Well, dear readers, we’ve reached the end of the very entertaining parade of egos that was the first season of Celebrity Apprentice. And though Trump and Co. tried to maintain a level of suspense throughout the finale last night, it was pretty obvious from the get-go just who was going to take home the Celebrity Apprentice crown. Yes, after a live boardroom that featured a Japanese-speaking Gene Simmons, some sexual innuendo courtesy of Ivanka, and a performance from our finalist Trace — just think what kind of show we would have gotten had Playboy alum Tiffany Fallon cracked the top two! — Piers was awarded the title of the Celebrity Apprentice (seems Trump prefers the evil to the good after all). And in all fairness, even though we all wanted to see the ever-affable Trace win the whole shebang, there’s no denying that Piers was the star of this show, obnoxious exterior and all.
Last night, we began with an image of Trump sitting in his boardroom as if he were ready to address the union, only to realize that — we’re live! I’m not sure who Trump and Co., convinced to sit in that audience for two hours on a Thursday night — maybe anti-Rosie allies Bill O’Reilly, Barbara Walters and Star Jones? — but somehow, it did appear to be a pretty packed house. Of course, The Donald had to make sure that the announcer named him "the biggest celebrity of them all" ("I’m gonna be HUGE."), and told his audience that "it’s been a phenomenal season." Sure, it was a decent season, what with all the Gene Simmons hijinks and Stevie B nonsense — but we all know The Donald would have called it a phenomenal season even if the final showdown was between a plunger and a rubber ducky that he found in his bathroom. It is impossible not to take this man with a grain of salt.
Now, on to the challenge: Piers got to work straight away, making around of calls that made me wonder how exactly a tabloid king likePiers managed to make friends with all the bigwigs he likely tore apartin the papers (you’ve got to admire someone who could pull that off).First, he managed to get Sharon Osbourne on the phone, and then askedfor some help from Broadway legend Andrew Lloyd Webber, who seems to bedesperate for reality TV exposure this year (see: his upcomingappearance on American Idol). And speak of the devil, the greatSimon Cowell himself made an appearance as well, albeit by telephone(looks like that $8 million contract with that Fox show goes a longway, as the cranky Brit spent $100,000 to shop with Ivanka — here’shoping she shows him there’s more to fashion than black t-shirts).
The tabloid king was on a roll, at least when it came to garneringthose auction packages. In fact, it looked like Piers’ only mistake waschoosing Stevie B as a member of his team. Dude could only nab five ofhis people to attend the charity auction, and he seemed to contributelittle more than incessant babbling. But it was somewhere betweenStevie B’s rousing rendition of "Hallelujah" and his talking to Trace’skids that I suddenly realized that — gasp! — I actually really love thedude. Really, would Celebrity Apprentice have been the samewithout that Stevie B cherry? I think not. (And it seems the studioaudience feels the same way — you woulda thought that one of the JonasBrothers had walked in the room the way the girls began screaming forhim).
Speaking of Trace’s children, seriously, how cute were those girls?If I were Trace, I would’ve conspired to plant my 6-year-old right infront of Trump during the final boardroom — after all, we all know thatTrump can’t resist a well-dressed, cute blonde, right? Too bad thecountry star was too busy with wheatgrass-gate to hatch any such plans.The Backstreet Boys still managed to be a handful just hours beforetheir performance, demanding black nail polish, of all things, fromTrace. (This led the country star to blurt out one of his manyquotables of the night: "So, the most heterosexual cowboy on theplanet and the three-time heavyweight champion of the world go to buyfingernail polish. Not for a woman, not for our wives, for a man.")Turns out, though, that the BSB didn’t need the wheatgrass juice afterall, as Trace noted, because they put on a decent enough show toentertain the crowd of drunken, hungry philanthropists (emphasis on drunken).
The auction itself was an obvious win for Piers, who landed some bigbidders (see: Simon Cowell, Howard Lutnick, etc.). It’s odd, though,that Trace’s brigade of country stars — including Eddie Montgomery, wholooked like he bought that heinous, patched coat from the QuakerFactory on QVC — neglected to spend much money at the charity auctionitself. I know these country folk may not have the same amount of cashas, say, Simon Cowell or a Cantor Fitzgerald executive, but you thinkthey’d at least shell out a few thousand bucks for the sake of charityand their country kin. You do, however, have to give them props fortrying, but it was fairly obvious that Piers outsold his opponent by awide margin. Not that we should have expected otherwise — since Pierswas the finalist responsible for the charity auction itself, it’s onlynatural to assume that he would be able to put together more attractivepackages while Trace was running around searching for wheatgrass (hintfor the future, Trace: try a Jamba).
