FinaleWatch: 'The Celebrity Apprentice'

March 27, 10:40 PM

It was finale night tonight on The Celebrity Apprentice. That means that Trump, who had already made his decision about who was going to win, hemmed and hawed and pretended like he hadn't for two hours. More importantly though, the finale was back in Studio 8H at Rockefeller Center (home to Saturday Night Live), a place it hadn't been since the finale of the first season. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't sitting in the studio audience this time around like I had been for the first finale.

After the introduction to the live finale, the show did the necessary recap of the season as a whole and the final task thus far. Watching it all, I decided to stick with Piers as my candidate. I think he did a far better job throughout the season. That doesn't necessarily translate to a victory, but it certainly ought to.

Eventually, the show actually got back to the task itself and found Piers dialing for dollars, hitting the likes of Sharon Osbourne and Andrew Lloyd Webber to donate items for the auction. Trace's night didn't start off as well, with him still dealing with Backstreet Boys' demands, including black fingernail polish (it would be a theme throughout the night that was cute right up until it got a little old particularly as there was no way the Boys weren't going to go on). On the other hand, Trace's country music folks had landed and were on their way to the auction while Baldwin was nowhere near selling all of Piers' tickets.

After another commercial break, and a flubbed intro back to the task by The Donald, we got to see Trace start to lose his cool. He was all anxious and unhappy about the way the setup for the event was going, and then his daughters showed up. Trace relaxed and, presumably, refocused on his work with a cooler head. We didn't get to see that though, instead we were off to Piers talking to the caterers. He patiently explained that he wanted people drinking lots and lots of alcohol and eating less food, "loaded celebrities mean lots of money" was his mantra. That's my kind of guy.

The event itself seemed to go swimmingly, and the liquor certainly seemed to be flowing. Plus, Trace's country buds not only brought good times and humor with them, they came with checks… and cash. Literally. One gentleman brought 5,000 dollars in cash and handed it directly to Trace, it was all kind of like Connie's wedding in The Godfather.

The auction itself went very well, with Piers' tea with the Duchess of York going for 100,000 dollars. That's right, a 100,000 smackeroos for some tea and scones and Sarah Ferguson. Dinner with Trace didn't do as well, he went for a mere six grand and Ivanka was the one who bought him (isn't that cheating). Then, the same gentleman who bid 100,000 for Sarah Ferguson also threw down a 100 grand for Ozzy Osbourne and wife.

Smell a ringer? Yeah, me too. It was probably a different ringer than Simon Cowell though who Piers had call and bid for the shopping spree with Ivanka. The spree also went for 100,000 bucks, but I just don't think Simon dropped 300,000 at the event.

In the boardroom, but not the live one, it was the usual banter. Lennox picked Trace's management style as better than Piers', but to me that doesn't translate to Lennox picking Trace as the person who should win. Carol clearly voted for Piers to win, and brought up the money factor. He made $376,000 in the auction to Trace's $64,000. Yet, Piers only raised $12,000 versus Trace's $38,000 in ticket sales. Me, I think, as Piers suggested, those numbers just ought to be added up. Piers made nearly $400,000 to Trace just breaking $100,000. You tell me who raised more cash.

Just as things started to get a little ugly, with Trace perceiving some sort of slight against his donors and Piers taking umbrage at the notion that he slighted Trace's guests, the show cut to commercial. When the show came back, the fight fizzled to a lot of nothing and Trump moved on, complaining that he didn't get enough food at the auction. After Piers' strategy was explained and Trump questioned it, Stephen piled on that Piers had done the wrong thing with his "loaded celebrities" strategy. Piers went after his teammate and Piers' attitude issues again came to the fore.

Things kept going downhill for Piers until he asked what the point of the game was, he felt it was to raise the most money. Trace argued that it was to represent one's charity as best as they could. Trace's argument wasn't a bad one, but I'm sticking with Piers' argument that the point was to make money and not to make friends.

