Reality check

>Our girl Aimee: The surgical sales rep from Elmhurst was project manager of Kinetic Corp. After a four-hour brainstorming session, she couldn't decide on a name for the honey they were to sell, failed to delegate any of the tasks usually required for a project and, while the rest of the team was setting up shop, was seen playing with her hair, doing some grocery shopping and making a coffee run.

Kinetic won and, in her first board meeting appearance where she wasn't on the cusp of being canned, Aimee was a little pit bull as she protected her former teammate Surya. But Trump didn't seem to like her tough-as-nails approach.

Our girl Nicole: Arrow Corp. project manager Aaron thought it was brilliant to pair our town's Nicole with Tim, the Harvard guy she has been flirting with since this season began. The pair bantered back and forth but didn't sell any honey. In most corporations, such fraternization would probably get you fired. But when the pair came clean to Trump, he approved, perhaps realizing that the romance might be the only thing capable of salvaging this season's ratings.

Eliminated: Aaron

Next episode: 8 p.m. Sunday on WMAQ-Channel 5. A sneak peek had Tim, Nicole, a hot tub and a lip lock.

>Our boy Mookie: Just how below the radar is the Wheeling native? We didn't meet him until the contestants had been on the island for three days. He was the last one to be picked for the Ravu tribe here. After the tribe lost the challenge, he got one vote for elimination, from the Stallone look-alike bartender James. Mookie was quick to throw fellow Ravu member Jessica to the wolves, pinning the defeat on her. It worked.

Eliminated: Jessica

Next episode: 8 p.m. Sunday on WMAQ-Chan- nel 5.

>Our boy Matt: This week's challenge was to design and build a bedroom. Given the skimpiest of details, they were sent off to design their room and buy the furniture. They returned to find that their clients were actually children. Matt's room featured recessed lighting that looked like a makeup mirror and a swatch of black fabric hung over the twin bed like a theater curtain. Though his client, a child actress, loved the curtain, the judges took off points for it. Who says clients really know what they like?

Our boy Erik: Fellow Windy City contestant Erik was a little nervous about designing a room without first meeting the client -- and rightfully so. Erik chucked his original design and decided on building an over-the-top pirate-themed room for his client, a 10-year-old boy. It was the right choice. Erik won the challenge and immunity, which means he'll be on "Top Design" for at least two more weeks.

Our boy John: Dubbed "the mayor of Excuses Village" by judge Jonathan Adler (far more clever than Adler's catchphrase "See you later, decorator"), Chicagoan John didn't disappoint, beginning the episode with an excuse for his bad behavior last week. It seems he is HIV-positive and was given a shot of testosterone before flying off to compete in a pressure-filled reality series. If only he put as much thought into planning his designs as he does his excuses. Poor John's room was a disaster. He didn't have any flooring, and the whole project looked unfinished. John blamed his carpenter, who returned without the requested vinyl flooring. It was one too many excuses for the judges.

Eliminated: John

Next episode: 10 p.m. Wednesday on Bravo.

Misha Davenport