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Three key moments in The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition Episode 2

The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition picked up where it left off as a strong first episode was followed up by an equally intense second episode.

And there certainly were moments which left a lot of viewers on the edge of their seats.

Here are three key moments in Episode 2:

GSP & Renzo Gracie from up above

Episode 2 started off hot with mixed martial arts legends Georges “Rush” St-Pierre and Renzo Gracie climbing up a rope ladder from 11-feet high.

The sight of the two legends climbing from up above left the candidates in awe, and it certainly made a big impression on Alvin Ang.

Starstruck as the contestants were, St-Pierre and Gracie were left huffing and puffing as they finished the task.

Heck, even St-Pierre, a former UFC Welterweight Champion, even noted that it was possibly the toughest thing he has ever done before admitting his fear of heights.

Still, it showed the resolve of these retired fighters as they gave encouraging words to those who are set to do the same drill.

“My biggest fear is heights, but I did it. So that means you can, as well,” said GSP. “Remember, there’s no courage, without fear.”

Gracie, the legendary six-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, chimed in and said, “Sky’s the limit if you believe. Impossible is nothing.”

Sho scaled the heights

Like St-Pierre, Sho Takei also had fear of heights.

The biggest difference is St-Pierre had faced monsters in his long career as a mixed martial arts fighter while Takei is an unassuming 28-year-old human resource manager from Japan.

“Height is my biggest fear and I just had the feeling that I could just die,” he said. “When I stepped off the ledge, that’s when I started to panic.”

Even his Team Valor peer Clinton Tudor noticed the nerves on Takei as he took his turn to reel down from 11-feet and climb back up from a rope ladder. “The color is leaving his face,” he observed. “He’s petrified and all I’m thinking of is how is he going to be able to complete this task.”

Takei did draw motivation from Team Valor cheering him on, puckered up, and climbed back up much to the delight of his squad.

“My heart started pounding. I’m just trying to keep a steady pace. And I really don’t want to let my team down,” he said.

It also helped that Takei witnessed St-Pierre conquer the same heights, which really served him inspiration. “I know GSP is really scared of heights as well and he was able to do it, and I knew I had to do it as well. I’m going to try to face my fears.”

“ONE Championship is all about courage. There’s no courage without fear, and I just had to prove to myself that I can do it. If not for my teammates, I don’t think I can finish this.”

Chatri steps in

It’s a rarity, but ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong stepped in the decision making duties for Team Conquest and put project manager Eugene Chung, Alvin Ang, and Roman Wilson in the chopping block.

With Team Valor winning its fourth straight challenge, the ball was on Chung’s court on who he felt were the “weakest links” and initially pointed out at Joy Koh and Alvin Ang, yet defended Ang for his work on the e-brochures, a part of the Andaz Singapore pitch that was lost in the shuffle due to a “mishap in printing.”

Paulina Purnomowati defended Koh for her help in the deck, before Chung changed his mind and pointed at Lara Pearl Alvarez, the one who defended Team Conquest during the presentation.

Chung tried to plead his case, noting, “The thing is when I stepped up as the project manager, I was very honest with them. Everyone’s telling me that my weakness is organization when I clearly, clearly stated in the first place that I delegated out.”

Of course, nothing comes through to Sityodtong, who chided Chung. “It’s really a ridiculous excuse. That’s like saying let me cook you the meal but I don’t know how to cook, so please excuse me that the food is crap.”

Chung, however, still wanted to take Alvarez and Ang with him, a decision that irritated Sityodtong more.

“You really must not be listening. You’re just completely competent,” Chatri told Eugene. “You guys would have lost before this boardroom even began if it weren’t for Lara. You’re not worthy to be sitting there if you could not even listen.”

Sityodtong then brought in Roman Wilson, for his weak PowerPoint presentation, to the final boardroom.

Ang and Wilson were soon sent home, while an emotional Chung was spared as the show came to a close.

The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition is showing across Asia on AXN, the show’s official Asian broadcast partner, with markets to include Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition is also be available on other platforms and TV networks across Asia, including MediaCorp (Singapore), Abema (Japan), KompasTV (Indonesia), Amarin TV (Thailand), LINE TV (Thailand), TV5 Network (Philippines), and HTV (Vietnam).