But let’s move on to that final boardroom, shall we? After all, weknow that the boardroom is Trump’s favorite part of the show, but let’sface it: it’s not because it’s the most action-packed portion, as heclaims, but because it’s the only part that stars Trump. Any warmfuzzies generated from the charity auction went right out the door assoon as the two finalists sat down in the boardroom: Piers beganpointing out how he "pulverized" Trace when it came to the charityauction and began chastising Stevie B for his moral superioritycomplex. Even Ivanka did her fair share of trash talking when she saidshe would be embarrassed if she were the BSB, what with the way theytreated our poor, wheatgrass-seeking Trace. And then there was thediscussion as to who owned the "ugly" title in our battle between thegood, the bad, and the ugly (Piers’ assertion: "Lewis.") Though Trumpprolonged the live boardroom a good hour — thanks to a celebrityreunion of sorts, and clips from the show — the night ended the way weall figured it would, and Piers and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fundtook home the big prize.
Were you happy with the result, PopWatchers? Do you think goodshould have trumped evil, regardless of how much money each raised forcharity? Was it me, or did Marilu look smokin’ during the live show?Did you like the live laugh track? Were you amazed hearing Trace’sstory about how he once performed live just hours before getting 18inches of his colon cut out? Would you buy Trace’s single? And finally,did you ever expect that Gene Simmons would be filming a movie inJapan? ‘Til next time, dear friends!
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In one sense, Piers bringing out the injured troops was almost as calculated and manipulative as Kristy Lee Cook and “God Bless The USA” on AI, but unlike KLC, the troops, especially Matt, had me bawling like a baby. No matter where you stand on the war, the soldiers deserve our undying respect.
Not at all surprised that Piers won, since he and Trump seem to have the same motto….it’s not how you play the game, it’s how you win.
As I’ve said before on this board, we all like Trace, but the winner of this thing HAD to be Piers given his sheer effectiveness in raising money, which was the object of the task at the end of the day.
I enjoyed the finale and I even liked the live laugh track for the finale. It was mostly people laughing at something funny, as opposed to canned laughter that shows up when the show WANTS you to laugh.
I thought DT Jr. brought up an interesting point about Piers’ rolodex toward the end. He pointed out that Piers had obvious skills beyond his famous friends, but wondered whether Piers would’ve been able to beat out Trace if his friends weren’t so much richer than Trace’s. Unfortunately, Trump Jr. didn’t bring this up until about 10:54 p.m., and they didn’t get a chance to delve into it because it was time to announce a winner.
Either way, Piers got a deserved victory and another “victory” over Omarosa and her ultra lame dental putdown.
I so wanted Trace to win but in the Trump world, I guess evil beats good every time.
OK Kate, we get it – you don’t like the Backstreet Boys.
I think one of the reasons Trace lost is that, when given the opportunity to advertise himself (as to why he deserved to win), he instead advertised his charity. Trump was not going to pick him to win because he had a good charity. Had he played himself up more, given reasons why he should have won, this probably wouldn’t have been such an easy decision.
I am glad Piers won but I would have been if Trace won too. They both had good charities and did a good job with their tasks. I am a little more glad that Piers won just to show Omorosa up. Did anyone notice when they panned the greenroom where the celebs were sitting at the beginning. Everyone was sitting presumably watching the monitors (the show) maybe chatting with each other and Omorosa was doing her makeup.
Really if Trump preferred “evil,” as has been over used on these boards when speaking of Piers, he would have chosen Omorosa, right?
Stephen Baldwin scares the hell out of me. His moods and reactions are just so alien to normal human experience that I find myself constantly wondering, “is he high or is he legitimately crazy?”
Calling Piers ‘evil’ is absurd- even by reality television standards. The man is smart and that’s all there is to it. From choosing an “AmericanAsApplePie” charity that tugged at the heart strings to picking Ivanka’s diamond prize at the auction. He choreographed his victory from the start. Well Done, you froggy-looking little man!
