As I mentioned last time, Donald Trump threw a curve ball at the contestants by switching lineups for the teams, essentially trading Curtis Stone and Bret Michaels.
The teams were tasked with renovating a 2-bedroom apartment, one that was to be used by visiting Fortune 500 business people when they have an extended (60-90 day) stay in NYC.
Rock Solid (PM Sharon, Curtis and Maria) seemed to be on the same page throughout, as Curtis and Sharon worked very well together. Sharon went for a modern design look for the apartment, with a lot of neutral colours and high-end furnishings. I just finished Ozzy's book, "I Am Ozzy," and he talks about the number of houses they've owned through the years and how Sharon redecorated them all, so I knew Rock Solid were in good hands with Sharon at the helm.
Tenacity (PM Holly, Bret and Cyndi) was a trainwreck on and off throughout the task, with Holly being her usual bossy self. Bret kicked some ass on day one, but had to leave to perform a concert, so Holly and Cyndi were left to somehow get along in a fairly confined space. Yikes. Interesting to note that Holly didn’t whine about Michaels’ departure, especially since she’s been so annoyingly vocal about other players getting a ‘free pass’ in the past (she still ended up whining about past players in the boardroom, so it’ll never end with her).
Cyndi was responsible for the ‘celebrity zen room’, and she really got funky with her designs, melding Buddha and Eiffel Tower statues with black leather couches among the solid red room. Holly, on the other hand, went with her past personal design experiences and, while aiming for a zen vibe throughout the space, chose some really questionable colours and way too much furniture.
The judges went with Rock Solid, earning $40,000 for Sharon’s charity, the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles. According to Sharon, that money means 40,000 people could get free colon cancer scans at the center, which is truly amazing.
In the boardroom, the gloves came off quickly between Holly and Cyndi, with Bret keeping his head down for good measure. Now, there’s no way to know how much footage from the show hits the cutting room floor, but I always question something about the boardroom experience. When Trump asks contestants who should be fired, and why it shouldn’t be them, not a single player ever steps up and says “let’s review the reasons the judges listed for why our team didn’t win the task.” Why? Well, using logic doesn’t always work with a guy like Trump, but I figure someone’s got to get around to playing this card sooner or later.
If that card had been played this week, Cyndi and Bret could have directed Trump’s attention towards Holly who, in reality, was primarily responsible for the team’s loss (see above re: questionable colours and too much clutter).
And here’s what typically follows: players beat each other up, Trump enjoys the fighting spirit of the contestants, then questions why so-and-so didn’t stand up more for themselves (more = LOUDER in Trumpland), and reaches a, sometimes, goofy decision.
Despite the judges being blown away by Cyndi’s work, she was fired by some twisted logic of Trump’s, who overlooked Holly’s shortcomings so that she could live another day.
A real drag to see Cyndi leave, as she was fun throughout the season and one helluva hard worker, but, as I mentioned many weeks ago, never got much respect from any of her teammates, who just couldn’t handle dealing with such a dynamic, creative force.
Previous entries:
Celebrity Apprentice Wk 8
Celebrity Apprentice Wk 7
Celebrity Apprentice Wk 6
Celebrity Apprentice Wk 5
Celebrity Apprentice Wk 4
Celebrity Apprentice Wk 3
Poison - Poison'd! - Your Mama Don't Dance Poison – Your Mama Don’t Dance (2007)
