Celebrity Apprentice

After watching the season finale, I realized just how far this show has sank; even though Joan Rivers did better on three of the five tasks in the finale, the reasons for “hiring” the woman – her passion and energy – just doesn’t make sense. The show is about business tasks and about finding the best business people, even if those people are celebrities. Annie Duke, while annoying at times, was shrewd, goal-oriented and an all-around better competitor. She made tons of money, won lots of tasks and generally kept her teams in line – if to a fault. Sure, I wouldn’t want to work for her, but if I were choosing who to put in charge of a business or team or task, who but Donald Trump would select the overly emotional Joan Rivers, who reacted inappropriately multiple times when her daughter Melissa was attacked, who continued to go for Annie’s throat in an unreasonable, obsessive-compulsive kind of way and who repeatedly showed that she was afraid to speak her mind to her project manager time and time again.

Sure, I realize Celebrity Apprentice is designed for entertainment and is not meant to be a hardcore business show like the first few seasons were, but it’s a business show without business or business people. It’s just a silly event, and it makes me miss The Apprentice, which actually included challenges more tasking than just “who can call their richest friends to donate money?”

With Celebrity Apprentice garnering decent ratings, isn’t it time for NBC to give the original another chance? Given that it’s a reality show and designed around product placement, it can’t be that hard to be profitable. Take a risk, NBC. Take a damn risk.