I love the way Carol stood up to Trump saying that he knows she should have been in the final. She was not “cracking under the pressure on live tv” as Trump suggest, but was very articulate and wouldn’t back down from letting him know what she thought.
Love Trace he is so down to earth and is the ultimate nice guy. He is also very smart and very very funny. BSB seem like a bunch of demanding jerks it was a charity event they shouldn’t have demanded anything I am sure they got paid a lot on top of it all too. A bunch of grown men singing in a boy band acting like they are divas. I would have been embarrassed if I were them. Piers is great at raising money, but then again with contacts that rich of course he would be. He is a very smart man though with a great charity. I hope Trace’s apperance on the show helped to get the word out about his charity and raise awareness of severe food allergies. What a beautiful family he has.
Few minutes into the show, I knew Piers would win. After the first $100,000 bid, it was clear. However, I disliked the scenes of ALW, Simon and the clear first row position of Lutnick. Clearly, the producers helped Piers on many ways to reach his goal. It is a lot easier to get someone on the phone than to make them take a couple of days off and fly to NYC for you. Also, I’d prefer completly separate events. By sharing the event, the other areas that were supposed to be considered (celebrities on site, decor, etc.) got diluted and the center of attention was the auction. Yes, by Piers coordinating that part of the event, he had the advantage to find ways to make more money. Trace’s task was more time consuming and no extra money would come in. I believe it was an uneven and poorly planned challange by the producers. Even if the finalists had been Carol and Lennox, it still would have been a poorly planned challange. Also, I wish there was a Host for the finale. Trump is very bad at it.
Was anyone else expecting, at some point, for the Backstreet Boys to pop up at the finale and reveal their shenanigans were all a joke? That they weren’t REALLY that pretentious? Because Trace (God love him) really went off on them. I just figured that all would be forgiven in the end, seeing how they did agree to sing at Trump’s charity event! But no, turns out they were that silly and demanding. We were not punked. That is all.
As much as I’m not into the whole country/redneck/hillbilly thing. I found myself starting to root for Trace about halfway through the series. He seems like a pretty decent guy and as the finale showed, he was funny as hell. Plus, the verbal beatdown he applied to the ‘BSB’ made him a king in my book.
I’m with Jim S on Piers manipulations by using the troops. Heck, Trace could have filled the room with cute kids with food allergies, fed them a bunch of peanuts, watch them blow up, and then rescue them with epi pens. Now that would have tugged at the heart strings! But Trace played with integrity, and I applaud him. I just wish the outcome had been different.
The final of the Celebrity Apprentice was not much different than the series as a whole. Piers dominated the competition and though he is not a “nice guy”, while Trace definitely is, he earned more money for charity than any other competitor so there was really no drama as to who “the Donald” was going to pick as the winner. Using celebrities in the show was an interesting twist and now it will be interesting to see if NBC picks up the show for another year, it is much better TV than “The Biggest Loser”, which somehow keeps going and going, so I hope to see this show return next fall or spring
I actually didn’t like Trace at all. I thought he had a chip on his shoulder and actually thought middle-american-country-folk were better than rich folks. I think he deeply feels it’s more honorable to have less money and resented that Piers’s contacts were rich. I also think that it’s too convenient to pick a charity from which you personally benefit. I think the charity itself is fine, but I feel like it was ultimately self centered. I think it takes more to go on a show like this and really want to give to a charity with whom you have no personal connection. I also resent that he says he earned lots of money for his charity. Didn’t he lose the tasks he was PM for? His whole presense in the final was ridiculous to me.
Alice u are an idiot
I LOVED the Celebrity Apprentice finale. Either way, loved both Trace Adkins and Piers Morgan — but glad Piers won — because he deserved it. He was stellar, whip smart, and he had a great charity. Either way, Trace is a WINNER. Didn’t know anything about Trace, but now after this show, fans of Celeb Apprentice will know him. It’s a win-win for all!! For Trace and his charity, etc. Congratulations PIERS!!!
