Celebrity Apprentice Boardroom Shocker! Donald Trump Does a Double Take

After the Buick car challenge, business mogul makes history with firing twist

By Drusilla Moorhouse Mar 12, 2012 3:50 AMTags
Debbie Gibson, The Celebrity ApprenticeDouglas Gorenstein/NBC

Donald Trump hit the brakes too soon..

On tonight's Celebrity Apprentice, the business mogul fired not only one of the show's most colorful characters, but a frontrunner for the $250,000 charity prize.

And the project manager wasn't Mr. Trump's only target…

Comedian Adam Carolla, the project manager for this week's Buick sponsorship challenge, took the fall when team Unanimous lost a second time in a row to the women.

And when Carolla refused to select two teammates to join him the boardroom, Trump announced that he would fire two people.

Lesson: Don't argue with the big boss.  

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That goes for tonight's second casualty, Michael Andretti, whom Trump expected to head up the new challenge: showcasing a new Buick luxury SUV's features in a presentation and Q&A session with auto execs and potential customers.

The task was made for the legendary IndyCar racer and team owner—in fact, it's entirely possible Buick signed on for The Apprentice just so that he would serve as their de facto spokesman.

But when it came time to select a project manager, Andretti volunteered…Carolla. The funnyman does know a thing about cars—besides his hilarious admission that he lost his virginity in a Buick Regal, Carolla races vintage cars and hosts The Car Show on the Speed channel.  

MORE: What happened to all of J.K. Rowling's money?

But although Carolla was a knowledgeable and engaging emcee, Buick was looking for an Andretti "endorsement"—and all they got was robotic mumbling when Carolla managed to drag him onstage.

Also contributing to Unanimous' demise was a bizarre heckling stunt, concluding with Paul Sr. yelling "You suck!" before being muscled out by Lou Ferrigno and silencing the uncomfortable audience.

So what the women lacked in product proficiency—especially awkward project manager Debbie Gibson—they made up for with heart. Aubrey O'Day's moving tale of her mother's serious car accident had the audience in tears. So what if she twice referred to the Buick Verano as the "Verona" and completely fabricated the story? The women personalized their presentation by sharing their own tales, Lisa Lampanelli made them laugh, and Teresa Guidice inspired a collective awww when she trotted out her husband, daughters (including a shockingly well-behaved Milania) and a skateboarding bulldog to show how roomy and family-friendly the Verona Verano is.

In the end, The Donald's baffling man-crush on Ferrigno spared the wallflower, who promised to finally flex his muscles as the next project manager.

Andretti's a decent enough chap, but it is Carolla's droll humor we're really going to miss. Who's going to supply the show's sound bites now?

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family)

Do you think Trump made the right decision? Will the men's losing streak continue? Who deserves to go home next? Sound off in the comments!

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