I am beginning to feel better about things. I always try to look at the positive side of things and I really believed that Clay would win Celebrity Apprentice. It never crossed my mind that there might be things going on in the background that had influenced the choice of the winner. So…I was in shock. I have not yet watched the broadcast of the show. I know I will, but right now, I just CAN’T!
There were two very interesting articles on the Internet on Wednesday. Two of the cast members of Celebrity Apprentice have spoken out about what they thought about the finale. Both are interesting reads and have helped me understand what was going on.
The lovely Debbie Gibson writes a newsletter for her fans. Wednesday, she wrote about many topics. She had something to say about Sunday’s Finale:
I WILL say though that I could not join the center stage hug at the end of the show because in that moment my FIERCE LOYALTY to Clay and my HONEST feeling about the outcome took over. The thing that bothered me most….well, two things actually. One – Clay’s party and show showed WAY more attention to detail. TWO – I got fired supposedly because of dollars and cents. I don’t agree that this “game” should be all about money. I never did. But so long as that precedent was set, it struck me as being insanely hypocritical that NOTHING was mentioned about the fact that TEAM CLAY raised over 300k!!! We ALL hustled for him out of his PASSION for the charity that clearly was his baby. It inspired me to raise over 50k…the most I ever raised on the show. His passion for The National Inclusion Project motivated me and inspired me to be SHAMELESS in reaching out to friends like Dick Van Patten and Natural Balance, Donny Deutch, Andy Fickman, Music Sales,,,,,others who wish to remain anonymous but were there for me because they heard the passion in my voice that all stemmed from CLAY’S devotion to this cause.
I do not begrudge anyone success or care about who the “winner” is in the sense that…it means nothing really. But in that moment, just the name being announced moment…I did feel like an injustice had been done.
I think Arsenio will be amazing WHEN he is back on late night TV and whether he won or “lost” he WON just by being back in our living rooms for ANY amount of episodes. This is nothing personal towards Arsenio…. I simply felt that in overall presentation and fundraising Clay was the CLEAR winner!
Thank you, Debbie, for sharing your thoughts with all of us. Your words were honest, complimentary to both finalists and portrayed your feeling during the finale. Please go to Debbie’s site and read the entire entry. Visit DEBBIE
Adam Carolla broadcast his Pod-cast on Monday. He was very critical about the results of the finale of Celebrity Apprentice. His comments have been picked up by some of the press. Kelly West at TV Blend shared what Adam said for those who cannot hear Adam’s Pod-cast.
Last Sunday night’s season finale of The Celebrity Apprentice wasn’t the first time I was surprised by the results of a reality TV competition series. Those things are never entirely predictable, and would we really want them to be? With that said, there was a level of dissatisfaction over the conclusion that came less from Donald’s decision to declare Arsenio Hall the winner as it did from not exactly understanding why Arsenio won. His earnings were substantially lower than Clay’s for the final task, and while he was technically undefeated on tasks, he and Clay were tied for wins (two a piece, with Clay losing one task of the three he managed). Clay stood out as the better player over all though. At least, the show seemed to present him that way over the course of the season, while Arsenio took a slightly less aggressive approach to playing. It seemed like Clay should have won, not merely for his performance in the final task but for his performance over the course of the game, and yet Arsenio took the victory. Why is that? Adam Carolla made some comments on his podcast that point to a bigger-picture scenario concerning Hall’s future at NBC (or on television in general).
Carolla talked about Celebrity Apprentice on his podcast this week, bringing up the differences between the two parties and shows put together for the final challenge leading up to the finale. From the way Carolla spoke about the tasks, he was impressed by Clay’s team’s efforts. “One was a comedy show and one was a music show. Sort of apples and oranges but they really kicked ass,” he said. He also spoke numerous times about the difference in the money raised, with Clay’s team earning more than $300k, while Arsenio’s total was just over $150k.
Apparently, from what Carolla said, everyone was in agreement that Clay should win. They were asked about it in the boardroom, which wasn’t shown during the finale. “They went around and asked everybody, ‘Who do you think should win?'” Carolla said. “And everyone just said ‘Clay.’ Even people on Arsenio’s team just said ‘Clay should win. He’s just the strongest player.'”
