Welcome to the second exciting episode of The Mansion. The action reaches a fever pitch in the house this week, so we don't really have time to get you up to speed. If you missed the first episode, simply jump over and read the Episode One synopsis. That should do the trick.

As this week's episode of the show begins, the contestants each reflect over the first judging and discuss who might be the next foreman. Dan claims that he doesn't want the position, stating that the judges are a "firing squad." Elvis, on the other hand, is a bit more willing. There's talk around the house that the guys want to see a male foreman next. Could Elvis be the man for the job? Not if Amanda has something to say about it. She's gunning for the title. "I've wanted to be foreman from day one," she says. "I'm going to be very pushy and very hard." Meanwhile, Kim, the foreman from the first episode, is just happy it won't be her taking the heat this time around.

After all of the competitors have had a decent breakfast, they meet with host Mark L. Walberg in the carriage house to discuss this week's project. Mark reminds the team of the rules of the game (which you can find in detail in week one's description), then asks them to pick the foreman. The group comes to an easy decision. Because Amanda was so forceful about wanting the job in week one, they agree to give it to her now. It looks like she got her wish. Mark then tells the contestants what their project for the week will be: the poolside cabana (A.K.A., the "Tiki Bar"). Whereas last week's job required renovating an existing space, however, this week's task will involve tearing down the existing bar and building a new outdoor kitchen and party area from scratch.

The budget for this week's job will be $10,000, which sounds low until you hear how long the team will have to complete the job: 24 hours! Can you even spend $10,000 in 24 hours? There's another twist, but it's not as heartbreaking. In an effort to butter up the judges, Mark instructs the team to throw a party for the three experts at the finished cabana at the end of the job.

The team instantly gathers by the pool to work out a plan of attack. "Having a plan before we begin the project is extremely important," confesses Sandi. "We all learned that the hard way with the first project." The contestants notice that while the pool itself is wonderful, the surrounding area needs a lot of "love." Elvis recommends buying a prefab bar and plopping it down. Dan resists, claiming that it's gonna look fake. Amanda decides to take a different route. She wants to use part of the original tiki bar, but refaced and rearranged. "The rest of it, after that, is just cleaning up!" Michele adds.

While Michele and Dan write up a shopping list--"What we pick out is what's going to go all over the area. This is the most important part!" Michele states--Amanda noticed Jeff and Andy pulling away from the group. Apparently, they're mad that Amanda cut them off and wouldn't listen to their suggestions, so they're not going to do a thing until ordered to. Amanda isn't going for that. The two guys rejoin the group, but the contestants remain frustrated as nobody is listening to anyone else. "Amanda became a General," Andy states. "She began barking out orders, and I think people started to question and say, 'Hey, we're adults here. You can't talk down to us.'"

The demolition on the bar is a sight to behold. All of the contestants involved work quickly with sledgehammers, crowbars and power tools to dismantle the old setup. Unfortunately, their plans for the build begin to change when they realize the tiki bar isn't usable due to termite damage. Amanda calls Michele and Dan, giving them permission to pick up a prefab bar if they see one they like. Once the bar is a foregone conclusion, the team turns its attention to the posts. The guys, who are all standing around the posts, claim that they're also infested and need to come out. Amanda's not ready to make a quick decision, so she consults the women. "You're not a good foreman if you don't know how to move," Andy opines. "You don't ask the design team if the structure's going to stand or not, you ask the guys working on it."

Amanda's starting to feel the pressure of the foreman role. She claims that she has to make a decision every five minutes, but those decisions constantly change. Her team can definitely see the change happening, as they feel she's calling them a little too often. "You can't get anything done when you're always on the phone," Sandi says. She believes that Amanda is trying too hard to micromanage, and that it's driving her nuts.

Sandi and Michele have trouble finding a replacement bar, so they decide they should build one. They pick up some wood, but find only confused teammates when they return to the house. Foreman Amanda buys into the idea, but the guys again disagree. They bicker for a few moments before Amanda defuses the situation by applauding the guys' work ethic. Are the guys really opposing the work because they think it's unreasonable, or is there a battle of the sexes going on?

As if the work wasn't tough enough as it is, Mark soon throws another wrench into the works when he makes a secret plan with Jeff. Mark tells Jeff that he can earn back the money lost gambling in episode one (we told you to read the synopsis), if Jeff can disappear for the night and not turn up until the next day. He's not to tell anyone where he is, or to contact the contestants. Also, when he does come back, he can't confess what he's done until payday. If he performs this task, Jeff will win money for himself and each of his teammates. Of course, Jeff jumps at the chance, hoping his team forgives him when they find out about the money.

Soon, Jeff wanders out for dinner. When he returns, however, he claims that he forgot his own food. He leaves the house again...and GOES HOME. Remember, Jeff is from the Cincinatti area, so he parks it at his own home and watches some TV. The team begins to worry, not because of the work, but because they think Jeff may be hurt or lost. Jeff is relaxing at home during this time, but does feel some guilt over what the group may be feeling.

