On "Celebrity Apprentice," Trump fires two
(CBS News) Two contestants on "The Celebrity Apprentice" reached the end of the road in Sunday night's episode after the men's team failed to use race-car driver Michael Andretti in a promotion for a new Buick. (SPOLIER ALERT)
Pictures: "The Celebrity Apprentice"
The task was a 10-minute presentation to introduce the Verano, Buick's luxury sedan, and Buick spokesmen offered to add another $30,000 to the prize given to the winner's charity.
Host Donald Trump clearly told the men's team what he expected of them (and what Buick may have signed on for) - that race car driver Michael Andretti be made team leader.
The women chose Debbie Gibson as project manager but, as the episode would later reveal, it didn't much make any difference who was chosen or what the team did (mispronounce the car's name!!).
They were bound to win because of the choices the men made. In the board room later, Trump revealed that the Buick execs judging the task liked the men's presentation but were disappointed that Andretti was not better utilized. Therefore, victory went to the women.
In the endless discussion of why Carolla was or was not the better choice, only talk show host Arsenio Hall got Trump's complaint: The Buick folks wanted the Andretti name attached to their car and it didn't happen.
When Carolla refused to take anyone else to the boardroom with him - despite Trump's harping about Andretti's failures and his team mates' whining about how little Lou Ferrigno does - Trump said he would fire two.
Carolla and Andretti got the ax. Carolla said as project leader it was only fitting that he "take a bullet for then team." Andretti complained that he hadn't done anything wrong.
And while that is true, it was what he didn't do that counted. Not only did Andretti fail to step up as project manager, he also failed to make his secondary role in the presentation a star turn, as several of his scenery-chewing colleagues easily could have done.
The only head scratcher is why Ferrigno is still around. But that may be remedied next week as he promised Trump he would step up as project manager, no matter what the task.
But the men's team - and coming episodes - will be dimmed by the loss of Carolla's tension-breaking humor and good will.
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