As described in an interview with applicant
Tammy Lee, during the first season of
The Apprentice (2004), the ending clip each week showing the fired applicant exiting the Trump Tower and entering a cab had actually been filmed during one of the first few days of production before the contest started to cut down on the cost of having to set up for such a shoot each week. Every contestant had this clip filmed regardless of whether they were actually fired or not. From the second season onward, the fired contestants were actually filmed leaving the building after they were fired.
