Hey Apprentice Fans! Hope you have enjoyed watching our finale episode. We have two record-breaking players going head to head to be the next Celebrity Apprentice and bring home $250,000 for their charities, The Starkey Hearing Foundation and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which are both incredible causes. We picked up this week with the teams working hard to get ready for their star-studded events. They were close to the finish line but had a lot to do before giving their final presentation to us.
Last week Marlee hit a roadblock and wasn't sure if Jeffrey Holder would be able to participate in their commercial. He was a huge component and there was no Plan B if he couldn't attend. If I were Marlee, I certainly would have been working on a backup plan. Thankfully, after working the phones for two hours, Meat Loaf received word that Jeffrey would be able to make it - huge sigh of relief for Marlee.
John Rich went to meet with Def Leppard and discuss the logistics for the show that evening. Immediately when John met with the group he explained the charity he was playing for, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He relayed his passion for the charity and brought it back to the kids. I think this was such a smart move on John's part. He wanted to show Def Leppard the depth and impact that their performance would have and how badly he wanted to win this. Throughout the season, this has been something I've admired about John. In most of the situations he's come up against, he has been able to always remind himself it's for the kids. I think that's one of the reasons why he is in the Final Two. While setting up, John received a nice $25,000 boost from his friends at the Melting Pot. That had to be great for team morale!
On the morning of the event, Marlee and her team showed up at the basketball courts and had to get to work. Initially, Marlee's team felt like there was no direction or delegation. I have seen this happen as the task gets so big that the leader needs to take a step back and get a game plan together. I was happy to see that Marlee did in fact step up and put her team to work. When the Globetrotters arrived, I loved how they said, "We'll take care of your charity." Marlee also said that the charity is what keeps her going. It was clear through her passion and energy that she also came to The Celebrity Apprentice to try to win for the Starkey Hearing Foundation.
It was time to hit the courts as Marlee's was the first event that we attended. I agreed with the executives that having Marlee and her team greet us upon entering the court was an important touch. It was a smart move because, as a leader, you can guide the executives on the experience, your way. You can be sure to lead them through your event, being sure to share all of the details that you had just worked so hard on. Overall, Marlee's event went off without a hitch. It was very organized and she put on a really exciting show. From her stage presence to the commercial and the Globetrotters, it all went extremely smoothly. I even brought my kids, Kai and Donnie, who also had a great time.
We switched gears and headed to the '80s for some rock and roll by Def Leppard. Right before taking the stage, John Rich received a check for $250,000 which was another huge accomplishment. If that didn't get John pumped up to get on stage, I don't know what would. John took the stage and first showcased his commercial which had everyone very entertained. He then did a fun intro, but the glitch with that was that his timing was completely off. He went on stage a little early... about 20 minutes early, which with a live audience is quite a lot of time to kill. Instead of panicking, he did what he does best and that was perform. He took his guitar and hit the stage. I was impressed by his confidence to get back out there quickly and make the show go on, a true professional. Def Leppard arrived on stage, at the time planned, 7:00 p.m., and put on a high energy, awesome show.
When my father met with the executives, they both really loved the work that Marlee and John had done. They felt they both did an excellent job, and they would be rolling out both products. That's a great testament to how strongly they felt about the '70s and '80s concepts they had come up with. Both Marlee and John should be proud of the work they did. They are both incredible people.
Thank you for watching with me tonight. I will be posting another blog this week which has ALL the details from our live finale Sunday night. I will be sharing with you a behind-the-scenes look at everything that went down during the show. Send me your questions and comments via my twitter page (www.twitter.com/donaldjtrumpjr ) and here on the blog!