Lee Bienstock was born and raised in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and at the time of the reality show The Apprentice, lived in Lawrence, New York. At 22, Bienstock became an analyst at the business-consulting firm Accenture, helping to devise business strategy and information technology systems. He also had a cameo in the movie Over The Hedge as the voice of Lunch Table Larry.
Lee Bienstock was a contestant of the fifth edition of the NBC reality show The Apprentice, where he was the runner-up to winner Sean Yazbeck. He was then hired by Donald Trump to work for Trump Mortgage as an associate vice president for corporate development.