Eventually, the show went live for real and all the celebrities were introduced. Well, all but two. Gene Simmons was in Japan shooting a movie (was this previously scheduled, is this why he got himself fired?) and Omarosa was being held back for a special introduction.

Yes, the Evil Queen got to come on separately tonight, and she appeared complete with a clip reel of her obnoxious insanity towards Piers. I can't think of a person less deserving of a special intro than Omarosa. She doesn't even deserve a special exit, she deserves to just be left alone in the dark somewhere to be completely forgotten about for all time.

We all knew who Omarosa was going to vote for, and it wasn't a big surprise that most of the other celebrities liked Trace better too. Piers didn't play for friendship, he played to help his charity get money. When Gene Simmons did finally make an appearance, after again supporting his Kodak slogan, he said pretty much what everyone else said, Piers raised more money but Trace was a better guy. When pressed, Gene went with Trace. He wasn't wrong with the Kodak task, but he was wrong tonight.

Filler time came next, and after a brief video about Trace's daughter's food allergy (which was touching, but not relevant for picking a winner), Trace sang his latest single. Piers then got his turn with a video about his charity and he then introduced of several members of the Armed Forces who have benefited from the charity he has been playing for.

With the fluff over, it came time for Trump to make a decision. Trace argued that he ought to win because his charity was less well recognized and might not get the money it needed if he didn't win. Piers argued that he should win because he won more tasks and raised more money than anyone else. Ivanka tried to explain to Piers that if he had been a nice guy the decision would have been an easy one. Piers didn't really care what she had to say, he did a better job and knew it. Don Junior argued that Piers' success was all due to his rolodex and nothing else, pretty much saying that if Trace's rolodex was as deep as Piers', the country star would have raised just as much cash. While some of that argument is accurate, Piers won the even non-rolodex based tasks, so Junior's argument didn't fully work.

But, as time was running out, Piers didn't get to answer Junior's charges. Instead, Senior jumped in. He explained that Piers had "beat the hell out of everybody" and while Trace was a nice guy, Piers was the Celebrity Apprentice.

What, did you doubt me? I told you that weeks ago, didn't I? Come on now, your friendly neighborhood recapper knows all.

So, in the end, not only did we get the right result tonight, but the episode was actually fun to watch. Well, the first hour was fun, the second hour could probably have been condensed to about 30 minutes without losing anything. And, I don't just mean that we could have lost all the commercials (though I wouldn't have minded that), we could have lost some of the content without a problem. The outcome, based on numbers (wins and cash) alone, was a foregone conclusion, drawing out the lives bits wasn't necessary. The task was interesting enough and could have been elongated in order to add more time if that's what was needed to get to two hours.

Before I go, let me say that I like Trace. I'd probably rather spend more time with Trace than Piers, but nice guys don't get to win just because they're nice.

However, if Trace stops by The TV and Film Guy's Reviews I'd be happy to reconsider.

in Finales , NBC , Reality TV , The Celebrity Apprentice

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I am really glad that Piers won. He worked very hard on each task. I also agree that it was not just his crazy amazing contacts that led him to the win. He played the game and was willing to do anything to raise the money. He even dressed up in that ugly knight costume in the broadway task. You also have to admit that the Apprentice is also a TV Show. It has to be entertaining to get the ratings. The season would have been boring without Piers. Conflict is entertaining to watch which is probably why Omarosa was a contestant.
Trace was a great contestant. He came up with brilliant slogans and ideas for many of the tasks. He did not get as much show time as Piers (like I said conflict is entertaining), but the purpose of any fund-raising is to make as much money as possible. Piers beat everyone in that.

Joan | Mar 27, 2008 11:27:29 PM | #

Was Piers probably a deserving winner? Yeah-he worked hard to win.
Was there a person more dserving though? Most definitely.

