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Celebrity Apprentice: Claudia’s Control Issues!

March 22, 2009 08:04:44 by Candace Young

NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice begins this week with a recap of last week’s episode which saw Tom Green get fired by Donald Trump. Clint Black and Dennis Rodman continue arguing about what has gone wrong with KOTU, the men’s team, while Athena, the women’s team, discuss the dire straights the men are in as well! Brande Roderick meets with Chris Eaton of her charity, California Police Youth Charities. She presents him with the $166, 680 that she and her team raised during the last challenge! Donald Trump meets with the contestants at Capitale, an event space in New York. He tells them that they will be helping launch ACN videophones. Brian McKnight will be project manager for KOTU, and Claudia will manage Athena.

KOTU’s issues continue on Celebrity Apprentice, as Dennis Rodman refuses to participate. Clint and Annie are chosen as the negotiators to decide which team will present in the space first. As the coin is flipped, Dennis Rodman also flips - on Clint Black. He gets in his face, uses profanities and eventually walks out as the members of the two teams look on in shock. Someone whispers, “Did he really just quit?”

Clint and the men head out in their car on Celebrity Apprentice. Clint says he won’t let Dennis make him back out, and Jesse Jackson points out how Dennis got in the face of the smallest man on the team. Brian McKnight decides not to call Dennis - he doesn’t want him there and is tired of holding his hand! Athena regroups and meets with the executives from the videophone company to find out the main focus - which is the emotional appeal of the product, and an exciting presentation. Back in the men’s camp, Jesse is speculating that a product launch should be a spectacle - featuring Brian McKnight. Clint seems to feel a little left out of the creative decisions.

Athena is going the route of creating something magical on Celebrity Apprentice - which includes taped testimonials. They also feel that they need a stage show for the product launch. Claudia Jordan says they will show families using the ACN videophone. Joan Rivers is touted to open their show and warm up the reps! The ladies get into a bit of a conundrum over whether to have live or taped testimonials. The team goes into crisis mode when Joan discovers that she will not be able to be in town at the time of the presentation!

Some KOTU members have headed to West Point Academy to tape a video. On the way, the men discuss Dennis’s behavior again. Herschel Walker feels that Brian should evaluate Dennis and see if he wants to work as a team on Celebrity Apprentice. Meanwhile, the Natalie Gulbis has made some calls to arrange to get Joan Rivers from Las Vegas to New York in time for the presentation - it’s done. When Don Jr comes in to see how they’re doing, the women stage a re-enactment of Dennis Rodman getting in Clint Black’s face!

Brian McKnight and Clint Black have words over the track Brian has written for the presentation. Clint wants to be consulted, but Brian isn’t interested, saying it’s not a democracy! Clint is asked to make phone calls and line people up - which he feels any bonehead can do! Brian says they worked like a well-oiled machine - with people finally learning to listen to the boss.

Back in the women’s camp on Celebrity Apprentice, there is some disagreement, and Melissa feels they should be farther along by this point. Claudia feels that Melissa, clearly an only child, is a spoiled brat. Claudia has to tell Melissa to be quiet because they couldn’t make any decisions. Melissa takes it personally.

As Clint takes a phone call for KOTU, Dennis Rodman reappears on Celebrity Apprentice. Brian McKnight, project manager, says he wishes he’d just stay downstairs. Dennis mutters that even in the NBA he was the one who was targeted! Ivanka comes in and assesses the situation. She speaks to Dennis who says if they lose the task, Brian can’t blame it on him - he came back! Ivanka feels that Brian should approach Dennis, but leaves it up to him. Brian and Dennis continue to butt heads, with Dennis saying he’s part of the team, and Brian not wanting him to infect the work area with his attitude!

Team Athena is trying to record a testimonial using an infant - who won’t stop crying and screaming! Annie is sure that this will wind up being an embarrassing disaster on Celebrity Apprentice. At West Point, Jesse says they have gone all the way up there because they need to do something special - the girls’ team has been spanking them. Jesse picks out a cadet to star in their phone advertisement and they get it on tape! Back at headquarters, Clint decides to prod Dennis, asking, “Where did we go wrong?” Dennis says he just had a bad day. As three members of Athena head to the stage to rehearse, Claudia again makes fun of Melissa Rivers in the car. The rest of the team is back with Melissa, and feel that they need her experience on this task. Melissa says it’s difficult to stay motivated when she is being attacked!

Brian practices his singing on Celebrity Apprentice, while Clint Black laments not being asked for his opinion. He then says he is enjoying his lack of responsibility. Joan Rivers has just arrived in town and goes to the space to rehearse as well. Annie is frustrated that it took them a long time to even get through the presentation once! Annie tells Claudia that the show needs to be simpler so that there aren’t so many things that could go wrong. Khloe is also exasperated, and Claudia deems her difficult to work with. Brande says that they were all very worried - until Melissa put on her producing hat and took over - suddenly it was very exciting!

