Their final task is to launch a package and a commercial for 7UP Retro at an event with the winner going to be announced next week on May 22.
- May 16, 2011
AceShowbiz - "The Celebrity Apprentice" is slimming down the contestants to two in the May 15 episode before the finale next week. Previous winners Bret Michaels, Piers Morgan and Joan Rivers returned to the show to interview four remaining contestants and determine who deserved to make it into the final two.
John Rich was up first. He told the judges that Meat Loaf is erratic and he is not sure what Marlee can bring to the table other than raise money. He claimed his writing helps them win the tasks, and boasted his leadership and organization skills.
Next, Lil Jon said he wants to show that rappers are not all ignorant or on drugs. He, however, thought that John and Marlee Matlin would be in the top two although he wanted to win the game. On Meat Loaf, Jon claimed the rock singer is too emotional.
When it was Meat Loaf's turn to speak before the previous winners, he left impression that he is indeed emotional. He explained that his emotions are strongly related to his charity, but Bret was concerned if Meat Loaf can still focus on the task or not.
Marlee admitted competing on the reality show is the hardest thing she has ever done, but believed that she can win. They talked about how she seems weak in fundraising task, to which she explained that she is worried about being tapped out money wise.
After the interviews, Donald Trump met them in the Boardroom. John picked himself in the finale along with Marlee, while the other three contestants picked John in addition to themselves for the top two.
Mr. Trump, however, did not like Jon's original answer of who should be in the finale, so he fired the rapper. Jon went home without any hard feeling, saying how amazing it is that he made it as far as he did. Judging on Meat Loaf's emotions, the businessman later fired him. The 63-year-old star thanked Mr. Trump and wished everyone else luck.
John and Marlee are now officially in the final two. They were tasked to make a package and a 30-second commercial for 7Up Retro with real sugar. They will present the results at a gala event. Marlee will celebrate the 1970s with the Harlem Globetrotters, while John will celebrate with Def Leppard in the 1980s.
For help, Lil' Jon, Meat Loaf, La Toya Jackson, Richard Hatch, Star Jones and Mark McGrath were brought back. John picked Lil' Jon, Mark and Star, while Marlee will get to work with the rest.
Team Marlee picked 7Up Retro: Feel The Love as their tagline. They thought 1970s are associated to disco and Meat Loaf was picked to be a fairy with the can as his wand, spinning soda, crashing dancers and much more. Richard, meanwhile, was chosen as a model for the graphics. When Ivanka Trump visited them, she was worried that Meat Loaf would take over the charge from Marlee.
The team got trouble when Geoffery Holder from the original commercials could not sign the release of the new commercial featuring him. Apparently there is something in his contract preventing him from doing so, and Marlee and her teammates tried to contact his agent.
Team John used 7Up Retro: Still Keeping It Real as their tagline. They wanted polka dots and zebra New Wave cans, and planned to make it pop off the counter. John distributed the tasks well with Star on logistics, Lil' Jon directing and Mark in charge of overall creativity. Ivanka saw them remarkably organized.
For the commercial, they wanted to feature eighties icons like Pauly Shore, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and Dee Snider from Twisted Sister auditioning. They also added imposters of stars such as Madonna for the commercial.
The results of Team Marlee and Team John's works will be unveiled next week on Sunday, May 22 where the winner will also be announced.