So, assuming he’s not exaggerating, it sounds like the competitors this season were also expecting a different outcome. Carolla admitted during his podcast that he was confused. And then he went on to mention something a woman told him. He’s very vague on the details about who exactly said this to him, and that should definitely be taken into account when reading his comments, but it sounds like it’s someone involved in the production of the series somehow…
“When they gave it to Arsenio, I was confused. I couldn’t believe it. And then when I was done… I probably shouldn’t mention any names – When I was done, one of the girls – I said, ‘I’m fuckin’ shocked. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I was Arsenio’s team captain, so I’m fine. We were hugging it out before and drinking white wine and shit. And he comes on the show and all that. I’m just fucking shocked. I am shocked. And one of the chicks sort of pointed at her microphone and said, ‘I’ll tell you why as soon as I take this off.’ And then, later on I didn’t talk to her. Later on, I talked to another one of the chicks and she was de-mic’ed and I said, ‘What’s the deal?’ And she said, “Oh Arsenio’s got a deal with NBC or deal with whatever company and this is what they’re doing or this is how it works.’ That’s what she said. I don’t know…”
He’s not naming names, so we’ll take this as more gossip than anything, but is it all that hard to believe? As though to reinforce what was said, we’ve already heardthat Arsenio is sifting through offers from multiple networks to headline his own talk show.
Assuming what was said is true, it’s really disappointing, as it compromises the integrity of the series. People can scoff at the very idea of that, but a big part of the entertainment value from shows like these comes from a satisfying ending, one way or the other. I would have been much more satisfied by the ending of this season if I understood why Trump made the decision he did, which may be part of the reason why I have an easy time believing what Carolla said. Hall is a likable winner, but his win didn’t feel like a fitting ending for the season. So either that’s the fault of the series for not showing us enough evidence that Hall was a better competitor than Aiken going into the finale, and Trump’s for not sufficiently articulating why Hall deserved to win over Clay, or what Carolla said is true. Or some other reason. We can only speculate at this point.
Please stop by TVBLEND and why not leave a comment. This lets Kelly know we appreciate her article.
What do you think? Do you question the results or do you think we are all just disappointed? Share your thought!
I think there’s probably some truth to the story but at this point there’s nothing that can be done about it. We should focus on the good that came out of CA for Clay and hope it leads to some exciting opportunities. I’m hoping that the way he has handled himself impressed the right people who will want to work with him now. Dwelling on the loss won’t help that. Go Clay! 🙂
I really believe that Clay impressed many people and will get lots of opportunities!
Don't have the strength to make any more comments about this whole "Business" situation!
I taped the show and now I can't even begin to try and rewatch it yet – I will in time – but right now
I am not ready to see it again!!! Sooo disappointing – but I know Clay is or will be fine and so will
the NIP!
I haven't watched the broadcast yet either. Being there in person was so much fun until the last 1/2 hour!!
I taped the show as well. Turned the tv off and threw the tape in the trash.
Such a travesty and so unfair. At least Clay can sleep at night–don't know how Trump does.
On a positive note, Clay was wonderful on the show, raised a lot of $$ and made some good friends. I loved that the The National Inclusion Project got such good exposure as well.
I believe Adam Carolla. If he says an NBC staffer told him that Arsenio was pre-chosen because of the talk show, I believe him. If he says the contestants all thought Clay should win, I believe that, too. Adam has no particular reason to be biased towards Clay over Arsenio; in fact, he was the first person chosen for the opposite team.
This is the second time Adam has exposed corruption at the heart of Celebrity Apprentice, and the first time they forced him to shut up. They can't do that now.
The winner of Celebrity Apprentice gets:
– Bragging rights
– Money for the charity.
– In Clay's case, it would have been a way to erase the runner-up tag
But if the result is fixed, and everybody now knows that… where are the bragging rights? Where is the honor in winning a rigged contest?
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
I am angry because I think Clay was used. Used to draw viewers with his strong fan base. Used to make Trump appear to be accepting of gays. (Not enough to win or risk being associated with Clay's political views.) Used to showcase the friendship that developed surprisingly between Clay and Arsenio. (Clay made Arsenio look better than he was.) That friendship was used to promote the finale which was really no finale at all. Clay says he is content to raise awareness for NIP and to show people that he isn't stupid. We already knew that. Our love and devotion to Clay and his causes was manipulated. We wanted and even needed our guy to win and it was never to be. That leaves the fans used and exploited most of all. I struggle to come to terms with that. I need to hear from Clay on that topic.
