Other Great Reality Shows > Other Reality TV Shows & News

Celebrity Apprentice 2

<< < (28/46) > >>

apskip:
I will read Annie Duke's blog after I write my own recap. I found the first 90 minutes of last night's show, the time at the hotel, scintillating. The last 30 minutes in the Boardroom was torture for both Dennis Rodman and viewers. It should have been shortened by 15 minutes so it had less angst and repetition.

So the task is for each team to run 5 concierge-level rooms at the Loew's Regency Hotel on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. The project managers are Tionne for Athena and Dennis for KOTU. The teams will need to be trained in each important hotel function that they need to perform. That includes:
1. how to clean a carpet
2. how to clean a bathroom
3. presentation of pillows and stuff like that
4. how to provide room service food and beverages
and most importantly, 5. how to provide concierge service for highly demanding guests

The right and left hand of God last night were John Tish, president of the Loew's Regency Hotels, and Ivanka. Before the boardroom they were each seen once, John defending his hotel chain when it wasn't necessary and Ivanka talking to a space-cadet Dennis. As Clint put it, "Dennis turns into a different person when he has a drink."

So 30 minute training sessions in the major functions (Houskeeping, room service, concierge) were available for the apprentice Apprentices. Teams huddled before their responsiblities started and tried to dream up every auxiliary service known to mankind that they could offer free to bias the judges. Some individuals contacted companies they knew in New York City to obtain donations of filled gift baskets, wine, alcohol, food and who knows what else. Athena gave away complimentary breakfasts of anything a guest wanted. At least the guests when they arrived and later appreciate it.

KOTU was slow to finish cleaning the rooms and their first guest was at the concierge station (presumably after having been directed there and possibly even checked in below by normal hotel personnel. Athena had all their team except Khloe on day 1 (day 2 was just breakfast and she was back for working then). So other guests come and check in. Stephen Baldwin and Vicnent Pastore make special appearances by acting like normal concierge-level  guests, that is greedy and very demanding. Many guests tested the skills of the concierges (Brian for KOTU and Joan for Athena) by asking for ridiculous things in theatre tickets, shows, dinner reservations, etc. They got almost all of what thye asked for no matter how difficult it was. The guests did have to pay for these tickets, but when Stephen Baldwin was sent to Joan Rivers to the floor show at the hotel, he had a cover charge of $400 that he was angrey about and Joan apologized for not having informed him. The same thing happened with two men who asked for a pedicure but when they found the charge for men was twice that for women they strongly protested. Again, Joan knew it in advance and did not inform them. Otherwise her work was exemplary and Brian's was almost perfect.

The only major comment against anyone was 2 male guests had a party in their room and complained that Natalie did not give them good service; I saw what was telecast and I do not agree with them. Annie, Natalie, Tionne, Melissa, Brande and Joan all worked their butts off to please the customers who were grading them to determine which team wins. Khloe was not there except for a very short period. On the Men's side Brian, Jesse, Clint and Herschel were working together as a well-oiled maching but Dennis was off on major tangents, usually started by him drinking cranberry juice mixed with some unnamed alocholic beverage. He took away for-the-guests cookies that Clint had gotten at Carnegie Deli (unclear whether complimentary or not)  and when he brought them back almost 24 hours later he walked off in a snit. He elected to go out with two of the guests for a memorable evening of drinking, carousing and eating while the rest of the team was running their desiganted hotel space. At checkout, the guests were required to fill out comment cards, which were turned into "points" by Ivanka and John. The feedback (except none was requested from Stephen Baldwin and Vincent Pastore) was generally favorable, with the major screwup Khloe arriving 40 minutes early. The way that incident was handled, the dialogue between the couple, left me with the distinct impression that the guests were either real actors or they were real people who were asked to play a role and be demanding in specific ways that would test the metal of the apprentice Apprentices.

The feedback resulted in a 85 for KOTU and 91 for Athena. I think that was fair. It should be noted that the women had a manpower advantage of 1 Day 1 and 2 morning 2, although it could be viewed was one more for the women since Dennis was missing-in-action most of the time. So the women win and the men lose. The women are asked to stick around in the Board Room. It is completely clear who should be fired since the other 4 KOTU members worked well and hard. Dennis is the only possiblity and this time even his friendship with Donald Trump san't save him. A beat-up-Dennis session ensued to make the case for his firing air-tight. I did not enjoy seeing this. Trump should have just cut it short with a "Dennis, you're fired" much earlier than he did.