The group takes a break in the early morning, giddy from the long day and hard work. To relieve some of the stress, they compete in their own field games. A "crab walk" relay quickly turns into a hilarious wrestling match, with all of the contestants rolling around in the grass. Sadly, the fun turns sour when Dan pops his thumb out of the socket during the horseplay! Amazingly, Dan doesn't seem to be in pain at all, even though his hand is grotesquely deformed at the moment. We'd be crying, for sure!

Kim takes Dan to the hospital, and the group is now left with five people working. The five are just strong enough to move the new bar, and the rest of the work looks overwhelming. Amanda remains optimistic, however. The fact that the team is still working, despite their many losses, is a good sign as far as she's concerned.

Unsurprisingly, Dan's X-rays look pretty bad. The doctor points at the film and says something to the toon of "This is where your joint is now...and this is where it's supposed to be." He recommends surgery for Dan, where they'll knock him out, realign the broken bones, and then stabilize them with wires. Dan admits that the whole ordeal is a challenge--being in a strange city, away from family and friends, going without sleep, and then having to deal with an injury. But he never stops smiling, and really faces the painful incident without blinking.

By the time Dan returns to the group, they've almost gotten the bar done. The team meets their fallen comrade by the pool to commiserate, with Andy feeling especially guilty for being on top of the pile when Dan's thumb was broken. Bewilderment seems to be the prevailing emotion, however, as the group continues to wonder where Jeff is. Even without their eighth member, the group works all night long. "We're NOT on target for finishing on time," Amanda confesses.

In the morning, Jeff returns to the jobsite, with a bad limp and a goofy bandage on his knee. NOBODY buys his story. He claims he went to a hospital that was hours away. Andy's having none of his nonsense. "I didn't even want to hear the story, because I knew it was all B.S.," he says. "I was like, 'Jeff, I like you, but just go away. Now is not the time to talk to me.'" Jeff seems to be staying the course. Will the contestants think the cash prize is worth the deception, and the work they did without him?

Amanda is so upset at Jeff's absence that he takes away his right to work. She cancels the catering that Jeff set up with his friend, and then tells Jeff that all he's allowed to do is set up the food when it comes. Jeff's ticked off that she would get so "overdramatic" and he pays his friend's catering service out of his own pocket when it arrives. The battle's on! Amanda won't let the caterers set up, and Jeff is fuming. The poor food service girls are caught in the middle of the war, and on national TV! Upon Michele's advice, Amanda eventually relents, apologizing to the caterers. She's not letting up on Jeff, though, throwing out some classic lines: "I'm not wasting my time with garbage," she says. When Jeff follows up with "Get over yourself," she adds what's probably the best line of the show so far: "I gave you your pacifier, now suck on it!"

With less than an hour before the judges' arrival, Dan arrives with the last furniture pieces, and the group assembles the patio area. It actually looks very good (partly thanks to some tricks of disguise), and Amanda's satisfied with what she calls "a learning experience." Even Andy seems to have come over to her side, claiming, "Amanda made some changes, and they worked out."

The judges soon arrive, and the contestants gather by the monitors to watch their reactions. All except Dan, that is, as he's at the doctor getting his thumb examined again. Amanda walks out to meet the judges, and the review begins. The judges are complimentary at first. They state that the patio looks wonderful for a 24-hour job, and that you really could have a pool party out there. They even like the color scheme and the flatware. They claim that it has a pulled-together look and unified design. But there's a "but."

The judges worry about how the area will endure the changing weather. Amanda does a decent job shooting the bull on the topic, but it does cost the team some points. The judges are even more critical of the unfinished portions of the job. They tell Amanda that they again bit off more than they could chew, but that their design choices were wonderful and they really listened to what the judges said during week one. Overall, the judges seem to have had a positive reaction to the project. They grab some food at the buffet, and gather to email their payday decision to Mark.

Before he announces the money totals for the week, Mark L. Walberg finally tells the contestants about Jeff's deception. Rather than being happy about the $1,000 that each of them has just won, they all seem a little annoyed at the trick. Amanda even goes on to say, "If Jeff can be bribed for a thousand dollars, what else is he gonna get bribed for." Apparently, a grand isn't worth as much as it used to be worth.

Finally, it's time to show the contestants what they've won for the week's work. Out of a possible $10,000 payday, the judges awarded the group...$5,750. Not the big haul they were expecting, but WAY better than the last week's take. Again, checks are written for varying amounts. Last week, Kim handed the checks out to each contestant, and several of them were offended by the low amounts they received. This week, Amanda has a solution that prevents that disparity.

She keeps all of the money for herself.

Seriously! "I'm gonna have to keep it, because I'm in a financial bind, personally," she states. "And I hope you respect that." Later, she confesses that the money will be going to an after-school, pre-college program for her daughter. Where it won't be going, of course, is to the other workers. Jeff's thousand dollar donation is probably looking a bit better now, right?

Since she kept the checks for herself, Amanda also gets the secret prize that's hidden in one of them. Last week, it was an expensive tool set. This week, it's a prize that some of the contestants may think better fits their foreman's decision: an old toilet. And remember, our producers had no way to know Amanda would keep all of the money when they decided on the toilet for a prize. Sometimes, things just work themselves out.

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That's all for this week. Want more of The Mansion? Check out The Mansion Expansion, for over a half hour of exclusive video that we didn't show on TV! Name one other show that gives you that kind of added value!