I agree, Linda….Clay was used and that is so sad!
Well I am still bitter. Sticks in my craw, but Clay is going to be fine. He always is. 3 reality shows have come to an end and all 3 had crazy winners. AI, DWTS and the one at the top, CApp. On to the Gala in October for me! I'm very glad that the special guests are going to be there to support Clay and his charity, the National Inclusion Project. We all know Clay is going to joke about losing to two black men who will be on the stage with him. 🙂 Good articles musicfan! Thanks for bringing them over!
im angry pissed off that clay dint win he was used and clays causes were manipulated indeed
i wanted clay to win this for him and his causes
Thank you for all your support of CANN. I always look forward to your comments!
I calmed down enough to rewatch the show yesterday. That's when I really heard what Arsenio told Trump when asked how much he wanted to win. Arsenio said that Trump built a bridge for him and he (Arsenio) was going to cross it and get back to a talk show and tell everyone how Trump helped him. At least Clay didn't grovel at Trump's feet. He stayed classy all the way thru and everyone he worked with on the projects believed that he should have won. NIP is now known by so many more people who are willing to donate to Clay's charity. Clay didn't need to win C.A., but Arsenio did. Arsenio is 56 yrs old and has been out of the spotlight for many years.
This was his chance to try to restart a career.
Hi Emily, I doubt that very much! I'm sorry that's how I felt. He will be forever in debt with Trump and will continue to be a yes sir from now on………. I'm still hurting and can't seems to forget what they did to Clay, and can't even bother to watch the last part of the finale.
The Fix was in from the very beginning. Clay was an awesome worker on the Celebrity Apprentice. When I heard all the talk about Arsenio was sure to win it, it really was sad, but I kept hoping Trump would do the right thing and pronounce Clay as the new Celebrity Apprentice. But, Clay will go on as he always does, as a gracious and wonderful man. Now, I think we should all move on and enjoy whatever he has in store for us. Myself, I am excited and can't wait till he tours again. Been too long since I have heard that beautiful voice.
More and more evidence is supporting what a lot of us have already suspected. I feel so bad for Clay since he must know about all of this by now. He can hold his head high though knowing he was THE best player on the show.
Agree with you MagicalMusic
Hey musicfan! I commented this morning and I don't see it! Wonder what happened?
It's odd, but I keep finding your posts in the spam folder. At some point someone must of labeled your email and/or IP as spam and it's in the Askimet database as a spam source. I will keep checking and approving your messages as soon as I can. I haven't been online much yesterday or today because a family member is in the hospital.
I cant stress enough how important to me these articles and interviews are that you are sharing! There is no way I can bear to watch the finale or even download photos yet because of how I know how this impacted Clay.
If everyone in the boardroom said Clay should win, in the part that was not aired on TV, then why the heck did Dayana say Arsenio on stage live? The answer is because she was Donald's puppet then and throughout the show. I believe she goaded people on purpose into a blowup. This still makes me physically sick that Clay was once again duped.
These articles and interviews are so important. I am so disappointed for Clay. He worked so hard. I have to believe that everything that came out of Apprentice was good for Clay and NIP in the long run. The Celebrity Apprentice outcome has opened my eyes to reality TV. Now I know how it all works. I guess I'll go back to watching movies all the time.
Wow, these are great comments from all of you. As I read what you all have to say I realize they all sum up my feelings as well, expressed so perfectly. Although we know Clay is strong, I think we all just need to hear him say to us that he us okay! As soon as we hear from him I think that will really help.
It also helped to hear his voice at the Harboring event. Thanks, Musicfan, for posting that video. I don’t think I’m the only one here who feels like a new person after hearing Clay sing. It’s like magic. While listening to that video I thought I was hearing him sing for the first time. How does he do that?
Thank you, Clay; and thank you to you wonderful people for being so awesome.
Clay kicked butt.
Arsenio kissed butt.
As far as I am concerned a friend would never agree to sign a deal that would humiliate a friend on national TV for his own personal; gain. Arse allowed Clay to be humiliated with crass jokes while children were present and taking a loss he never should have. I of one will never watch his show and I don't want him at the gala.
Dhyana