two counts of attempted premeditated murder.

The WWE has announced that there will be two versions of this special.  Besides the one-hour version on NBC this Saturday, there will be a two-hour version on December 22 on NBC Universal's USA cable network, the broadcaster of WWE Raw.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO WWE CHAMPION MIKE "THE MIZ" MIZANIN OF WWE'S TRIBUTE TO THE TROOPS:

USTH: What does it mean for you to be able to entertain our troops and their families at Fort Hood? Do you consider yourself to be very patriotic?

MIKE MIZANIN: Yes, I do feel very patriotic. And, I feel that it’s incredible just to go out there and do that for our troops. I’ve been to Iraq twice in the past two years, and just going over there and seeing what these soldiers go through – I mean, these guys have a day-to-day life where it's literally like they wake up; they're in the desert; there is nothing to do. They wake up. They eat breakfast. They go to work. They eat lunch. They might have time to Skype with their families and friends for maybe three minutes if the Internet is working. Then they work out. Then they go to bed. And that's literally their daily routine when I went out to Iraq.

So this year, instead of going to Iraq, we decided to try to get to the most military we can possibly get to. And this year that's why we did it at Fort Hood which is our largest base in the free world. And we did our show with over 50,000 military personnel. Whether it was soldiers, families of soldiers, or friends. Some of these guys just got back from Iraq or all over the world. And they just needed something to escape reality and be entertained with. And it's the least we can do from WWE because these guys are putting their lives on the line each and every day for us.

I remember going to Iraq and talking to a kid that was 19 years old. And he was driving an MRAP [Mine Resistant Ambush Protected] which is basically an armored vehicle. And there was a pole sticking out of the front and I was like, "Well what's that pole for?" And he was like, "Oh, that's to heat up land mines so they don't blow us up." And I'm like, "Oh right, like you've been blown up before." He goes, "Actually, I was blown up yesterday." And I go, "What, you were blown up yesterday?"  The technology that these soldiers have is so amazing. And thank God for it because that armored vehicle saved this kid's life. And the amazing part was he was talking to me about being blown up like it was a day-to-day thing, like it just happens all the time. Like it was nothing, which was amazing to me. You always see stuff on the news, and you see all the war and that kind of stuff on the news. But when you go out there and you really are hands on with everything, it's incredible. So, I'm really happy that we got to do our show in Fort Hood to get to as many personnel as we could, which was 50,000. As well as [getting] celebrities involved. We have Diddy-Dirty Money performing, Trace Adkins performing, Cedric The Entertainer, Ariel Winter from Modern Family, a 12 year old girl sing the National Anthem, Miss USA [Rima Fakih], Sherri Shephard, the Raw and Smackdown Superstars and Divas. We brought the show that you see every Monday and Friday night to Fort Hood and just entertain and try to put smiles on their faces just so they can escape reality just for that moment.

USTH: That sounds great. How does it feel to be living your dream as a professional wrestler? And did your stints on The Real World and Road Rules help you or hurt you in getting your foot in the door in professional wrestling?

MIKE MIZANIN: Very good question. It's funny, this has been a lifelong dream for me. As a kid growing up,  The Ultimate Warrior and The Rockers were my idols. I mean, these guys were larger than life – they were my heroes. And growing up in Parma, Ohio, you kind of just go through the paces where you go to high school. You go to college. After college, you go back to Parma. You get a family, and you get a job, and that's your life. But once I tried out for The Real World and made it on to the show, it made me realize I could do everything I wanted with my life. So, I started wrestling on the independent and WWE didn't call until three years later. And finally, I made it on Tough Enough where I didn't win. I came second place, but, I got lucky that I impressed the WWE execs so much that they gave me a developmental contract. And I basically took a pay cut coming into the WWE. However, when I got to the WWE, the WWE Superstars were not very receptive to me. They thought I was a Reality star that just got a contract because I was a Reality star, and that was the only reason why. I never paid my dues; I didn't earn my stripes. And so it was very, very hard in the beginning. However, as time progressed, people saw how hard I worked. How much I wanted it, and all those hard times, all those obstacles that I had to go through were all worth it in the end because now I am the WWE Champion. I have conquered my dream. You know what it's like? I mean, I don't know how many people have ever gotten to say, "I've lived my dream," and now I have to find a new dream. It's incredible. And the new dream I found. Now, it's not only do I want to be WWE Champion; I want to be the poster child of WWE. I don't want you to think John Cena when you think WWE. I don't want you to think The Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin. I want you to think "The Miz." So that's the new role.

