‘The Donald is Dead to Me’
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - HollywoodDave
You know what? I got three words for you guys right now: F**k Donald Trump. That’s right, you heard it here first. I just went to the taping of the final episode of Celebrity Apprentice — which by now everyone has seen live on TV — and I couldn’t feel more disgusted, appalled, and cheated. Not just for my friend Annie Duke, who put on one helluva competition over the past several months, but for everyone supporting the show over the entire season who were given a completely fabricated, rigged ending. Total bullshit.
Now look, I know I’m supposed to defend Annie and get all up in arms over Joan winning the show, but its so much more than that. Even if I didn’t know Duke (or play poker myself), I would still feel the exact same way. The bottom line is, there was absolutely NO justification for Joan winning, except for plain and simple nepotism! In every single way, Annie outplayed Joan (and everyone else) on the show, and was robbed of her rightful victory in the end.
Annie raised 3x the money Joan did. More than anyone in the history of the show, by the way. She won more tasks than Joan did. She was never once in danger of being fired, throughout the entire season. She put up with CONSTANT unfounded vicious personal attacks on herself, her friends, her family, and her career by Joan — not only on camera, but in the boardroom as well. At no point in the season did Donald ever tell her she was out of line or think she was any less of a ‘role model’ for such despicable behavior.
Joan — in the boardroom! — said Annie was worse than Hitler! That she was beneath Joan! That Annie would spit on the ground and drown her own mother! That all of Annie’s friends — the ones who had donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to CHARITY — were ‘worse than trash’ and in the Mafia! That simply cuz Annie had revised her opinion of Brande halfway thru the season, she was a liar and (this one courtesy of Joan’s daughter Melissa) a ‘whore pit viper!’ And when confronted about the ‘worse than Hitler’ comment by Donald, responded only that Annie was actually WORSE than Hitler!
This is the woman who won Celebrity Apprentice, people. The ‘role model’ espoused by Donald Trump, who raised less money than Annie did (on the last task as well as throughout the season), won fewer challenges than Annie did, and even on the very last task — got both her and Annie’s party planner to quit the show due to despicable behavior captured NOT ONLY by NBC’s own cameras, but actually described on the planner’s website itself — and then Joan LIED to Donald’s face about it in the live finale, and he never considered it in his deliberations.
That’s just the surface, too. I’ve worked for years in TV production, and can tell you from experience that that last show was most definitely produced to provide an excuse for this ridiculous scam. Notice that in the entire 3 hour finale, only the last THREE MINUTES was reserved for Joan and Annie to acutally talk? And that whenever Annie tried to get into any of these substantive truths, Joan would just shout over her until Donald cut them off and made his own decision, without any deliberation? How practically the entire final episode leading up to Annie’s firing was intentionally produced to make Joan look sympathetic and Annie unstable? How the clip reel on Joan’s charity was a real tearjerker, while Annie’s looked more like a documentary, despite there being very obvious emotional components to the work they do?
Finally, Joan was picked without any reasoning given. Just that she had accomplished more of the criteria on the final task, despite failing in every other regard. Despite getting Annie’s party planner fired. Despite lying to Donald about it in a manner that he would truly have to be stupid to not see, as all the evidence was edited into the final cut of the episode that had just aired.
It gets even worse. More truths: Donald’s sister in law is on the board of Joan’s charity. Joan had just signed a contract to produce a show with Apprentice executive producer Mark Burnett. All of the returning celebrities were polled ahead of time to see who they were supporting, and (except for Jesse James, who refused to give and answer) only the ones who responded ‘Joan’ were given a chance to express their views. And returning champ Piers was actually instructed to say he thought Joan should win. All to make it look like this great miscarriage of justice was somehow justified.
So, that’s it. I’m pissed. And will never watch another Apprentice episode ever again. Not that I am terribly surprised that reality TV is ultimately rigged, but that after being so absolutely devoted & deserving, my friend Annie Duke was not only played, but slowrolled as well. For 7 seasons now, instead of ‘firing’ someone, on the final episode the Donald turns towards someone and instead says, ‘You’re HIRED!’ What kind of sick fuck, then, does it take to turn towards Annie and say, ‘You know what I’m going to say Annie? You’re — FIRED!’ Fuck him 6 days a week and twice on Sundays. This wasn’t a bad beat or horrible one outer, Trump straight up dealt off the bottom of the deck — and still rubbed it in her face!
There ya go. My Celebrity Apprentice finale experience for ya, no holds barred. gg sir.
-hd.
Tags: Annie Duke, Celebrity Apprentice, Donald Trump, Jesse James, Joan Rivers
