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'The Celebrity Apprentice' makes it personal
Tonight's episode of The Celebrity Apprentice was promoted as "mean vs. evil" and referred to the battle between Piers (mean) and Omarosa (evil). I've spent a lot of the week debating that nomenclature and I think it might actually work. I don't believe that Piers is evil, but he is certainly mean. And, if anyone had doubts about Omarosa's exact nature and whether she was in fact evil, those doubts should be gone after tonight, when her true character shone through.
At the start of the episode, Piers was featured telling Tito Ortiz just how horrible Omarosa is. It went on and on and on. and ended with Piers saying how he would never go to the women's team. He just absolutely refused to contemplate it as he didn't want to work with Omarosa. Clearly a team switch was coming up, and the promos made it pretty obvious that Piers was going to end up on the same team as the Dragon Lady.
When the switch came about, Trump opted to rejigger the teams completely rather than just moving around Piers, Omarosa, or someone else. The new teams were: Carol Alt, Lennox Lewis, Omarosa, and Piers (Hydra) against Stephen Baldwin, Trace Adkins, Marilu Henner, and Tito (Empresario).
After assigning new teams, Trump went right into the week's task – to run horse-and-carriage rides in Central Park. Each team would be given three horse-and-carriages and whichever team earned more would win. Trace was the project manager for the new-look Empresario and Piers ran the show for Hydra (now in name as well as deed).
Piers, in a rather obvious move, lied to Omarosa saying he wanted to end their bickering for the length of the task. He then made it clear that if Hydra lost he would take into the boardroom whomever brought in the least amount of money. The basic assumption that he was going with, and it was a good one, was that Omarosa, not being a real celebrity, wouldn't have the same sort of black book as the rest of the team and therefore wouldn't be able to earn as much.
Omarosa, according to Piers, figured out Piers' tactic which is why, the morning of the task, she picked a fight with him. It all started with Piers mentioning that she had spelled his name incorrectly, which he felt ought not have happened as he was her boss. Omarosa said that he wasn't her boss, he said he was, and it went back and forth and back and forth with the Dragon Lady tossing out four-letter words and saying bad things about Piers' wife and children.
The fight continued when they got to Central Park South and the site of the task. Piers did his best to try firing the Evil One, but she refused to go anywhere and kept getting into Piers' face. He did his best to back away, but she wouldn't have any of it. He then tried to enlist Lennox's help in wresting the accounting book from her (Piers didn't trust her with it and you can't blame him), but it all came to naught, Omarosa wasn't going anywhere.
In a tactic to try and hold carriages for big donors, Piers asked his team to not sell all the carriages (if the carriages were all gone when a big donor came and the donor didn't want to hang around waiting for one to return the team wouldn't get the money). Omarosa, almost needless to say, paid no attention whatsoever to Piers and the two went head-to-head once more. Sadly for Piers, when Ivanka showed up he seemed to be frothing at the mouth and Omarosa sounded nearly sane. He didn't ended up looking good in front of the Boss's daughter.
In the end, I was hoping for Hydra to lose tonight. If they lost either Piers or Omarosa would be shown the door. Omarosa was horrid and spiteful and worse than usual tonight. Piers didn't make it better, he seemed to egg her on, but she made it personal and that was wrong. There's no reason whatsoever that Piers' personal life ought to have come up.
Before the winner was announced in the boardroom, Piers made it clear to Trump that Omarosa went beyond the bounds of decency. Trump even agreed, and he loves the Dragon Lady. Piers said that even if Hydra won he wouldn't be working with Omarosa again in the future. He said he wouldn't quit, Trump could fire him, but that he wouldn't work with her again.
In the end, Empresario made over $29,000 and Hydra over $35,000. Trump acquiesced to Piers' desire and moved the Dragon Lady back to Empresario. Sadly, we'll be seeing her next week. If it was anyone but Omarosa that had gone after another person's family in the way that happened tonight they would have been fired win or lose. This was just another show of favoritism on the boss's part.
With just Empresario in the boardroom, Trace's always kind and friendly demeanor held. He felt as though everyone on his team worked as hard as they could, and every member of his team backed him up on that. Trump asked if anyone would resign, but no one would, so he ended up firing nobody this week (he did however switch Marilu to the other team for the next task).