USTH: I'm sure we will. Now, I'm assuming there are going to be wrestling matches on this Saturday's special. So can you tell us who your opponent will be?

MIKE MIZANIN: My opponent – I'm actually in a six man tag match with Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton – who I have a tables match with at the TLC Pay-Per-View this Sunday – and John Cena, versus myself, Alberto Del Rio, and Ray Barrett. So, we had a six man tag match that I think the fans really, really got into. They were having a blast with it, and you'll definitely have to see what happens in it because I'm not going to give you the spoiler.

USTH: Okay, I will tune in to that. I heard that you are in a new video game, WWE Smackdown versus Raw 2011. What does that feel like? Are you into video games and what was your participation in that?

MIKE MIZANIN: I love video games. Growing up as a kid, Nintendo was my life. Tetris, Super Mario Bros., Contra – that was what I did. So, to sit there and remember playing these video games as a child, and then to literally step in and be on WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 where children can play as my character as me, and I can play my friends as me is just surreal. I mean, it's incredible. Because, my friends will come over and try to beat me in the video game, but I don't let them because that'd be embarrassing if I'm playing [as] myself and literally they beat me – it's not good.

USTH: No, no. As far as this special is concerned, do you have any favorite memories that you take away? Obviously, you taped this a while back, so with meeting Sherri Shephard, meeting Sean "Diddy" Combs, and all of these people, what are your memories that you take away from participating in this year's special?

MIKE MIZANIN: My favorite part of the special is not usually the celebrity [aspect]. Granted, P. Diddy is absolutely incredible in concert. He is the most entertaining person I've ever met. Sherri Shephard is a sweetheart and is great. But the thing that I love the most is looking out in the crowd during my match –because I was in a tag match I can stand on the apron and look out there – and just seeing the crowd get so into the matches, that's what it's all about. Whenever you're in these solider environments where they don't really get to see much or do much but they get to escape reality for this one moment, like the faces and the electricity that's in that – well it's really not an arena because it's outdoors. But this outdoor venue is just incredible and, that's what I take out with me. Just the electricity, and the fans getting so involved with what we're doing that it just puts a smile on my face.

USTH: Do you keep in touch with any of your old cast mates from Real World or Road Rules today?

MIKE MIZANIN: I get that question a lot, and its funny. I – when I won the WWE Championship – I haven't talked to Coral in probably three years. But when I won the WWE Championship, I didn't even think she watched the show or followed me or anything. But she actually texted me and said, "Congratulations, I knew you would do it." And that kind of means the world to me especially when you haven't talked to someone in so long that it kind of rekindled our relationship because we were such good friends on the show, but when I went to WWE, I kind of fell off the face of the earth with all of these [Real World/Road Rules] Challenge people because I don't see them as often as I used to because we're on the road so much. So, I keep in touch with Coral, Mark Long from Road Rules and Ace I still keep in touch with as well and Veronica from Road Rules as well.

USTH: Thanks to Mike "The Miz" Mizanin for taking the time to speak with us today.

WWE Tribute to the Troops airs Saturday, December 18 at 9:00 PM Eastern & Pacific / 8:00 PM Central on NBC.  A two-hour version of the event airs Wednesday, December 22 on the USA cable network.