I don't completely understand Piers's reasoning when he claims this magical checklist of business acumen that apparently only includes things like money, influence, and tenacity. An equally important item on this "checklist" really should be people-skills. I think Trace completely butchered his final pitch to Trump, solely relying on why his charity deserved money. Of course it deserves money...it's a charity! Why do YOU deserve to win though? I think Trace was spot on earlier when he said that the Trump-described "business" EXPERTS from CNBC on the previous episode both thought Piers should be fired. Yeah, Piers can get money, but what good does that do you when nobody wants to work with you because you're a pompous, self-centered, egotistical, self-indulgent jerk? He did get down and dirty in the "non-roladex" challenges, but any moreso than Trace?

Trace really did prove himself to be a marketing genious--Vera Wang challenge, anyone? And, no doubt, Piers owes some of his success to Trace's creative input.
And let's get down to this auction business. Piers had TWO good contacts that came through with $300,000 of his $376,000. TWO PEOPLE! I don't think this "trouncing" is as big a deal as it was made out to be, and Piers got a little lucky on this one--but still raised good $$ for the charity.

Apparently, though, Trump's priorities are clear--sell your soul, piss of as many people as possible, but as long as you can count on your rich contacts, you're a winner. Forget any moral obligation to a charity. I don't think Piers would've been any less successful by not alienating the ENTIRE CAST! But I guess in the end it's all about the money, right? Too bad since Trace was an awesome example as how not to sell out your morals and still get things accomplished for a good cause.

AT | Mar 28, 2008 5:37:45 AM | #

OK, Piers-pile-on-ers. I wanted to gag last night and actually felt sorry for Piers. I was sick of the personal attacks on his character. Really? Yeah, the guy raises over 1/2 a million dollars for a noble charity, takes time out of his busy schedule (he was one of the few "celebrities" who was still gainfully employed), and has to sit there while the likes of Donald Trumppp, his spawn, Jim (thanks for the Bears & Stern stock tip!) Cramer, Gene Simmons, and Stephen Frikken Baldwin question his character and ethics!!! It looked like he was about to get up and leave and, if it wasn't for the charity, I wouldn't have blamed him. The British are known for being reserved and having a dry sense of humor. The producers of this show were banking on the other talent and the viewing public's ignorance to this fact and, guess what? It payed off. Nothing against Tracey, of course he's a great guy, but there were at least three people that he could have personally called that would have over a 100K in walking money. He didn't do it. Who knows why? It doesn't matter. What matters is the Brit was being cast as the villain (which he understood), but was frequently cut off when trying to defend himself. I liked the guy...sorry!! ;o)

Brian of the North | Mar 28, 2008 6:23:09 AM | #

Piers absolutely deserved to win! He not only did amazing the entire season, but he won the final competition in all areas. Just having Simon Cowell call in on the phone, and having the osburnes/dutchess offer themselves up as prizes trumped Trace's three small country stars.

The thing that bothers me most is that Trace has been a country star for over ten years now. He has to have at least one HUGE country star like Alan Jackson, George Strait, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chensey, Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks! I like Ronnie Milsap, but seriously come on...the guy hasn't had a hit since the 80s. And the other 2 were just mediocre country stars. If Trace wanted to win bad enough he would have made sure he got some awesome prizes with those Big country stars or at least got them to come to the event.

Also, what the hell was that whole hygiene thing with Omarosa? That is the best thing she could come up with after all the time she waited to go? I hope she disappears forever from the tv world!

Jerry | Mar 28, 2008 6:45:07 AM | #

Love Piers!!
He did exactly what the GAME called for---Raise the Most $$$. I don't know why everyone was on him. Like Survivor, you are there to play the game, and win. Not who can make the most friends. Then Trace would have won.
Stephen B. is such a hypocrit and everybody sees it except him.
There was a lot of fluff. Trump didn't even talk to some of the other contestants. Dragon queen didn't deserve such an introduction.
Way to go Piers!!

jt | Mar 28, 2008 6:52:21 AM | #

Amen, Jerry!

