Hey Apprentice Fans! Hope you all enjoyed part 1 of our finale episode. The week began and we were down to the Final Four with Lil Jon, John Rich, Marlee and Meat Loaf. The teams were feeling relieved but they would soon find out that there was little time for celebrating. My father surprised them with an intense lineup of interviews which would begin the next day. We brought back Celebrity Apprentice champions Joan Rivers, Bret Michaels and Piers Morgan to do the job.
One by one the Final Four entered the Boardroom and faced some very tough questions from those who had been in their very position before. John Rich was the first up and Joan, Bret and Piers were very impressed. He came across very solid as he has throughout the competition. As Lil Jon entered the Boardroom his laid back manner and ability to work under pressure was a characteristic that the group admired. However, eyebrows were raised when Lil Jon said that he expected Marlee and John Rich to be in the Final Four. I was disappointed to hear that as I didn't think Lil Jon would ever come out with something like that. He later corrected himself in the Boardroom, which was a smart move and certainly more characteristic of the guy that we have all known these past 12 weeks. The ever so emotional Meat Loaf entered the Boardroom and these tough judges certainly did not bring Meat Loaf to tears. They loved his passion but also thought that in business it may not be a good thing to show your soft side so often. Marlee was called in and blew the judges away with her perseverance and focus; however, Piers did question whether Marlee had used all of her resources, and could potentially be "tapped out" if there was another fundraising task ahead.
After the interview process had ended, it was time for the Boardroom where we would soon learn the fate of the Final Four and find out who would be the last two in the race to be the Celebrity Apprentice and win $250,000 for their charity. My father moved down the line asking each player who they thought should be in the Final Two. Although Lil Jon in the Boardroom gave the response he should have during his interview, my father agreed with Joan, Piers and Bret that the response he gave to them was not the response of a winner. And - as my father pointed out - similarly to Lennox Lewis, who also failed to include himself in the winner's circle, he was fired. Lil Jon left proudly, knowing that he not only brought awareness to his charity but also put 100% into every task. With three people left in the Boardroom, each one gave their honest answer as to why they should be the next Celebrity Apprentice. John, Meat Loaf and Marlee all had one thing in common and that was passion. In the end, as much as my father admired Meat Loaf's ability to show his emotional side and wear his heart on his sleeve, in business there is such a thing as too much emotion. Meat Loaf was fired and left the Boardroom, still rocking.
Marlee and John have done an incredible job and we congratulate them on making it to the Final Two! In usual Celebrity Apprentice fashion it was back to business and back to task very quickly. The final task, always massive, did not disappoint. Marlee and John were to create a new can and packaging, produce a commercial and launch a star-studded event for 7UP Retro. Of course they would need a little bit of help so "The Johns" were back together again! Richard, Star, Lil Jon, La Toya, Meat Loaf and Mark showed up to lend a hand. Marlee chose her theme first: the Harlem Globetrotters and the 1970s. As I am sure many of you were, I was shocked that Marlee let John Rich have the 80's with Def Leppard. Marlee seemed confident that sports would be a better pick for her, so I was looking forward to seeing what she put together.
As the new teams split off, I was instantly concerned whether Marlee would be able to handle Meat Loaf's creativity. As she picked Meat Loaf first, she obviously saw him as an asset to her team; however I think if she doesn't keep a close eye, she could lose the reigns very quickly to her own task. When Ivanka visited the teams I would have liked Marlee to step in and take the lead. With that said, there are many components to this task and Marlee would need all hands on deck.
John's team seemed to have great momentum and I think between Star, Mark and Lil Jon he had a very strong team behind him. Star as usual took on the logistics, but with the creative musical minds going I think it was important to delegate that area off to someone else. Lil Jon seemed to be more relaxed than usual, and perhaps he really was just tired or maybe it was that he was not in the race any longer. Regardless of what it was, you could tell John Rich was hoping his very strong "other half" would soon return back to normal. And Lil Jon did eventually step up and help put a little fire under the group when the clock started ticking...
The teams had come up with their designs for the product, both colorful and bold, and had organized for their talent to arrive and participate in the commercial. John Rich's team had arranged for Dee Snider from Twisted Sister to appear and Marlee had booked Geoffrey Holder who had recorded iconic ads for 7UP in the '70s. Both were very smart and exciting concepts. The day took an interesting turn when Meat Loaf received a phone call saying that Geoffrey Holder's lawyers had an issue with the release paperwork. That was a call that Marlee was certainly not prepared for. Meat Loaf lost his cool and it was up to Marlee to try and find a solution. They had no backup plan and time was not on their side, so Marlee would have to think quickly on her feet as to what to do next... I am looking forward to seeing how Marlee will step up and improvise. Both Marlee and John have a lot of work ahead of them and seeing them approach the finish line will be extremely exciting.
Hope you all enjoyed part 1 of the finale! Send your comments and predictions via my twitter page (www.twitter.com/donaldjtrumpjr ) as to who you think will be the next Celebrity Apprentice. See you next week for the LIVE finale!