And then there were two. In a whirlwind two hour penultimate episode of "The Celebrity Apprentice" on Sunday night (May 16), Donald Trump axed three more contestants in preparation for the live finale next weekend (which, unfortunately, goes up against the series finale of "Lost"). As anticipated, Bret Michaels took his place as one finalist, and in something of an upset, Holly Robinson Peete will be Michaels' opponent. In a way, it's perfectly logical, as Peete is about the closest thing this show has had to a villain (in the sense that she's always vaguely unpleasant), while Michaels is (theoretically) this season's hero (though Trump appears to have done everything in his power to try to knock him out of the cast, and even seemed reluctant to put him through last night).
The show opened with a bang, as Trump recalled everybody back to the boardroom (it was meant to look like it happened right after the dismissal of Cyndi Lauper), where he explained that Joan Rivers and Bill Rancic (you know, the guy who won the very first "Apprentice" way back whenever this show first started) would be interviewing four of the remaining candidates. But there were five people at the table! So Trump got rid of Maria Kanellis and sent everybody else — including Sharon Osbourne and Curtis Stone — to get interviewed.
What followed was some absolutely riveting television. Or not. Job interviews are pretty mundane, and even ones edited for television are apparently painfully dull. The middle part of this episode unfolded like a psychedelic Mobius strip that went on for an actual infinity. In many ways, I am still watching Rivers talk to Osbourne about her colon, and I have always been watching that. It's a little weird, and I should probably see a specialist.
It appeared as though the two finalists would be Osbourne and Peete, but Michaels ended up sneaking through (it's sort of incredible that this was all cut before Michaels' health problem, because he keeps having these improbable comebacks). Michaels, of course, will make a Lazarus-like return to the live show next week before heading out on tour. In the finale, Robinson-Peete will get assistance from Kanellis and Stone, while Michaels' team consists of Summer Sanders and, somehow, Darryl Strawberry. The task? Creating a new flavor and ad campaign for Snapple. Can't they just call it Strawberry Poison and call Bret the winner?
Who do you think will win "The Celebrity Apprentice"? Let us know in the comments!