Brian of the North | Mar 28, 2008 6:53:00 AM | #

I agree, Brian. I also like Piers. For one thing- I really like British humor so I always appreciated his wit. It also made me very angry to see people attack his character and then got upset when he fought back. He would try to explain his view point and get cut off every single time. I am not saying he is perfect and I'm not saying he didn't go too low a few times, but I am saying that he is a person and everyone has flaws. To be honest- Piers is the only reason I watched America's Got Talent, just like Simon Cowell is the only reason I watch AI.

genniel | Mar 28, 2008 7:29:11 AM | #

I meant to say that Piers was also the only reason I started, and continued, to watch this Apprentice. I had given up on Apprentice a long time ago but was hoping Piers would win.

genniel | Mar 28, 2008 7:30:18 AM | #

I'm so glad to see people come out in defense of Piers. Seems ironic to me that someone who was so effective in his job on this show should be treated like the villified underdog in the finale. If this had been the regular version of The Apprentice, instead of Nice Guy Apprentice, there would have been no question of his superiority. Piers' handling of every aspect of that event was flawless; every professional fundraiser will tell you that more liquor/less food adds up to bigger bucks at a live auction!

You Da Man, Piers!

JW | Mar 28, 2008 7:30:51 AM | #

I can only dream/hope/wish that Mark Burnett and Trump will "see the light" and take the show back to it's roots. A real competition were real contestants use their smarts to accomplish real business objectives. The past seasons have gotten worse. This celebrity crap is the cherry on on a big crap Sunday! I understand the whole charity angle, but it was a weak stretch at best. Do the "celebrities" get to work for you Trump? Eh, what's the point. Sorry, I'm ranting about a show that I used to love.

Brian of the North | Mar 28, 2008 7:44:09 AM | #

I'm not unhappy that Piers won, but I do wish that we could have seen more discussion of the criteria besides raising money. Getting your rich friends to come out is not an indication that you're a good businessman. I'm not saying Piers didn't deserve to win. He worked hard and was willing to do anything to win. And I don't mean anything unethical. I mean he was willing to look like an idiot (ie dressing up like a knight) in order to win. So I really wish they had dicussed what Piers and Trace had done besides fundraising. Why didn't we hear about Piers hard work? What about Trace's surprising creative marketing genius? Maybe the outcome would have been the same, but I would have liked to hear more than Piers brings in money and Trace is a nice guy.

Also, I thought they ganged up on Piers too. I don't think Piers is an aweful guy. Watching the show last night, I came to the conclusion that the guy simply does not have a filter b/w his brain and his mouth. He thinks it, he says it. The result is he upsets people. Doesn't mean he's evil. Just means he has no tact.

Lindlee | Mar 28, 2008 8:02:07 AM | #

I am another Piers fan. I picked him to win several weeks ago (after TMZ claimed that Nelly would win???? I highly doubted it).

Anyway, Piers had constantly won challenges and made money. He was great at the business decisions. I found his personality charming when he needed to be, and cut-throat when he needed to be. He never pretended to be anything (unlike Stephen).

Stephen is a weasel, plain and simple.

Omarosa showed just how dumb she was last night (flossing).

How many months ago did they tape the show? Tiffany looked like she was 8 or 9 months pregnant.

And for those of you who are upset that so many people wanted Trace to win, I bet you there are more Piers fans than Trace fans -- they just don't want to admit it.

I also think a lot of people are basing their opinions on the finale and not the season as a whole because they probably didn't watch the whole season.

Christine | Mar 28, 2008 8:11:43 AM | #

Nice to see all the support here for Piers, and you have all expressed it better than I could. So many people in this country are hypocritically hung up on the concept of "nice" and acted like Piers was the Antichrist just because he didn't fit their definition.

I'm tired of people complaining that he won just because he has a deep Rolodex. A big part of business is networking and using contacts. He wasn't born with that Rolodex, it took a lot of long, hard work to build it. Why shouldn't he take advantage of it?

