1. While Sig has been silent for most of the season, he made a big impact on last night’s episode. I actually thought he did a great job and his idea to bring the Hooters girls onto the sightseeing cruise was a good one. I especially enjoyed when he pulled a Meatloaf and lost his cool (when he realized the bartenders were late). While he certainly deserved to be fired, I thought he had a pretty great swan song.
2. There was an interesting juxtaposition between Brandi and Kenya this week. While both tasks involved party planning, Brandi assumed the project manager position fairly quickly and capitalized on her event planning skills on the cruise assignment. On the flip side, Kenya didn’t fight Kate when the mother of eight took control of the Trump National Dorval task. The result was Brandi getting a win and Kenya sitting on the sidelines on a task she would have owned. Hey, didn’t get Shawn get fired for the same reason last week?
3. When this season started, I could have told you that Vivica, Ian, Leeza, and Geraldo would be in the endgame simply based on the star power that they bring to the table. While I expected Kevin Jonas to be in the mix as well, I believe one of the Power 5 had to be sacrificed to keep things on the up and up. Based on this, I would be very surprised if Johnny, Kenya, and Brandi weren’t the next ones to go.
4. While Kate said that she was shocked by her elimination, I certainly wasn’t. When Kenya and Vivica turned on each other, I saw this simply as another reason for them to continue their tenure on the program. While Kate’s strategy to save herself seemed to consist of simply keeping her head down and letting her teammates tear each other apart, I didn’t think she argued enough to stay.
5. I didn’t like the edit that Ian received in this episode. The producers made him look controlling and as if that wasn’t bad enough, he fumbled when the executives asked him about the size of the ballroom at the Trump National Dorval. Coupled with the way he handled Brandi moving the flowery Dorval sign, I just thought that this episode highlighted the fact that he will not win. If you compare his edit to Leeza’s, it is a no-contest.
6. There is zero doubt in my mind that Leeza will win.
7. Longtime Celebrity Apprentice fans know that athletes generally do not get a lot of airtime, but even with that said, it’s shocking to see the way that Johnny Damon has basically been reduced to a benchwarmer this year. I am hoping that he assumes project manager responsibilities again next week and that we will see more of him.
8. At first glance, it is unbelievable that Vortex has lost four straight tasks. Upon reexamination, however, we should have all seen it coming. The team was saddled with Geraldo, featured a feuding Vivica and Kate and (as if that wasn’t bad enough) was infused by a Kenya transplant. The team really didn’t have a chance against Leeza and Ian.
9. The most fascinating aspect of last night’s episode was the way that Kate and Vivica seemed to bury the hatchet and put their differences aside, choosing instead to team up and get Kenya fired. While it didn’t work, it was interesting that despite being enemies for most of the season, they were able to unite against a common enemy.
10. How amazing does the Phonegate episode look next week?