I have a theory for why the women were kept around. Trump did not intend it to beat up
dennis for long AND he wanted them there to announce the restructuring of the teams that was to take place immediately. We saw the a tiny sliver of the results of that in the previews of next week's episodes. I will welcome mixed teams, particularly the splitting up of Joan and Melissa Rivers. I think that everyone still competing except Khloe has the skill set to make it all the way. It's just a question of situations in future episodes as to which one does.

marigold:

I agree and thanks for taking the time for writing us a recap

My 2 cents, these kind of situations are normally handled behind closed doors and I think they didn’t need to air the intervention as we saw Rodman walking around with a vodka cranberry since like episode 1 and it should have been dealt with then. How sad.

marigold:

DONALD TRUMP SWITCHES UP THE TEAMS LEAVING JOAN AND MELISSA RIVERS ON OPPOSING SIDES; THE REMAINING CELEBRITIES PRODUCE A VIRAL VIDEO FOR ALL DETERGENT IN THE NEXT EPISODE OF NBC'S "THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE" SUNDAY, APRIL 5 (9-11 P.M. ET)

NBC Press Release

After a powerful boardroom last night where the men's team set the competition aside to confront Dennis Rodman about his harmful addiction, which resulted in him being fired, the remaining celebrities are split up for the first time. In the episode airing this Sunday, April 5 (9-11 p.m. ET), Trump switches the teams and it's no longer men vs. women leaving mother daughter duo Joan and Melissa Rivers on opposing sides. With their new teams in place, the celebrities' next challenge is to write, produce and edit a viral video for ALL Small and Mighty Laundry Detergent with the videos being judged by the ALL executives along with a very special celebrity guest judge Perez Hilton.

Both teams push the boundaries, despite the ALL executives' warnings. Egos clash as a renegade project manager Clint Black shuns his team and goes it alone. Harmony prevails on the other team, but a last-second decision puts their video in jeopardy as they blur the lines of good taste. A heated boardroom concludes with a shocking result, and Trump's decision surprises everyone.

Clint Black, Annie Duke, Natalie Gulbis, Jesse James, Khloe Kardashian,Brian McKnight, Joan Rivers, Melissa Rivers, Brande Roderick, Herschel Walker and Tionne Watkins are the remaining 11 celebrities vying to be The Celebrity Apprentice.

TexasLady:
Apskip said:
--- Quote ---The only major comment against anyone was 2 male guests had a party in their room and complained that Natalie did not give them good service; I saw what was telecast and I do not agree with them. Annie, Natalie, Tionne, Melissa, Brande and Joan all worked their butts off to please the customers who were grading them to determine which team wins. Khloe was not there except for a very short period. On the Men's side Brian, Jesse, Clint and Herschel were working together as a well-oiled maching but Dennis was off on major tangents, usually started by him drinking cranberry juice mixed with some unnamed alocholic beverage. He took away for-the-guests cookies that Clint had gotten at Carnegie Deli (unclear whether complimentary or not)  and when he brought them back almost 24 hours later he walked off in a snit. He elected to go out with two of the guests for a memorable evening of drinking, carousing and eating while the rest of the team was running their desiganted hotel space. At checkout, the guests were required to fill out comment cards, which were turned into "points" by Ivanka and John. The feedback (except none was requested from Stephen Baldwin and Vincent Pastore) was generally favorable, with the major screwup Khloe arriving 40 minutes early. The way that incident was handled, the dialogue between the couple, left me with the distinct impression that the guests were either real actors or they were real people who were asked to play a role and be demanding in specific ways that would test the metal of the apprentice Apprentices.

The feedback resulted in a 85 for KOTU and 91 for Athena. I think that was fair. It should be noted that the women had a manpower advantage of 1 Day 1 and 2 morning 2, although it could be viewed was one more for the women since Dennis was missing-in-action most of the time. So the women win and the men lose. The women are asked to stick around in the Board Room. It is completely clear who should be fired since the other 4 KOTU members worked well and hard. Dennis is the only possiblity and this time even his friendship with Donald Trump san't save him. A beat-up-Dennis session ensued to make the case for his firing air-tight. I did not enjoy seeing this. Trump should have just cut it short with a "Dennis, you're fired" much earlier than he did.