Beth | Mar 28, 2008 8:31:55 AM | #

Yes, I was another viewer who correctly predicted (about 6 episodes ago) that Piers would win. Trace was the only other contestant, besides Carol Alt, who could have been the other finalist. I guessed that Trace would be the most popular, but that Trump would choose his winner by who ended up raising the most money.

Piers won the competition fair and square, and I'm glad that his charity received about half a million dollars. I was hoping that Trace would win, but I'm sure that his time on The Celebrity Apprentice will help to raise money for the allergies charity because lots of people (like me) had never heard of that organization before.

I really hope that this is the last time that Omarosa shows up on The Apprentice. There was enough tension and conflict between Piers and the other contestants (Stephen, Trace, etc.) that we did NOT need Omarosa there to spew her venom. Come on, her 15 minutes of fame were over a long time ago! If Trump and NBC decide to do another season of The Celebrity Apprentice, then I hope he can cast more A- or B-list celebrities. I don't want to see any more reality show "stars". I really enjoyed this season's mix of athletes and actors.

Paige | Mar 28, 2008 8:48:48 AM | #

I like trace, but admire Piers. HATE!!! AMOROSA-she has not class-Piers was the best the whole season, if it was not for him, I would have not watched the Aprentince, and No, I am not English.

Adriana | Mar 28, 2008 9:26:49 AM | #

I agree Piers should have won and it shouldn't have been close. And I say this as a souther, country music fan. Trace is a nice guy and he did well; but he was very ordinary for 90% of the series. Piers stepped up in every challenge and was a leader, even when he wasn't PM. Trace had habit of staying in the background; yes he worked hard, again most of the show he coasted by being on the same team with Piers. Piers stepped up and often stepped on toes. Yes Piers can be an ass; some of which was a cultural problem. Piers was way to happy seeing others lose, but he always got the job done.

Stephen Baldwin is a jerk, he does pull out that "holier than thou" card to often. Especially considering he had no problem with Piers tactics when Hydra was winning. Also anyone notice the way he dodged the question from Donald if he was trying to sabotage Piers.

jbw | Mar 28, 2008 9:59:31 AM | #

I just wanted to point out that the guy who bought those two 100,000 auction items from Piers was Howard Lutnick from Cantor Fitzgerald, as Piers explained on the phone. I spent like half the episode crying after Piers mentioned that. He is the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, who had 700 employees working in the WTC on 9/11, all of who died, including his brother and his best friend. The only reason he didn't die was because he was taking his kid to kindergarten. I was really touched that he donated all of that money. He also has given 180 million to the families of those who died from Cantor on 9/11. I can only imagine how much his life changed on that day.

I just thought that was a very nice part of the show that people didn't really pay much attention to.

Julie | Mar 28, 2008 10:08:43 AM | #

I will give Trace credit for trying to pull out a victory.
He couldn't beat Piers on the merits so he had to go the "I'm a nice guy and he isn't" route.

Even in the final plea to Donald, Trace couldn't say he outperformed Piers so he cut in on Piers charity recipients who appeared to really move the audience. By announcing his past support for the troops and the USO and then went for the heart and how parents were afraid their children would die at school. It was his only option and he played it well. I'm not being critical of Trace or implying he was not heartfelt; giving his daughter's condition I'm sure he was.

jbw | Mar 28, 2008 10:09:05 AM | #

Julie - Whenever I hear the name Cantor Fitzgerald, it sends a chill down my spine. I may not hear of it on a daily basis, but I remember it from 9/11.

I was touched too.

Christine | Mar 28, 2008 11:05:48 AM | #

I enjoyed Celebrity Apprentice, and thought Piers should win; he really exemplifies the Trump way of doing business. That said, Trace has a great reputation here in Tennessee. I wish they would do the celebrity edition again, but not let the celebrities call their famous friends. It would be more on the level of the regular Apprentice series.

