Donald Trump’s reality TV show Celebrity Apprentice puts its famous (and not so famous) contestants on the spot. Trump may not be the most likable guy–it’s not his aim–but he makes the contestants explain themselves and his very direct interrogations bring some real reality to a genre where the word is usually stretched beyond credibility. Defend your actions or go down trying is the name of the Celebrity Apprentice game–and it’s pretty good. This season contestants included two Real Housewives (Brandi Glanville and Kenya Moore), World Series winner Johnny Damon and Sharknado star Ian Ziering, among others. For the live finale (February 16, 8pm, NBC) TV news journalists Geraldo Rivera and Leeza Gibbons will vie for the title.
On the finale, Rivera and Gibbons will each present a commercial they’ve created for Universal Orlando Resort. Both contestants are comfortable on camera–and neither wilts in the glare of Trump’s interrogations. Should be a good showdown. The winner of the show gets to give an additional $250,000 to their designated charity. Gibbons’ charity is Leeza’s Care Connection, an organization that provides free resources for family caregivers. So far, on the show, Gibbons has raised $140k for her organization. No worries if Rivera loses — while on the show, he’s already raised $580k for Life’s WORC.