What an absolute cop-out. It was a ridiculous and bad ending to an upsetting show. I don't like Piers, but I'm with him, Omarosa went way too far tonight. She truly is evil, and she's evil in a way that is no longer enjoyable to watch.
As an aside, tasks like the one tonight are no longer interesting. The celebrities all get it, there's not much planning and setup involved in this sort of task, it's just a matter of opening the black book and calling famous friends. That's not fun to watch. It might have been fun in the first couple of weeks, before both teams realized that it was really all they had to do, but it isn't fun anymore. The tasks need to involve a little bit more creativity.
Want to know what I mean when I say "creativity?" Well, just check out The TV and Film Guy's Reviews.
I'm glad Trump didn't fire anyone on Empresario, but if he was going to bend the rules, he could've bent them the other way, and fired Piers or Omarosa!
Betty | Feb 14, 2008 8:05:10 PM | #Yeah, I agree. It's Trump's universe, and he's never been averse to changing things up when it serves his purpose. O. took it so far that she made Jerry Springer contestants look good. She should have been made to walk home...behind one of those horses with a bucket and a pail.
Jennifer | Feb 14, 2008 8:26:41 PM | #what was the name of the charity that piers's donation went to? i was interested in checking it out to see what it was, what its for, etc.
thanx.
Trump should have done what was right, said to Empresario that no one on their team deserved to be fired, but someone on Hydra did. That Omarosa went too far and fire her. That would have been a twist ending and something different. Instead this show is getting more boring each episode. I didn't even watch from the point Omarosa started talking about the kids until the boardroom. Next week I think I will just check this blog and not waste my time. Trump, a big time waster. Boring.
P. Murtton | Feb 14, 2008 9:42:21 PM | #This was a hard show to watch. Omarosa is unbearable. I understand the reasons for her being on the show, but she really crossed the lines. Any court in this country would have granted Piers a restraining order against her, and she could have been cited for harrassment. It was just ugly. The only thing that made this show watchable was Empresario. The way they worked together, understood their roles, and that this is a fun game for charity, and that they take the issue of raising money for their charities very seriously it was refreshing. I really have to say at this point I really hope Trace Adkins or Tito Ortiz wins this thing. They have been the most productive, the most professional, the most everything. They've just been great. And this is coming from a guy who HATES country music and UFC.
realgenius | Feb 14, 2008 11:07:25 PM | #Kenneth: I don't know the exact name of the charity, but it involves giving money to families whose members have been killed in the war in Iraq. It sounds like a great cause and it is very deserving of the money.
Tonight's episode was one of the best (and ugliest) I have ever watched! The way they just kept lashing out at each other and threatening each other was really heinous. And yet Hydra won! They needed to fire either Piers or Omarosa and stop the chaos. O has taken it too far and is not even a real celebrity, so she brings no money. She's a cancer to her team and she will poison Empresario. Piers is not so perfect either, remember. He clashed with Vinnie and sent him over to snoop on the women. Then Stephen insisted he can't work with Piers anymore and wants to switch teams. And now Piers and Omarosa. So with O on the other side, this will be another great battle I am looking forward to. Which one will get crushed? I cannot wait.
And even with all the fights, I am still going to watch because it never gets boring. I've never seen more intense fighting on a reality show, save Paula and Simon.
Shaun | Feb 15, 2008 12:50:50 AM | #Piers' charity was for US survivors of Iraq War veterans - he also mentioned that his brother just got back from serving in Iraq.
As for the task - no different from the hotdogs, or the pedicabs in the first season (except nobody was smart enough to sell advertising!) - but - Omarosa should have been thrown off BEFORE they went to the boardroom. Piers may be difficult, but on task he is willing to get the job done, even to wearing a cheesy knight costume, remember? Omarosa's conduct showed that she is both vicious and stupid - yeah, sometimes you talk trash to get under an opponent's skin, but Piers was ON HER TEAM! And in the business word, if she got personal like that, she would be fired even if she was a productive worker.