Donald Trump takes the stage for the ACN Videophone presentations. He explains to the attending reps what is happening then introduces the women’s team - who call out Joan Rivers! She does a stand-up routine, talking about the phone and introducing the vignettes the women taped along with live actors on the phone. Joan Rivers makes the audience roar as she says the gynecologist can now examine her over the phone! The next vignette shows Brande take a video call from her boyfriend and wind up on stage getting engaged! The audience gives a standing ovation as Joan wraps it up! Annie Duke says she doesn’t know what the boys could do that could beat them on Celebrity Apprentice!

KOTU’s presentation is next on Celebrity Apprentice, and begins with the room black, before a spotlight lands on the stage. Clint Black greets the audience, and then the video from West Point is shown. Clint then introduces Brian McKnight, who performs as girls dance around with phones. Claudia, sitting in the wings, says this has nothing to do with the phone! Jesse thinks Brian is a hit! Dennis Rodman mutters that Brian thinks that it’s an opportunity to sell records. Melissa thinks the men staged a good concert, but that the women’s presentation had more emotion and heart. Jesse is stoked that they got the audience so pumped up they actually chanted ACN!

It’s time for the boardroom on Celebrity Apprentice. Donald Trump asks Claudia if she thinks they won - she says she thinks they did. Brian McKnight also feels that his team won - it’s about time they did! Brian mentions the discord with Dennis Rodman. Clint and Dennis establish that they’ve made up and will be hitting the gay bars together someday soon, but Brian stands by his decision not to use Dennis after he got in Clint’s face.

For Athena, Claudia gives credit to Joan Rivers, but grits her teeth when it comes to lauding Melissa, who says she was under utilized. Annie Duke says that their team was in chaos and that was the fault of the project manager, Claudia. However, Claudia says she struggled to reign in Melissa. Joan and Claudia get into it over who took control - Claudia or Melissa. Brande pipes up and says she thinks they won. Donald Trump tells them that the audience voted 85% in favor of the men’s team! Brian wins $20,000 for his charity, Youthville USA.

Alone with team Athena, Don Jr, and Ivanka, Donald Trump reiterates that it wasn’t even a close contest on Celebrity Apprentice, As the men watch from their suite via television, Annie Duke tells Donald that she felt the concept became scattered. Donald concurs that the vignettes were cheesy. He asks Claudia why she didn’t have Tionne sing. She says they wanted to focus on emotion. Melissa says she was removed from the creative process - not by choice. Khloe speaks up on Melissa’s behalf, saying she brought the chaotic show into focus and minded her boundaries after the initial dispute. Ivanka asks Claudia what she would have done differently. Claudia says there was a personality dispute - she finds Melissa loud and obnoxious. Melissa points out that Claudia was making remarks such as, “She says she’s a producer,” and tells Claudia that she produces those two-hour red carpet events she sees on television!

Don Jr asks them to remove the emotion and wants Claudia to say who was the least effective member of her team on Celebrity Apprentice. Claudia says Khloe was least effective. Khloe says she wasn’t managed properly and it was very unorganized. Annie pipes up and says that Khloe didn’t do the big jobs - but wonders if that’s Khloe’s fault or Claudia’s fault? Donald says it’s time for Claudia to choose two others to bring back into the boardroom with her - she picks Khloe and Melissa. Back in their suite, the men agree that her choices might have been a mistake!

Donald confers with his children, before inviting Claudia, Melissa, and Khloe back into the room. Donald asks Claudia why she brought Khloe and Melissa back in with her. She says Melissa has a disruptive personality, and Khloe didn’t step up. Melissa says it’s become a personal attack - but in the end she gets the job done. Khloe adds that there was chaos - due to the leader. Claudia says there were too many cooks in the kitchen, but Donald points out that it was her job to deal with that! Melissa and Claudia get into it again, and Donald interrupts to say that everyone is backing up Melissa. Don Jr points out that Claudia has brought Melissa into the boardroom because she doesn’t like her - not because she didn’t do the job - and that’s a problem! Donald addresses Khloe’s lack of initiative, but ultimately, fires Claudia the project manager. Claudia says it sucks to be the first woman fired from Celebrity Apprentice, and admits she lost control of her group, saying, “You win some, you lose some.”

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Photos Courtesy: NBC

Related posts:

1. The Celebrity Apprentice: Dennis Rodman Fired!
2. Celebrity Apprentice: Twin Tasks!
3. Celebrity Apprentice: Cast Announced
4. Celebrity Apprentice: Claudia Jordin Joins The Cast
5. Celebrity Apprentice: Kotu versus Athena!

Topics: Celebrity Apprentice |

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