On Team N/Empower Lewis wants to know how they all feel about roller coasters and Carina is really excited.  Why?  Because she has been coming to Thorpe Park since she was a baby (normally you have to be between 4ft 8inches and 4ft 10 inches to be taller enough to go on most rides – so must have been a big baby) right through to her teenage years and now she brings her son there.   Everyone seemed happy with her rationale crowning her PM for the task ahead.

It wasn’t long before the concept for the ride was being discussed and their train of thought was the loop was old hat, had been done over and over again, so a drop would be what they would concentrate on.  But not just any old drop, a nightmare drop, perhaps the sort of drop you get when you have a dream turning it into a nightmare? 

Carina allocated Ryan Mark and Lewis to work on the marketing side making Ryan Mark Sub Team Leader which given there were only two of them gave Ryan Mark carte blanche in demonstrating his definition of perfect!

The other half of the team head off to get design underway and make their ride a reality (albeit this actually would never happen – it costs millions to create and produce a rollercoaster ride and don’t think that Lord Sugar wants to part with that sort of cash!)

In order to contribute to the marketing of a roller coaster properly one must get on a ride!  Ryan Mark and Lewis faced a vertical drop of 100 degrees, from a height of 100ft on the scary ride Saw perfect for adrenaline junkies and thrill seekers.  As they plummeted towards the ground with almost no view of the track ahead Ryan Mark screamed and squealed like a stuck pig, his face getting the full g force effect as he repeatedly squawked Lewis’s name.  Lewis was enjoying the ride despite being deafened and embarrassed by Ryan Mark.

In West London at some digital animators the other half of the team was bringing their sci-fi rides to life.

Carina ran through the ride as she saw it in her mind.  She is flying.  She is in a dream.  It is a floating feeling and then she drops – should it be forwards? Backwards?  As she had never done a backwards drop before that was what they settled for.

Cue Claude with a quick update to how he feels it’s going; “The team have come up with what looks an innovative idea with a backward drop but maybe it’s too innovative because it’s what no one wants and has been rejected?” Good point Claude! Or perhaps this concept just hasn’t been tested before?

Ryan Mark comes up with the name Insomnia.  Cue Ryan Mark.  I came up with the name, I came up with an eye in place of the pupil with the letter I and an image behind it like a hand.  I’m happy with that its perfect! All good then!

Claude thinks otherwise not understanding the relevance or connection to what Ryan Mark has thought of and the concept of a dream that falls into a nightmare.  “I don’t get it!”.  You are not alone Claude!

Carina busily works on getting the ride into a reality when the logo arrives confirming the chosen name “Insomnia” causing Jemelin to question how can you have a nightmare if you are awake?  Good question!  Collectively the design team all think the logo resembles aliens and why?  Because it does!

Its poster time on Team N/Empower and Ryan Mark previously an evil villain now wears a very fetching monster mask – perhaps an improvement – only joking!  Lewis is to look shocked which he does perfectly – the nation also is shocked that Lewis remains in the process!

Cue Ryan Mark “I’ve done an amazing job as Sub Team Leader – everything is down to me, the poster, the key decision all down to me! The deluded monster has escaped!

With the marketing material complete and the rides signed off tomorrow it’s time to pitch to the park and the people that matter to whether Insomnia will win or lose the task.

At the house Team N/Empower watch their computerised simulated ride.  “Oh scary” exclaims Carina.  Unfortunately, this is not reciprocated by the look on Lewis’s face.  Unimpressed, he is underwhelmed.  Ryan Mark seems surprised by the lack of visuals depicting horror and appears underwhelmed after experiencing Insomnia.  Perhaps his perfect poster is not as perfect as he thought!

But not to be deterred, he presents his pride and joy not getting the response he expected.  Jemelin reminds him of what insomnia means and Carina endorses that the logo screams aliens to her, in fact the whole image screams horror.

Ryan Mark who wears his coat Mr Poppy style from ‘Nativity’ is keen to get consumer feedback and holds back from running around Thorpe park pretending to be a plane.  What does this poster tell you he asks not liking the responses; Aliens, Aliens, Ailens. We need to deflect away from Alien he concludes.  RM go home!

Lewis feeds back the alien comments to the PM team which comes as no surprise to Carina, Jemelin and Pamela who all thought that pre consumer feedback.  Carina quickly moves on to explain the format of the pitch.  They will all come out as monsters with Jemelin asleep on the stage where she awakes to say; Cue Jemelin “What a horrible nightmare!”.  What a horrible pitch – however, somehow, they must  try and make the audience connect the poster with the ride!

It’s showtime and in a 4d theatre with not an empty seat, a crowd of ride enthusiasts and people that matter from the park (Thorpe Park) and of course Karen and Claude (neither look happy to be there 3d glasses in hand) are seated ready for the rides of their lives!

It’s time for the backward drop; Insomnia and sure enough as promised we see Jemelin lying on the stage with a group of odd-looking monsters stomping about her.  She jumps up and announces, “That was a horrible dream” and everyone within the theatre probably thought and that was a horrible beginning to a presentation – the upbeat approach demonstrated by Thomas was lacking and they failed to get that buy in making the audience part of the pitch. 

However, all was not lost as Carina introduced Insomnia and without further ado 3d glasses were back on and the theatre was soon experiencing a fluffy dream only to drop into a dark nightmare.  Being 4d the crowd was sprayed with water before going into the backwards drop.  When over it was met with clapping and it seemed as though overall it had been enjoyed.

Ryan Mark responsible for the hellish poster tries to explain the nightmarish figure trapped going from the dream to the nightmare and staying awake all the time.  The park representative felt they didn’t get that sense of scare from the ride commenting the logo represented more of an alien feel.  Surprisingly when the word Alien is mentioned all of N/Empower look at their poster as if for the first time?

Ryan Marks aka best of British bullshit states “Its whatever you want it to be, a nightmarish figure and that’s why we decided to design it like that”.

Pitch over and Carina felt they articulated it really well – really Carina – then again anyone who says pony as ponnnnnnnnnnny, who could expect anymore?

With the pitches over, the next destination is the boardroom promising as many highs and lows as both of their rides.