TV-Looking Back on the 2008 "Celebrity Apprentice"-How to Improve It Next Year

Piers Morgan won the "Celebrity Apprentice" series and while my prediction was wrong, the reality was perfect. For as nice as Trace Adkins is, Piers should have won.

Here's a re-cap of all the episodes of the 2008 series, a review of the show in terms of entertainment and competitiveness and a look back to the beginning.

All with videos (including the new and wonderful Trace Adkins' tune) and pics you'll find nowhere on the Internet.

Pic of the Day

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Piers Morgan Wins 2008 “Celebrity Apprentice”

In the two hour finale of Donald Trump’s revised Apprentice series “Celebrity Apprentice”, if I heard The Donald say one more time “Trace/Piers-why should I pick you?” I would have screamed and turned off the set.

For it was a two hour finale, one hour of which was a most amazing waste of time for the constant conversations about how little Brit Piers Morgan was a nasty villain and country singer Trace Adkins was a kind, soft-spoken all-American hero. Somebody tell The Donald that we get it out here in la-la land, home of the non-celebrities who carry this country on our backs whilst raising the citizens and soldiers of tomorrow.

I’d predicted in my review of this series before this HERE that Trace Adkins would win this thing but I am very glad I was wrong.

Although like the rest of the planet, I find Trace Adkins very likeable and felt sorry that he hadn’t raised money for his charity, which was an organization devoted to the study and prevention of allergy attacks in children with severe food allergies.

Since so much of this Celebrity Apprentice series is scripted, don’t tell me not, I figured the bittersweet ending would have the “evil” Piers Morgan being beat handily at the final challenge of a charity auction and party event by the all-American Trace Adkins with the deep, sweet voice.

Except Piers Morgan is NOT evil and no such thing came across even though The Donald and the producers tried to make it so. Morgan is not one to suffer fools and nonsense easily but he’s just a little red-headed Brit whose chosen charity, by the way, was to an organization that cares for soldiers wounded in battle as well as their families. Piers raised many thousands of dollars for that charity so how the hell nasty can he be with that sweet English accent and his preference for fuller-figured gals? None of his team-mates throughout the series had many bad things to say about Piers although they tried heartily with a little help from coaching producers as I imagine.





Couple of things about the Celebrity Apprentice’s 2008 grand finale. First, Piers raised over $300K for his charity while Adkins only reached $64K.

All of the Celebrity Apprentices returned for this finale as is the norm. Omarosa returned and when asked why she had issues with Piers Morgan she made just the dumbest comment about how Piers failed to floss his teeth properly.

A “feud” between Omarosa and Piers had been carefully crafted during the series and on some level it worked. Omarosa had been known as a nasty one from an earlier “Apprentice” series in which she was a competitor and she was good at it. The bit about flossing the teeth made no sense and frankly I think Omarosa threw away a chance at some sort of future with that dumb statement.

KISS singer Gene Simmons came across as a bit crazy during the series until eventually I think he up and quit after the Kodak challenge. So in this finale Simmons once again insists that Kodak is wrong for selling their printer ink so cheap and hey, it was nuts then and it was nuts the night of the finale.

Finally, it’s about time that Donald Trump consider allowing America to vote for the Apprentice, Celebrity or otherwise.

Now I know that The Donald loves to sit in front of the camera with that stuff on his head and appear for all the world as a troubled executive in constant rumination over who to fire, who to fire.

Someone needs to tell The Donald that allowing audience participation is all the rage nowadays, witness “American Idol” and “Dancing With the Stars”, the two most famous of the reality shows. In fact, Piers Morgan is a judge on another reality series, “America’s Got Talent” and that show too allows phone in audience votes in choosing the winner.

Donald Trump needs to get over himself and encourage more viewers by going with the times. Obviously his once vaunted and greatly touted series “The Apprentice” has lost its luster and after a season featuring Martha Stewart, which did not work, it could well be that this format of a “Celebrity Apprentice” would work. But not if Trump insists on making the series all about Trump. Hey, The Donald would still get the chance to point his finger and say “You’re Fired” only he’d be doing it on behalf of the American people.

Below is a snippet of the fabulous song by Trace Adkins as featured on the grand finale of “Celebrity Apprentice” 2008. Hurry and get this song as if you like country music this ones a real winner.



“Celebrity Apprentice” 2008 Contenders
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Carol Alt-model/actress-sent home 3/20/08
Jennie Finch-olympic medalist softballsent home 1/24/08
Gene Simmons from Kiss-sent home 1/17/08
Lennox Lewis-boxer-sent home 3/20/08
Marilu Henner-actress-sent home 2/21/08
Nadia Comaneci-olympic star gymnast-sent home 1/10/08
Nely Galen-Latina TV producer-sent home 2/7/08
Omarosa-former apprentice-sent home 3/6/08
Piers Morgan-Americas Got Talent-WINNER!
Stephen Baldwin-actor of Baldwin family-Sent home 3/13/08
Tiffany Fallon-playmate of year-SENT HOME PREMIERE NIGHT 1/3/08
Tito Ortez-sent home 2/28/08
Trace Adkins-country star-Sent Home 3/27/08
Vincent Pastore-star of sopranos-sent home 1/28/08

Prior Links to Posts for “Celebrity Apprentice” 2008
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Premiere Show
The Dog Challenge; Nadia Gets Fired
The Kodak Challenge…KISS Him Goodbye
Hydra Loses the Broadway Challenge; Finch Sent Home
Vinnie Pastore Goes Home
Nely Galen Sent Home
The Omarosa/Piers Morgan Feud Begins in Ernest
Beloved Marilu Henner Fired!
Dial With Yogurt-Tito Fired
Omarosa Sent Home After Art Gallery Task
The Quiznos Challenge, Baldwin is fired
Begins the Grand Finale Challenge
The Final Review
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Enter “Hell’s Kitchen”

Beginning next week we will be reviewing Gordon Ramsey’s “Hell’s Kitchen” in this space. So be ready for curse words and sobs from would-be chefs and by all means, foodies and reality show aficionados, join us here.