‘The Celebrity Apprentice’ episode 12 review: The finale begins … and we pontificate the series’ end
Tonight on NBC, the final episode of “The Celebrity Apprentice” is going to air, though this particular installment is going to be different than most. It’s a one-hour affair, and it will feature the end of the Matt Iseman vs. Boy George battle to go along with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s final decision.
The strange thing to think about is that after so many years, we may be looking definitively at the final episode of the franchise tonight. As an entertainment program, we’ve long enjoyed “The Celebrity Apprentice” and the wide array of wonderful things that it’s brought to the table. This is a show that’s offered up mechanical dogs, Tide detergent blunders, someone getting fired for bathroom humor, and Dennis Rodman and Stephen Baldwin somehow being considered All-Stars just because they were willing to go through this experience twice.
We don’t get too political here, but let’s just say that there’s something strange about the leader of the free world now in Donald Trump being the same person who allowed Gary Busey to finish sixth on an All-Star season.
Anyhow, as we approach this season finale with the Governator at the helm, it feels very much to us that Matt (pictured above) does have all the makings of being the final person to win this ridiculous game show and reap whatever rewards come from it. Consider for a moment here that this is a man who’s been dominant in most challenges, someone easy to work with, and a guy commended for his hard work. Granted, the way in which the teams were divided for the final task may not be all that much to his benefit … at least superficially. Remember that he’s got Carnie Wilson, Carrie Keagan, and Kyle Richards — we liked Kyle and predicted her to win this season before it started, but this is the loser’s bracket of this season.
Here’s the advantage from a fundraising point of view that nobody seems to be talking about: These three women have not participated in such a task before, and they therefore could have contacts willing to spend to raise money who haven’t just yet. Remember that these are people, especially Kyle, with a lot of famous and very-rich friends. This may help to offset Boy George having people on his team in Carson Kressley, Porsha Williams, and Laila Ali who are more accomplished in terms of the game itself.
Now, let’s talk Keyboard-Gate – This is the cliffhanger that this past episode ended on, and it only seem right that the penultimate “Celebrity Apprentice” episode possibly ever concludes with a contestant getting into it with a producer off-camera. The final task is for Carnival Cruise Lines, and a component of that is to hold a gala / variety show. Boy George wants to do some songs that he’s written up, but he needs help with the music. The show brought in a keyboard player who seems to think that he’s there to offer up suggestions rather than to follow direction.
Did Boy George take it over the top? Absolutely, but he does have a rather good point here in that this guy was not hired to partake in some of the nonsense that he’s doing. He was hired in order to come in and follow directions. He’s not doing that, and since George didn’t hire him himself, he wants him gone. It’d be like hiring a decorator who told you that all of your centerpieces were wrong and was trying to get you to use theirs instead. This shouldn’t disqualify George from winning, though the edit certainly does want you to think that this is a definite possibility.
This episode was a tour de force in terms of Boy George as an entertaining reality TV presence, and it’s a shame it took this long to get us there. In terms of having rational people, this may be the best “Celebrity Apprentice” cast ever; yet, “rational” is not a word that we’d ever use to describe a show that once fired Khloe Kardashian for trying to make amends on a DUI arrest she had before filming even started. It’s a madhouse, and we’ve been inmates there for a rather long time. It may be time to shut the door. Episode Grade: B+.
Who do you think is going to win “The Celebrity Apprentice”? Be sure to share some of your thoughts now in the comments, and head over here to get some additional news when it comes to the show. (Photo: NBC.)