‘The Celebrity Apprentice’ spotlight: Will Keshia Knight Pulliam give winning performance?
In a way, we do feel bad for Keshia Knight Pulliam right now. If she does any publicity for “The Celebrity Apprentice,” we imagine that most of it will be hampered by the fact that her biggest claim to fame is working on 170 episodes of “The Cosby Show.” She obviously should be proud of that work and for being Rudy Huxtable, but the hunger by the media right now to talk about Bill Cosby and the allegations against him is rather strong. They would pepper a one-episode guest star on the show with just as many questions.
Since we have a feeling that “The Cosby Show” will probably not be referenced much on the NBC show itself when it premieres Sunday, let’s focus instead in this article about what Pulliam brings to the table as a contestant on this show, and if she has a chance of impressing Donald Trump in boardroom.
Claim to fame – Beyond what we have already said above, Pulliam appeared in more than 50 episodes of “House of Payne,” and is a bit of a reality TV veteran. However, it hasn’t gone well for her: She was eliminated early on “Celebrity Mole” a decade ago, and was the first contestant eliminated officially on the short-lived “Splash.” (Note here that we’re not talking about those who quit the show.)
Advantages – She knows the entertainment business extremely well, having grown up in it. Nobody should be as self-aware as she is, and that will be used to her advantage here. Also, everything we’ve seen from her suggests she is extremely personable, and probably has a pretty decent list of celebrity contacts who can bring in money.
Disadvantages – We don’t think you can put Pulliam on the street at this point and expect people to remember her as Rudy. In general, she just doesn’t have the 2014 star power as some other contestants. This could be most harmful in the boardroom, where Trump could decide to keep someone he feels either has a larger following, or is bringing more drama to the table.
Charity – Kamp Kizzy, an organization designed to help to encourage and empower young women. Pulliam founded the charity, which means that she’s involved in every aspect.
Prediction – We cannot see Pulliam going too far in this season, just because we feel like Trump will probably want to keep contestants who are either more dramatic, or have bigger names / Twitter followers. She will probably make one minor mistake, and go home in a ridiculous fashion before other people who deserve to leave before her. This is the typical fate for people in her position.
Do you agree with us? Disagree? Either way, share with a comment. Also, sign up now to get some additional TV updates via email, or take a look at our other “Celebrity Apprentice” spotlights. (Photo: NBC.)
Laverne
December 30, 2014 @ 6:31 am
Keshia Knight Pulliam won Fear Factor, which you failed to mention. She is well accomplished, educated and helped the president of her alma mater raise a million dollars. I feel you all left out a lot about this young woman. She is more than just little Rudy! Do a little more research on her.