Fair Play, Fairplay, and
Omarosa
March 7
There is no question for me why Omarosa
was included in Celebrity Apprentice, or Jonny Fairplay on Survivor:
Micronesia. Both are known names who brought a high degree of
controversy during their time on the show. (I'm a bit more surprised
that Fairplay was allowed back: I was under the impression that he was
disallowed from all further Survivor functions after misbehaving at the
Vanuatu finale party. But hey: he brings it all with him all the time.)
At his own request, Fairplay was asked to be voted out first, for what
reason we'll never know. But at least we can now get down to brass tacks
and the real fun.
Over on Celebrity Apprentice, sixteen people of note are playing the
game for charity: Project Managers bring home a bonanza to the cause of
their choice. Omarosa similarly brings ratings wherever she goes. It all
started with that teeny bit of plaster falling from the ceiling during a
renovation challenge, and the rest is television gold. The woman is a
magnet for conflict and drama. The producers would have been complete
fools to not have her back again.
That said, after what happened this week, I couldn't be more pleased to
see her kicked off. When I'm playing a game, I play to win. But there's
a line that I just won't cross, and Omarosa crossed that line this week.
I don't care how much I want to beat the pulp out of my adversary. I
will not ever reduce things to personal mud-slinging.
I don't know if Omarosa's insinuation of competitor Piers Morgan as
being a homosexual was part of her character. I don't care, really. It
was uncalled for, and I'm glad to see that she was excused from further
participation. Never mind that her team was severely beaten in the art
selling challenge. For me, it wouldn't matter if she was on the winning
team. There are some things that you don't do no matter what.
I realize that the whole reality genre is based on human conflict. After
all, how interesting would it be if no one was ever voted out of the
tribe? Not very. And some of the greatest moments in the entire history
of the genre were born out of that conflict. At the same time, the
players have their own responsibility to keep things in the game.
Travis Eberle can be reached at
traviseberle@gmail.com. |