Back when the cast members were revealed, the stars participating in "The Celebrity Apprentice" seemed custom-built for easy story lines. It was obvious that eventually Bret Michaels (he of hair metal fame) would eventually go toe-to-toe with Sharon Osbourne (she of real metal fame). And why wouldn't former wrestling star Goldberg challenge former WWE vixen Maria Kanellis?
Still, it took the show three episodes before we got a pair of people from the same universe, as Olympic sprinter Michael Johnson took the reins for RockSolid while Olympic swimmer Summer Sanders got behind the wheel for Tenacity. Each have gold medals in their respective trophy cases, but which one was able to spearhead a better advertorial campaign for the identity theft protection systems Norton and LifeLock?
Though the women had issues with their presentation (Sanders apparently doesn't use Powerpoint very often), the suits in charge of deciding the winner handed the duke to the ladies. That meant a second straight trip to the boardroom for the men, who clashed over content choices and Rod Blagojevich's inability to use a computer (if this show has proven anything, it's that there is nothing that Blago can't fail at). Though Johnson seemed destined to get the chop, Darryl Strawberry stepped up and quit, which robbed the viewing audience of Donald Trump's catchphrase for a week.
Tenacity remains in tact but no less embattled, as Cyndi Lauper continues to be a divisive presence (the women seem to be split evenly between people who love Lauper and those who think she is a nuisance). Meanwhile, the guys have kept the drama to a relative minimum (for a supposed group of high-powered alpha males, they're a pretty passive bunch). Next week's episode will somehow involve "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" at Universal Studios. Perhaps somebody will cast a spell to make the show shorter?
Who would have been fired from "The Celebrity Apprentice" had Darryl Strawberry not quit? Let us know in the comments!