Game Show Newsnet | The Celebrity Apprentice: Season 9

RockSolid and Tenacity are at it again. This time with the charge to create a dual ad campaign for Norton 360 and LifeLock. Remember that guy who posted his social security number on a truck and had it driven through NYC? That's the LifeLock guy. And yes he's crazy. But he's also a judge.

Each team needs to pick a project manager and this week will be Summer Sanders vs. Michael Johnson.

Each team will have to create a 4-page advertorial (story-like ad) that will sell the combined product package (Norton Anti-Virus computer security and LifeLock identity theft protection service). The team that creates the most compelling package utilizing the selling points of the combined products and their celebrity value will win the task.

Now you'll notice how easily I summarized the goal of this task. For some reason this doesn't translate to Cyndi Lauper who has a slew of goofy questions. It seems like every week is about how long it will take for Holly to flip out and pull a shotgun on Cyndi's head.

In the light of equal opportunity, the men are having the same problem with Bret Michaels. Bret is showing off his Rock of love flightiness, but at least it is balanced with some decent creativity.

The women on Tenacity are brainstorming and Maria backs things up by asking Summer where the photo shoot is "going". Summer stands there as if a cat caught her tongue and the Sharon Osbourne solidifies the situation. As she puts it, the competitive nature of the game is forcing everyone to jockey for position. That's why Summer is afraid to say something wrong and why Maria is stating her dissent so that if they lose, she can say she disagreed. Sharon thoroughly understands this game.

To that extent, Summer seems lost in this task. And Sharon sees it. The photographer comes to take the promo pics and Summer has not settled on the images she wants. IT's a short task and time is ticking.

At RockSolid, Darryl and Rod have been sent out to get props for the shoot. This would seem like a good use of manpower except for the fact that Rod is using the time to help promote his innocence. He literally is stopping New Yorker's on the street to plead his case. Darryl makes comment that he doesn't need to do anything to build his image in NYC. True dat.

Time is still being wasted at Tenacity. First the team realized it. Then the photographer. Then the Mini-Don. Don Jr stops by to see what is going on with the ladies and his observation is that things are frazzled and that Summer doesn't seem sure of herself. I'm telling you, a 1st grader could be running this project better right now. They might be using fingerpaints, but they'd have made a lot more progress than Summer. What happened to the eloquent polished Summer from the Kodak task?

So in this entire recap, so far nothing has really happened. The men are putting a change to that. Their photoshoot is starting and it's time for the strip show! Because what says security better than a shirtless Goldberg? (a padlock?) Goldberg get pumped up and makes some big buff poses. Should be interesting to see how these photos turn out. Goldberg actually breaks a sweating posing and growling. A sweat that he shares with Michael Johnson. Michael's pink shirt is now covered in Wrestler sweat. Good luck dry cleaners!

Meanwhile, Bret is leading the creative and hitting on the graphic designer at the same time. He must have fallen off task, because Michael looks over Bret's should and points out everything is wrong. He says Bret is getting too edgy and reels Bret back in to a more text driven look. Bret thinks Michael's vision is boring. We'll have to wait to hear Trump's call.

The women have finally moved forward and cast Sharon in the role of protector. Donning a Black leather trench she fits the part pretty well. For their story they are selling Sharon as a manager and a mother who needs to protect both her clients and her kin. Because the women wasted so much time establishing their photo look, they have very little time to flesh out the editorial concept. Holly tries to keep things literal and to the selling points, but event she admits that the story is very limited.

And now it is time for the presentations. The men are going first and Michael begins their presentation with identifying their story's lead character as... Curtis Stone!?!? Goldberg is featured in the as a sort of mascot, but RockSolid has chosen to go with the story that Curtis Stone has had his identity stolen twice and that if he had LifeLock and Norton 360 he wouldn't have had any problems.

Bret points out that even with the presentation being projected on a 15 ft. screen, no one could possibly read all the text Michael insisted on having in the ad. Otherwise the presentation goes off without a hitch and the ladies are up.

The ladies have some serious hitches. They can't get their projector running and Summer is forced to give her speech impromptu. Which she does well. Then she introduces Sharon to speak as the official spokesperson featured in the ad and the train comes off the rails. Sharon cusses with he 6th word and then proceeds to hack up a lung. If this we're for an anti-smoking ad this would be perfect but that will have to be a future task.

Once the presentations are done, Trump sits with the Norton and LifeLock execs and asks their opinion.
For the Men. they provided a lot of information, but some of it may be legally inaccurate and the execs would have liked to see Goldberg used more prominently.

For the Women, the imagery and product sell was strong, but the exec wanted more information to fit the advertorial theme.

So who wins? Hello boardroom.

Michael admits that managing Bret was not as difficult as Trump might have expected. Summer throws Cyndi under the bus saying that she can take the group of course when there needs to be focus. Holly matches this sentiment in the nicest way she can. Cyndi is offended and plays the victim card gently.

Then each team is given the other team's ad to evaluate. Rod defects and says that she likes the women's ad. Michael claims the women's ad is just that, an ad. Not an advertorial.

Sharon sees the men's ad as excess blather. Something Cyndi agrees with and even Gavin Maloof (co-owner of the Palms in Vegas and Trump right arm this week) agrees.

The one big oops, the women failed to place a call to action (ordering phone number) on the ad. Uh Oh.

Still, the execs thought Tenacity's ad was superior, so the women win. Check to Summer Sanders and Right to Play.

And now one of the men must prepare to make an exit. The Donald keys in on finding out whose idea it was to use so many words. Michael admits it was his idea. Then Don Jr. asks if anyone tried to talk him off the ledge. Michael waffles and says no. Bret doesn't step up to take credit (boo!)

Question #2: Why lead with Curtis? Michael says that Curtis is a current star and that Chef's a a trust factor. BS.

Question #3: Curtis, did you want to be the spokesperson? Curtis answers with a roundabout no.

Question #4: Bret, why are you so quiet? Because I haven't been asked any questions. First good answer of the night. In further discussion, Bret stands by his team, maybe a little more than he should.

And now the Who Would You Fire moment of truth.

Rod says Michael
Bret infers Michael, but also manages to compliment him at the same time.
Darryl says himself!?!?!

There's a reason Darryl has barely been mentioned thus far in the recap. He has nothing to do with this loss.

Trump pressures him saying that he can't possibly mean that. Trump asks Michael if Darryl is the reason they lost. Michael says no (Told you!) And then Darryl reiterates that he wants to be fired.

Ugh.

And with that Michael Johnson has received the luckiest get out of jail free pass in Celebrity Apprentice history. Darryl you're fired.

Good riddance. No room for quitters on reality TV. So, we didn't get a real firing this week. Maybe next week will turn out better.

To see this episode in its entirety, visit the official website at www.nbc.com/the-celebrity-apprentice.