Last week, we had the opportunity to speak with both Clint Robertson and Brandy Kuentzel, the two finalists on this season of The Apprentice, on two separate occasions.  On Monday, three days before the Apprentice finale was shown, we were also joined by Donald Trump himself, who summarized his impressions of the contestants on this season.  On the final task, which aired in two parts on Thursday December 2 and 9, Clint, along with his teammates, Steuart, Mahsa, and Poppy, had to organize a dinner for about 500 people along with a show featuring Liza Minnelli.  Brandy, with her team of Anand, Stephanie, and Liza had to organize a golf tournament for Mr. Trump and many of his high-profile friends.

The day after the finale, and Brandy was revealed as the winner, we spoke to them again, this time without Mr. Trump, to get more insight on their feelings of the contest and where they see themselves going in the future.

Here are the facts about Clint Robertson and Brandy Kuentzel from their NBC Apprentice bios: Clint Robertson, 40 (Austin, Texas), received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Texas Christian University and a Juris Doctorate in Law from Southern Methodist University. Robertson went on to be a successful certified public accountant, real estate attorney and developer to having an estate sale where he was forced to sell a large amount of his family's possessions due to the economy. Robertson and his family now split time between a friend's guesthouse in Weatherford, Texas and another friend's rental house in Post Falls, Idaho. Currently living off of credit, Robertson is also a strong believer in God and spends much of his free time with his wife of 18 years and their three boys.

Brandy Kuentzel, 30 (San Francisco, Calif.), received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UCLA and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School. After working as a corporate attorney for a prestigious international law firm, she co-founded a mobile cupcake business in the San Francisco Bay Area. This entrepreneur is now ready to launch a more challenging and rewarding career. Kuentzel is a vegetarian and an avid supporter of animal rights. She also loves the outdoors and runs several miles a day.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO DONALD TRUMP, CLINT ROBERTSON (runner up) AND BRANDY KUENTZEL (winner) OF THE APPRENTICE 10:

DECEMBER 6:

USTH: My first question is for Donald Trump. When you sized up the contestants at the very beginning of filming, which contestants surprised you as the season went along by doing better than you thought they would, and which contestants did not make it as far as you thought they would?

DONALD TRUMP: I think Liza was a little bit of a surprise. She turned out to be very good, and a lot of people didn't think she would be. She's also a great golfer. You know, I'm a good golfer. Liza's a really good golfer. I mean, like top of the line, collegiate-type golfer and better than that.

And I was actually surprised because I heard she was, but I didn't believe it because I hear everybody's so good, and then I see them, and they can't hit the ball. But she was very impressive in her athleticism and her golf game.

I think that Clint was a little bit of a surprise to be honest with you. I think that he was somebody that was underestimated at the beginning, and he turned out to be a star. I think that to be honest, Steuart was excellent. I mean, we really had some excellent people on the show. Some excellent people. And a couple of them got in trouble, and I think they've redeemed themselves because they're back on the final episode, and they do a fantastic job. 

I think Brandy was looking good right from the beginning. She was sharp. She was smart. She fought tough when she had to. She didn't waste energy. So, we really had some really great contestants, I felt.

USTH: Mahsa has gone on YouTube with a video message saying that she did not lie when she said that Clint told her what the men's team had earned on the pedicab task. First of all, did you see the message and for the final record, Clint, did you reveal to Mahsa before the boardroom sequence what the men had earned on the pedicab task?

CLINT ROBERTSON: You know, because we were not always on film, we were together beforehand, there were several conversations that people had just in talking . And I'm just going to refer you back to that boardroom. Brandy and I, I think, were both the targets of that YouTube clip you're referring to as well as Mr. Trump.

And you know, we were all there. We heard the way it went down. I'm just going to – I'm going to refer you back to that boardroom. I don't think we parsed any words in that boardroom. I know that when I was sitting in there and she told me that I – you can go back and review the episode. When she said that I had told her our numbers first to induce her to tell me her numbers, that was incorrect.

And so, I felt like I had an obligation to clear my name. But I'd – you know, let me just tell you this. Mahsa is on my team this week, and you saw the work she did last week. I think you'll see more of her this week. And let me just tell you, I have nothing bad to say about anybody on my team. They all left it on the field for me, and I hope that comes across this next episode in the actual footage.

