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| Clay Aiken and Lisa Lampanelli strategize over their four-page hair dryer ad on 'Celebrity Apprentice.' |
Now that the competition is down to the final five contestants - Clay Aiken, Aubrey O'Day, Lisa Lampanelli, Arsenio Hall and Teresa Giudice - it's every man (and woman) for himself (and herself), and the scrambling begins the instant The Donald says "go."
The stakes for this week's challenge are a little higher than usual. The two teams are tasked with creating a four-page hair dryer ad for Elle magazine, to be judged by editor-in-chief Robbie Myers and one very enamoured Farouk Shami.
The hair dryer executive can't take his eyes off Aubrey - and her flame-colored hair - the instant he sees her, which should have meant anything Team Unanimous did would have been a shoe-in to win.
What the team didn't count on, sadly, was Teresa's poor negotiation skills.
As project manager (by name, mind you), Teresa goes up against Loud-Mouth Lisa to negotiate who gets which model. Given that the challenge is all about hair, it only makes sense that Teresa go for the redhead and the shaggy-haired man.
But what does the "Real Housewife" do instead? Let Lisa hoodwink her and end up with a man with a bowl-cut, with just a smidge more hair than bald Arsenio.
Logic, people, logic!
A frustrated Aubrey and Arsenio decide to work around what they've got and the resident redhead calls in some favors to bring in other models. And, what's this? Somehow volunteers herself to be the redhead stand-in.
"We need a closeup because they said my eyes are amazing," she orders the photographers as they begin the photo shoot. If there's one thing Aubrey does well, it's ham it up.
And give presentations. When Team Unanimous presents their yoga-inspired ad campaign to Robbie Meyers, it's Aubrey who swoops in to save the day when Teresa stammers and hems and haws her way through her portion of the speech.
Team Forte, on the other hand, delivers its product smoothly, with Lisa and Clay alternately describing their "more than just a pretty face" concept.
Which is great for them, because even with Team Unanimous' secret weapon (that would be Aubrey and her Pippi Lonstocking hair), Team Forte takes the win and Aubrey, Arsenio and Teresa are left in the board room with Trump.
Aubrey wisely stays out of the fray as Arsenio and Teresa begin ripping into one another - Teresa claiming that Arsenio didn't contribute, and Arsenio accusing Teresa of not being a strong leader.
"She's a nice lady," he later says after Teresa is summarily fired - a comment clearly meant to clear his conscience.
But there's no time to dwell on that, because this week also marks the welcome return of John Rich and Marlee Matlin, the winner and runner-up from last season, respectively.
After having to put up with these clowns for a season, it's refreshing to see two true charity pros return to the board room.
The power duo interview each of the final four contestants, gauging their sincerity and drive to win the competition. What they never say, but what they undoubtedly think, is how lacking each of the final four are.
Heck, John Rich could probably raise more money by raising a pinky than Clay could in his wildest dreams.
After some serious assessment, they advise Trump, who quickly turns around and fires emotionally unstable Lisa Lampanelli, and one other contestant. But that's yet to be revealed. Til the next episode...
