I suppose it’s a good time to air a new Celebrity Apprentice. Let’s say you’ve invested heavily in Citibank, and you’re watching the value of the shares plummet. Watching this show may cheer you up as you think, "Well, I suppose it could be worse: Tom Green and one of the Deal or No Deal models could be running the company."
It’s the show’s second season, and I’m even less sure what the point of it is. The scenes and squabbles and feuds are incredibly contrived, and it’s all in the service of a game that makes no sense at all. It’s ostensibly a business competition, and yet the projects and "marketing" are moot, as the whole point is just to see who can get more rich friends to come pay, say, $3,000 for a cupcake. It’s really Celebrity Pleader.
The cast isn’t quite as good as last year’s: Annie Duke is trying tobe the bossy Omarosa but doesn’t have the venom. She’s just pushy.Scott Hamilton and Herschel Walker actually seem to be taking the gameseriously, which is just sad. And Dennis Rodman is still trying topeddle his "bad boy" persona, although he’s just confirming something Ithought in his heyday: His outrageousness is solely expressed by hisclothing and tattoos — but personality-wise, he is the dullest man alive.
SPOILER ALERT, after the jump.
The opening challenge was to make and sell cupcakes. And again: Whatdoes this have to do with business? How different was it from a cupcakestand built by a 7-year-old, except that a moppet couldn’t get HughHefner to send down a bunny with $5,000? And yet they all seemed to betaking it very seriously. A little too seriously. When Melissa Riverswas told to select her team’s best cupcake for a judging, she waffledbetween two and said, "Oh God, it’s like Sophie’s Choice." Yes,Melissa, sometimes there’s no better way to express the stress of aDonald Trump game show than to invoke dead children at Auschwitz.
Alas, when it was all over, we lost the most interesting contestant:Andrew "Dice" Clay, the only man brave enough to pair weightliftinggloves with Charles Nelson Reilly glasses. He’s the biggest standupcomic, you know. Ever. In history! At least, that’s what he said. I’m alittle confused by the claim. Yes, he was huge back in the ’80s, buthaven’t we as a nation agreed that we’re not sure what we werethinking? That’s like maintaining that the Lambada is the greatestdance in America. Granted, the Diceman’s still got it: He doesSylvester Stallone and John Travolta impressions! How topical! I can’t wait to hear his ripped-from-the-headlines impression of Crocodile Dundee.
In the boardroom, you could tell that Trump wanted to keep Dicearound. Trump’s decisions on this show are the icing on the nonsensicalcake. It’s all clearly done to keep the most colorful charactersaround. You could tell Trump wanted to boot Hershel Walker, who nevermet a football metaphor he couldn’t spike. Unfortunately, Rodman andthe Diceman were so blatantly ineffective that even Trump couldn’trationalize keeping both of them. And seeing as the Diceman mentionedhe wanted to quit, Trump had to let him go.
Now Rodman can hang aroundand redeem himself with such no-fail business strategies as napping inan office while everyone works. The only way this guy could work hardis if someone sprinkled a little Stevie B. on him.
Anyone psyched about this second run of Celebrity Apprentice, or should Donny Trump and Co. stick a fork in this collapsed cupcake of a concept and call it a day?
I watched it, its almost like so bad you have to watch and see just how much worse it can get. When Tom Green is the most clear-headed person there you’ve got problems. And looking at the surgical freakshow that is “les femmes Rivers” made me think I had accidentally flipped over to the Sci Fi channel.
Totally agree with “missy:” why does Tom Green seem to be the most logical one on the guys’ team?
I also think you hit it spot on Josh: it’s no fun just to see who can get their friends to come donate cash; that’s not skill.
I love this show!!!So glad its back. Its nice to see the rich and famous who walk around like they are totally in control and above it all, having to deal with the same crap and politics us working stiffs have to deal with on a daily basis. I also was very pleasantly surprised with Joan Rivers, cool head, smart and able to get the job done without all the theatrics. Go Joan!!!
This show used to be about successful business strategies. With Celebrity Apprentice it’s turned into who has the richest friends willing to donate to their cause. In retrospect it’s similar to current business strategies except the rich friends are replaced by government bailouts. So much for competition. It makes for very boring TV.
I agree with the fact its BORING watching who can get the most donations! Are they gonna do that every week? How about getting them to do something creative judged not on money but on merit?
Glad ADC is gone, now I can watch if I want. What a monumental pile of steaming cr*p that guy is.
My favorite part was that they didn’t even try to hide the fact that they edit it to make it more dramatic. In the boardroom, one of the dudes (Andrew Dice Clay or Rodman) was being shown on the camera with his mouth shut, while the sound had him going on and on to Trump.
Get rid of Annie Duke and then I can watch.
ADC is nothing but irritating anymore. I’m happy he is gone. And I applaud the fact that Hamilton and Walker are serious. If you sign on to something, then play it through. And it is more interesting than that Janice Dickensen gum commercial. But only by a little.
Why anybody would want to be in a room with any of these horrible people is beyond my logic. So why would you want to watch a show featuring all this people working together. Trash TV of the worst kind.
The show has definitely exceeded any sort of legitimate standards. Trump should focus more on running his bankrupt companies or encouraging junior to lose the mullet. That was the last episode I will watch. PS: Sad to see ADC such a pathetic character. Yes, three decades ago you were big. But now you are the first of many losers.
I thought last night’s episode was all wrong, starting with having a bake off between men and women. Everyone knows that most men don’t do a lot of cooking so right there the women had a leg up. Then the whole thing of getting rich friends to donate money had nothing to do with the usual course of business. It was so obvious that some of the retro celebrities were elevate attention for themselves. The most desparate charity causes were the celebrity themselves. And just to note, that poker player Annie or whatever her name was didn’t make the show interesting or make me want to watch it made me want to flip the channel. I was hoping the women lost just so she would be voted off. She’s way to annoying it’s like having someone scratching on tin right in your ear you just want to slap them. Hope she doen’t stick around to long.
I love this show. It’s scary how much Joan Rivers looks like Madame.. love her anyway!
Annie was just so annnoying! I love the girls team besides her. And Dennis, though I LUV BBALL & his team, I still think he AND the dice idiot shoulda been fired. Lets hope f the women lose next time, annie is an obvious choice. And Joan was abit…uh…yeah, well. I thought Tom green was an itiot too. Well, can’t wait 4 next task! I love Brande & melissa!!!!!<3
This show totally jumped the shark when it went to celebrities. I didn’t even know it was on last night. After seeing the above clips, i won’t be wasting my time watching it either.