DECEMBER 10:

USTH: First of all, Brandy, congratulations on your win. I just want to clarify something first.  Clint, you mentioned that you just found out with America last night who became the apprentice.  So I'm confused about the timeline and about when exactly that final boardroom sequence was filmed.  So can you just give us a little insight as to how long it's been in real-time since the final boardroom and did you guys film two alternate endings – one where you won, one where Brandy won – and then you didn't find out which one got aired until last night or how did that all work?

CLINT ROBERTSON: Well, without going into how sausage was made just suffice it to say that there was plenty of footage to where we could actually be with Mr. Trump and find out yesterday and at the same time have a real ending that we could all have some sense about. So actually yes, we were finished filming just as the rest of the show was filmed. And Brandy and I, it was yesterday when we found out.

USTH: Going into the final boardroom, how confident were each of you that you would be the apprentice?  We'll start with Brandy this time, and then we'll go to Clint for that answer.

BRANDY KUENTZEL: Well, I was confident in the job that my team had done. I had some great teammates – Anand and Liza and Stephanie – and they really did step up to the plate and went to bat for me. It was great to have them behind me. That being said, Clint's an amazing competitor. I think all of America has had the privilege of watching him throughout the season. He's done a wonderful job. And you never know [how things will turn out] in the boardroom. So, I was confident with the job that my team and I had done, but I give an enormous amount of credit to Clint. I knew that he had done a great job as well. And, I think this is a testament to Clint's strengths: Mr. Trump pulled us aside before we watched the show yesterday and said,  "You know what? This has been the toughest decision that I've had to make on The Apprentice since it started. And at this point it could really go to either of you." So, we were neck and neck. I would like to say that I was extremely confident, but Clint is an amazing competitor, and I knew that he had a great chance as well.

CLINT ROBERTSON: Well, to answer that question, and this probably alludes to why we're sitting here and Brandy is the apprentice, and I'm the runner-up, but I had a little bit [of a] different outlook. I had zero doubt since the day I walked off that final task of [the] outcome...which didn't occur. This takes nothing away from Brandy at all. I just feel like from day one, I left it all on the field, and I was confident in my ability. I was confident in what I had done. And, that's probably one of the reasons we're having this conversation today – maybe I overlooked something. And I can't take anything away from Brandy. She absolutely is going to be an amazing spokesperson for Mr. Trump in whatever capacity they put her in. But, yes I – just in all honesty – I really felt like I had walked away with it. But then again, things sometimes don't turn out the way you expect. And I got to tell you, those blessings you don't expect are sometimes the best ones. So, I'm waiting to see what the Lord has in store for me.

USTH: Brandy what are your goals long term? Do you want to find a permanent place within the Trump organization or pursue something outside eventually?

BRANDY KUENTZEL: Well, I think in true apprentice style, this is a several weeklong competition. And now,  the prize is obviously getting the opportunity to work with the Trump organization for a guarantee of one year.

USTH: Right.

BRANDY KUENTZEL: So, I sort of take this next year as an extension of the interview process. And hopefully if Mr. Trump continues to like what I've done, and continue to do, then he'll keep me around for longer.

USTH: Okay great. Clint, were you surprised in the boardroom when Anand said that he would pick Brandy as the apprentice over you? And, did you get a sense of why he felt that way because that part wasn't shown in the edit.

CLINT ROBERTSON: I think you might recall that right before Anand got fired that crazy week – that would have been built up for the cheater and all that – I think you recall Anand and I had a tiff in the war room that was probably a little more in-depth than just the few lines that were shown. He and I had a disagreement over his performance, and I think that probably carried over to the end. I also didn't hide my disappointment in the way the cheating part went down. So, I'm sure there were probably some sour grapes there. From what I understand Anand did a good job in that finale. So hopefully he has moved on beyond that cheater label.

USTH: Thanks to both Clint Robertson and Season 10 Apprentice winner, Brandy Kuentzel, for taking the time to speak with us today.

Use the image gallery below to read the other interviews in this series

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