"Oh goodness," I told myself after doing the episode recap for the penultimate episode of the recently concluded The Celebrity Apprentice.  I wasn't worried about Donald Trump's decision to have bitter rivals Joan Rivers and Annie Duke face off in the final task, really--I had that coming, simply because they've been dominant the past season, for better or worse--but more because it was a three-hour finale.  Can I really sit through three hours of that?

But that's not really the issue.  Besides, I ended up knowing who won in the end anyway.  It was a hard-fought battle, if you'll still call it that, and after business slowly gave way to personal vendetta (and lots of money raised for charity), a winner was named: it's Joan.  And, well, like everybody else here, I don't think it's a good decision.


No, I'm not saying Joan doesn't deserve the win as much as Annie does.  After all, the two played the game in a totally different fashion.  Annie brought the strategy and ruthlessness she exhibits on the poker table to the business world, not relenting until she gets what she wants.  She was in charge of everything even if she wasn't officially named project manager, and that meant she played the game a lot harder than, perhaps, everybody else.  Also on her deck is a business-only attitude; her only goal is to succeed in her task.

Joan, on the other hand, gave a more personal approach to the competition.  Coming with her trademark New York charm and wits, she became the compassionate player, taking care on not get in anybody's way while still keeping her eye on the prize.  But she's taken things too personally at some times, and--in a moment very well exhibited by that walkout a few weeks back--it will literally disrupt everything, so you can say she wasn't as successful as Annie in many aspects of the show.

Donald's announcement last week that the two will see each other in the final task made the whole thing feel like a toss-up.  Surely, they both went to the top of the game on their own, but during that episode's deliberation--as a refresher, that week they were asked to do a radio spot and jingle for Chicken of the Sea--you could sense what Donald was up to.  He too easily fired Clint Black for losing the task as project manager, even if they'd later say they actually liked what he did.  He fired Brande Roderick because, as Piers Morgan said, it'd be an insult to the show if she made it to the finale.  He fired Jesse James because he couldn't figure him out.  Well, sure, they've had failures of their own, but after many weeks on the floor a decision couldn't just have happened in a snap.

Rigged?  Wait just right there.

Understandably, there are a lot of factors coming into the final task, which involved the teams organizing a VIP party before a Cirque du Soleil show.  Sure, Annie's a quick winner when it comes to raising funds for her charity, but Joan's party was indeed more enjoyable, not to mention the power of her Rolodex attracting seemingly bigger names.  (Then again, I can't say Joe Frazier is a stranger to most of us.)  Donald's decision to give Joan the victory, 3-2, was something I'd be willing to accept.  So, the charities have raised funds and awareness of their cause, and that's all there is to it, right?

The problem is, Donald made another one of those quick decisions.  Simply said, he chose Joan as the winner because of their long-standing friendship.  You've noticed the many board room meetings this season, the way he seemingly pandered with everything she said, making obvious the fact that they know each other very well.  Surely there's this unwritten rule in the business world, where you shouldn't get personal relationships in the way, else you'd be accused of nepotism?  He ended up being too nice to Joan, and Annie inevitably received the losing end of the stick--and her poker playing background, and the implied backstabbing nature of the game, didn't help either.

It would've been acceptable if Donald made a decision considering everything that happened on the show.  Well, maybe that happened, but to him all that went before was a poker player attacking one of his closest friends.  Never mind the drama at the board room.  Never mind the achievements achieved before.  Never mind the fact that, at least according to Annie, the party planners backed out after feeling insulted with Joan's approach.  It's all for show, anyway, so let's just do the ultimate pandering and give the win to Joan!

The result was, The Celebrity Apprentice was slapped with a bigger insult than what Piers feared.  Suddenly we can't take this seriously--and not because of the celebrities involved.  Oh, I still miss the days when the show was a serious competition, when real-world business minds, rather than celebrities of every sort, really tried to make things work and earn the Trump's favor.  That was compelling television.  That was genuine television.  We've given the celebrity versions a chance knowing what it's for--a way for charities to raise funds, with entertainment along the way.  But at least you could've stuck with the rules and let your head rule over your heart.  Instead, it became very close to a farce.

The next season--another celebrity version--will air next spring.  I know most of you, at least for now, will be voting with your remotes by not tuning in.  I would still watch it, if I have to watch it (read: work), but there'll be this cynicism that will utterly change everything forever.  Oh, if you only stuck with the professionals on this one...

And I'm not the only one who's got this on my mind.  Here's a handful of the many comments we got after Joan Rivers was announced as the winner:

from jonno:
Unfortunately ... Trump allowed Joan to set the terms by parroting her interpretation of Anne being cold and calculating.  Professional does not mean cold.  Even if Annie would have lost fairly, it is wrong that Trump allowed and propagated Joan's viciousness.  Annie was the better player and I think came off as a saint for not being hooked into Joan's slander but Joan won... why?  What are the rules again?  Lame.

from momuka19:
The event planner quit because of her.  We all watched, so Trump knew it, yet he never brought it up.  That is when I knew it was rigged.  Donald the coward didn't want want Joan and her demon seed bad mouthing him if they lost,so he rigged the contest.  The big loser is Donald because I'll never watch his show again and Joan ruined her what little reputation she had left.

from purplepeopleeater:
It made for good drama... but the integrity of the show was tarnished forever.  Duke's job was to raise more money than her competition each week.  She did that with great ideas and strong execution.  Donald allowed his friend to win.

from ffmer1:
I was disappointed in the process, which was obviously flawed.  The Donald should not be favoring someone from "his" crowd.  Although Annie was not perfect, who is?  She worked the hardest and brought in the most money by far.  I may not watch this show again.

from TIMTOMPSON:
I thought it was really suspicious that Donald let Joan get away with all the bad mouthing each week but he immediately shut Jesse down for calling Dennis stupid.  Not to mention the fact that Annie was interrupted and vocally overpowered by Joan every time she tried to defend herself in the board room.  On top of it all, Joan quit and came back!  What the hell? It's not what you know.  It's who you know.

from 3putt:
Trump is a coward.  He sacrificed his [principles] of discharging quitters and people who conduct themselves badly.  Rivers did a lot of both.  Looks bad for Donald.  Sorry.





-Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of NBC)