Andy DehnartDonald Trump selected Piers Morgan and Trace Adkins the final two contestants on The Celebrity Apprentice last night, opting to dump Carol Alt because he wanted to watch the remaining two men beat each other up.
Anyone looking for more evidence that Trump is a sexist pig found it last night when he fired Carol Alt even though both Jim Kramer and CNBC’s Erin Burnett, who’d interviewed the final four, insisted she was the most qualified. Trump, who can never think of anything to praise Carol for except her beauty, told her, “Carol, how do I get over the fact that I want to see these two guys fight?”
Trump admitted that Jim Kramer and Erin “thought that Piers should be fired,” but instead said, “I love the friction between these two guys, because I say they don’t like each other. Carol, I want to see these two guys go at it. Carol, you’re fired.” After she left, he said, “Firing Carol was not easy, but I love what I’m looking at.”
One could reasonably argue that his choice guaranteed the best television, the British villain versus the American hero. Of course, there’s no way that Trump will ever “hire” Piers, who’s been an abrasive ass all season–although he has made the show far more watchable.
The two are now co-producing a charity event (not their own individual events, as in past seasons), and next week’s conclusion promises some drama–particularly from a boy band, of all things. The Backstreet Boys, apparently under the impression that this is 1998 and they are still popular, gave Trace a hard time, insisting upon having all of the items on their rider even though that specified two rooms and they’d just have one dressing room. “I knew then I was dealing with a group of kids that were going to just bust my balls all day,” Trace said. At their meeting, Nick Carter said, “Can I ask you, wheat grass–is there any way you can get that?” In an interview, Trace said, “Are you punking me, man? Is this a joke?”
His utter disbelief will continue next week. On the preview for the finale, the announcer said “Trace is tested by the band,” and we see Trace say, “the black nail polish?” He then tells us, “One of ’em forgot to bring his fingernail polish!”
Continuing to be as amusing and down-to-earth as he has been all season, Trace said, “Talking to the Backstreet Boys is time out of my life that I’ll never get back.”