I have a theory for why the women were kept around. Trump did not intend it to beat up
dennis for long AND he wanted them there to announce the restructuring of the teams that was to take place immediately. We saw the a tiny sliver of the results of that in the previews of next week's episodes. I will welcome mixed teams, particularly the splitting up of Joan and Melissa Rivers. I think that everyone still competing except Khloe has the skill set to make it all the way. It's just a question of situations in future episodes as to which one does.
--- End quote ---

Thanks again apskip for your recap!  :-*

I had a reply ready to post yesterday and lost it, but I did want to comment on several of the points you make so well apskip.

It would be difficult for anyone with a small amount of training to clean a room in twenty minutes so I can well understand why the guys would clean much slower than the women and they were hampered because the men had only 3 to perform all the tasks. The women gave their guests quite a few amenities including a free breakfast but still when the points were tallied, the men weren't that far behind the women.

It was obvious that the "guests" were paid because they were filmed, not only in the lobby but at other points during the day, for example calling from their rooms asking for room service or tickets but it didn't occur to me that they might be paid actors. You're probably right about that, for sure they signed agreements and received some sort of remuneration. I had to laugh when I saw Stephen Baldwin and Vincent Pastore, it was a total setup. Kudos to Joan Rivers for handling Stephen's gripes about the view from his room. She really does have people skills. OOPS on the pedicures.

Watching Dennis Rodman disintegrate was sad and yes, the board room was too long but the most striking thing for me was Trump pussyfooting around the issue of his drinking problem. I suppose it comes from years of business dealings and fear of being sued. The best comments came from Jesse James, confronting Rodman's problems and admitting his own drinking problem.  I wish we had just seen that confrontation and The Donald saying: "Dennis, you're fired." 

The teams split up will be more interesting and I'm glad Trump equaled the teams, I didn't think about him keeping the women in the room so he could split them up but I'm sure you're right.  :tup:

marigold:
Melissa Rivers Blog:

Melissa Rivers: “Dennis’ Firing Was Heart-Wrenching And Painful”

The last episode of Celebrity Apprentice was as real as reality television gets. For me, my reality came in the form of two torn ligaments as a result of running and tripping in a hotel hallway during our task. A keen eye would have caught the walking cast on my ankle when I was saying goodbye to Dennis at the end.

And speaking of Dennis, I’d like to focus on him. He’s a good friend and didn’t deserve what thankfully, the viewers did not see. What aired in the episode was only the tip of the iceberg of what really went down. Dennis’ firing was one of the most heart-wrenching, painful experiences I’ve ever had to sit through. You might have seen my mom actually crying at one point in the boardroom, it was that painful.

A combination of an alcohol intervention, and a vicious, wicked verbal lashing that bordered on abuse. The producers, Page and Eden (and of course Mark Burnett) did a fantastic job in regards to how they handled the situation while it was unfolding and how they edited the show itself.

Look, we all knew that Dennis enjoys a cocktail, but in the boardroom, we realized something more, that Dennis might be someone who needs help.

It especially hurts us from the show because we know what a genuine and lovely human being he is. Dennis doesn’t wish ill will towards anyone; he only wants happiness and everyone around him to be having fun. Case in point, Dennis hopping into the limo with the hotel guests he escorted to Tao restaurant. He gave them an experience they would never have in ten lifetimes.

I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to Jesse James. In the boardroom he was absolutely freakin’ amazing. This is a guy who has been there and wears his sobriety proudly. We learned who Jesse is as a person. We saw him take a serious problem he knows about first hand and push hard to help his fellow man. Jesse is so real, it’s no wonder he has such an incredible wife in Sandra Bullock.

At the end of the episode, we all just lingered about silently waiting for the elevators. Each of us alone with our thoughts about a gut wrenching experience we’d just witnessed and been a part of.

I truly love Dennis as a person and I hope everyone sees under his giant exterior what a good man he is inside.

As far as the actual task goes, for our team it was almost too easy. But that’s not counting my torn ligaments. Everything – other than that – was planned to a tee. Being on the same page from the get-go meant nothing dramatic was going to happen between us. We all had a good time together with this task, our fifth win.

I was especially happy for Tionne. I’ve been writing for weeks that she has been overlooked as far as what you’ve seen on the show, because she was a tremendous part of each victory. And now being the winning Project Manager, it was her time to stand up and shine.

The most important part of this episode took place at the very end after the credits rolled. It was when NBC put up the phone number for Alcoholics Anonymous. This show had nothing to do with performing a task, this episode was about getting a crucial message through to a friend we all care about very much.

http://www.fancast.com/blogs/celebrity-apprentice/melissa-rivers-dennis-firing-was-heart-wrenching-and-painful/

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page