Friday, March 21, 2008

Celebrity Apprentice - Episode Twelve

I'm glad the Donald ignored Jim Kramer's advice and fired Carol instead of Piers. Those two get along pretty well, which wouldn't make for much of a final showdown. The whole "good versus evil" match up between Piers and Trace is pretty compelling. I was less than impressed with the interview process. Only one hour for all four contestants? Plus, who is this Erin Burnett lady? I'm assuming she's Mark Burnett's wife, which is pretty lame. That said, she's better than Jim Kramer. That guy is completely obnoxious. I don't blame Trace for criticizing his aggressive style. So, yes, the Donald made the right call by keeping Piers in the game. It was also nice that Carol got to leave with her dignity, knowing that she was pretty much fired because she wasn't out to get Piers.

For that reason, Piers' decision to pick Stephen Baldwin to join his team was questionable. He knows that Stephen doesn't like him, and that he bombed out completely during the art show task. So why would he pick him first over Carol? I can see why he passed up the hyper Marilu, but Baldwin over Alt? Come on. So far, it seems as though that decision might be Piers' undoing, judging by Baldwin's lack of effort and enthusiasm. It almost seems like he's trying to sabotage his old nemesis.

Speaking of sabotage, I suspect the Back Street Boys are playing it up on orders from NBC. I just can't believe they would be that rude to Trace and have so many catering demands. I guess they don't realize they're totally washed up! I'd rather see N'Sync or even Nick Lache's old band. Regardless of how obnoxious they are, Trace better hold his temper or he could lose the task based solely on a bad review from the band.

At this point, both teams have their share of problems. For Trace, it's the Back Street Boys and Marilu's penchant for wasting time. (I loved it when Lennox said he knows how to handle her because his mom is the same way.) I was a bit confused about which tablecloth they wound up choosing, but if it's the black one I'm not sure how great that will look. I would have gone with the gold. What Trace does have going for him is his celebrity guests, although I didn't recognize two out of three names he mentioned, so I'm not sure how excited New Yorkers will be about them.

At any rate, the country stars are still better than anyone Baldwin has drummed up, which, at this point, seems to be exactly zero. He already tapped Alec and Billy for favors, so now all that's left is the out of control brother who did that rehab special on Dateline last year. I have to hand it to Piers for reeling in the Duchess of York. He is ridiculously connected! I would love to have tea with Fergie. Trace will be hard pressed to beat that at the auction!

This task seems rather arbitrary, so it will be interesting to see who's strategy will pay off: Piers' (raise the most money) or Trace's (bring in the bigger celebs and focus on decor). Since the whole point of the show is to raise money for charity, I have a feeling the Donald will be more impressed with the former. How smashing could the decor possibly be? I guess we'll find out next week!

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