"Trump"eteer | Mar 28, 2008 11:34:14 AM | #

I am just wondering why a Brit woiuld be championing a charity that involves American soldiers. Not that they don;t deserve it, but don't you think he should be championing his own countries soldiers. I am sure many of them were injured in Iraq and need these services too. It really seemed like a set up to me. I wonder how long Piers has been working for this charity.

Amy | Mar 28, 2008 12:25:48 PM | #

Amy, Piers has explained several times that his brother is in the British military and served alongside American military in Iraq, and that gave him the inspiration to work for this charity. I'm sure if this had been England's Celebrity Apprentice he would have been working for an English charity, but he was in America so he felt he should give back there. I happen to think it's nice that he's not making an issue of borders when it comes to a cause that affects many. Seems overly cynical to cry set-up over that.

Beth | Mar 28, 2008 1:07:31 PM | #

GO BACKSTREET BOYS!!! They got a bad rap from the show

sara | Mar 28, 2008 2:46:45 PM | #

I think the Backstreet Boys got a bad rap from their own doing. If they wouldn't have acted like spoiled babies, no one would think they were...

Julie | Mar 28, 2008 6:07:24 PM | #

The thing that most Trace fans gloss over is the fact that Trace didn't win 1 time as PM going into the final. He was a resounding 0 for 2. Thus, he made $0 for his charity going into the final. How he managed to finagle his way into the final over people like Carol Alt (who won twice as PM) or Lennox Lewis (who was undefeated as PM) is beyond belief. Trace's performance on the show was just average, and many people outperformed him. On the other hand, Piers was undefeated as a PM (he won like 3 or 4 times) and he won the final easily so there should have been no doubt that he should be the Celebrity Apprentice. Trace skated by too far on his "nice guy" reputation. Luckily it couldn't snag him a win in the finale.

Pat | Mar 28, 2008 7:11:37 PM | #

I think the Backstreet Boys were told to be difficult just to make things a little more challenging for Trace since it seems that having some tension makes things entertaining. The BSB are nice guys in real life.

Enough of Omarosa! Even Trump was disappointed with her comeback at the end for her final opinion of Piers.

Rolling | Mar 29, 2008 8:16:25 AM | #

The basis of the normal "Apprentice" is to find a person that reflects the best of what the Trump organization and Donald Trump represents and allow them the opportunity of employment.

The basis of "Celebrity Apprentice" was to see which celebrity could raise the most money, period. Lie, cheat or steal... no rules... WIN at any cost. Thus Piers won because he raised the most money. It did not matter how he did it, but he did it.

The problem I have is that this TV show is a reflection of the Trump brand and Donald Trump himself. By making Piers the winner on the basis as I have described, Donald has demonstrated more about who he is and what he stands for. It is also a reflection of the morals and ethics of what the Trump organization stands for. Win at all costs... take no prisoners.

Take note.

Robert | Mar 29, 2008 10:41:46 AM | #

It is disheartening that Piers and others believe that alcohol is necessary in order to get people to donate their money. This is the first time that I have watched this show, and had been enjoying it until the liquor conversation came up. Not that it matters, but I will no longer watch a show that promotes alcoholism.

Trupen | Mar 29, 2008 11:03:10 AM | #

Trupen, I think I missed the "Alcoholism! Yes!" banner during the show. I seriously doubt that one line, on an edited show, should be your basis for not watching the series ever again. Besides, it was the contestants idea, not the producers. This resulted in the contestant being taken to task for it. So how's that promoting alcoholism??

Brian of the North | Mar 30, 2008 1:12:53 PM | #

Trupen, if you'd pointed out that the silly premise of the show had driven you to drinking, I'd be on the same page with you.

Brian of the North | Mar 30, 2008 1:15:05 PM | #

I am just glad the show is over. Maybe now they can put it to rest and get rid of Donald Trump. I hardly watched this season and I do not feel like I missed a thing.

Sam | Mar 31, 2008 11:11:23 AM | #