As for the other team - like a high performance engine; Steven and Tito were full of energy and drive, Marilu worked her buns off and Trace kept everything laid back and in perspective. May be the best teamwork on the show ever. Trump made the right call, but what he should have done was slapped six grand on the desk and said - it's a tie.
I believe he said it was the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. If that is it, it is at http://www.fallenheroesfund.org.
LG | Feb 15, 2008 4:16:17 AM | #I agree 100% that it is no longer enjoyable to watch with Omarosa on the show. She is a cancer to society and I can't put into words how much she needed to be punched in the face, woman or not. Carol should have done it! Its clear to me that she was the major problem here and was the only logical one to fire. Piers may make insults or argue a bit, but he doesn't let that completely become his main focus and then lose sight of the task. Omarosa would just NOT STOP and it was enraging me beyond belief.
As for the other team, I think Trace is a really strong player. He is extremely creative and, despite the southern hick impression he gives off, is very business smart & level-headed.
Tony | Feb 15, 2008 6:53:35 AM | #At one point, I felt certain that both Piers and Omarosa were going to be fired. It was definitely anti-climactic. I don't understand for a second why one of them wasn't gone. Who behaves that way in front of a potential employer? Omarosa definitely crossed the line, but as Trump pointed out, Piers can't has had conflicts with several people. Why would you ever want to hire either of these two? I don't care what the rules are. Pathetic and painful to watch.
Schmooz | Feb 15, 2008 7:04:20 AM | #From the very beginning of the season, I had a feeling that I would end up loving Trace Adkins and hating Omarosa more than ever (if that was even possible). I'm glad to see that my first impressions turned out to be right.
First of all, every reality show on American TV has had a rule that no participants can physically assault another person. There have been at least two instances where Omarosa crossed the line in regards to Piers. Yes, you can trash talk against other players all you want, but she actually poured champagne on his head a couple of episodes ago, and this week she threw the crumpled-up piece of paper in his face. I bet if a male contestant had done those same things to a female on the show, Trump would have fired him immediately. It's obvious that Omarosa is staying on because Trump needs her to create drama and tension!
It hasn't surprised me at all that Omarosa has resorted to personal attacks on Piers's children. She was on VH1's Surreal Life about three years ago, and she clashed with Janice Dickinson and did the same thing to her. In a blatant attempt to get more screen time, Omarosa continually insulted Janice's parenting skills. O said stuff like Janice's kids would be messed up for life because Janice was a terrible mother, her kids should be taken away from her, etc. There is NO WAY someone can bring up another contestant's children and not expect an all out war. This is hitting way below the belt, and funny thing is how Omarosa has never met any of these children. How would SHE know if they were so unhappy and neglected?
On the other side, Empresario was the epitome of team work. They all got along during the challenge, and even refused to turn on each other in the boardroom when Trump asked them who he should fire. Trace and Tito have been especially classy in their behavior. I take it Empresario didn't raise enough money because Piers had called in more favors from his wealthy friends. Anyway, I'm glad that no one was fired from Trace's team. :-)
I think it would be more helpful if NBC put up the websites and phone numbers for ALL of the charities that the celebrities are playing for. Many viewers would like to donate their own money, even to the losing project manager's charity. After all, this season was SUPPOSED to be about giving back, not just about ratings!
Paige | Feb 15, 2008 7:51:10 AM | #I agree with you all, Omarosa's behavior was deplorable. She is a in-your-face kind of person & if I was Piers I would have decked her. I do believe if they had stayed together for another challenge he would have. I do hope she goes next week!
Ben | Feb 15, 2008 7:58:19 AM | #I'm fed up with Omarosa, who I've enjoyed in the past, due to her complete inability to succeed at any tasks and yet always blame others. Last night, she went WAY too far and I was hoping Ivanka would have just fired her for her father.
When Piers started repeating some of the things O had said to him over the course of the day, everyone looked shocked. She needs to go. I like bickering celebrities, but O is toxic. Maybe Piers should drop a piece of sheetrock on her head. it worked last time!
Cornelius | Feb 15, 2008 8:10:02 AM | #Trump is going to let Omarosa win the whole show so he can get decent ratings while the show is on so he can do more seasons of The Apprentice.