I think Trace brought up his charity at the last minute as justification for winning bc while Piers’ is worthy it’s more well-known, thus Trace’s could’ve used more support. I too think if Trace weren’t so busy with the idiot BSB (really? Still with the 1999 dancing?) He couldve called wealthier people too that wouldn’t have flown out but would’ve helped like Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Keith Urban… Dunno if he couldve called but there are definitely country stars rich as Simon Cowell like Garth or George Strait and Reba McIntire. He couldve tried to get an evening with Carrie Underwood, though since she’s young I doubt he knows her. I don’t know why he didn’t get his manager to talk to their managers, but in general country stars are very accomodating. To me, his biggest mistake compared to Piers’ game. Great show last night, and both men were worthy.
I think that everyone gave Piers too hard of a time. Don’t get me wrong, Trace seems to be a really wonderful man but honestly, Piers was not that bad. He just reminded me of a stereotypical frat boy doing his thing. I honestly do believe that there is more to him than we were shown, as was obvious by the fact that he could consistently get so many people to help him. AND he was darned funny, alot of the time. AND that person I shall not name was so completely out of line with Piers. I hope that Trump was so embarrased that we don’t have to see her again…EVER… Isn’t her time up, yet?
Another aside. I’m no country music fan but Trace is tops in my book. He made that show so great. I can’t think of my favorite line he did in that show but it might be “my meeting with the Backstreet Boys is time I’ll never get back”
Good show.
Traces’s wife looked THRILLED when she heard Ivanka brought Trace at the auction. I though it was kinda shamless of Ivanka standing there, obviously smitten, and bidding on a married man whose wife is a few feet away. Ivanka was giving Trace the eye all season. I feel bad for the wife.
Injured veterans vs. food allergies. Game over.
I was surprised how much abuse the Boys got on the show, I figured it was some kind of “gag” the producers thought would be cute for the show and instead it has gotten them a lot of bad publicity. Not cool.
Two words that will forever banish Omarosa to VH1 Reality television, “Dental Floss”. Did anyone catch the end, the only “CELEBRITY” (i’m actually making the quotation marks with my fingers) who was taking pictures at the end of the show was Omarosa.
Alice, you’re definitely an idiot.
It was only fair that Piers won, but Trace was a wonderful competitor and played well. I’d never heard of him until this show, he definitely benefits beyond the fundraising for his daughter’s cause. I also really enjoyed Piers and feel that Omarosa should have been kicked off the show when she started making foul comments and assumptions about Piers’ children. That was just totally unacceptable and should have, at least been edited out of the broadcast.
Americans are so touchy feely. First two people call someone an idiot for questioning Trace’s motivations and then one goes on to say that Omorosa should have been kicked off for potentially “crossing the line” by talking about Piers kids. This isn’t real life, it’s reality t.v. – the crazier the better!
As a gay man, I was very offended by a lot of Trace’s obvious homophobia. First, he acted appalled when Piers gave him a joking kiss on the cheek (although I think it’s funny that he’s obviously so dense he never got why that was funny) and then the thing with the nail polish may have been an attempt at being funny, but it’s just another example of how sexuality and gender expression are too often confused. From a business perspective, taking Lennox to the drug store as “back up” to buy nail polish was a complete waste of time and he could have been better served finding wheatgrass juice. Trace’s own homophobia may have interfered slightly with his success.
I also felt that Trace could have done a better job of getting country stars and different auction items. He could have called Billy Ray Cyrus and asked to create a shopping trip with Miley Cyrus – Hannah Montana is HUGE. Besides that, Kid Rock is incredibly close to the country stars, I can’t imagine him not donating something or showing up/calling in. I feel like Trace was too distracted by the BSB (who, unfair or not, were primadonnas – they deserved their verbal beatdown) to concentrate on other aspects. However, I do feel like Piers is a great competitor and deserved to win – it says a lot when an English contestant would choose an American Vet charity. Great final two any way you look at it. PS – Proud of Carol for asserting herself with Trump who shut her off before she could get an answer.
Paul
I think Trace was just a little shocked at being kissed by Piers, a man he dislikes. Him not wanting to buy another man nail polish or not liking another man kissing him does not make him homophobic. I could see u thinking that if he had made a derogatory remark about gays but he did not. Half my friends are gay yet I still wouldn’t like it if another woman kissed me.
Piers and simon cowell are two of the ugliest brits I’ve ever seen in my life. Vive la France!!! Trump is pretty ugly too.