The Celebrity Apprentice: Episodes 10 and 11

Recap from last week's art challenge:

Omarosa got what she deserved last week. She should be embarrassed about her behavior. Her personal attacks against Piers only make her look petty and desperate. I can't imagine what she's going to do now that's she's gotten the ax. Who would hire her? On a side note, the purple and white go-go outfit she was wearing was absurd. She should really pick one style and stick with it rather than going back and forth between the teeny-bopper look (recall the brown cheerleader outfit) and the matronly businesswoman (e.g. the portrait collar suit jacket).

Speaking of ridiculous, the opening scene in Trump's apartment was over the top. He always mentions how it's the best apartment in New York City, but it looks like a cross between a set from the Rome mini-series and an old lady's house in Palm Beach. All that gold is too much! I feel bad for Barron. The poor kid is already being groomed for the house business, as he calls it. He seems pretty cute, but he sounds Transylvanian like Milania, which is a bit unsettling.

As for the task itself, Hydra clearly chose the right artist. The big new media pieces were definitely splashier than the arty-crafty David Kramer posters. Plus, as Carol picked up on right away, Hydra could sell multiple copies of the Shirley Shor pieces. The dealer's suggestion that Empresario should follow their hearts was flawed. They should have done more research, especially since none of them were art lovers.

In the end, it was all about math and, of course, sales. Empresario bombed out on that end as well. I was surprised that Stephen Baldwin was so bad. He seemed more interested in flirting with women in the gallery than selling anything. Omarosa made a big mistake earlier that day when she told Baldwin to stop calling his contacts so he could research the artists. It seemed like she was trying to sabotage him so her lack of connections wouldn't be so obvious. In a way, I feel bad that she's at a disadvantage because she's not rich, but she should leverage other people's connections whenever possible. At the gallery, she seemed nervous and desperate. Trace was the only decent person on the team. Even though he was out of his element, he used his charm to make sales.

Hydra, on the other hand, did everything right. They managed to draw people into their rooms, and even steal one of Baldwin's contacts, despite their location in the back of the gallery. Piers once again turned on his used car salesman charm. I'm always amazed by his connections. He must be quite the star in England. Carol was fabulous and so was Lennox. So it was no surprise that they wound up slaughtering Empresario.

I'm not quite sure why Omarosa started a rumor about Piers being gay. Was that some kind of strategy? Or did she just want to embarrass him one last time on television? Either way, it was a bad move. She wound up getting fired and Piers looked like the bigger person. I loved Trace's face when Piers came in and kissed him, calling him a "beautiful cowboy." That was fabulous. I also loved how Lennox's reference to "Brokeback boardroom." Brilliant!

Now for last night's decidedly unclassy Quinznos task:

I really thought Stephen and Trace had this one down, even though they were short one team member. The Cowboy Club was more creative and Trace and Stephen seemed confident and upbeat. Lennox and Piers, meanwhile, were busy making catty comments about Carol. What exactly did they do during the first part of the task? While she was busy designing the flyers and dealing with the printer, they were standing on the sidewalk complaining. If Hydra had lost, the boys definitely would have blamed her for cutting into their marketing time. I also think Lennox made a mistake by putting Carol behind the counter in an ugly hat. Piers seemed to be having problems getting people on the street to take flyers, but everyone knows Carol Alt. Piers should have been behind the counter.

It's hard to say exactly why Empresario lost. It might have had something to do with location or the fact that they had only two team members. Another possible problem, as Ivanka pointed out, was their complicated sandwich choice. These days, most people (in NYC at least) seem to be gravitating toward healthier sandwiches, so topping prime rib with bacon was a bit much. Keeping it simpler could have made a big difference.

At the end of the day, it was hard to place the blame on either Trace or Stephen. Ivanka was correct to base her suggestion to fire Stephen on his weak sales performance history during the past few weeks. As she pointed out, the purpose of the show is to raise money for charity, and Trace is clearly better than Baldwin when it comes to closing deals. Too bad he hasn't raised any money for his own cause, but at least he'll have the chance now. I'm glad Trace is staying, but I'll also miss Stevie B's antics.

Of course, the biggest shocker of the night was when the Donald called the final four back into the boardroom to eliminate two more people. That was insane. In the previews, it seems like the Donald is looking at either Carol or Piers (or both) when he says, "You're fired." But it's not totally clear. I'd be surprised if Piers didn't make it to the final two. I'm guessing it will be him against Trace. It'll be nice to see the whole gang back together again!