Bren | Feb 15, 2008 8:17:20 AM | #Pierres deserved to be told his kids would be ashamed of him.
If my father went on tv and acted the azzhole causing 2 teamates to want to quit, i'd be ashamed.. Omarosa doesn't have any kids so Pierre couldn't attack her there but he called her a tramp many times which is the ultimate insult you can call a woman.
I don't know how they could fire Piers considering he has won almost every task he has been involved in and Omarosa has lost almost every one. O should have been gone. I doubt she gets along with the three other guys next week
Scott Edwards | Feb 15, 2008 8:52:19 AM | #Who went too far?
What could Pierre say to Omarosa or about Omarosa that could be worse than everything he has already said?????
Pierre has already said everything hateful to Omarosa that he could think of... there is no boundaries he didn't cross since Omarosa has no kids.
As I said in my previous post, reality show contestants are allowed to trash TALK all they want, even if the insults do tend to get personal. However, Omarosa has purposely dumped champagne on Piers's head AND thrown the crumpled-up paper in his face, which are PHYSICAL ASSAULTS on another player. Believe me, I'm not trying to nominate Piers as Father of the Year, but Omarosa crossed the line from verbal abuse to PHYSICAL contact.
You can bet your bottom dollar that Omarosa would have cried all the way to Trump's office if Piers had touched her in any way. Omarosa can dish it, but she can't take it. Piers told her that she doesn't belong on the show since she isn't even a real celebrity, so she resorts to bringing up his children. I would say neither of them came off as very classy, considering they were using cuss words, insults, etc. Sorry, I don't think that either Piers or Omarosa should win, but at least Piers has been able to bring in lots of money through his contacts.
Paige | Feb 15, 2008 9:05:48 AM | #I'm going to stop watching the Apprentice even though I have watched ever season. I couldn't stand Omarosa when she was on before and I can't stand her even more now. She is a cancer on everything around her. I saw her with Nadia, Meriliu and the Hispanic gal on "The Big Idea" and Omarosa was talking about her "brand" and that the gals were approached to travel around together and give motivational speeches. Omarosa has really lowered herself for her 15 minutes of fame. She has no redeeming qualities. I have also lost respect for Trump. He should have fired her. No one could do what she did in the workplace and not get fired. Trump has lost credibility and is selling out because he's just going for the ratings. This is one viewer he has lost. Omarosa, go back under the rock you crawled out from.
Jean | Feb 15, 2008 9:17:48 AM | #Pierre didn't care about crossing the line with two of his teammates who quit.
Lol, so Pierre draws personal boundaries but ignores everyone else's?
If Calling a woman a "Tramp" is acceptable trashtalk then "Your kids should be ashamed of you" is an appropriate retaliation.comment.
So far Pierre's insults & behavior crossed the line with "3" teammates including Omarosa.
Omarosa crossed the line with "1" teammate... that's Pierre.
Btw, if I called a woman a Tramp, I'd expect to get something dumped on my head.
| Feb 15, 2008 9:37:39 AM | #FYI: Piers name is spelled P-I-E-R-S, not Pierres, nor "Pier" as Omarosa purposely misspelled it on her business document. It was just one of the many unprofessional things she did in the last episode.
I don't want to see any more name-calling along the lines of Piers/Omarosa. Everyone was feeling uncomfortable in that boardroom, especially Ivanka. I loved it when Lennox said that Tyson was less angry when he fought him!
I would rather see Trace or Marilu win the challenges. Obviously, Piers and Omarosa are in it for the publicity, not for their charities!
I hope Trump fires BOTH of them next week, but I doubt it. I think Stephen or Carol could be the next ones fired.
Sandi | Feb 15, 2008 9:52:26 AM | #What do I care how Piers is spelled?
Pierrress is unprofessional with all his name-calling so his name should be azz.
Trump should have fired himself. The task required no creativity, wasn't well thought out, and had loopholes all the way through it. The team placement proved he knows nothing about managing people, and his asking for resignations was a human resources "no no." I am done with "Don the 'flip flopping, rule changing' Clown.
FUNdamental | Feb 15, 2008 10:18:15 AM | #
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